As a former teacher, former Chicago Teachers Union organizer and the first Chicago mayor in recent history with children in the city’s public schools, Mayor Brandon Johnson is uniquely positioned to understand the nexus between family, community and education. His history offered hope that he would be attuned to the voices of families too often sidelined in education policy discussions.
Yet despite his background and campaign pledges to “stand for the people,” Johnson is failing to fulfill his promise. Mere months into his first term, both he and his hand-picked Chicago Board of Education have made a series of decisions that have increasingly distanced families from crucial education conversations.
