Chicago Public Schools

Chicago Teachers Union leads in nine school board seats but loses presidency

Faces budget pressure and a split board.

Chicago's first fully elected school board remains split after the Nov. 4 election. Union-backed candidates had won or led in nine of 21 seats as of Nov. 5, and the Chicago Teachers Union says it could win as many as 10 of the 20 district seats. Four races are still too close to call.

Updated 5 days ago

Chicago voters back nonbinding vacancy tax for public schools

Rule Changes

Proposed beneficiary of vacancy tax

Chicago voters approved a nonbinding referendum on Tuesday that would tax owners of long-term vacant or undeveloped commercial and investment property to fund Chicago Public Schools. Nearly 74% voted yes, with 163,655 of 624,339 voters opposed.

Updated 5 days ago

Humboldt Park secures $3 million for school and Division Street upgrades

Built World

Planning a two-phase upgrade at Cameron Elementary

Cameron Elementary will get $2 million for new sports fields and a rebuilt play area, and the six-way intersection of Division Street, Grand and Monticello Avenues will get $900,000 for pedestrian safety work, Ald. Gilbert Villegas said. Construction on both is slated to begin in 2027.

Updated Nov 2

GRPS schedules public interviews for two superintendent finalists

Rule Changes

Employer of finalist Allison Tingwall

The Grand Rapids Public Schools Board of Education chose Allison Tingwall as the district's next superintendent on Oct. 28, 2026. She is executive director of principal quality for Chicago Public Schools. Reports from MLive and Fox17 on Oct. 28 confirm the selection, which came after public interviews at GRPS University.

Updated Oct 29

CPS approves $300,000 settlement for family of girl who endured racist bullying

Money Moves

Approved settlement

Chicago's Board of Education voted unanimously on Oct. 22 to approve a $300,000 settlement for the family of a Black student who endured racist bullying for more than two years at Wildwood IB World Magnet School on the Northwest Side. The payment resolves a lawsuit Sher'Ron Hinton filed in July 2025.

Updated Oct 24

Chicago Public Schools graduation rate rises to 83.4% for class of 2026

New Capabilities

Third-largest school district in the U.S.

Chicago Public Schools' class of 2026 graduated at an 83.4% rate, a record high for the district. CPS announced the figure at Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center on October 21 and said it is essentially double the rate in 2001.

Updated Oct 24

Chicago school board approves lunchroom worker contract raising wages to $21 minimum

Money Moves

Employer of the lunchroom workers; board approved the four-year contract on Oct. 22, 2026

Chicago's school board voted unanimously on Oct. 22 to approve a four-year contract for the district's lunchroom workers, setting a $21-an-hour minimum for cooks, attendants and porters in Unite Here Local 1. The union says it represents about 1,500 of those workers; Chalkbeat and Hyperlocal Loop put CPS lunchroom staffing above 1,800.

Updated Oct 23