Chicago's Education: A Year of Struggles and Changes

Chicago's schools faced big problems this year. Immigration crackdowns made students and families scared. Many Latino schools saw fewer kids showing up. A false alarm about immigration agents even caused panic at one school. Later, when the government started Operation Midway Blitz, schools had to step up to help families. Money troubles hit Chicago Public Schools hard. The school board had to approve a huge budget to cover a big deficit. This led to big changes, like the whole school board stepping down and the former CEO leaving. The final budget didn't include a big loan but relied on extra money from taxes. Even with this, the district still has money problems. Teachers got a new contract, but it will cost a lot over the next few years. A report also found that spending on travel doubled after the pandemic.Higher education felt the heat too. Northwestern University lost a lot of research money, which led to job cuts and the president resigning. To get the money back, the university had to pay a big fine. Other schools in Illinois also struggled with fewer international students and changes to student loans. The government also made big changes to the Education Department. This affected schools in Chicago and nearby areas. Many complaints about discrimination were left unanswered. The remaining staff had to focus on cases that fit the government's agenda, like investigating a plan to help Black students. A look at superintendent salaries showed some surprises. Some suburban superintendents earned more than the former Chicago Public Schools CEO, even though they oversee much smaller districts. One superintendent in a low-performing district earned the highest salary in the state. This raised questions about how superintendent pay is decided.