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City Cast Chicago

. Chalkbeat’s Becky Vevea gave the City Cast Chicago podcast the rundown.

Almost like mini school boards for each school, LSCs have three main functions: approve an academic plan for the school, approve the budget related to that plan, and choose and evaluate the school’s principal.

At least 12 members depending on whether it’s an elementary or high school, half of which are usually parent representatives. The rest can vary but include community members, teachers, non-teaching staff, student representatives, and a principal (who does sit on the LSC but doesn’t frequently vote).

How Have Local School Councils Worked in Practice?

The John Hancock College Preparatory LSC voted to end the  principal’s contract, 

a decision that baffled the community in the Clearing neighborhood

The Jones College Prep LSC tried to remove the South Loop principal for an alleged residency violation. (

He later retired during a district investigation

Since 2020, LSCs have voted on whether to 

🎧 Plus, Chicago's history of LSCs

Want to run for local school council? Applications open Oct. 16.

Your Cheat Sheet for Chicago's Local School Councils

Local Civics

The city’s highest-paid alders could soon make $145,970 if they allow an automatic raise to go into effect this week.

2.24% bump comes after last year’s near-10% hike

 that was tied to record inflation, according to the Tribune. While 17 alders opted out of the raise then, a new City Council class has since been elected.

First, Why Do Alders Get Automatic Pay Raises?

Alders approved in 2006 annual raises tied to the consumer price index. Since then, individual alders decide whether to accept the annual increase or decline it.

Who Are the Highest and Lowest-Paid Alders?

Of the city’s 50 alders, 31 currently make $142,776. That includes the 13 first-term alders who were elected in the spring and didn’t vote on the automatic increase last year, according to city data.

The lowest-paid alders who have forgone several salary bumps over the years are 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas, who makes $115,560, and 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn, who makes $115,800.

Being an alder is still technically a part-time job

Mayor Brandon Johnson, City Clerk Anna Valencia, and City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin could also see the 2.24% bump unless they opt out. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot got the provision into this year’s budget.

🎧 Another way to cut costs? Cut alders

How Much Do Chicago Alders Make?

How Much Does Your Alder Make?

Chicago has always been a labor town, which is why we’re diving into the local connection to Labor Day ahead of the holiday weekend and the state of labor in the city today.

President Grover Cleveland did not want states celebrating May Day, a spring holiday socialists abroad created to commemorate the fatal labor rally in Chicago’s Haymarket Square in 1886.

Labor Day was made a federal holiday to appease the labor movement

 amid the Pullman Strike in the late 19th century, according to National Geographic.

But it was largely seen as a performative gesture since Cleveland sent federal troops to the city to end the boycott. Strikers rioted, and the National Guard fired into the crowd and killed dozens of people.

From health staffers to Chicago actors and writers, 

. Here are the latest labor updates in the city.

 from 11 facilities could go on a 10-day strike as early as Tuesday to protest short staffing and low wages.

 at the Magnificent Mile roastery rejected union membership.

 want more from the tentative contract reached late last month.

Why You Can Thank Chicago for Labor Day

Hopping on the Metra to avoid traffic or getting ghosted by CTA? Check out the commuter railway’s proposed changes that could affect your ride — including the cost.

Ridership is slowly recovering from the pandemic

, with Metra seeing 2.9 registered trips in June, less than half of the 6.4 million rides at the same time in 2019, according to WBEZ.

In an effort to boost ridership before federal relief runs out by the end of the year, 

Having four zones instead of 10, based on proximity from downtown.

Fare restructuring to match the zone changes, including dumping the popular 10-ride pass for other ride packages.

Marketing to infrequent riders to take the Metra more often — like a day trip to the Brookfield Zoo or running an errand to Ikea.

Feedback provided by the public will be incorporated into a final proposal. Public hearings will happen ahead of an expected vote by the Metra Board of Directors in November. Changes could go into effect by February.

Check out the commuter railway’s proposed changes that could affect your ride — including the cost.

How Your Metra Ride Could Change

Lake Forest billionaires Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein are backing Ron DeSantis, whose campaign says the Florida governor is Midwest–bound for the first Republican presidential primary debate next week.

The Uihleins have long supported conservatives across the country. Today, we dive into the scope of their influence locally and nationally.

First, How Did the Uihleins Make Their Fortune?

The north suburban couple founded packing supply giant Uline more than 40 years ago in Wisconsin. The family’s business roots go back decades as descendants of the Schlitz beer founder.

Richard has been involved in conservative politics since he worked on the 

1969 campaign of former U.S. Rep. Phil Crane

, an Illinois legislator who ran on an anti-tax and anti-communist platform, according to ProPublica.

Richard has supported a local school board candidate critical of Lake Forest High School’s first Black principal who took issue with Black honors students being tracked into lower classes.

Uihlein-backed Jeanne Ives, a 2018 GOP gubernatorial challenger, faced backlash for an ad offensively depicting a transgender person.

Richard has funded conservative radio host Dan Proft and his misleading newspaper-like campaign mailers.

Richard was the biggest funder behind an 

unsuccessful effort this month to make protecting abortion rights more difficult in Ohio

The Uihleins each gave pro-DeSantis Never Back Down Super Pac $1 million

, and Richard, the top GOP donor in the 2022 federal election cycle, gave $6,600 to the Ron DeSantis for President Committee in June, according to the Daily Herald.

Former Trump supporters, the Uihleins have not yet given money to the ex-president who has been indicted four times.

+ The first Republican presidential primary debate is in Milwaukee on Aug. 23 and is being broadcast on Fox News.

The Uihleins have long supported conservatives across the country.

Meet the Powerful Illinois Couple Shaping GOP Politics

It’s not all fun and games at the State Fair — especially for Illinois politicians who have launched their campaigns, tried to win voters over, and taken shots at one another on the fairgrounds. Today, we’re recounting some of the more memorable fairs and what to expect this year.

, the Illinois State Fairgrounds have long been political in its 170-year history.

Tribune reporter Rick Pearson told WILL that former Republican Gov. George Ryan made waves in the early 2000s 

when he lashed out at his own party who he felt was tarnishing his legacy

. (He later was convicted on fraud and racketeering charges.) And in 2012, public union workers heckled Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn because of his efforts to change their pensions. (He was trying smash a pork sandwich.)

then–GOP gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey doubled down on calling Chicago a “hellhole.”

Both parties have continued the tradition of going after each other and bringing national players to the fair stage.

This year on Governor’s Day on Aug. 16, Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto will be the keynote speaker at Illinois Democratic County Chairs’ Association brunch.

Republican Day on Aug. 17 will include rallying from conservatives in the state and a BBQ with the public.

And you thought the State Fair was just for deep-fried delicacies and livestock pageantry. …

👀 The drama behind the OTHER state fair

It’s not all fun and games at the State Fair.

Where Do Butter and Politics Meet? The Illinois State Fair

Almost 12,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since last summer, 

staying in more than a dozen temporary shelters

 — colleges, hotels, schools, and churches — to the opposition of some alders and residents. Today, we’re looking at the latest city-run sites.

Park programming is affected at the Broadway Armory in Edgewater after a shelter opened Tuesday. The senior center is staying open.

Families of migrants with young kids are being prioritized at the Super 8 Motel in Rogers Park.

The American Islamic College in Uptown is able to house hundreds of migrants who relocated from two City College gyms ahead of the school year. 

Near South Health Center in Douglas opened last month and has capacity for 150 single men.

Why Are Some Residents and Alders Opposed?

Neighbors across the city have expressed frustrations about lack of notice and effects on park programming along with concerns over noise and safety. Alders say they also feel left out of the loop and want a more comprehensive long-term plan.

Immigration committee chair and 40th Ward Ald. Andre Vasquez told the City Cast Chicago podcast that 

Nonprofits will soon be able to apply to take over city-run shelters

After allegations that police officers sexually abused migrants — and impregnated a teenager — staying at a station, 

the mayor’s office said they hoped to stop using police stations as shelters

But hundreds of people are still at police districts and O’Hare airport, waiting for temporary housing.

👋 How to help migrants

Almost 12,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since last summer, staying in more than a dozen temporary shelters across the city.

Where Are Migrants Staying in Chicago?

More than a decade after former Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed 12 city mental health clinics, could Chicago’s mental health care infrastructure change? A City Council committee met this week.

Following the 2020 police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, 33rd Ward Ald. Rossana Rodriguez-Sanchez proposed reducing Chicago’s $1.94 billion police budget to 

fund reopening clinics and alternative 911 responses

Now chair of City Council’s Health and Human Relations Committee, Rodriguez-Sanchez oversaw a meeting Monday where alternative policing and mental health experts spoke and recommended:

The city have 19 mental health clinics like it did in the ‘80s.

Mental health professionals respond to calls instead of police, as is being piloted in some neighborhoods.

The Albany Park alder said she hopes to get parts of 

, which Mayor Brandon Johnson is set to share Oct. 11, Block Club reported.

The first-term mayor made campaign promises

 to reopen the shuttered clinics. He reaffirmed his support at a summit over the weekend.

“People talk about how much it will cost to reopen Chicago’s mental health clinics, but think of the cost of not opening them,” he said Saturday.

More than a decade after former Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed 12 city mental health clinics, could Chicago’s mental health care infrastructure change?

Will Chicago Reopen Mental Health Clinics?

Residents can share how they think city dollars should be spent on issues from affordable housing to public safety at upcoming budget roundtables.

What’s Mayor Brandon Johnson walking into?

Before she left office, former Mayor Lori Lightfoot released a mid-year budget forecast that predicted an $85 million shortfall, among the lowest in city history. The move was dubbed unusual and thought to help her be remembered as a “

But Johnson is doing his own forecast. Here’s how YOU can weigh in.

There are roundtables open to the public at 

 in Englewood Thursday from 6-8:30 p.m. and 

 in Uptown Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

A roundtable for residents ages 13-24 are invited to 

 downtown July 25 from 4:45-7 p.m. Bonus: Five attendees could win a pair of two-day Lollapalooza passes.

Some attendees questioned if past forums were meaningful, given the low attendance

, and if they were really engaging, South Side Weekly reported. One forum last year was disrupted by a protest.

Johnson is expected to share his budget proposal in the fall.

👀 Plus, inside ward participatory budgeting

How You Can Shape Chicago's Budget

We are a week out from the next City Council meeting, and if you want to weigh in on issues from public safety to zoning, it's time to prep.

You can always reach out to your adler about issues in your ward, but public comment at City Council is a bigger platform with a bigger audience: all 50 alders and the mayor. 

Better Government Association had some tips

Enter City Hall through the Washington Street entrance at least an hour before the meeting starts. Fill out a form indicating you want to comment. Five in-person speakers will be chosen at random, and each will have three minutes to speak.

, a concerned Chicagoan known to go on a tirade or two, City Bureau reported.

Can’t attend in person? Another five remote speakers will be randomly selected. Leave a message at 

 with your name and number. The day before the meeting, you might hear back to confirm your virtual attendance. Miss the call? Better luck next month.

Have a busy schedule? Feeling shy? Submit no more than two pages to 

. Comments will be accepted between 8–9 a.m. before the meeting, and will be available to alders.

❓ Have you spoken up at a City Council meeting? What'd you bring up? 