The Chicago Teachers Union played a long game with Acero charter schools: unionizing them, undermining them and then taking them over. Now students and parents are left without the charter schools they chose.

Seven states enacted new private school choice programs in 2023 and 11 states expanded existing programs. But Illinois killed its Invest in Kids tax-credit scholarship program, ending the only help for nearly 10,000 low-income students.

According to the Chicago Teachers Union leadership, supporters of school choice for poor children are fascists and racists. What does it say when four out of 10 CTU teachers send their children to private schools, including CTU President Stacy Davis Gates?

Contracts at 35 Chicago charter schools represented by the Chicago Teachers Union are up for negotiations this year. CTU, with the help of Gov. J.B. Pritzker and House Bill 1120, is positioning itself to grow its power by diminishing charter schools as an alternative for parents and students.

The Chicago Teachers Union’s funding of the Brandon Johnson campaign for Chicago mayor has fueled backlash from members. As one of its own employees, Johnson has banked more than $390,000 as CTU’s “legislative coordinator” in the past 5 years.