Getting Schooled: Chicago Board Showed Up Big in 2026

For decades, the mayor-appointed Chicago Board of Education was perceived as out of touch and removed from the day-to-day realities of the schools the board governed. Chicago Public Schools data on school board member visits to schools suggests that this is changing.

The number of visits school board members made to schools in the second half of the 2026 school year increased by 50% over the same period in 2025. By June of this year, 42% of Chicago Public Schools had received at least one visit from a school board member. That's a big bump up from 2025, when only 29% of the city's public schools hosted a school board visit. (This school visit data, compiled by researcher Adam Parrott-Sheffer, only includes visits tracked through the office of the Chicago Board of Education and recorded on board members' official calendars.)

Board members say that when they visit, they often get a warm welcome tinged with surprise. "They always tell me I'm the first board member they've ever seen in the building," said Board Member Ebony DeBerry (2a).

Though there's no definitive research on whether having board members visit schools increases their effectiveness or leads to good results for students, board members say they find school visits helpful for building trust with educators and for stretching their thinking about their work in policy and financial oversight.

They're also good for board members' morale. “We talk about problems all day long," said DeBerry. But on a good school visit, "I can see things are working here. There are systems and programs in the building that they want to show off. Students are being challenged. It’s energizing.”

The five board members interviewed for this story--DeBerry, Debby Pope (2b), Carlos Rivas (3b), Ellen Rosenfeld (4b) and Karen Zaccor (4a)--also noted they take pains neither to present themselves as evaluators nor to cross the line from governance to "micromanagement," as Rosenfeld put it.

Rosenfeld also pointed out that not all board members have the time to devote to extensive school visiting. “In no way do I think this is a demand that should be made of every board member,” she said. But for those who can carve out the time, school visits are a useful complement to other information about CPS. "Reports and data are great, but there's nothing like being in a school."

School Visits Elevate Issues, Inform Thinking

All the board members interviewed said they pay attention to school facilities on visits, and if issues need attention, they raise them. They also listen for problems but don't promise to solve them. "I can't fix it, but I can bring it up to somebody," said Pope (2b).

Board members also shared how school visits inform their broader work on policy and budgets. During school visits, Rivas (3b) picks up "tidbits" that spark his thoughts about issues that are before the whole board. As an example, he offered, "Wait, this contract is up for a vote--we should talk with school leaders about it."

"I think it has sharpened my financial oversight," said Rosenfeld (4b). "It's hard to vote on procurement if you don't know what's happening in the schools."

"I have found patterns in their concerns," said Zaccor (4a). The common desires she hears from parents are: afterschool programs available daily until 6 p.m., a simpler PreK enrollment process, and less time on screens during the school day, especially for the youngest students. From students, she hears interest in better food, nicer bathrooms, and more mental health support.

Parrott-Sheffer, a former principal who now coaches superintendents, suggested that board members could get even more out of their visits to schools by setting up visits as a form of professional development. Small groups of board members could visit schools together, guided by a shared purpose or common question. Ideally, said Parrott-Sheffer, they could split up to follow individual student schedules for half a day or a day, then gather for a facilitated debrief with questions like, "What did you see? What does it make you think? What are the implications for this specific policy that's coming up in two months?"

But for now, he said, just getting board members' eyes on the schools in their districts is key. "To have 20 people with that power hitting every school every year and making sure that we're getting the things that are intolerable addressed, that matters."

Previewing Thursday's Board Meeting

Here are some key highlights from Thursday's board meeting agenda.

New board member: Connie Anderson will be sworn in as the appointed board member for District 10b on the far southeast side of Chicago. Anderson is running to be elected to the seat. Mayor Brandon Johnson announced her appointment in late July.

Students in Temporary Living Situations (STLS) Policy: The board will vote on changes to its policy regarding educating students who lack stable housing.

ChiArts. The board is scheduled to vote on a resolution that would provide "additional funding sufficient to maintain the current arts and academic programming and staff for the 2026-27 school year" and would direct district leadership to "make all reasonable efforts" to retain the school's teachers and teaching artists.

At the July board meeting, the cost to do this was estimated to be $5.5 million. Also during the July meeting, CPS leadership warned that this proposal could force cuts to arts programs in schools across the city. A few days ago, Block Club Chicago reported that ChiArts will partner with the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance through the district's Sustainable Community Schools program.

News Bites

Axios Chicago delves deeper into the CPS decision to press pause on giving high schoolers access to Google's Gemini chatbot in Google Classroom. CPS officials told Axios that the decision was made in May, and that they may decide to activate the chatbot for individual schools in the future.

Block Club Chicago takes an in-depth look at the challenges of rolling out the CPS Black Student Success Plan.

Chalkbeat Chicago looks at the school district's uncertain budget through the eyes of one family in the South Side's Calumet Heights neighborhood.

The Chicago Tribune reports that CPS is rehiring more than 300 full-time employees who were laid off over the summer, before the board passed a budget that assumed an additional $100 million in state revenue. About 150 of those rehired are returning to their former jobs. District officials say that's not enough money to rehire all the 700 staff whose positions were cut to help fill a $732 million budget hole.

Events

Jason Dónes (3b): Back in Class Fundraiser, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Mon., August 31, Taqueria La Paz, 5052 W. Armitage. RSVP here.

Chicago School Board Presidential Candidates Forum, moderated by Laura Washington and Stephanie Skora, 6 p.m., Thurs. September 3, McCutcheon Elementary Branch, 4850 N. Kenmore Ave. RSVP here.

WTTW Live Candidate Forum with the five candidates for school board president, moderated by Brandis Friedman, 5:30 p.m. Tues. September 15, WTTW Studios, 5400 N. St. Louis. RSVP here.

The same day, Kids First Chicago will hold a community watch party for the forum, with food and live performances starting at 4 p.m. at Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Jackson Blvd. RSVP here.

District Candidates Forum, sponsored by the Chicago Public Education Fund, Kids First Chicago, and the Chicago Education Alliance, 10:30 a.m. Sat. September 19, Intentional Sports, 1841 N. Laramie Ave. RSVP here.

Seen

Happy first week of school! Enjoy a few shots that capture back-to-school energy.