When it comes to education, Mayor Brandon Johnson has made it clear that he opposes a system “where there are winners and losers.” But given the gap between Johnson’s campaign rhetoric and what the Windy City actually needs, perhaps he didn’t worry so much about the number of winners.
Chicago Public Schools faces an anticipated deficit of $628 million, chronically declining enrollment, alarming problems with violence and attendance, and the nearly impossible task of helping an entire generation of pandemic-affected students recover from unprecedented learning loss.
In theory, Johnson has the opportunity and the responsibility to make change before he must hand over the reins to an elected school board. But in reality, his “12 Points to Education Justice” plan isn’t likely to get the job done.
Here’s what Johnson has said about what he’ll do for CPS, and here’s what he should do instead.
What Johnson has said regarding underenrollment: Johnson has said that he will promote the “creative use of excess space in small schools rather than closing them, by co-locating revenue-generating facilities such as child care and health clinics,” rather than shut down chronically underenrolled schools.
What Johnson should do: In principle, Johnson should close at least some chronically underenrolled schools when the school closure moratorium ends in 2025 (or nominate school board members who will do so). And he should at least consider allowing charter schools to use some of the unoccupied building space, as New York City has done.
Yes, closures are unpopular. But research shows that students benefit when the worst schools are closed. And if Johnson really cares about funding equity, then he ought to care about charters’ long-standing facilities woes.
What Johnson has said regarding teacher pensions: Johnson has said that he will work to address CPS’ budget crisis, including a $13 billion teacher pension shortfall, according to Civic Federation data, by weeding out unspecified inefficiencies in the education budget and raising taxes on the wealthy.
What Johnson should do: Ideally, Johnson would tackle the massive teacher pension deficit directly, through some combination of increased contributions and reduced benefits.
No, that wouldn’t be popular. But neither are Johnson’s tax proposals. (For example, Johnson wants to restore the “head tax” on Chicago’s big employers, despite the fact that previous attempts have fallen flat.) And in theory, the mayor might take inspiration from Houston, where prospective retirees agreed to smaller payouts in exchange for larger contributions from the city and current employees.
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What Johnson has said regarding charter schools: Perhaps surprisingly, Johnson hasn’t said that much about public charter schools. But he has said that he will remain a “friend” to the Chicago Teachers Union, his longtime employer and major campaign donor. And as everyone in Chicago education knows, for the past decade, CTU has successfully fought to limit the city’s charters.
What Johnson should do: In theory, Johnson should fight the union’s inevitable efforts to renew the charter moratorium when it expires in 2024.
While charters are often blamed for school districts’ financial struggles, the truth is that they are the least of CPS’ worries. For example, contrary to union rhetoric, charters don’t drain resources from Chicago’s traditional public schools, although they do boost academic outcomes for the Black and Latino students who make up more than 80% of CPS’ student population.
With two years until the end of mayoral control of Chicago’s schools, Johnson may be the last individual politician with the authority to have a meaningful impact on Chicago’s students. Let’s hope he rises to the occasion.
Michael Petrilli and David Griffith are the president and associate research director, respectively, of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a K-12 education think tank.
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