Op-Ed: Chicago's Next School Board Must Put Governance First

This November, voters will elect all 21 members of the Chicago Board of Education for the first time. They will govern a district serving more than 300,000 students, employing 45,000 people, and controlling $10 billion in public funds.

Chicagoans just saw what is at stake. On July 30, the board approved a $10.11 billion CPS budget that assumed $150 million in state revenue that may never materialize. The assumption arrived as a floor amendment on the day of the meeting, without public notice and over the objections of both the Superintendent/CEO and the district's finance team. Board members were told the budget was not balanced and that the amendment posed serious risks to schools, staff, and students. A majority voted for it anyway.

Public trust is already thin. The Fund's recent public opinion poll found that only 40% of Chicago voters trust the current board to act in students' best interests, and nearly three-quarters are not confident CPS is spending its money well.

Our organizations work alongside Chicago schools, principals, families, and community leaders every day. We do not always approach public education from the same perspective, but we share this conviction: students do better when the CBOE governs effectively.

The principles that should guide the next board are not complicated. Good governance centers every decision on student learning and well-being, particularly for the students the system has most consistently underserved. It demands transparent data and holds district leadership accountable for results. It requires honest, long-term fiscal stewardship rather than short-term fixes that leave difficult decisions to future boards. It grounds policy in research, evidence, and the real experiences of students and families, treats authentic parent and community voice as essential, and respects the autonomy of local school communities to make decisions closest to students.

Above all, good governance respects an often-ignored distinction: the board governs, the superintendent manages. When board members cross that line, governance becomes micromanagement and district leadership becomes less effective.

Students pay the price when these principles are ignored. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, only about 2 in 5 CPS students read at grade level, and just 1 in 4 are proficient in math. More than 40% were chronically absent last year. Those numbers demand a board whose attention is on students, not on the political pressures that have consumed so much energy over the last two years.

That is why more than 20 organizations across Chicago, with more signing on, have formally endorsed these principles.

The shift to a fully elected school board was a hard-won reform, driven by communities that wanted a real voice in how their schools are governed. This November, voters have both the opportunity and the responsibility to make that reform deliver on its promise. They can elect leaders who understand that effective governance starts with an unwavering focus on students.

Daniel Anello is CEO of Kids First Chicago. Heather Anichini is CEO of The Chicago Public Education Fund. Arnie Rivera is Executive Director of the Chicago Education Alliance.