Hey there, everybody, heads up! The campaigns for membership on Chicago’s first-ever publicly-elected Board of Education are now underway. Dozens of political newbies are declaring or planning to declare their intentions to take control of the education of a quarter of a million children in our public schools. To become candidates for a Board of Ed., scheduled by the politicians in Springfield to take control next year, the newbies are rounding up 1,000 signatures each on election petitions. All a Board of Ed. campaigner has to be is at least 18 years old, a citizen of the United States, a resident of Chicago in one of what will be 20 Board of Ed. Districts, and a registered Chicago voter. The new Board of Ed. election will be on November 5, 2024, same day as the US Presidential Election. I’m among the people who oppose an elected school board because I’ve been reporting on Chicago elections for 60 years and know pretty well that when votes are counted, challenged, and recounted, we are likely to get a Board of Education that knows not much about public school budgets, classroom discipline, and which books to put into and keep out of public school libraries. What we are sure to get is a Board of Education that knows a lot about precincts and precinct captains, knocking on doors, kissing babies, how to make and then avoid promises. Better that we continue having a Board of Education appointed by the Mayor of Chicago, so when there’s trouble, we know where to go to at least try to get out of it.

Walter Jacobson gives his Perspective: