Chicago City Wire

Mayor Brandon Johnson took to Twitter on July 11 to share an article from Block Club Chicago outlining the recommendations of his office's transition team for schools, adding some of his own in the process.

"Creating a paid youth council to guide school decisions, helping around 20,000 unhoused CPS students, and granting full college scholarships to Chicago students, especially Black and Latino students, looking to become teachers are just a few of the recommendations in the transition report," Johnson wrote in the post.

Johnson himself is a former middle school teacher. He included both short- and long-term goals in the transition outline.

The report acknowledged the expense associated with a paid student council and other ambitious goals set forth by the plan but didn't indicate where the funds would be found to pay for them. The report recommended reviewing the existing budget for inequalities and that the city "explicitly identify how funding will continue once COVID/ARPA money runs out, considering options such as progressive revenue such as the cannabis tax, infrastructure dollars, federal funds for physically accessible schools, engaging major corporations and businesses, etc.," according to the city website.

The report's vision for education in Chicago is to ensure that "every student in Chicago — regardless of their race, income or zip code — receives a fully resourced, equitable, safe, and healthy learning environment. The next 4 years will advance our goal to make public education accessible to all of Chicago’s youth from birth through college."

The full report, available for download on the city website, contains all the details of Johnson's plan for education in Chicago.