By Townhall News Editorial Board
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) published a direct voter-mobilization appeal on Oct. 30 headlined “VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. Together, we can make history,” urging members and supporters to elect what CTU President Stacy Davis Gates called “a school board that will fight for the schools our students deserve.” The appeal explicitly linked the Nov. 3 election to the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) budget debate, warning of “cuts, layoffs and closings” and calling on the new board to “partner with us to win full funding from the state.” Separately, CPS Superintendent and CEO Dr. Macquline King issued an Oct. 30 community letter reminding families of parent-teacher conferences and Election Day, calling it “a historic moment” as Chicagoans choose their first fully elected, 21-member Board of Education.
The stakes could hardly be higher. An elected school board is a genuine democratic advance that Chicagoans across the political spectrum should welcome. But the CTU’s aggressive campaign raises an uncomfortable question: will this new board be accountable to parents and taxpayers, or will it simply replace mayoral control with union control?
Consider the fiscal backdrop. CPS closed a $732 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2027 with a $10.11 billion spending plan, according to a July 28 CPS press release. That plan relies on $285 million in assumed surplus Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds from the city, plus $150 million in additional state revenue that the Board of Education voted to include over the superintendent’s objections. Dr. King warned in a July 31 community letter that the amendment “relies on additional revenue from the State of Illinois that CPS has not yet, and may not ever, receive.” CPS carries more than $9 billion in outstanding debt, costing school communities in excess of $900 million each year in debt service alone.
These are not abstract numbers. They represent real constraints that any responsible governing board must confront. Yet the CTU’s Oct. 30 message frames the very idea of fiscal discipline as the enemy, describing necessary budget adjustments as “the status quo of cuts, layoffs and closings.” The appeal does not mention the district’s $9 billion debt. It does not acknowledge that enrollment has been declining. It does not grapple with the possibility that some spending reductions may be not only inevitable but prudent. Instead, it presents a binary choice: elect CTU-backed candidates who will demand more money from Springfield, or accept devastation.
The union’s framing also deserves scrutiny for what it reveals about political spending. The CTU appeal warned that “billionaire Michael Sacks already has spent $6 million to defeat CTU-backed candidates,” adding that pro-charter forces were “outspending us by 5 to 1.” Outside money in school board races is worth watching regardless of its source. But the CTU is itself one of the most powerful political organizations in Illinois. It spent years and significant resources lobbying for the elected board it is now working to populate with its own endorsed slate. Voters should ask whether candidates who owe their seats to union mobilization will challenge CTU priorities when those priorities conflict with fiscal sustainability or academic outcomes.
To be fair, the CTU raises a legitimate point about state funding. Illinois has historically underfunded public education, and the evidence-based funding formula adopted in 2017 remains far from fully funded. Advocating for Springfield to meet its commitments is reasonable. The union also deserves credit for championing the elected-board model itself, which creates a more transparent and accountable governance structure than the old system of mayoral appointments. Those are real contributions to the public interest.
Yet accountability only works if board members exercise independent judgment. CPS posted an 83.4 percent graduation rate for the class of 2026, according to an Oct. 21 CPS press release. That is genuine progress worth protecting. Protecting it requires honest budgeting, not budgets built on revenue the district hopes to receive. It requires willingness to examine whether every dollar spent is producing results in the classroom, and courage to make trade-offs when it is not.
Chicago fought for an elected school board so that the people closest to public schools could hold decision-makers accountable. That promise will be kept only if the new board members see themselves as stewards of students and taxpayers first. Voters heading to the polls on Tuesday should weigh not just who is endorsing a candidate, but whose interests that candidate will prioritize when the budget math gets hard. The answer should always be the students.
Sources: CTU Communications, “VOTE. VOTE. VOTE. Together, we can make history,” Oct. 30, 2026 — https://www.ctulocal1.org/posts/vote-vote-vote-together-we-can-make-history/
CPS, “End of Week Message: Reminders About Parent-Teacher Conferences, Election Day, and the CPS Youth Wellness Fair,” Oct. 30, 2026 — https://www.cps.edu/media/community-updates/2026/october/community-letter-10-30-26/
CPS, “Chicago Public Schools to Present Balanced Fiscal Year 2027 Budget that Closes $732 Million Deficit, Prioritizes Students,” July 28, 2026 — https://www.cps.edu/press-releases/2026/july/cps-to-present-balanced-fiscal-year-2027-budget-that-closes-$732-million-deficit-prioritizes-students/
CPS, “Important Update: Board Amends CPS Budget, Start of School Could Be Impacted,” July 31, 2026 — https://www.cps.edu/media/community-updates/2026/july/budget-update/
