Meet Thomas Day, candidate for the Chicago school board’s 4th District

Academics

About 31% of Chicago Public Schools elementary students are meeting state standards in reading, and 19% are meeting math standards. How would you approach growing reading and math achievement?^*
As a consequence of prolonged school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, our kids have suffered profound learning losses. As a board member representing the 4th District, I will bring a sense of urgency in getting our students back on track. We need to devote every dollar we can toward tutoring and, where required, summer school. We need to rapidly and proactively respond to students who are missing an inordinate number of school days. We need expanded reporting metrics to include detailed data on chronic absenteeism to better inform mitigation strategies. We also need to work with community stakeholders — churches, community organizations, law enforcement, sports organizations — to identify students who are missing school and understand and respond to the causes.

Do you support standardized testing more than once a year?
No. I question the need to have more than one standardized test. Additional standardized tests take time away from classroom instruction. We can observe student performance and teaching effectiveness by comparing standardized test scores from the end of the previous school year to one conducted at the end of the next school year.

Do you support requiring all schools to select from a certain curriculum authorized by the board of education?
Yes. I believe that, given the regular turnover of school principals and faculty from year to year, it’s important to have a common baseline curriculum across CPS. However, I also think that teachers and schools should have the flexibility to customize curriculums to best meet the needs of their students. I also believe that CPS should exercise caution before adding more curriculum requirements.

Chicago Public Schools has consistently fallen short when it comes to serving students with disabilities. What would you do to improve special education?
I acknowledge that CPS has struggled to meet the demands of special education students and families — three years after state-ordered reforms — and more needs to be done to support special ed students. About 52,000 CPS students, or 15% of CPS students, have individualized education plans (IEPs). To meet this demand, CPS has hired a record number of special education teachers. Yet more needs to be done. I will make certain that no school expels a special education student purely out of convenience. I will also make certain to be responsive to families who have been denied services.

CPS finances

In recent years, Chicago’s Board of Education has consistently raised the property tax levy to the maximum allowed by state law every year. Should the board continue to raise the levy to the maximum?
No. The measures we can take to avoid property tax increases include conducting an audit of the CPS budget and operations, consolidating disenrolled schools and pension reform. Before we even discuss another property tax hike, all measures to squeeze budgetary waste must be exhausted — and we are a long, long way from that point.

Do you think CPS needs more funding, or do you think the school district’s budget is bloated? How would you balance the CPS budget?^*
I believe CPS needs to receive more resources from the state but let me be clear: I will not support another property tax increase before we begin making some tough decisions around pension reform and consolidation of disenrolled schools. Voters have twice told us, no more tax increases. I believe we should return to voters once again and ask for a graduated income tax, but this time paired with Tier 1 pension reform, similar to what state lawmakers passed in 2013 — the “grand bargain” that is often only talked about but never actually put before voters. Stabilizing our pensions will not come from building more casinos or reducing management fees. It must come the hard way.

School choice

Do you support the current board of education’s decision to prioritize neighborhood schools and shift away from the current system of school choice with selective enrollment, magnet and charter schools?
No. We can strengthen neighborhood schools while protecting selective enrollment schools. First, we must recognize the importance of selective enrollment schools and preserve their essential role in our public school system. Then, we should address valid concerns about diversity at selective enrollment schools by ensuring admissions formulas better reflect Chicago’s diversity. I, too, believe that we should strengthen neighborhood schools. That’s why I believe that we should consolidate under-enrolled neighborhood schools into new, fully enrolled schools that offer a wide range of programs.

Given the board of education’s decision to prioritize neighborhood schools, how would you balance supporting those schools without undermining the city’s selective enrollment schools and other specialized programs?^*
Any school that produced Michelle Obama should be protected. As a board member representing the 4th District, I’ll ensure selective enrollment schools like Lane Tech and Whitney Young (where our former first lady attended) continue to support high-achieving CPS students and accelerate excellence. I understand the need to increase diversity at these schools and to strengthen our neighborhood schools. The original intent of selective enrollment schools — to merge Chicago’s diverse communities in classrooms — is an aspiration I hold for all public schools.

The first charter school opened in Chicago in 1997 and these privately run, publicly funded schools grew in number throughout the 2000s. Today, 54,000 Chicago Public Schools students, or about 17%, attend charters and contract schools. Do you support having charter schools in CPS as an option for students?
Yes. I believe charter schools have a place in the Chicago Public Schools system, but that they should be required to play by the rules. There are some good charter schools and some bad ones. They need to be transparent about student performance, discipline and outcomes so we can assess which ones are best supporting students so that we can weed out the ones that aren’t. As representative of the 4th District, I will be rigorous in enforcing transparency.

Independence

If elected, how will you maintain your independence from the mayor’s office, the Chicago Teachers Union or other powerful forces shaping the school system?^*
From the beginning of my campaign, I have made clear that I am against Mayor Johnson’s policies and the extreme agenda of his allies. Unlike several of my opponents, I never once supported Brandon Johnson as a candidate. I heard him loud and clear from the beginning of his candidacy: In his administration, “activists” would call the shots. They are. Now, as I write this, they are threatening yet another work stoppage, and Mayor Johnson is asking for CPS to take out an insane high-interest loan to allow his administration to continue avoiding tough decisions. Mayor Johnson will be appointing 10 members of the board, and no doubt will have additional allies winning in other districts. If elected, I will make certain to stand as a counterweight, fighting for fiscal discipline and a vision for new, integrated and effective Chicago Public Schools.

Police in schools

Do you support having sworn Chicago Police Department officers stationed in schools?
Yes. This should not be a yes/no question. I believe that is a decision best left for each Local School Council.

Busing and facilities

Last year, in an effort to prioritize transportation for students with disabilities as required by state and federal law, CPS canceled busing for general education students who attend selective enrollment and magnet schools and hasn’t found a solution to reinstate that service. Do you support busing for general education students?
Yes. I have had the pleasure of engaging with Parents for Busing, an organization that has mobilized in response to CPS denying students and families transportation to selective enrollment schools. They have shared with me their deep frustration in failing to get members of the current CPS board to understand or even listen to their concerns. As representative of the 4th District, I will be certain to act to make certain students — particularly those from our underserved neighborhoods — have an opportunity to attend our best-performing schools.

About one-third of Chicago public school buildings have space for at least double the students they’re currently enrolling. Chicago officials have previously viewed under-enrolled schools as an inefficient use of limited resources — and a decade ago the city closed a record 50 schools. Do you support closing schools for low enrollment?
Yes. We must consolidate under-enrolled schools, but “ripping the Band-Aid off” is not the way. Instead, we should involve communities in deciding how schools are consolidated and ensure buildings are repurposed after closure. We could adopt a process similar to Congress’s method for closing military bases: establish an independent commission to recommend closures, with the board voting up or down without amendments. I propose an automatic trigger: If a certain percentage of students within the attendance area aren’t attending a school, the commission must assess if it should continue operating.

Bilingual education

CPS has long struggled to comply with state and federal laws requiring bilingual programs at schools that enroll 20 or more students who speak a different language. The recent influx of migrant families has exacerbated the problem. What policies do you support to ensure the district is supporting bilingual students and in compliance with state and federal laws?
As a substitute teacher, I have seen the challenges of teaching migrant students firsthand. Teachers are being asked to give instructions twice — once in English and another time in Spanish, with the latter often requiring Google Translate. More frequently, teachers need to just separate migrant kids from the other students and keep them busy; what else can they do? This is an unsustainable situation for CPS teachers and it needs to be dealt with. These migrant kids need to be supported. As a board member representing the 4th District, I’ll fight for tuition support for teachers to gain bilingual certifications. I’ll also fight to hire full-time migrant coordinators for each CPS school enrolling migrant students. I’ll also advocate for measures in Springfield to increase funding for schools most impacted by the influx of migrant students.

Top local issue

Please share one issue that’s a top concern for your community or your larger elected school board voting district.
The people of the 4th District understand the need to support equal opportunities. They need assurance that their property tax dollars support effective schools. Doubling down on empty schools serves no one. While a school with just three dozen students may see faculty increases under the new CPS funding formula, Hamilton Elementary families had to fundraise for air conditioning units. Some view this as necessary to achieve equality, but evidence suggests equity is better served by integrating kids across racial and socioeconomic demographics at high-performing schools. As I have introduced myself to families, I have heard a strong demand for more diversity in our top schools. Many residents understand that integrating schools means integrating communities, which requires zoning reform to end the legacy of redlining. I understand the need to facilitate equity and am ready to find solutions through civil dialogue.