The Chicago Teachers Union told lawmakers what to do over 1,360 times in just six legislative sessions. It used its powerful position to pressure the state to follow its radical politics. Here are five examples of the union placing politics over its core purpose.

In 2013, Chicago closed 50 nearly empty schools. Since then, the CTU has barred charters and other schools from using these empty buildings to provide schooling options for local students. After railing against these school closures, CTU leadership locked students out of full-time, in-person learning for 17 months during 2020-21.

The graduation and postsecondary enrollment rates in Chicago were below the statewide average in 2022. Reading and math SAT scores were also below the Illinois average. Other large districts in Cook and the collar counties performed better.