Chicago mayoral hopefuls clashed over the role school shutdowns had in increased violent crime and accused each other of harming public education during another heated candidate forum.
Eight of the nine candidates for mayor attended a forum on the Southwest Side that was largely cordial until they were asked about educational issues. Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson, who is endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, launched an attack on former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, accusing him of harming students by expanding selective enrollment and creating a “stratified” system.
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“You’re asking Chicagoans to apply for something that’s free,” Johnson said. “That’s a failure.”
In an emotional rebuttal, Vallas accused Johnson and the CTU of contributing to high crime in recent years due to work stoppages and remote learning. Mayor Lori Lightfoot has similarly attributed an increase in carjackings by youth on school shutdowns.
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“Shutting down the schools for 15 months had devastating consequences,” Vallas said. “And we are going to be paying the price for the next generation. So do not lecture me on schools.”
Johnson defended the union’s advocacy for remote learning and pandemic safety measures, saying, “Black and brown families were dying.”
“We were trying to save lives, and if saving lives from a 100-year pandemic is an inconvenience to you, then guess what, Paul, you don’t deserve to be mayor,” Johnson said.
Lightfoot then mocked Vallas as someone pretending to be “the great savior of this city” and noted that there were more murders in Chicago when he was budget director in the early 1990s than there are now. Vallas later claimed that his policies as budget director led to more police officers being hired and a major drop in violent crime.
Activist Ja’Mal Green followed the heated exchange with a quip: “Ain’t you all tired of all those politicians fighting over who’s the best liar in the room?”
Earlier in the forum, Lightfoot defended her decision to oppose a bill passed by state legislators that creates a 21-member elected school board. Lightfoot said she still supports the idea of an elected board but raised issues with the one that’s scheduled to govern Chicago schools by 2027.
“My mother served on an elected school board for most of my years in junior high school through high school, but the devil always is in the details,” Lightfoot said. “And the challenge with the legislation that was passed is it doesn’t account for very basic, fundamental things.”
Lightfoot said the 21-member board is too large and it doesn’t account for the financial entanglements between the city and CPS.
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“They want to cut off our ability to influence the governance of the school, but they want you to continue paying for it nonetheless,” Lightfoot said.
Other candidates largely focused on the issues without attacking one another. State Rep. Kambium “Kam” Buckner said he would negotiate with CTU on its next contract from day one to avoid further turmoil for the schools.
“When elephants fight, the grass gets trampled,” Buckner said.
Green said CPS should switch from an enrollment-based funding formula to needs-based. Ald. Roderick Sawyer said that city leaders should be talking about what to do with underutilized schools now, as tough decisions will need to be made about potentially closing buildings once the 2025 moratorium on CPS school closures expires.
U.S. Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia said he supports expanding the “Grow Your Own” program that recruits new teachers. And Ald. Sophia King said she supports incentives to lure teachers to CPS, such as helping pay for their mortgages.
