Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
Because the stakes couldn't be any higher, and I have a kindergartener at Hawthorne Scholastic Academy.
Spending on Chicago Public Schools has nearly doubled in the last ten years, while enrollment has decreased by 80,000 students. Property taxes to fund CPS schools are maxed out. The results? Students are a year behind pre-COVID test scores, chronic absenteeism is at 40 percent, and the average school is 84 years old. We face $3 billion in urgent capital repairs and a $505 million structural deficit.
To deal with these challenges, we must turn away from divisive politics, special interests, and power-seekers control our government and schools. In March of this past year, a prominent member of the Chicago City Council led a rally in front of City Hall where an American flag was set on fire. As I write this, Mayor Johnson continues to be advised by a woman who has referred to police officers as "f--king pigs" and called for the abolishment of the police. This is not the kind of political environment where tough choices can be made, not without people fighting against extremism.
I am running for good governance to address tough choices, including school consolidation and pension reform. I’m also running to take responsibility for the Covid-19 school closures that went on way too long and incurred tremendous damage on our kids. I will put a laser focus on balancing our budget and investing in programs to get our kids back on track.
Why are you the most qualified candidate?
Here's my resume: I served five years in the Army's 101st Airborne Division, including a year in Iraq. I ran a bureau in Afghanistan for McClatchy Newspapers in 2009 and 2010, and covered the war on the Afghan-Pakistani border. I was on a three-person team that built The Bunker, a business incubator for veteran entrepreneurs, and helped take the organization from an idea to a national nonprofit in just a year. I am a lecturer at the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. I substitute teach at Tubman Elementary in Lakeview occasionally. I'm a CPS dad.
To be clear: Everyone else in this race has a strong resume. I believe my resume stands out because of one demonstrated value: Courage. We need courage to fight against the organized interests and the Mayor who seem intent on driving CPS to default.
What is the biggest issue facing your specific school board district?
There is only one logical answer to this question, and it is the same answer for all ten districts. We have a $505 million structural deficit that will increase to more than $700 million next fiscal year, and a political environment where sensible solutions are excluded from civil dialogue. I am the only candidate to represent the 4th District -- I may be the only candidate in the city -- to state what should be common sense: We need to initiate a process for consolidating disenrolled schools. It makes financial sense for the city, and it's the right thing to do. Here's why:
We have 161 schools that are more than 50 percent empty. We have 12 CPS high schools that are more than 80 percent underutilized. These 12 high schools during the past academic year: One percent of students tested at grade level in math. Graduation rates 19 percent below the District average. The age of the main buildings is, on average, 88 years old. And most upsetting: Only one of these 12 high schools served even one white student last year.
I hear concerns from residents of the 4th District, including concerns about serving special needs kids, busing, and especially the need for facility repairs of outdated schools. But we need to understand why these concerns are not being addressed. It's because of the budget crisis we are in. And we are in this budget crisis because we are setting money on fire -- hundreds of millions of dollars in wasteful spending -- because our politics will not allow for sensible measures to devote resources where they should be deployed.
How has your district been impacted by the shuttering of CPS schools?
I recognize that nearly all of the schools closed in 2013 were in the South and West sides. These closures were made during a time when CPS was facing a budget crunch and the enrollment losses required tough choices. While I think it is regrettable that some have accused CPS of "targeting" Black and Brown residents during this process, I agree it could have been handled better and that we ought not repeat it.
Several schools in and near the 4th District, including the Courtenay Language Arts Center, were closed in 2013. In the case of Courtenay, it sat vacant for five years until the building was purchased by the German International School. What cannot happen again anywhere in the city is a process that first closes a school, then figures out what to do with that building. I have argued that we recognize the need to close empty schools, but before we close a school, we need to have a plan with what to do with that building.
How have your district’s schools been impacted by students who are new arrivals to the U.S. and how should CPS best accommodate those students and families?
Many of the migrant students have been sent to schools in the 4th District, and I have personally observed the challenges of teaching migrant students as a substitute teacher.
Teachers are being asked to give instructions twice – once in English and another time in Spanish, with the latter often requiring Google Translate. More frequently, teachers need to just separate migrant kids from the other students and keep them busy; what else can they do? This is an unsustainable situation for CPS teachers and it needs to be dealt with. These migrant kids need to be supported. As board member representing the 4th District, I’ll fight for tuition support for teachers to gain bilingual certifications. I’ll also fight to hire full-time migrant coordinators for each CPS school enrolling migrant students. I'll also advocate for measures in Springfield to increase funding for schools most impacted by the influx of migrant students.
How do you believe the school board should handle the looming fiscal crisis at Chicago Public Schools?
The current budget crises that CPS confronts is the result of political dysfunction and a complete inability or unwillingness to have grownup conversations about our budgets.
We need to consolidate empty schools. 18 CPS schools, including 12 high schools, were less than 20 percent utilized in the previous academic year. 161 CPS schools were less than 50 percent utilized. The most empty schools are deeply segregated; of the 12 most disenrolled high schools, only one school last year served a white student. Test scores at these 12 high schools are horrific. One percent of students at these 12 schools tested at grade level in math, according to public data. The average age of the main building of the 12 most disenrolled high schools is 88 years old. And though spending per pupil at the 12 most disenrolled high schools is double that of the entire district, Mayor Johnson and Stacy Davis Gates want to double down on these schools.
I am not for repeating the "rip the band aid off" process that governed the 2013 round of school closings. We can do what we did with Englewood STEM High School: Involve the community in consolidating schools into new buildings that better serve kids.
But to balance our budgets, we cannot simply consolidate schools.
After the Illinois Supreme Court struck down the 2013 pension reform bill, we had a real opportunity to reset our politics, find compromise, and do what they have done in Rhode Island and Arizona -- that is, make modest reforms to public sector pensions that would allow us to take care of our retirees and make needed investments in our people. We could have, and still could, introduce a constitutional amendment to allow for pension reform paired with a progressive income tax. It would be outside of my formal role as a member of the CPS Board, but I will use my voice to stand up for this "grand bargain."
A moratorium on closing CPS schools is set to expire in January. Should CPS consolidate more schools?
Actually, the CPS Board just voted last night to table school consolidations for three years. This is deeply irresponsible. As representative of the 4th District, I'll advocate for a standing committee, composed of community leaders, education scholars, CPS teachers, and CPS families to provide the CPS Board with recommendations for a process for consolidating disenrolled schools -- the recommendations would include a plan to repurpose buildings -- which the Board would then vote up or down without the ability to remove a school from the closure list. (This is a process similar to the process that the U.S. Congress uses to determine which U.S. military installations should close.)
A fair, equitable, and civil process for consolidating schools would advance an agenda to provide all CPS students and families with schools that are modern, integrated, and fully enrolled. I believe we can map out a process for controlling spending, consolidating empty schools, and build 20 new schools. These 20 new schools could be geographically located to maximize racial integration.
What is your position on closing selective enrollment schools?
Any school that produced Michelle Obama should be protected. As a board member representing the 4th District, I'll ensure selective enrollment schools like Lane Tech and Whitney Young (where our former first lady attended) continue to support high-achieving CPS students and accelerate excellence. We must recognize the importance of selective enrollment schools and preserve their essential role in our public school system. If we squeeze or eliminate funding for selective enrollment schools, we risk CPS parents leaving the public school system or leaving Chicago altogether.
Yet I agree with Stacy Davis Gates and the Mayor that we need to address valid concerns about diversity at selective enrollment schools. I will fight to ensure admissions formulas better reflect Chicago’s diversity.
I too believe that we should strengthen neighborhood schools. That’s why I believe that we should consolidate under-enrolled neighborhood schools into new, fully enrolled schools that offer a wide range of programs.
What is your position on charter schools?
I believe charter schools have a place in the Chicago Public School system, but that they should be required to play by the rules. There are some good charter schools and some bad ones. They need to be transparent about student performance, discipline, and outcomes so we can assess which ones are best supporting students so that we can weed out the ones that aren’t. As representative of the 4th District, I will be rigorous in enforcing transparency.
Is your campaign being supported by the Chicago Teachers Union?
No
The Chicago Teachers Union wants the district to focus on retrofitting schools with equipment that will battle the effects of climate change. Is spending money that way right now a good idea with the massive deficit the district faces?
Of course under Chicago's clean energy plan, the city will be receiving 100 percent its energy from renewable sources by 2035. Much of our energy comes from zero-carbon sources today. I'm perplexed why Ms. Davis Gates and Mr. Potter would introduce this requirement in contract negotiations with such extraordinary budget challenges in front of us. The City of Chicago and the State of Illinois, thanks to recent legislation, is already leading in addressing the very real threats of climate change.
What is your biggest priority and what do you hope to accomplish on the Chicago Board of Education?
My top priority is to student growth and achievement. The question is, how? I believe we must close the massive budget deficit CPS confronts, and that will require a series of very tough choices. I am prepared to make them.