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Hello!
This is Mila Koumpilova, one of the reporters at Chalkbeat here in Chicago. I hope everyone had a promising start to the new school year yesterday. My colleague Reema Amin followed a South Side family, capturing how uncertainty about the Chicago Public Schools budget tinged the first day excitement.
The fiscal precariousness the district faces was also a theme at the customary first day press conference with the superintendent, mayor and other officials, which this time around took place at Leland Elementary, a STEM school on the West Side. At the event, Mayor Brandon Johnson and others again called for a state millionaires tax to steer more money for public schools, a proposal that so far hasn’t gained enough traction in Springfield.
Whatever comes next, we’re ready to cover another school year in Chicago closely.
A new school year needs strong local reporting. Help Chalkbeat’s reporters keep asking the questions that matter.
Local News
Chicago’s first day of school brings excitement and concerns about possible budget cuts
Carter, a sixth grader at Robert A. Black Magnet Elementary School on the South Side, is excited for the new year. So is his mom — but she’s also concerned about whether the school and their teachers will have everything they need.
Around Chalkbeat
Philadelphia kicks off a new school year as students, educators brace for looming school closures
The district plans to close 17 schools over the next decade. Nine schools will close at the end of this school year.
Back to school in Michigan: New cellphone rules, a fitness test, and more
The 2026-27 academic year for Michigan schools starts Monday for many districts. There are new rules about cellphones, literacy training, mandatory student fitness tests, and more.
Where the 2026 Tennessee gubernatorial candidates stand on education issues
Blackburn and Green will face off in the Tennessee governor’s race. Where do they stand on education policies like vouchers and school funding?
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What We’re Reading
Chicago Public Schools families head back to class, Chicago Tribune (Paywall)
CPS Black Student Success Plan limps forward with few resources, little guidance, Block Club Chicago
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