Chicago's first-ever school board race sees pro-school choice groups amassing millions in donations: report

Two groups that support school choice and charter schools have amassed over $3 million in donations combined ahead of Chicago’s first-ever school board election in November, the Chicago Sun Times reported. Chicago’s inaugural school board race will arrive after a 2021 law mandated an elected school board for the city.

The Urban Center Action (UCA) and Illinois Network of Charter Schools’ (INCS) independent expenditure committees "have amassed $3.6 million" combined from business leaders and billionaires. The two groups reportedly have been critical of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) in the past.

The UCA and INCS set up independent expenditure committees to accept cash donations like PACs, the Sun Times reported. These types of committees can’t coordinate with candidates directly. They can accept an unlimited amount of money and indirectly support candidates’ campaigns by sending fliers and running advertisements.

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While running independent expenditure committees, the two groups also have traditional political action committees (PAC), which are limited in the amount of donations they can receive. Unlike independent expenditure committees, PACs can be used to donate directly to candidates.

Juan Rangel, the founder of UCA, told the Sun Times that they will back candidates who are "independent thinkers" and "make sure that there is a balanced debate." Rangel was the former President of UNO Charter School Network Inc.

According to the Sun Times, "while the groups haven’t yet reported any spending on the school board, their coffers represent, by far, the biggest expected infusion of money supporting and opposing candidates."

Furthermore, the paper reports that state election records show that the UCA received $671,000 in donations in less than two months and that INCS currently has $3 million. INCS reported a $100K donation from Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings.

"It’s more than six times the cash that all 32 candidates have brought into their election campaigns and 20 times more than the teachers union’s political action committees reported holding at the end of June," the outlet reported.

INCS President Andrew Broy told The Sun Times he intends on getting involved in the majority of the school board races and will pour money into state house elections.

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"Definitely, we will spend substantial resources on … people who, first, put student impact at the center of their agenda; second, understand our policy priorities; third, are reasonable, collaborative people to work with both as a matter of policy; and who can work with 20 other board members," Broy told the Sun Times.

School board candidates filed to run for 10 open seats on the Chicago Board of Education. The board consists of 21 members. Mayor Brandon Johnson will appoint the remaining seats. 

The historic, first ever school board races come after a 2021 law mandated an elected school board for Chicago. It stipulates that 10 of the 21 board members would be elected while 11, including the president, are appointed by Mayor Johnson.

Chicago’s first elected school board members would serve a four-year term. When the next mayoral election occurs in 2026, voters will be able to choose the appointed seats to create a fully elected board in January 2027.

The CTU has been fighting for an elected school board. The union released its endorsement of 10 candidates in June.

The Illinois Policy Institute (IPI) tracks policy decisions that happen in the state.

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"CTU’s political power is on the line in these races," Austin Berg, VP of marketing at the IPI told Fox News Digital.

He explained further to Fox News Digital: "The union’s efforts could either secure full control of the school district by electing their political proxies alongside Brandon Johnson or they could face a greater threat to implementing their radical policies. Other vested political interests could engage in this fight as a means of disrupting CTU and Johnson."

Chicago's school board had previously supported removing police from schools. The board also previously passed a resolution that "shifts away from a model that emphasizes school choice to one that elevates our neighborhood schools to ensure each and every student has access to a high-quality educational experience."

The CTU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.