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Happy Friday!

It’s Makiya Seminera, here for Chalkbeat Chicago, and man, what a way to close out the first week back to school in the city! Yesterday was jam-packed with so much news, I wouldn’t blame you for missing something. With that being said, let’s cut to the chase!

The biggest headline from yesterday comes from our bureau chief, Becky Vevea, who reported that Jennifer Custer has dropped out of the Chicago Board of Education presidential race. The withdrawal might come as a shock for some, especially considering Custer didn’t face any petition challenges to prevent her from getting on the ballot this summer. She cited an expected influx of involvement from special interest groups in the race as a factor in her decision — a fight Custer said she “did not want to put [her] family, endorsers, volunteers, and supporters through.”

So … then there were four. Chicago residents will now have a narrowed choice between Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez, Victor Henderson, and Sendhil Revuluri.

While Becky got out the news on the seismic shift in the school board president’s race, Mila Koumpilova covered this week’s Chicago Board of Education meeting. The big news to come out of yesterday’s session was the board’s continued delay on considering whether an extra few million dollars will be diverted to Chicago Arts High School, formerly known as ChiArts. CPS is in charge of reviving the integrated arts high school after its financial troubles under an independent operator last year.

And in my corner of the world, Chicago school board member Angel Gutierrez broke from most of his peers over an increasingly debated issue: whether Gov. JB Pritzker should opt Illinois into the Trump administration’s federal tax-credit scholarship. The board denounced the program earlier this year, but Gutierrez says dodging the program will just result in missed funding opportunities for Illinois students.

One more thing: We have less than a week left in Chalkbeat’s back-to-school membership campaign. By becoming a member before the end of the month, you help fund our team’s persistent efforts to get you the education stories that matter most, even when there’s enough breaking news to make our heads spin. We love doing this work, and if you appreciate our efforts, consider becoming a Chalkbeat member.

A new school year needs strong local reporting. Help Chalkbeat’s reporters keep asking the questions that matter.

U.S. House committee reviewing whether CPS policies that support transgender students violate federal law, WBEZ

Canada Hires U.S. Scholars From Harvard and Other Top Universities, The New York Times (Paywall)

What to Know About State Takeovers as Texas Wrestles With the Future of Austin Public Schools, The 74