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Building Better Schools: A Conversation with a Chicago School Board Candidate
489 Plays21 days ago
Hear from Chicago School Board candidate Ellen Rosenfeld about what school board elections mean. Now, I’ll be the first to say that I’m not an expert on the financial management of public schools or all the ins and outs of policy-making, but what I do know is that the decisions made at the school board level have a huge impact on the education our children receive—especially in a city like Chicago.
I didn’t invite today’s guest, Ellen, because she has all the answers—no single candidate does—but because I want you to think critically about what it means to elect a school board that truly reflects the needs of our students, families, and teachers. My goal is to help you navigate who the right people are to create thoughtful, well-rounded policies that will move our schools forward.
At Big City Readers, we’re all about building strong foundations for kids’ literacy and learning, and part of that is making sure our education system is set up for success. So, let’s dig in, ask some questions, and think about what kind of leadership will best serve our kids and our community!
https://www.chicagomag.com/news/this-is-exactly-who-johnson-is-mayor-ctu/
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/10/11/editorial-chicago-school-board-elections-endorsements/
https://jenguzman.substack.com/p/so-what-makes-a-good-school-board
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Transcript
Introduction to School Board Elections
00:00:09
Speaker
Hey everyone, welcome back to Play On Words from Big City Readers. Today we are diving into something slightly different from our usual conversations about early childhood development and learning to read, but equally important for the future of our kids. We are talking about school board elections.
00:00:31
Speaker
Now, I'll be the first to say that I am not an expert on some of the things that school board talks about, like financial management of public schools or all the ins and outs of policymaking. But what I do know is that the decisions made at the school board level have a huge impact on the education our kids receive, especially in a big city like Chicago.
Meet Ellen Rosenfeld: Candidate & Advocate
00:00:56
Speaker
So I have a guest today who is running for school board, and I did not invite her on because I think she has all the answers. No single candidate does. But I invited her on because I want you to think critically about what it means to elect a school board that truly reflects the needs of our students, families, and teachers.
00:01:20
Speaker
My goal is to help you navigate who the right people are to create thoughtful, well-rounded policies that will move our schools forward. At Big City Readers, we're all about building strong foundations for kids' literacy and learning, and part of that is making sure our education system is set up for success.
00:01:40
Speaker
So let's dig in, ask some questions, and start to think about what kind of leadership and what kind of voices we need to best serve our kids and our entire
From Teacher to School Board Candidate
00:01:53
Speaker
community. Oh my goodness, I'm so excited to be here with school board candidate Ellen Rosenfeld to talk all about what in the world is going on with the Chicago school board election, what the school board plans to do, what they currently are in charge of, and kind of just have an open conversation about what um you should know about before going into the polls. So I taught on the south side of Chicago in two under-resourced schools, Hartigan and Dulles Elementary School. So I started my career as a teacher. Tim Walsett at the DNC never underestimate the power of a public school teacher, and it's true. I feel like that informed so much of what I've done for the rest of my life since that experience. maybe Because you probably have had to develop some thick skin in this race. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Some very thick skin. You know, I got into this race because I've spent the last 30 years in public education. So I started as a teacher. From there, I had four kids of my own and they all went to public school, kindergarten through 12th grade. They went to a neighborhood school.
00:03:01
Speaker
And then all went to debt ah three went to Lane Tech, and I currently have one left, and she's at Whitney Young. So we started at Bell Elementary. So I've been
Empowering Parents in Education
00:03:10
Speaker
the parent. I've seen all sides of Chicago Public Schools. I joined the local school council where my kids were, and I became the local school council chair. And then she was appointed to the local school council advisory board, meeting with the LSCs across the district. From there, I went out of the classroom and into the parent-facing side of Chicago Public Schools.
00:03:30
Speaker
So I currently work for Face. Face is family and community engagement. There's a Face specialist in every single network in Chicago Public Schools. We run a parent university, and we do all kinds of amazing classes, and from everything from GED prep to ESL to housing and banking and how to ensure your student is not cyber bullied and all that kind of stuff.
00:03:58
Speaker
Oh my gosh, that's amazing. and I don't think enough people know about that actually, right? Yeah, it's sort of unknown. Reasons that I ran for this office was to elevate the parent voices. You know, if the parents aren't heard, if the parents aren't understood, then nothing's going to happen. Then there's going to be no no help, so we must must engage the families. We must make sure parents feel welcome. We must make sure that parents feel like their voices are heard and that they're able to advocate for their kids. We can do that to parent universities.
00:04:36
Speaker
Yes, we align on that at Big City Readers because, you know, a part of my story is that I built a reading, tutoring ah company, but I quickly realized, wait, why are all these kids needing tutoring? This is sort of crazy. What can we do to prevent this instead of solve this problem? And one of the big things we realized is that parents needed more information.
Understanding School Board Roles
00:04:59
Speaker
They need more access to information. They needed more people telling them how to advocate for themselves and their child.
00:05:05
Speaker
So that is like right alongside that. I know the big city readers families listening to this are going to be shaking their head like to this because that is a big um value of us. So we aligned on that. I mean, families are everything. We know where our kids best. That's why the choice for parents to be able to go to the school that they want is so important because you know what your student is good at, where they struggle, what kind of building works for them. So we have to make sure that kids can go to the schools That's one of the reasons that I stayed in Chicago to ensure that my kids could go to the school that best suited their needs. ah so Okay. So I know we've talked ah briefly about how it's gotten confusing in the school board, but could you tell, talk a little bit about what, what is the job of the school board and how will it change?
00:05:53
Speaker
with an elected school board. So this year is different. We're getting 10 elected members um instead of the appointed board. so So what's the job? And people, I think, are really confused on that. like I don't even under understand what a school board does. so the So the job of the school board is really the governance, the organization, and the fiscal oversight of Chicago Public Schools. So they are the key governing body of CPS.
00:06:18
Speaker
They don't micromanage the day to day operation of each school. They really have the power to hire, fire, supervise um the CEO of CPS. They also have the power to review and approve some policies and arguably ah their biggest responsibility, at least at this moment, is to review and approve the $10 billion dollars budget. And those are the jobs of the Chicago Public School school Board, really big. The difference between elected and appointed mostly will be for, first of all, we're going from a seven person board to a 21 person board. Big, big change there, yes. um In addition to that,
00:07:05
Speaker
you know When you're appointed, you're accountable to the person that appointed you. And it's always been appointed by the mayor. When you're elected, you're accountant you're accountable to those that elected you. So at last, again, going back to the parents, they're going to have a voice in what happens in Chicago public schools. It's never been the case. When my kids were in school, I was like, oh, who do I call? Do I call my state rep? Do I call my alderman? I can't get ahold of CPS. You'll finally be able to call somebody and be like, hey, Ellen, this isn't working. and we can work on it together. So it's that democratic process that brings it down to the people for the, it's going to be a fully, I mean, it's going to be a partially elected, partially appointed in two years, it will be fully elected. Okay. and So is there a role in, this is a specific question that a lot of parents have asked, what is the school board's role in making sure, like,
00:07:59
Speaker
the right curriculum is taught in school. So big city readers, we do all of this to make sure that every child is taught to read the right way that they have an equitable shot at life. And I know that that matters to you. Is there a ah role that the school board plays in making curriculum shifts or is that not So, you know, correct obviously culturally relevant curriculums and and curriculums are so important.
The Impact of Upcoming Elections
00:08:25
Speaker
Literacy and numeracy are everything. And making sure that our kids can read and write and subtract is everything. So the the board is more the governance of Chicago Public Schools, but what we do have control over is that budget. So what are we spending the money on? You know, let's do an audit and see how much money is going to curriculum development. How much money is going to professional development?
00:08:48
Speaker
You know, what are the policies regarding that? We also have the power to um review and approve certain policies. So there is certainly a hand in that. And I'd like to believe that everybody on that board has the same feelings that I do about the importance of curriculum and curriculum design and curriculum development and what our kids are learning. That's the ultimate, what we're doing here. You know, I always say our customers are our students and our families. so It's critical. It's so critical. Go ahead. um okay so Given the state of affairs have with Brandon and Pedro and the existing members resigning, um I think that made national headlines. so Even if people aren't in Chicago, even they're like, what is happening in Chicago? and you know i'm like
00:09:40
Speaker
International, I know somebody that was in Copenhagen and it was in the news there. So it's my gosh a big, big story because, you know, we put out a press release and we asked the mayor to stop all this, to not make any personnel or hiring decisions during budget season. Let's wait, you know, weeks shy of an elected school board. Let's wait until the law that took nearly a decade to pass.
00:10:07
Speaker
um is in place and we begin there, but that is not the case. We we see what happened. so yes so So what do you think is at stake over, let's just say the next 12 months with with this election of the new 10 school but board members? I think the whole city is at stake and hard to talk about safety. It's hard to talk about business development. It's hard to talk about anything happening in Chicago if we don't talk about the schools and we don't talk about the over 300,000 students that we're serving in Chicago Public Schools. So it's just so important that this board is representative of the communities of the democratic process. 11 of those board members are going to be appointed. So it's important that those that are elected come from the community voice are independent of the mayor, independent of of
00:11:00
Speaker
all that is going on and are part of the people and have the people's voice. And I hope that people understand that 11 are already going to be appointed. So be it who you're electing. Yeah. Yeah. That that's a good reminder. I think, um, yeah, we know. So, so the mayor Brandon Johnson will be appointing those And so the the, yes, the, the, and so when we, the ones that we can vote for, I kind of like to remind people, you know, we we know that his voice is represented already. So whose voice isn't being represented. And that's what I like to go to the ballot box. And not to be mistaken, you know, you could, teachers are the most important people. There are frontline workers with the students.
Addressing Election Misinformation
00:11:46
Speaker
I'm so pro teacher. I believe all of the candidates are pro teacher.
00:11:51
Speaker
What I don't like is the way that Chicago Teachers Union has politicized all of this. They're spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in a really sort of crazy desperate attempt to spread misinformation, to confuse the voters. so Voters should ask why. Why are they doing that? You know, where is the Democratic process. I'm a lifelong Democrat. I voted in every single Democratic primary. I'm endorsed by dozens of Democratic elected officials as well as personal pack. I've got the green light from Equality, Illinois, and i'm um I wonder, and everybody should wonder, what is the push? What is the attempt here to take over the entire board? Why not make it this democratic process without spreading lies?
00:12:39
Speaker
My values, my democratic values are what drove me to run for this office. And that's where I will stick the entire time, so. and Yes. Yeah, I was going to ask that. So if if people live in Chicago, I got a couple of texts of a campaign that is um your opponent is trying to brand you as a Trump supporter. ah And when everything in your life points to that not being true, do you like do do you know what I'm talking about? From what what I can understand why is they're they're calling me Project 2025. I mean, there is nothing about my background. there is I am a Democrat through and through. Even in an interview with cbt CBS, my opponent said, OK, admittedly, that is a stretch. So even she knows that it's not true. I believe they're doing that because I'm the most competitive candidate in District 4 that can beat the Chicago Teachers Union candidate.
00:13:37
Speaker
and they are making these desperate attempts. All the money that they're funneling, and again, it's hundreds of thousands of dollars, are into shadow organizations just to tell lies, the people of the 32nd PAC. I hope people are reading where those flyers come from and following the information.
00:13:54
Speaker
because more than ever in this age of misinformation, it is so hard, but you have to stay informed. um So the lies about me are, they do hurt admittedly because it's so far from the truth, but my people on my on my team say, think of it as a compliment. CTU sees me as a credible threat to taking over the seat on the board. And so they're attacking me daily. um Again, hundreds of thousands of dollars I read recently there are some teachers that are suing Chicago Teachers Union because they want an audit of where all their money has gone. Good. Yes, yes. I mean, and again, also like you, I am pro teacher, I am pro union, and we also need answers and information and transparency. Yes, I was endorsed by the Chicago Federation of Labor. They didn't even endorse the union candidate. So to say that I'm
00:14:51
Speaker
not pro-union and I'm not for the families or I'm not, you know, pro-public education. It's just a complete lie. It's a complete lie. It's, it it you know, it's very Trumpy. It's just spreading mis misinformation just to win. It's crazy. And you know what I will say? You do seem so um grounded and like unshaken by the people attacking you, which is such a a good thing, like you are focused on what you're fighting for. and um And, you know, my team says similar things, you know, if in a different way, if I, you know, I talk a lot about like, kids need to be taught how to read this way and not this way, and their lives depend on it. And people love to hate on that sometimes. And my team is always like, if you have haters, that means that like, you're like, people are afraid of what you can do. Yeah, and that's ah just resonating. Exactly right. Because I think
00:15:48
Speaker
At their core, people are about the kids of Chicago Public Schools. People understand that the the student and the family's voice matters. And the best way to reach those kids is with a fair and elected board that's going to prioritize student experiences, which in turn will affect student outcomes. I really do believe that. If the child walks into school and they're greeted and they have the resources they need and the classrooms are full and happy and teachers are not frustrated or burnt out, well trained and supportive kids are going to keep coming back.
00:16:22
Speaker
Yes, and I think that's such a good reminder. And with with a lot of things in this election, it seems super polarizing. And I think the the most um knowledgeable people understand not to like go to either ends of that polarization and to actually look at what the facts are here. and And we know we're not saying any voice shouldn't be represented. We're just saying let's make sure every voice is. Exactly, exactly. Let's have a Democratic elected board. You know, New York has an elected board, LA has an elected board, Miami-Dade has an elected board. It's past time, past time. Yes. Perhaps we wouldn't be in this mess if we'd have had it earlier, but we have it now. So... You know what? We know better, we do better, right? Yes, exactly. When we know better, we
Advocating for Better Schools
00:17:08
Speaker
do better. Exactly. So, okay, before I let you go, can you tell us how parents and school board members can advocate together
00:17:15
Speaker
for the right approaches to be taught throughout the schools. Where does that start? where like what What is the first thing that parents can do? Vote. First vote. Vote for the school board candidate that is independent of the Chicago Teachers Union and the mayor. So we have a Democratic board. After that, please reach out. reach out to the candidate once they are elected to the person that you elected on the board and let's have that dialogue. Let's tell them how you feel. Let's tell them what you know to be true about your school and your child. Even you know even so many of your listeners get the names get the numbers of the person that takes this office
00:17:55
Speaker
and advocate for our schools, for our teachers, for our parents, so that we can make them how you feel. Let's tell them what you know to be true about your school and your child. even you know Even so many of your listeners, get the names, get the numbers of the person that takes this office and advocate for our schools, for our teachers, for our parents, so that we can make Chicago Public Schools the district that everybody wants to go to.
00:18:23
Speaker
Yes. Yes. And we can make Chicago public schools the district that everybody wants to go to. is Yes. Yes. Get involved. that That reminds me whenever I do any people ask about going on a school tour, what should I ask? And it's probably similar to this race because if I, you know, I think the instinct is to say, tell me about the curriculum the school uses, but I often encourage parents to ask about teacher retention or professional development because you don't need something to be perfect. You need to be somewhere where they are interested in growing. So it's not all, you're never going to find the right answers, but you want um leaders that care about growing and listening to the families
Ellen's Vision and Call to Action
00:19:09
Speaker
at the school. And I think the same thing probably can be true of the school board. We aren't looking for a perfect school board. We're looking for candidates and leaders that will listen and then go to bat for us.
00:19:18
Speaker
Yeah. And I always also tell parents on school tours, look at the walls. Do you see the student work? Does it look joyful? Does it look like they did it? Does it look like kids and look at the kids faces? Are they happy? Are the teachers happy? You know, pay attention to the whole social emotional part of the school. You know, schools are so much more than just a building. Learning is so much more than a curriculum. It's where, where's the heart? And, you know, I have the heart in the head for this job. and the experience. And that's why I'm doing it because I've been in so many schools, some that work, some that don't. So I know what CPS gets wrong. I know what they get right. And I believe that in a in this race and in this election year, we can do better by all of the kids in all of the schools in Chicago Public Schools, the North side, the South side and the West side. Yes.
00:20:07
Speaker
So why why give us one last yeah motivation? why should Why should we vote in this school board election? Because I would like to believe that everybody listened to this loves Chicago and cares about Chicago, cares about kids, cares about our schools. Schools are economic drivers of communities. If we build good schools, business will come, people will stay, enrollment will go up, and our kids and our kids' kids will all be able to enjoy Chicago public schools like I have for me and my family.
00:20:38
Speaker
Oh, I love that. Well, thank you. Oh my gosh. Thank you know for sharing all your time with us. Thank you for taking the time. I'm back out there talking to voters. Early vote sites are open, so you can find an early vote site in every single ward. The school board election is a down ballot, so it's in between the judges. So you got to get out. OK. Oh my gosh. OK, get out and vote. will Yeah, you can send me an email at ellen4education at Gmail or go to my website, ellen4education.org. Thank you so much, and thank you for the work you do. I can't wait to work together with you once I'm on the board. Yeah, me too. Okay, I will talk to you soon. Okay, take care. Okay, bye-bye. Just a little editor's note, if you think that Ellen forgot to mention the east side of Chicago, you're probably not from Chicago, because here the east side is just the lake. I so appreciate Ellen coming on and sharing and hopefully shedding some light on
00:21:36
Speaker
what the school board is all about and what to take into account when you go to vote next week. I will share more resources this week with other guests and candidates so and I am here if you have any questions. You can send me a message on Instagram at Big City Readers or send my team an email hello at bigcityreaders dot.com and we will send you all of the information that we have access to. I will see you in the next episode.