>> Hello and thanks for joining us on Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman.

The upcoming November election for Chicago.

Public Schools Board of Education is a historic one.

>> For the first time ever, Chicago residents will elect the board president and the 20 person school board departure from the over 3 decades of mayoral control.

The role of the board president includes setting the board's agenda, working with the CEO and responding to unforeseen legislation and signing in executing contracts among many other responsibilities.

Tonight's Forum is being broadcast on W T Tw and online for the 1st half hour, then we will continue the conversation exclusively online for another half hour.

That means on our website Wdtn dot com, Facebook and YouTube.

The program will be available in Spanish on our Web site tomorrow.

In addition to our audience here at W T Tw, we also have a live audience watching tonight's program on the West Side and we'll hear from them tonight as well.

>> A few notes before we begin.

We'd like to thank our partners who helped us get the word out about this for him.

Kids for Chicago, the Chicago Public Education Fund make the challenge and the Chicago Education Alliance.

Also our thanks to press forward Chicago for helping make tonight's program and our special reporting on the school board elections possible.

>> This is not a formal debate.

Candidates will not have opening or closing statements and answers will not be timed.

We will use fairness as our guide and there's a lot to get to.

So we asked the candidates to be as brief as possible in their answers.

If candidates start to filibuster or give campaign speeches, I will politely cut them off.

And we also think it is important to know the W T Tw News has complete control and responsibility for the editorial content up tonight's program.

So joining us now are the 4 candidates, Jessica bigs.

He'll audio dimming as Victor Henderson and Central Revelry.

Welcome everybody.

Thank you for joining us.

So let's get to it.

Jessica Bigs, I want to start with you.

What do you think is the most important responsibility of the board president?

>> As you said, there are many but I think in this moment that we're in as Chicago public schools.

>> And one of the most important responsibilities of the board president Israeli to stabilize and provide direction for the district.

We know that we are an exceptionally challenging financial moment.

We were last year.

We are this year are projected to be next year.

And so I think it is really the board president's responsibility to work very closely with the CEO, the other members of the board members of our state legislatures, city council to really develop.

But I am calling a 5 year financial recovery plan to make sure we're moving as many resources as possible to our classrooms and requiring that we are really just to find any administrative expense by what they produce for our students.

So I think our primary responsibility right now is to really stabilize this financial ship.

lot has been against.

>> The most important thing for a CPS board.

President.

Is to lead a district that so many Chicagoans love.

It's why Chicago has a secret handshake.

And it's the second question you get when you meet somebody new, what school did you go to?

That's why I'm excited to present a vision that talks about universal Pre-K for that 3 years old talks about better school lunches because Lord knows we need better food.

And it talks about wrap around schools for our students that go beyond the 83.

Anderson.

The leaders job is to do one thing.

And one thing only is to make sure that everybody understands the most important thing.

The single most important thing CPS see to it that we're educating children.

>> That's the job.

Cps doesn't exist.

But for the fact that you have students, so they're all of these warring interests infuse and internal struggles.

It's about the students and we have to make sure that each and every day and each and every decision is focused on providing the students with the best education possible.

Everything else is noise.

It's about the students center reveler.

purpose of our public schools.

As for our students to learn.

And the board Chavez, to make sure that happens.

We've seen a board that doesn't spend much time talking about student learning.

>> Isn't really clear on what learning they want and that can change.

It's the board president's responsibility to get the entire board the entire organization.

I do like all of Chicago United Behind this mission.

To put the things on the agenda that matter whether students are learning what's working, what isn't what changes we need to make and to do that in a way that's based in reality.

>> So has mentioned this election is historic.

Not only are Chicagoans voting for the board president, but they are also for the first time choosing be fully elected school board.

Eladio to you on this one.

Be on changing.

You know how board members are selected, what should be materially different about how the elected board governs the school district.

>> First Prentiss, I want to talk about the historic moment that you just mentioned because I would be remiss if I didn't uplift the mothers and the students and the organizers that fought for this moment for decades.

And I imagine that they did so because they believe that in the district with 80% black and Latino students that their leadership said not only look like them but know what it feels like to sit in the classrooms.

the only candidate that actually went to Chicago.

Public schools.

And that's why I think that this board, one of the fundamental differences here is going to be the culture that it sets, right.

It's going to be the committees that are set and how we are transparent and accountable to the people that elect the very same democratic process that parents have fought for for decades.

Anderson, some question, so, I think, you know that I'm a lawyer and one of the things that's very important is for lawyers is just to follow the rules for the past 12.

24 months.

The board has not follow the rules.

There chaos in the last 60 days over the budget.

Parents didn't know what was going on.

Students didn't know what was going Principles couldn't plan.

>> The rules were already in place for the board members to follow.

This should have been a budget committee.

This is a student success Committee Capital Committee.

So step number one is follow the rules that already exist.

We don't need to reinvent the wheel.

What we need to do is follow the rules that are in place so that people know how the school is going to function that students can get to class on time parents don't need to be stressed that teachers can plan that principals know what's going on.

So if you just follow the rules that are in place and understand the importance of that, I think that'll take us a long way.

>> Center reveler EU previously served as the board's vice president.

If elected president.

How do you view your role as a board member in addition or beyond your responsibilities as president?

I think the board has to work together.

>> The board really only has legal authority has a body.

It's not up to individual board members to go and make changes on their home.

It's not up to individual board members to make and around the district's operations the board has really important collective responsibility to connect with Chicago Inc to identify what success really looks like.

And then most of to hold the district accountable.

One of the most important ways that the board does not is value aiding the co.

It's not just about picking the person.

It's to make sure expectations are clear and they're doing a good job.

Unfortunately, this current board still doesn't have a co evaluation policy.

One of its most important jobs, one when they're very diverse opinions that most people seem to agree is definitely a board.

Trump.

This point hasn't on.

There was a lot of drama about who got to pick who got picked and yet expectations words.

>> Jessica, big, same question to you as a current board member.

Yes, and I think the board president plays a really important role for creating the conditions that allow board members to function effectively the board president is really responsible for being transparent about the decision-making framework.

That is it at play that all board members can count on using that the public can understand and participate in, they're responsible for creating and building the committee structures that really allow for robust and transparent discussion that community can also participate in so this is really the role of both the board president and the role that I would like to CEA President play as a board member in terms of participating in of these pieces.

>> So of course another.

And this is something that I think one of has already mentioned, you know, an important relationship within CPS is that between the board president and the CPS CEO, as you said, the board, of course, elect supports, evaluates and holds the CPS CEO accountable.

Victor Henderson, what does a healthy relationship between board president and the CEO?

Look like the healthy relationship?

>> Results in the board president understanding his role in staying in his lane and also the CEO knowing in this case, what she's supposed to do.

The CEO is the head of the administrative arm CPS.

You know, with teachers over learning over curriculum, the board president stops to see to it that the school has the resources that it needs to bore president's job is to make sure that everyone knows what the vision is, what the mission and going forward, the board's president's to make sure that the finances are in order.

And so the board, especially the board president supposed to give the CEO the things that in this case she needs to make sure that the school functions properly.

And the last thing that I would also say that I've seen in the last several months, the CEO is taking a lot of heat and a lot of fire.

The board president really should be the person standing out front, taking the slings and arrows of as they say about wages, fortune on behalf the CEOs of the CEO can focus on what she does and that the board president can protect a CEO near to the CEO move the process forward.

So the reason question.

I agree that there is a role for the board.

>> may be unfamiliar to those of us who grew up in Chicago, who are most familiar with the Chicago Board of Ed.

If you look at other boards, you see some of them that are doing it far more effectively.

And that's representing the people Chicago because we are collectively the more owners of our district we put in the funds not account for well over half of the district's operating budget.

We are the ones who benefit or don't want.

Our students are well educated or they're not.

And so it's the board's responsibility to understand what is most important to Chicagoans and very clear expectations.

The current board has inherited strategic plan that a previous board adopted it has 52 goals.

Many of them are not measurable.

Many of them are not about students.

But the current board in 20 months hasn't gone back and actually evaluated any success or progress on the strategic plan.

It's just become a paper.

And so the board has become derelict and actually setting the goals and expectations that are important for the CEO every single person working in CPS to have has a clear North star about what success for students looks like Jessica.

Same question.

Sure.

You know, this relationship between a board president, the superintendent's CEO is arguably one of the most important that exists.

>> There should be no surprises in this relationship.

There should be clear and regular communication.

There should be clarity from the board around what the priorities of the district are.

There should be regular report back in communication from the CEO superintendent about how they are working to achieve those goals.

And then there's there's an important layer of accountability that really comes through the evaluation.

But again, there should never be any surprises about the expectations that the board has for the CEO.

so, but it is really important that there is a close working partnership between these 2 entities, >> Reminded of the classroom.

During my time as a special education teacher is important to stay locked with my see kuz as well as Michael teachers.

prepared together.

We would execute together.

We would debrief together.

That's the same type of relationship that I imagined is critical between the CEO and the school board.

President.

We have to stay in lockstep but also critical with one another, right, so that we're providing necessary feedback to each other to grow as well as to provide the best leadership possible for our students.

>> Ok, thank We have my colleague, Joanna Hernandez.

She's standing by in the audience and she has a question from an audience member a bread is young man.

Here he is.

Name is Van Webster.

He's a senior at Ogden International.

What is your question?

>> As a student Miya, my peers are impacted by every decision.

A school board.

But some of don't have the ability elect all representative.

Why should I trust that to act in my best interest my peers back centers.

How so we hold you accountable if you feel so represent those interests.

>> It's a question from a student's body on it.

Come to you on that one.

0st.

Thank you for asking your question, sir.

And I see you and I appreciate that because as a student, I remember oftentimes we were talked about never talked to.

But as the student, I also remember having power and voice as a 17 year-old, we organize the walkout to protest the budget cuts that wanted to increase our class sizes.

37 and get rid of our teachers.

I expect the same type about accountability.

I expect you all to walk out in protest.

If you think you have to and meet me at the door hold me accountable.

And I'll also be there to give you and fight like for the resources that you deserve so that you can have better school lunches so that you can have arts programs and sports programs that make education great.

So thank you for your question.

And I hope to see you in the future.

I thank you for that question from to get one more of you the opportunity because I want to keep it Movin.

Victor Henderson.

>> Frederick Douglass said Power never concede anything without a demand.

It never has and never will.

What that means is that you can't be a spectator in democracy.

You have to be an active participant.

You can't have the mindset that people are going to give you what you're owed on just because they owe it to.

You have to be engaged in just the fact that you hear this evening so that you gaze effect that you asked a question shows that you can gaze, but that's the beauty of what this about to happen in November.

It's not to me for everybody in the city of Chicago to be in.

You can't be a spectator.

You have to stand up.

You have to speak up.

And if you want to see CPS, provide the best education possible, then you and your classmates and you and your parents, a new teachers principals and everybody in this room needs to stand up and step up and make sure that happens.

You can't have is a false sense of expectation.

You can't have a sense of entitlement you've got to fight for.

And that's why I'm sitting up here to fight to make sure that you get the education that you deserve.

>> Thank you.

And thanks for that question.

Van.

We can talk about Chicago.

Public schools out talking about the money this past summer, a difficult budget season.

As we know, Chicago public schools still facing those fiscal challenges.

The board of education approved a 10 billion dollar budget for fiscal year 2027.

The plan closes 732 million dollar deficit but relies on not yet approved state funding of 150 million dollars.

The city's 2027 budget forecast delivers another 100 million dollar budget gap because the district counted on 280 million dollars in surplus to funds the city now projects only sending CPS about a 181.5 million to funds.

Jessica bigs to you first.

What is your plan for putting CPS on a sustainable financial path?

Yeah.

So Bran diss.

I'm really proud to have stood against both the amendment and the amended budget.

>> Because we simply cannot move forward and operate on money.

That does not exist.

We have done this historically.

So we know what happens in the 2016, 17 school year again, the district relied on money coming from the state that never materialized and what that meant was that in the middle of the year, principals had to open their budgets.

The district had to engage in several days of furloughs there were additional layoffs.

And I think importantly, the district had to engage in some of the most Rick risky borrowing that it ever has.

And today we're still paying about 200 million dollars interest to big banks, not going to classrooms on the borrowing from those years.

So, you know, I stood against this decision as we move forward.

I think it is really important that we do continue to lobby our city council and our mayor to make sure that we do get that have surplus that the budget requires.

We continue to push on the state, but we simply cannot budget with money that we don't have.

Hillary.

>> the problems with the budgeting process, unfortunately pre dated August.

They went way back to the beginning of the cycle and even the prior cycle there is fictional revenue.

There is wishful thinking, but most of all the budget process did not start with success for our students.

It started with what was politically feasible, given interest groups that pushed to retain practices that have continued just because we've done them for a lot.

Not this early because they help our kids.

And that's what we have to change.

We have a 10 billion dollar budget.

I personally cannot conceive of what that means.

That's a lot of money.

That is more money than most districts work with.

Even per student.

And we need to make sure that we're using that money in a way that actually benefits are cut.

That's what needs to change.

That's what hasn't changed.

That's why October of 2022, when I finally got the district to publish a fiscal forecast, the fiscal 27 deficit was 733 million dollars.

And that is Brenda said it came in at 732 Million.

That's basically the same because no one changed anything.

We have to go back.

Start with what our students need and not be bound to interest groups or familiar territory or what we've always done because too many of our students are receiving impoverished education.

They're in schools that are 2 empty to give them a rich can complete experience.

They're the ones that are paying for it.

And that's not OK because our schools are about a student success.

Victor Henderson, your plan for putting CBS on unsustainable financial path?

>> The first thing I'm going 60 90 days, I'm going rip the curtain back on CPS is finances.

I used to work as a certified public accountant.

I do not believe the numbers scps at all.

You can have 10 billion dollars and teachers have to buy supplies and parents have to take toilet paper and paper towels.

A school in a 10 billion dollar budget.

I don't believe it.

As I say I'm from Missouri.

Got to show me, OK?

So the first thing I want to do is get the financial experts to go into CPS.

Vick the curtain back, get W Vo when the Crusader W t Tw the Civic Federation, everybody.

Anybody who wants to take a look at those numbers to see where they are.

And the second thing that I would do, I would not support a single solitary increase of tax increases at all until we know all of us here in the city, Chicago, the CPS is spending the money gets properly and wisely.

I want to cut contract.

I do want to cut teachers.

And so I don't believe that that money is being handled properly.

I believe this week, our contracts in the in the teachers deserve better.

The students deserve better and we all deserve better to see what's behind those numbers.

So in the first 60 90 days, the first thing I would do would be to pull the curtain back and take a look at those numbers because I don't believe Wednesday, a lot them against I believe it's 2 fold.

>> One, the internal and the external strategy.

Remember, CPS counts in the city, the state and the federal government to be key partners.

And since the budget has passed, the state has brought in nearly half a billion dollars in unexpected revenue.

Then there's the 700 million dollar Mega settlement.

And let's not forget about the policy proposals that could bring 4 billion dollars in progressive revenue right to the money is there.

I believe the job of the school board president isn't to predict that Springfield is saying now I believe the job of the school board president is to fight and make sure that Springfield to say yes, that's exactly what I've done as the only candidate that actually gone down to Springfield, written legislation and get it all the way through into law.

You know, last year the district passed a budget that projected 300 million dollars in tips surplus from the city.

No one called that phantom money.

And in fact, I then went on the front lines to fight and make sure that city council and our mayor deliver that surplus and they delivered nearly half a billion dollars in it.

That's exactly what we need to do in Springfield and they don't have to do it alone.

All right.

Our school months contract is 100 million dollars a year with ate lunch participation rate.

A 50% means every other kid isn't participating in the lunch program, however, be increased.

That lunch participation rate.

We can access more federal reimbursement dollars.

That's the internal before we run out of time for this segment.

I want to go to the West side of Malcolm X, as we mention my colleague, Bloomberg.

>> Is on standby there.

And I believe he's got a question from an audience member there.

Nick.

>> Brandis.

That's right.

I'm here with Marla Slaughter, who is a noble school's parent.

But would you like to ask the candidates hi as a pack alumni parent coming out of noble Chicago will sprout and also representing thinks what is your experience with increasing parent participation and what would strategy be as school board president to do so?

Thank you for that question.

Just coming come to you on that first.

Happy to do that.

>> So I'm really proud of my record as a principal where I worked in really deep partnership with my family's where they had a real say and what we did across the school community.

And so as I'm thinking about what shifts in a fully elected board.

You know, the board's responsibility is to represent the values of the community really diverse constituency.

And the only way that we can make sure that that happens is if board members are actually in their districts talking with local school council chairs with principals with community leaders with students.

>> And that there are spaces where people can come together and give give their ideas and their feedback to board members whole board members accountable.

So you can count on me working really closely and to build a structure in each and every school board district.

The board members can go back into can get real-time feedback before votes are taken.

so that's something that I would prioritize center Ulery.

Some question.

As a classroom teacher.

I worked really closely with my students, parents and especially.

>> My advice parents who I was with for 4 years.

parents.

Now I've served on a local school council.

It's really important that we listen to parents about what they're actually wanting for their kids, not just what they want us to not just what problem they might have.

Really.

What are they hoping for?

And parents are really important constituents for not only constituents.

Students live on people who live in the city who experience where they live and work and often worship as a result of whether our schools are effective or not.

Every Chicago in should have a voice.

I want to call out one group that is particularly important and that is our local school councils.

Our local school councils having experienced.

And, know, I want you to hold that thought and want to come back to the local school councils in just a second, because as we mentioned at the start.

>> We are continuing this conversation online.

If you're already streaming online, please stay right there.

If you're watching on television, I want you to switch on over.

So you can keep watching this program by streaming on W T Tw Dot com, Facebook or YouTube because we're not that we have much more to get to with our audience and the candidates.

It all continues online in just a moment.

We'll see you there.

>> Education reporting on Chicago tonight is brought to you in part by press forward.

Chicago.

Chicago tonight is made possible in part by the Alexander and John Nichols family.

The Pope Brothers Foundation.

And the support of these donors.

Closed captioning is made possible by Clifford and Clifford Law, offices of personal injury, law firm that gives back to the community.

>> Through law and philanthropy.

>> Welcome back to the second half-hour of this W T Tw News special.

A panel discussion with the 4 candidates running for president of the Chicago Board of Education.

>> It's a historic election.

The first and only time the entire 21 person board will be up for election at the same time.

Again, our candidates are Jessica bigs.

Eladio Domingues.

Victor Henderson and Essential Regulary.

Thanks to all for sticking with center.

Want to let you finish your thought.

You were talking about Elysees.

No local school councils are potentially a great force for not just Democratic involvement of the community of students, parents, staff, community members, but also >> really important levers for school improvement.

But way too many of our local school councils.

Aren't even up to quorum.

Many of them function like they're almost ornamental or advisory and they're not.

They have authority about the school particular to set the goals that the school is going to focus on every 2 years.

But the district has not provided the appropriate support, focus or training so that they can do that extremely important job.

And so I would make use of the policy structure and use that as a way to a can list.

Thousands more people in helping connect with our community, understand what our goals and help us achieve them.

Thank you.

>> So pivoting to something that something of a 3rd rail in Chicago public schools and that is school closures.

Eladio you are publicly against closing schools because of budget shortfalls.

a current moratorium on school closures expires January 2027 WGN recently reported that at least 13 CPS high schools are at least 80% empty.

report from the advocacy group Kids for Chicago published earlier this year found that CPS enrollment dropped more than 4% since 2018.

So that's about 18,000 fewer students.

But it's been an ongoing problem in the year 2000, the district had 430,000 students compared to today's 316,000.

Is it possible that this precipitous drop in enrollment.

Could necessitate closing schools.

>> The short answer to that question is no brandis and what you hear people say things like we have to make the hard decision or people say things like I'm against top down.

But bottom up is fine.

As if that's going do something different.

Everyone on the stage will probably say their data driven in the data shows that school closings don't work.

They don't save money.

They don't improve academics.

But what they do do try neighborhoods by increase in gun violence in the areas around those close schools and for generations, black and brown families have been told that you just gotta do you got to be realistic.

You got to do the hard thing.

But here's the thing.

We can have a district that adds value to our school instead of cutting and consolidate, especially schools are predominant black and brown because when we talk about the decline in enrollment, it's important to know that there's been a rise of white students and a rise in Asian students.

It's been the decline in our black and brown students.

And that's because we close their schools in the first place remembered it.

I was a school that they said all those talking points about.

And now 2 years ago, they want to public state championship basketball.

That's what happens when you invest our schools and you can get schools like Drake, Steinmetz and Austin have full-time clinics inside them that drive the cost down and also add value to the school community by generating revenue for that school community.

And it's also world or grandmother can drop her baby off, walk down the hallway and get her health needs And Chicago isn't the only one doing it.

And Atlanta.

They have grocery stores inside of their school to address food insecurity in Chicago.

We just found out that one in every 3 Chicagoans is food, insecure.

Imagine a world where our schools can serve both the needs of the community and our students.

That's why we don't close schools.

But instead we invest in them.

Doctor Henderson ask you the same question.

it is not just what people tell us what people don't tell you.

>> There are people who don't want to see schools close and I'm not in favor of it and I'm not against it.

They're people who don't want to see schools close because they don't want to lose jobs.

But they're not going to say that then near billionaires and budget folks who want to see schools closed just because of the numbers.

But they don't live in the neighborhoods where they're affected.

My approach would be that you have to talk to the people in neighborhoods like you said, this is historic.

The 20 different districts.

What works in district one a may not necessarily work in district 8 be may not work in And so you have to speak with the people in the community and asked them.

Here's a school that's under populated.

You start the what do you think?

There's a school 3 schools?

I think up on the north side that had been converted to condominiums because the people in that neighborhood obviously felt like maybe that was something better.

There's a neighborhood.

I think it's called Mayfair.

>> And there's Irish Heritage Association that has going into a school.

There may be a neighborhood.

This is you know what?

We only have 10 to 15 kids in the school and we would rather have a boys and girls club so people can have some place to go after school to decrease violence.

The point is that you shouldn't have the board president doesn't know everything nor should the board president act like you.

She knows everything rather the job with the board president.

My plan is to facilitate discussion with the people who are most affected by what's going on.

And so when you talk about a school closure school consolidation, the first base you gotta go is the people who live in that area.

What would you like to see?

What do you think?

How would you like to see us Here's an issue.

We have to have the hard conversations.

We can't run away from them.

That's why CPS has a 10 billion dollar budget deficit.

Now because we want to promise everything to everybody all the time and then not deliver.

That's the wrong way to go.

So if we want to do business as usual, then you should vote for some of the candidates who have been at the table for a long time.

And the only independent one in the race.

And I think that I would start with asking the people community.

What would you like to see hear what they have to say and then we go from just a >> I want to start by acknowledging at the real harm that was inflicted upon communities in 2013.

I am the only person on this stage who has real firsthand experience because I was a principal of a neighborhood school on the South side that was on the list to be closed all the way until the final 50 were announced.

was not closed, but there are 6 schools within a mile of us that were so what that meant for my students was that I had families that had to walk more than a mile and a half to get to school.

I had I saw firsthand the distrust that was built amongst families and communities because nobody ever came to them to Victor's point and asked what it was.

They wanted.

And so as I think about this moving forward, I can certainly say that we cannot repeat a top down mass closure experience because that does not create the sort of system that I believe we need to move towards.

We do need to be in deep conversation with communities.

It's the district's responsability to organize itself and to support the desires and the needs that communities express.

Center ever learn.

>> The purpose of our schools is for students to learn.

And we have to make every one of our decisions based on whether it's helping our students learn.

Right now, we have too many schools that are to Mt.

To give kids a quality educational experience.

There's a student who was in one of the Inglewood high schools that was closed when I took over a new high school.

One of latest ones with the district's opened.

But in the transition period to transfer to another school was still very close to our house.

The principle that school told me that when she came to the school, he wanted to make sure that she and her fellow students felt welcomed.

And so he met with them.

It's a group he was going to give them a tour.

Many notice the student was crying.

And so he asked one of his assistant principals to continue with the tour, went to the student.

Anyone who's worked with adolescents knows that there can be a lot going on.

Can be family stuff can be friends.

Staff, maybe one of the students, one of her best friends was going to a different school, but he was witnessing.

So are you OK?

What's going on?

And her response was, I didn't know.

School could be like this.

my school.

We have one hallway of classrooms.

go to the same classes because they're another other classes to choose from.

I would love to do your book.

We don't have your book.

I love to play sports, but we don't have sports.

And being in an environment of a robustly and old school that provided not just the academics, the other activities can supports that.

Keep our students engaged was so overwhelming for her that she didn't quite know how to process it.

Initially.

That's what it's about.

It's not about politics.

It's not about budgets.

It's about giving our students a quality educational experience.

We have to make our decisions based on what serves our students about.

And it's those 316,000 students we serve today that we should be focused on not for the district served 10 years ago, 30 years ago, 50 years ago, not where the buildings happen to be, but about the students who success.

We are responsible for today.

That's what it's about.

thanks all of you for answering for that question.

>> I would go back to my colleague, Joanna Hernandez just in the audience with another audience member question.

Joanne, yes, I have here.

Slutman centre-right practiced.

Now she's a young person.

She's a junior Whitney Young and she has a question about selective enrollment.

>> That's a question.

just wonder what are y'all's thoughts on selective enrollment.

High schools.

>> And >> that's an excellent question.

Yeah, right to the Come to you first about >> Well, this is awkward because we're both and I'm also the husband to CPS, assistant principal at the greatest school in the country with Nia.

But let me tell you how I feel about me tell you how I feel about selective enrollment schools, especially a school like Whitney Young, and I'm proud to have the support of the legend, a principal Dr Joyce Kinder, former principal of the of Whitney and these are schools that have provided an excellent education for many students in Chicago.

Problem is it's going to be only place.

You can have an excellent education.

As parents high school admissions can be more intimidating and more difficult to navigate.

Then college admissions.

It often becomes the Hunger Games.

People will play Dodgers games, the whatever they have to know to get their kid in a better education.

I believe that our district should be fully funded so that every school can offer an education like a but also so that every school can have a social work department like an Oak Park River Forest with art 12 social workers in the school because we know our students needs are massive and in order to address them, they need the proper support.

I love my school and I continue to love has served as a as the sea rat and I feel that's the type of education and experience that every student should get around Chicago.

Victor Henderson.

>> Well, you too, for to my daughter went to Whitney Young.

So I don't want to get trouble or great school.

But I believe, you know, Daniel Burnham said, let's have no small plans.

And one of the things that I know that's possible, my children went to neighborhood schools.

My children went to a selective enrollment schools and I sit on the board of a charter school and one of the things that I know that's possible in Chicago, let's not think small.

Every school can be great.

It doesn't matter whether it's a neighborhood school.

A selective enrollment school or a charter school.

The Internet seen fighting within CPS needs to stop that.

We shouldn't have selective enrollment school that we can only support neighborhood schools.

We can do it all.

If we get together as a group of people as citizens here in the city of Chicago and keep the students first and keep the mission of educating students.

First and look at the finances and make sure that we support each and every school and was supporting the teachers.

And we have principals who are supporting because they are the people who leave the schools.

We can do it all.

So Whitney Young needs to stay the neighborhood.

Schools need to stay.

The charter schools need to stay.

We need to be thinking big, not small, not competing with one another.

I'm an optimist.

I know we can do it all and it starts with the leadership in this starts at the top.

And so those are the things that we can do with the young these to stay.

All of the schools need to stay and we can do it if we work together.

If we're divided, we're going to fall.

If we work together, we can succeed.

>> All right.

Thank you both those answers.

And thanks for audience member for the question.

We've got another question from the West Side where my colleague Nic Bloomberg is standing by with another question.

Their >> That's right.

Brendon stand here with Carla De Vanna.

Who is a CPS parent.

Would you like to ask the candidates?

I thank you for the opportunity.

My I am a mother of 2 children.

I have an 8 year-old and a 5 year-old.

My son is a part of the.

>> And a special education.

my experience having being as great as it should be.

My son is going to his 3rd school right now.

There is a need for special education and my question if affected use elected board.

President.

What is your plan to make sure the office of students with this ability this do not have a vest and get any cuts in the mix years to come.

>> Thanks for that question.

Simple reveler E.

>> As a classroom teacher, I worked with colleagues who are special educators and I taught students who had special education needs.

And what I realized is that the whole special education infrastructure often becomes about compliance.

It becomes about checking boxes, copying and pasting.

It is.

filling minutes without actually understanding students and what they're capable and supporting them to get there.

To many of my students did not find their special education services actually helping them succeed because we have a very dedicated school team.

We were able to make sure that we give them the support they need it.

That shouldn't be up to chance.

That should be something that the district is accountable for to actually ensure that kids are learning to their greatest capabilities and that their needs for accommodations or modifications are not standing in their way.

So we absolutely have work to do.

But we can't just do that work because it's legally mandated too.

Many of our kids are being put in restrictive environments.

That rate has been doubled in the last 8 years.

And that's not necessarily good for the students if they really need the support.

And that's great.

But I am hearing from educators and from folks in schools and networks that too often that's happening because of behavioral concerns that teachers not because of needs that students have.

We need to make sure that students are supported to do the best that they can.

Not just that we are complying with legal requirements because that doesn't help them out for their future.

That's next.

>> I really appreciate this question.

And my take is that we need to make sure that 2 things are in place to make sure that all of our students particular students with disabilities are well supported one.

We need to make sure that we have the resources as a district.

And this is one part of our budget that we have seen grow year over year.

And so our local funds are covering that growth where the reimbursement that we receive from the state and the federal government to provide these legally required services have really remained flat.

And so as I think about a strategy in Springfield, this is a critical area that we work with our legislators to make sure that they actually adequately reimburse us to provide for the services that our students so rightfully deserve.

So that's one piece.

The other piece is that we need to make sure that we really have the right staffing all across the district to be able to provide the services and the sightings that all of our students need.

Our district has taken some really thoughtful steps in terms of particularly supporting some of our special education classroom assistants who want to become special education teachers, where they're able to stay in their roles as see Kuz and go on to earn a bachelor and master's degrees so that they're able to come back and teach in our schools.

So I firmly support some of those programs that we're also growing the necessary staff to provide the services that our students deserve.

>> Okay.

Thanks audience member.

And next to that question, OK?

So this is a historic election.

We've got some tough questions for each of you now a Victor Henderson.

We wanted to give you the opportunity to respond to some of the allegations that were made against 2, according to court document, your ex-wife accused you of physically abusing one of your sons on multiple occasions.

How do you respond to Well, you know, I'm glad you asked that question.

You know, I am extraordinarily proud to educated.

>> Independent black man extraordinary proud of the fact that I have raised 4 children, all of whom have gone to college and all 3 of my sense of graduated.

And I will tell you this.

I love my children.

I embrace them.

Then went to Sunday school.

They went to school.

They graduated and when it was necessary for me to have guardrails because my kids weren't doing the things that they should have done.

Then I did that with love.

And what's more important is when you ask about that question, the allegations made by my former wife in the middle of a divorce court.

Thank God we have family law judges because family law judges get to see both sides of it and right next to the allegations that were submitted by my former wife, the judge saw what happened.

The judge didn't change anything for me in terms of parenting.

My kids love me.

I love them.

They're successful.

And again, as an African-American father and mind those allegations were probably pull by somebody on this stage to kind of written Dow and to try to drag me through the mud.

But I'm also a person of faith.

And I will tell you this, if that's the price I have to pay to have somebody drag me through the mud order to be able to see to it that the children of Chicago get the education that they need, then that's the price to have to pay.

It's not enjoyable.

I don't like it.

I think it's a nasty part of politics here in the city of Chicago.

This somebodys combing through divorce records from 15 to 20 years ago.

If that's the price that I have to pay to help children all across the city, no matter what zip code they live in.

No matter what language parents speak to get them there, then that's what I thank you.

I'm Jessica bigs in 2018, you're fired from your job as principal of Burke Elementary.

You mentioned that that school earlier your place of the time on the district's do not hire list.

>> After the inspector general found that you had directed staff to Mark students as tardy even when they had missed much of the school There are also allegations that you instructed staff to pick students up into take them to school without the proper documentation.

How do you respond to people who say that that should disqualify you from being able to leave the school board?

Char?

>> you know, ran us.

I am really proud of my record as a principle.

And I think it's important to remember and to take into account the context during this time.

So this was a time when the district chose to save some money.

Really around custodial contract with Aramark that left my school and many schools filthy we also really leaning into special education policy in terms of the way we were funding our students with disabilities that led to the delay and denial of services, particularly for students in our most vulnerable schools.

And I stood up and I spoke out around these things were really harmful to my students.

My family's and yes at right after that there were allegations around minor bureaucratic issues and I have always said that this was unjust.

I have fought against it at this point.

I am really proud to report that outside counsel has found fit to remove that designation.

And so I no longer have it.

Also really proud of the fact that this has been well litigated in the public and more than 40,000 people chose to stand up and vote for me as their school board representative in 2024. thank you.

>> an election complaint says that your campaign filings reported no money had been raised or spent which they argue to not be accurate.

Your campaign says that it is in compliance.

How do you explain that discrepancy of campaign filings?

>> I think our campaign has as been fully in compliance from the beginning.

And that since then has shown where money comes from.

But I'll also say that I believe Sandhills can pull that complaint and withdrew it because it was baseless and it was just a way garner attention.

But here's what I'm proud of them.

Proud of the hundreds of grassroots donors that are giving out of their pockets at a time when we can't afford gas, we kind of for food can't afford groceries.

And here they are investing in our vision for our public schools, a vision that's gonna bring Universal Pre K this.

And that's going to be better.

School lunches and one that's not going to close our schools, but instead invest in them in a sustainable community.

School district.

Thank You.

Central's you want to respond to that before I ask you another question.

Do you think you?

>> I wouldn't say the complaint was baseless.

Larry run a lot of campaigns that here and for the try excuse me, sir.

So think and was running for alderman.

He's run a bunch of see 2 campaigns.

He led a bunch of petition challenges in 2024. would not own up to that.

And I think it's a pattern of behavior that there isn't the integrity to actually tell the truth.

The June 30th filing, which is well aware of, said that they have not raised any money.

They're not spent any money.

This while having events paying petition collectors, which is fine, but you got to pay them.

Printing staff.

It's just perpetuating an idea that the truth doesn't matter.

I think Chicago voters have spoken and they say that they want to know better.

The reason we withdrew the complaint, he's not the election board told that when get resolved and talked over, 20th and honestly, we have better things to do.

We appreciate that.

Belatedly the campaign of a very experienced political operative decided to comply with the rules.

I would hope that they would do that on time consistently going forward because Chicago's voters deserve to have the truth.

Not just about what candidates campaigns are spending, where that money's coming from and what we've seen and learners disclosures is that it's come almost entirely from the sea to you.

>> you want to respond to that, I think you just admitted that the complaint with John, because it was it was small and something to garner attention.

the desperation is loud.

But I look forward to working hard to earn the support of the mothers and the students that fought for this moment.

The same others that were on the on the picket line for 19 days.

While Santos as Vice president.

>> Single you were previously appointed to the school board under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot during the pandemic.

When CPS experience prolonged school closures, virtual learning ongoing disruptions.

You also oversaw the spending of a nearly 3 billion dollar windfall of COVID recovery money which was largely spent on staff.

Looking back though, the district being in very large financial hole that it is in today.

Do you regret anything?

Would you have done anything differently?

Why is EPS perpetually in this situation?

Yeah.

>> I didn't.

I spoke out at the time.

When budgets were being proposed by district leadership at that time, I was the board member who great.

How is that going to work next year and next year and the next year?

And by the way, when is it going to transition to be sustainable, given that we know that federal funding is not going to keep coming for ever.

We did not have the clarity as a board.

That car purpose was to ensure that students succeed.

That's why the conversation that happened in 2020 in Time that I remember, well, my kids were in CPS.

They were remote hybrid frankly, really struggling both academically and mentally that was a time when loud voices were saying things like you can send me back to school.

You're sending it to my death.

There are people who said you cannot put a mask on my child.

My child.

There are people who are protesting outside my house.

Almost none of them were really saying, hey, what does success look like for our kids and how do we get there?

That's what we need.

That's what I wish I had been more successful in doing as a board member and leadership.

We didn't.

therefore, we have one of the longest periods remote and hybrid instruction, any district not just in the country, but in the world and what we saw not just students in the country, but in other countries.

We saw them go back earlier.

saw them learn better.

We saw them feel better and we have seen them recover faster and our students have.

And I wish I have had the clarity about what our students need and how to make it the center of what we're going to do.

I've learned a lot from that experience from working with other boards from being certified as a coach, I will apply that has more Thank you long to jump in.

Because I'm gonna get each of you about a little less than 30 seconds.

Now on this last question, why should people who are not directly involved with CPS?

Why should they care about this election?

Jessica, to you first.

Yeah.

And this is a historic in critical moment for our city.

There is an opportunity.

>> To actually really show the world that this uniquely Chicago experiment in democracy, can work that by electing members of our Board of Education Families Way says students needs will be better represented in the decisions that our district makes.

And in the schools that we provide for them.

>> A lot of them.

Decades.

Families fought for this opportunity for decades.

>> When they were laughed at and told that this would never be possible.

And then 50 schools were closed on November.

3rd, Chicago finally gets to decide that leadership of their Chicago public schools.

And as the only CPS kid as the only CPS teacher, I look forward to winning their support and I'm going to work every day to do so.

Thank you, Victor.

Say 2 things.

One, children K through 12, we owe them as citizens.

We owe them the best education that they can get.

We owe them that.

>> Part 2 is at the at the extremes.

We do want to educate them or go down to 26 in California and incarcerate children.

And that's not right.

We have to give children the education they deserve.

So the the families and your communities and neighborhoods can do well 10 to 15 seconds effective public schools are important not just for kids, not just for CPS families.

They're important to every Chicago.

>> They're important for public safety.

Important for economic development point for population growth.

They're important for our future.

That's why every Chicago and should be engaged in election because effective public schools matter to every one of us and our future.

Thank you.

>> Thank you to the candidates to our audience here and at Malcolm X College at and for those of you who are at home.

Thank you all for joining us.

And to our partners, kids for Chicago, the Chicago Public Education Fund the Challenge and the Chicago Education Alliance.

And thanks to press forward Chicago for helping make tonight's program and our special reporting on the school board elections possible.

For all of us here at Chicago tonight.

I'm Brandis Friedman, thank you for watching.

Stay healthy and safe and have a good night.