As of Sept. 1, the CTU had spent almost $236,000 on eight candidates running for Chicago Public Schools’ first fully elected school board.

While its members make modest wages, dozens of the union’s staffers are paid $100,000 or more.

Stacy Davis Gates’ tenure as president of the Chicago Teachers Union and Illinois Federation of Teachers has been riddled with scandals. Now, fewer than 1-in-3 Chicagoans have a favorable opinion of the union.

The majority of IFT’s spending is not on representing teachers, according to its own reports. Teachers can opt out of the union during August.

Educators can join thousands of their colleagues and opt out of union membership — and retain all benefits provided in their contract.

The union embraces political spending tactics the Chicago Teachers Union uses in an effort to further its political goals.

IFT represents educators in more than 200 districts across Illinois. But teachers’ zip codes dictate how much support they actually get from the union.