School board candidates elected in Chicago in 2024: Andrew A. Davis

To help inform voters about who is running for Chicago’s elected school board, the Chicago Tribune education team asked a series of questions to the candidates in each district. These questions ranged from basic information about their background and campaign platform to where they stand on several issues facing Chicago Public Schools.

See responses from Andrew A. Davis, school board candidate up for election 4th districtbelow.

About the Candidate

Name: Andrew A. Davis

Age: 68

Neighborhood: Lincoln Park

School district: 4

Education: University of Chicago Laboratory School; BA in Economics, Beloit College

Current job: Non-profit director

Previous political experience: Nothing.

Questions and answers

For the sake of transparency, the candidate’s responses presented here are published as written and have not been edited by the Tribune.

Did you attend Chicago Public Schools or was anyone in your immediate family a CPS student? Yes, a member of the immediate family.

Have you worked in Chicago Public Schools or another school? What is your experience in education?

I served as executive director of the Illinois Student Aid Commission for five years and safely guided a six-billion-dollar corporation through the Great Recession. I then moved to the private sector and ran a startup finance company, Income Sharing. I am currently the CEO of the Education Equity Fund, NFP, which I founded five years ago. We help Chicago teachers pay for principal training in UIC’s EdD program. My experience in educational leadership includes seventeen years on the Beloit College Board of Trustees, the last five of which as its chair. I served on the Newberry School LSC.

Why are you running for a seat on the Chicago Board of Education?

As a Chicagoan, I believe the city’s future depends on reversing a system that currently fails two out of three students.

How would you describe your school district?

Mostly very happy.

How would you describe your campaign platform?

I propose that the Board charge CPS employees to dramatically increase student achievement while also serving as prudent stewards of taxpayer dollars.

What is the most important issue facing CPS students?

Two out of three third grade students do not read at an elementary level. This may not lead to anything good.

Include three to four key points you want voters to know about your campaign.

I focus on student achievement, parents’ choices, budget transparency and financial solvency.

Given this year’s budget problems and the disagreements over how to solve them, what do you propose for financing the district in future years? Would you support the district in taking out loans in the coming years to finance the annual budget?

I am against all loans to finance current operations. I will work to merge Chicago Teacher Pensions with the state TRS. The state pays pensions in every other Illinois district. Chicago should be included in this responsibility. This will free up hundreds of millions of dollars in classroom spending to meet student achievement goals.

The Chicago Board of Education recently adopted a new five-year strategic plan. Which aspects do you support and which ones would you change, if any?

I generally support these goals, but I’m skeptical about the methods.

How should the District handle the influx of English learners as thousands of immigrant families settle in Chicago? What more needs to be done to ensure and fund consistent bilingual education?

if we want Chicago to be one of the greatest cities in the world, we should see students who bring new languages ​​and multilingual skills as a source of knowledge. I support the development of bilingual and multilingual education in many different languages, which our immigrants bring.

Do you think the district has historically underinvested in schools in the South and West? Yes.

If so, what solutions would you propose to address inequalities and opportunity gaps in the school system?

A city-wide program that focuses on teaching reading to all third grade students. The resources needed to achieve this goal will vary from district to district and school to school. We should meet this need.

Since his election, Mayor Johnson has expressed a desire to move away from school choice and strengthen neighborhood schools. This was recently reinforced in the district’s 5-year strategic plan. Do you share this position? Why or why not?

I support efforts to improve neighborhood schools. I also support the right of parents and students to choose neighborhood, magnet, selective and charter schools.

What solutions do you propose to ensure transportation of students to selective and magnet schools?

The role of the Board is to set policy. The role of the staff is to design the logistics. I support the policy of having reasonable transportation arrangements for every student in every school.

Share your thoughts on how the District and the Chicago Teachers Union can agree on a new 4-year contract.

Teachers are, of course, the backbone and infrastructure of the school system. I am in favor of solid compensation for them. I believe that the scope of negotiations proposed by the CTU is too broad.

In 2024, the average literacy rate in Chicago Public Schools will be 31%, an increase from pre-pandemic years. However, these rates were lower for students from low-income families, English language learners, and students with individualized education plans (IEPs). How should the district strive to improve literacy rates in the future?

As with the question about transportation. Management should challenge employees to create a plan that will double reading levels over the next five years. The Board will then be tasked with assessing staff’s progress and performance in achieving this goal, and ensuring that the reading program is a top priority in allocating limited resources.

What is your position on expanded funding and renewal terms for charter schools?

Last week I had a long conversation with the Executive Director of Charter. Renewal periods of just two years divert staff time into the endless cycle of preparing for renewal rather than running schools. The conditions should be extended. Funding for charters should be distributed equally with other public schools. Charter should be included, like other public schools, in Safe Transition Plans, capital spending plans and all dollars flowing from CPS.

Please share your thoughts on how to keep Chicago Public Schools a safe haven for students to learn and develop a fear of violence. How do you propose that the district should approach this?

In schools and on their premises, principals and LSCs should have great freedom in making decisions about ensuring children’s safety.