Welcome to Newswire — your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what action we can take to make our city great, featuring public meeting coverage by City Bureau’s Documenters.

Quote/Term of the Week

“The cuts are painful. Some classes that should be taught by a teacher are being taken online instead.”

— Jen Conant, Chicago Teachers Union Charter Division Chair, speaking about  staffing cuts at ASPIRA-run Antonia Pantoja High School and the for better CPS oversight  around charter schools. 

[Chicago Board of Education, August 27, 2026]

New bookbag, same baggage

Chicago Public Schools is back in session — that includes the struggling charter schools CPS saved from closing, including five Acero charter schools and the famed Chicago High School for the Arts — ChiArts.

Let’s recap some of the biggest issues surrounding charter schools from last school year:

In March, we wrote about students at two ASPIRA charter high schools forced to switch schools mid-year after months of financial uncertainty plaguing the operator. CPS officials moved nearly 700 students out of the ASPIRA Business and Finance and ASPIRA Early College campuses, guaranteeing them a spot at nearby district-run high schools. 

The intervention came after months of scrutiny and criticism about how ASPIRA was  handling its finances, to the point where the CEO said he couldn’t make payroll. ASPIRA administrators once claimed they had enough money to keep both high schools running through the end of the academic year, but CPS officials said ASPIRA couldn’t prove that or secure any outside funding to stay afloat. CPS gave ASPIRA $2.5 million to keep it going, while ASPIRA’s CEO accused the district of underfunding the schools. 

Both schools formally closed the following month. (ASPIRA also shut down a Northwest Side middle school in 2025 because of enrollment and financial issues).

The ASPIRA closures were the latest in a series of troubles faced by the district’s charter networks. 

Last year, the Chicago Board of Education approved a resolution to enforce new requirements and oversight on charter school operators. That vote took place after Acero charter school network announced a plan to shut down seven of its 14 campuses, affecting 2,000 students and 500 employees. The Board later voted to save five of the seven slated to close.

Also last year, the Board voted to close EPIC Academy, a South Side charter school, after its operator also cited financial difficulties. Meanwhile, board members agreed to have the district fully absorb ChiArts, a conservatory-style arts high school in West Town, after its previous board of directors bowed out. 

That transition process is ongoing. Board members have twice postponed votes on sending additional funding to the school, while ChiArts finalized a partnership with the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance to add music and art classes. 

Urban Prep Charter Academy also has faced instability after CPS revoked its charter and planned to take over the campuses. The district renewed Urban Prep’s contract last year to keep operating its Bronzeville and Englewood campuses through 2026-27. 

The closures not only spur instability for staff and students, they also have impacted predominantly Black and Latine students. As one Acero parent said in 2024: “This isn’t the normal academic failure story, but the repetitive cycle of the occurrence in Black and Brown communities. This will never happen in a school filled with white or wealthy children. Why isn’t the education of our children treated with the same urgency?”

What you can do:

Get resources & learn more: Follow Raise Your Hand for ways to engage with the BOE election along with other education-related resources. 

Make your voice heard before Chicago’s school board: Want to address the board members directly? Read how you can give public comment at a BOE meeting here.

Decisions, decisions

The Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability continues to lead the search for the next Chicago Police superintendent. 

Former Superintendent Larry Snelling retired in July. Under the rules that helped establish the CCPSA, the commission has 120 days – until Nov. 12 – to select three replacements  for the job. Mayor Brandon Johnson will then appoint a new superintendent from those three candidates. The selection working group is led by CCPSA President Remel Terry and South Side Commissioner Sandra Wortham.

Throughout the process, CCPSA will hold community listening sessions where community members and police officials will all have a chance to provide comments. Each commenter will have two minutes to speak.

According to Wortham, public commenters can  say whatever they want, but folks are encouraged  to consider the following prompts: 1. What qualities, characteristics, skills and experience should the next person have? 2. What issues should they prioritize? 

Pro-tip: Practice reading out your comments with a timer or stopwatch, so you can make sure you don’t get cut off by time restrictions!

What you can do:

Attend the CCPSA 2026 Superintendent Search Listening Session: Attend the next listening session at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, via Zoom. Submit written public comment by delivering it to the public meeting or by emailing it to CommunityCommissionPublicComment@cityofchicago.org. Click HERE to RSVP. 

Do you want to run for a Police District Council? Click HERE for more information on the CCPSA and Police District Councils and the upcoming elections. 

A version of this story was first published in the September 2, 2026 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.

Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Civic Editor Dawn Rhodes at dawn@citybureau.org.