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City Council Latino Caucus demands legislature draw new school board map based on student demographics

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Illinois

* Press release…

Chicago City Council Latino Caucus urges state elected officials to go back to the drawing board to create a new map for Chicago’s first school board elections that will give more representation to Latino communities.

The draft map proposes seven majority white districts, seven majority Black districts and six majority Latino districts, closely resembling the city’s population, which is 33% white, 29% Black, and 29% Latino, according to the U.S. Census.

However, the Chicago Public School student population is 11% white, 36% Black and 47% Latino.

The Chicago City Council Latino Caucus urges the state to create a map based on the city’s student demographics rather than its overall population. As it stands now, Springfield has proposed a map that creates a majority white board which will govern the outcome of Black and Latino students.

The Chicago City Council Latino Caucus was created to fight for the well-being and betterment of all Latino residents of Chicago. The Caucus demands a map that will protect minority communities, not unfairly dilute their power.

The City Council Latino Caucus includes 15 members from across the city. They represent wards as diverse as Chicago itself. The Caucus membership includes: Ald. Daniel LaSpata (1), Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Ald.-Elect Peter Chico (10), Ald.-Elect Julia Ramirez (12), Ald.-Elect Jeylu Gutierrez (14), Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22), Ald. Silvana Tabares (23), Ald. Bryon Sigcho-Lopez (25), Ald. Robert Maldonado (26), Ald.-Elect Jessie Fuentes (26), Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30), Ald.-Elect Ruth Cruz (30), Ald. Felix Cardona (31), Ald. Rossana Rodriguez (33), Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35), Chairman Gilbert Villegas (36) and Ald. Andre Vasquez (40). Chicago’s Clerk Anna Valencia is an ex-officio member of the Latino Caucus.

Emphasis added because how would drawing elected school board district boundaries based on student demographics even be close to legal? Hey, commercial and residential property owners might want a greater say, too, since they pay property taxes, but too bad. Everyone 18+ gets a vote, and you can’t legally dilute votes this way.

“Demand the impossible and grudgingly settle for a compromise” may be the play here, so I’m not too outraged because I’ve seen that many times before. Still, what they’re asking for is not done anywhere that I’ve ever seen.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 3:29 pm

Comments

The Board is already going to be a majority minority board assuming that those elected follow the majority racial/ethnic makeup of their district.

I don’t really like this blatant attempt they are trying to make to make sure that latinos make up a majority of the board.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 3:38 pm
Since when is 7/20 a majority (assuming the districts elect someone who is of the same race as the majority of the district).

Also, this would be like drawing legislative maps based on the population of those that vote vs. the electorate as a whole. It makes no sense?

Comment by Dazed and Confused Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 3:49 pm
I remember when the late columnist Mike Royko upset many readers by suggesting that the composition of the Board of Education ought to be based upon the property taxpayers supporting the Chicago Public Schools.

Comment by Gravitas Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 3:49 pm
Be careful what you wish for

Comment by Socially DIstant watcher Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 3:50 pm
Is it too late to amend the law to have 50 districts, each coterminous with current wards?

Or end it all now that Brandon Johnson is mayor? Does CTU even want this anymore? They certainly won’t need an elected school board to impose their agenda on CPS. And wasn’t that the entire point?

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 4:03 pm
The caucus should know better, especially after their own maps were just recently redrawn. If they feel like the Latino vote is being diluted, maybe they should reach out to MALDEF. No lawyer that knows what they are doing is going to tell them that this is legal.

Comment by Hannibal Lecter Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 4:15 pm
==Since when is 7/20 a majority==

If they draw it based on student population, which is identified above as 47% latino, then that could be a majority latino board.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 4:50 pm
- Hannibal Lecter - Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 4:15 pm:

It might be time to reconsider their leader and map consultant, considering they got the caucus rolled in council redistricting, leading most of the caucus to splinter off.

Comment by Google Is Your Friend Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 5:27 pm
how about we draw districts based on those who pay taxes directly or who vote all the time or are citizens. all of these ideas are bad. as is the one proposed by the caucus. People contribute to government not based on use of library, school, it’s an all in thing. unless you want those of us who don’t use some of those things to get out of paying for them.

Comment by Amalia Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 5:33 pm
===The Caucus demands […]power.===

This is all that press release says. I believe I can be represented by a person of any race or color. Diversity among elected officials in a representative government is a good thing but the core ideology of the argument they are making is akin to the notion that they do not believe that members of the Latino Caucus cannot properly represent the non-latino residents of their districts.

It’d be nice if someone asked them about that since they’re suggesting that voters be disenfranchised based off of their race.

Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 5:46 pm
However, the state could lower the voting age for school board races. My high schooler thinks it should be 12.

Comment by Phineas Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 6:11 pm
It’s interesting that one of the posters suggested (possibly, tongue-in cheek)that we have 50 elected school board districts, coterminous with our ward boundaries. Illinois African Americans for Equitable Redistricting’s proposal is to develop 10 districts that contain 5 wards each. Where the State Legislature’s current proposal divides communities all over the city, our map uses the wards as communities of interest with the schools as the “town centers”, so to speak. We believe this map would past legal muster with respect to the laws governing redistricting and VRA. Most importantly, it promotes collaboration between the Board of Education and City government; accountability for our elected officials; the ability to leverage CPS and city services to provide academic, social and emotional and public safety supports to our children. The map preserves community, regardless of who you are or where you live.

Comment by Valerie F. Leonard Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 6:37 pm
==Does CTU even want this anymore?==

Exactly. They may wish the mayor had sole appointment power now that he is viewed as someone favorable.

They may still wind up with a Board of people elected they view as hostile to CTU. That would be really ironic. Be careful what you wish for indeed.

Comment by low level Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 7:35 pm
Oh, c’mon, Rich. Legislators are accustomed to gerrymandering districts all the time to get a desired result. Yes, their demands are ridiculous, but given their history of using sophisticated computer software to generate a pre-determined result, how is this demand unreasonable? It is just the next logical step in a long history of corrupt maps.

Comment by Just Me 2 Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 8:31 pm
Valerie, let’s instead reduce the city council to 10
Wards. I’d vote for that in a heart beat.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, May 11, 23 @ 11:39 pm