THREE PROMISES. ONE STANDARD.
What Pete will fight for.
Schools work better when teachers are supported and kids have what they need. Pete will measure every vote against that standard.
PUT OUR KIDS FIRST.
The problemToo many school decisions begin with a system constraint and ask students to adjust. Kids feel the result through crowded classrooms, missing support, aging buildings, fewer programs, and uneven access from one neighborhood to the next.
Who it affectsStudents first, along with the families and educators working to help them succeed.
What Pete will doPete will push the board to protect classroom resources and direct support toward student need. That includes safe and functional buildings, special education services, multilingual support, counselors and clinicians, arts and enrichment, reliable technology, and after-school opportunities.
- Publish clear school-level information so communities can see what each school has and what it still needs.
- Support all students to be inclusive of students with disabilities, English learners, and students in temporary living situations.
- Require community input early enough to change a decision, not after the outcome is already set.
OPEN THE BOOKS.
The problemA multibillion-dollar school system cannot build trust with dense budget documents, late explanations, and decisions that are hard to trace.
Who it affectsFamilies, educators, students, and every Chicago resident who funds and depends on strong public schools.
What Pete will doPete will demand budgets and contracts that residents can understand before the board votes. He will ask what each major expense delivers for students, who is responsible, and how the public can judge the result.
- Release plain-language budget summaries and school-level impacts alongside technical documents.
- Explain major contracts, amendments, and tradeoffs before a vote.
- Track promised outcomes and report publicly when a program falls short.
- Make listening sessions and public comment useful by publishing responses and follow-up actions.
PAY TEACHERS.
The problemSchools cannot serve students well when educators are stretched thin, unsupported, or pushed out of the profession.
Who it affectsTeachers and school staff, and every student who depends on stable relationships with skilled adults.
What Pete will doPete will support fair compensation, manageable workloads, useful professional support, and the staffing schools need. He will treat teacher retention as a student-success issue and expect labor decisions to be handled with respect, transparency, and a focus on uninterrupted learning.
- Protect the people and positions that directly support learning and student well-being.
- Ask school staff what creates avoidable workload and remove barriers that do not help students.
- Use retention, vacancy, and workload data to identify schools that need urgent support.
- Honor educators as partners in improving schools, not as a convenient target for system failures.