News and Advocacy

As the custodial management contract with Aramark inside Chicago Public Schools (CPS) comes to an end, there’s a palpable mix of anticipation and reservation.The decision to bring management back unde

In the wake of the post-COVID-19 pandemic world, we are witnessing a surge in stress and anxiety among our students.

Central offices were set up more than a century ago to handle business and regulatory functions. Today’s schools require a fundamentally new approach.

I hope you are doing well. 


In the 23 years since I started my CPS career, I have never seen so many cases and investigations opened by district officials against principals and AP's. So, yesterday I spoke at the Board of Education meeting to advocate for you and all CPS administrators regarding the district's treatment of school leaders for minor alleged reporting policy and procedures missteps.

My message was as follows:

Today CPS sent an email to school leaders about the Inspector General's findings regarding alleged testing irregularities. His findings are the latest example of his office's incompetence and willingness to shred the reputations of schools and school leaders based on evidence that is at best flimsy and at worst false. 

In a 2019 survey, over 97% of CPAA members supported collective bargaining rights for CPS administrators, so we got to work. Senate Bill 3803--written by CPAA to extend collective bargaining rights to Chicago's school leaders--was officially filed in the Illinois State Senate this week by Senator Robert Martwick.

I am pleased to announce that CPAA has a new General Counsel to represent the legal and professional interests of our members. As you know, the Law Department, OIG, and CPS, in general, have ramped up their attempts to investigate and discipline principals. I want you to understand the intense work we put into getting the most vigorous representation possible for our members.

A Wide Net and A Formidable Process

The Trump administration budget for FY21 has nearly an 8% cut to education funding.

After the chaos created by CPS at Lincoln Park High School last week when they removed the principal and assistant principal, several school leaders have reported to CPAA that CPS gave vague and contradictory information to principals regarding sexual misconduct procedures, policies, protocols, and student discipline.