Chicago Teachers Union spent $1.74M trying to take over Chicago school board

The Chicago Teachers Union spent $1.74 million on its endorsed school board candidates. But most of them were defeated, signaling the unpopularity of CTU and Mayor Brandon Johnson.

The Chicago Teachers Union took over City Hall when it bankrolled former union operative Brandon Johnson’s way into the mayor’s office in 2023.

Then the union went after the first elected members of the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education. It endorsed 10 candidates and funneled $1.74 million into their races, according to records with the Illinois State Board of Elections. CTU only got four of them elected, and one of those faced no opposition.

Despite its big spending, six of CTU’s favorites were defeated. It’s a stunning rebuke of the union, considering a multi-state study has shown school board candidates endorsed by teachers unions generally win 70% of contested races.

It could be a sign of the times. Just days before the election, a poll indicated Chicagoans strongly disapproved of Johnson and his CTU cronies. Both had significantly more voters disliking them than liking them.

Johnson’s 14% approval rating is the lowest of a mayor in Chicago’s history. It’s even lower than President-Elect Donald J. Trump’s share of the votes in deep-blue Chicago.

CTU didn’t fare much better in the poll. Just 28% of Chicagoans have a favorable view of the union, with 49% disapproving. Just 7% approve of CTU president Stacy Davis Gates.

The strong relationship between Johnson and the CTU, his former employer, were on full display in the weeks leading up to the school board election. Johnson wanted the district to take out a high-interest loan to bankroll CTU’s contract and a pension payment. But both CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and the school board rejected that plan, with Martinez labeling it “exorbitant” and fiscally irresponsible. Johnson retaliated by demanding Martinez resign. Martinez refused, and subsequently the entire school board resigned, leading 41 Chicago aldermen to write a letter stating the board resignations would bring “further instability” to the district.

Johnson then appointed seven new members, including Deborah Pope, a recent CTU employee who had participated in the union’s negotiations with the district. He appointed the Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson as board president. But within days of the Rev. Johnson’s appointment, he came under fire for antisemitic statements. Mayor Johnson initially came out in defense of his chosen school board president but later backtracked and called for his resignation.

With the election over, the CPS board will be a hybrid board for the next two years, with 10 elected members and 11 appointed by the mayor.

Before nominating those 11 members, Johnson should take note: Chicagoans dislike him and CTU. Chicagoans have rejected the majority of CTU’s chosen school board members. If he’s really for the people of Chicago, Johnson needs to distance himself from CTU.

That’s a lesson for all Illinois leaders. Previous polling showed 55% of Chicago voters were less likely to vote for politicians who accepted CTU cash. Taking CTU money may be tempting, but it could backfire – as the recent CPS school board elections demonstrate.