INCS CALLS FOR AN END TO POLITICAL BRINKSMANSHIP AND A RENEWED FOCUS ON STUDENTS
October 4, 2024 – Chicago Public Schools students deserve better. The Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) is disappointed to hear the news of the mass resignations of the full Chicago Board of Education only a month before the city’s first school board election. This ongoing political saga does nothing to serve students and is a revealing illustration that city leaders are putting politics ahead of student interests.
At a time when our city’s students and schools need leadership, we are met with continued chaos from Mayor Johnson, the Chicago Teachers Union, and Chicago Public Schools. This political maneuver to force resignations of the full Board of Education before an elected school board takes power is fundamentally undemocratic. It also paves the way for the district to take out a high-interest, short-term loan Mayor Johnson demands to finance a costly CTU contract that will spiral our city’s schools into even more debt. These decisions will impact our students and school district for years to come and should be made by a democratically elected school board.
This is the perfect illustration on why INCS’ sister entity, INCS Action, is fully engaged in the city’s first school board election on November 5, supporting candidates who will prioritize high-quality schools and put students first. Chicago Public Schools’ future will only be sustainable if we have school board members elected who are willing to make educational quality, not politics, the district’s north star. Now more than ever, Chicago needs independent, student-centered school board members who listen to families and prioritize students over special interests. And that is exactly who INCS Action will help elect in November.
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Contact: Jodie Cantrell, jcantrell@incschools.org