Education

School Funding

Chicago voters will weigh in on taxing millionaires for schools. How the money is divided matters too.

Two advisory questions on Chicago ballots ask voters whether Illinois should tax millionaires to support public education. Advocates and policy experts say raising more money is only part of the solution. Where that money goes could determine whether it closes existing school funding gaps.

By NaBeela Washington • 9 min read

Chicago Board of Education

Brown or Williams? What to Know About the District 5A School Board Race

Two candidates seeking to represent Chicago's West Side faced questions about school funding, closures and student success at an October 1 forum. Here's what they said, what the Board can actually change and how to vote.

By Mina Gregory • 10 min read

Español

¿Blaise o Hargrove? Lo que debes saber sobre los Elecciones Escolares de Distrito 5B

Dos candidatos se están presentando en los elecciones para representar al Distrito 5B en la Junta de Educación de Chicago. Acá te informamos sobre exactamente que los candidatos, Blaise y Hargrove, opinan sobre los necesidades del distrito, que aporte tiene este posición, y como pueden votar.

By Liana Ordoñez • 9 min read

Chicago Board of Education

Blaise or Hargrove? What to Know About the District 5B School Board Race

Two candidates are running to represent District 5B on the Chicago Board of Education. Here’s what Blaise and Hargrove say the district needs, what the seat can actually do, and how to vote.

By Liana Ordoñez • 8 min read

Deep Dive

Inside the Money and Petition Challenges Shaping West Side School Board Races

Campaign finance records and electoral board proceedings reveal recurring political committees, donors, and attorneys across several West Side school board races, offering a closer look at the relationships surrounding this year’s petition challenges.

By Nel Afenya • 8 min read

Education

Your Principal, Your School’s Budget, Your Classroom: Who Actually Makes the Decisions?

Chicagoans will elect the city’s entire school board for the first time this November. Here’s what the board controls, what it doesn’t, and who families should turn to when they need answers.

By Georgia Rau • 5 min read

Education

He Watched His Mother Advocate For Special Ed Support in CPS. Now, He’s Voting for Change

As Chicagoans prepare to elect its school board, first-generation Chicago Public Schools’ alum Froylan Suarez is voting to advocate for more bilingual resources for immigrant families like his.

By Samantha Monje • 4 min read

Education

The biggest misconception about Local School Councils? They don't do anything.

Local School Councils remain the most direct way West Side residents can influence decisions at their neighborhood schools. But participation remains a challenge.

By Nel Afenya • 5 min read

Environment

Forgotten to flourishing: Heritage students transform school garden

Heritage Middle School students are learning that food doesn't just come from grocery stores; it grows from soil, seeds, and hard work in their seven-bed community garden.

By Maya Swan-Sullivan • 5 min read