Chicago Public Schools is experiencing a significant challenge: declining enrollment across the district.
As student numbers fall, some schools now operate far below their intended capacity. Buildings designed to serve hundreds of students sometimes enroll only a few dozen. When that happens, it raises important questions about how the system is operating and how resources are being used.
These questions are not about assigning blame. They are about ensuring the education system remains focused on the people it exists to serve: students.
At the same time, organizations like the Chicago Teachers Union play a major role in shaping education policy throughout the city. The union is active in elections for school board positions, mayoral races, and other local leadership roles that influence how the education system operates.
With that level of influence comes responsibility.
Transparency helps ensure that parents, teachers, and the public understand how decisions are made and how resources are being used. When organizations influence education policy, the public deserves a clear view of how that influence operates.
Parents deserve answers about how their children’s schools are being managed.
Teachers deserve clarity about the policies shaping their classrooms.
And students deserve a system designed around their success.
Public education should always put students first.
Transparency is one of the most important tools we have to ensure that the system remains accountable to the families and communities it serves.
That is why I support greater financial transparency from organizations that influence education policy, including the Chicago Teachers Union. When the public can clearly see how resources are being used, trust grows and accountability improves.
Students should always come first.
