Meet Anusha Thotakura, candidate for the Chicago school board’s 6th District
Academics
About 31% of Chicago Public Schools elementary students are meeting state standards in reading, and 19% are meeting math standards. How would you approach growing reading and math achievement?*
As a former middle school math teacher, I know how gaps in student learning compound year over year without targeted intervention and support. We need to start at the pre-K and kindergarten level, where success in math and reading sets up students for a trajectory of success. We need to invest in smaller classroom sizes, academic interventionists and effective instructional coaches for teachers to accelerate student learning and achievement.
Do you support standardized testing more than once a year?
No.
Do you support requiring all schools to select from a certain curriculum authorized by the board of education?
Yes. The board should authorize a broad framework of high-quality curriculum and allow for flexibility for educators to enrich and adapt the curriculum for their students.
Chicago Public Schools has consistently fallen short when it comes to serving students with disabilities. What would you do to improve special education?
We need to invest in early intervention services to evaluate children at an early age for special education services. At a bare minimum, we need at least one full-time case manager per school and to have enough special education staff to ensure that students with IEPs and 504s are fully supported and receive their dedicated minutes.
CPS finances
In recent years, Chicago’s Board of Education has consistently raised the property tax levy to the maximum allowed by state law every year. Should the board continue to raise the levy to the maximum?
No. I think our current school funding system is overreliant on property taxes. Our city should be advocating for more state funding.
Do you think CPS needs more funding, or do you think the school district’s budget is bloated? How would you balance the CPS budget?*
According to the State of Illinois’ equitable school funding targets, Chicago Public Schools needs an additional $1 billion of funding to be adequately funded. I support the current board’s planned hiring freeze and cuts for central office positions, but we need additional funding to reduce classroom sizes, have social workers and nurses in every school and to expand after-school and extracurricular programs. My priority is making sure resources reach our classrooms, and that means both using existing resources efficiently and advocating for additional state funding.
School choice
Do you support the current board of education’s decision to prioritize neighborhood schools and shift away from the current system of school choice with selective enrollment, magnet and charter schools?
I strongly support keeping selective enrollment schools open. Every child deserves access to a high-quality public school in their neighborhood, but we’re far from that reality. We should continue investing in neighborhood schools to close the gap between the quality of your neighborhood school and selective enrollment schools, but that does not mean decreasing funding for selective enrollment and magnet schools.
Given the board of education’s decision to prioritize neighborhood schools, how would you balance supporting those schools without undermining the city’s selective enrollment schools and other specialized programs?*
I would support a “hold harmless” provision in the CPS budget that would prioritize additional funding for neighborhood schools without cutting funds for selective enrollment schools and other specialized programs.
The first charter school opened in Chicago in 1997 and these privately run, publicly funded schools grew in number throughout the 2000s. Today, 54,000 Chicago Public Schools students, or about 17%, attend charters and contract schools. Do you support having charter schools in CPS as an option for students?
Yes. I believe all children deserve a high-quality public school in their neighborhood, and I would prioritize funding to traditional public schools, including to selective enrollment schools, before charter schools.
Independence
If elected, how will you maintain your independence from the mayor’s office, the Chicago Teachers Union or other powerful forces shaping the school system?*
With an elected board, we have our first real chance for transparency and accountability. I am dedicated to engaging the community through open dialogue and ensuring my decisions are transparent and ethical. I believe every child in our city should have access to a high-quality public education, and as a candidate, I am rejecting funding from any sources with opposing values.
Police in schools
Do you support having sworn Chicago Police Department officers stationed in schools?
No. I support all schools having trained and unionized security officers.
Busing and facilities
Last year, in an effort to prioritize transportation for students with disabilities as required by state and federal law, CPS canceled busing for general education students who attend selective enrollment and magnet schools and hasn’t found a solution to reinstate that service. Do you support busing for general education students?
Yes.
About one-third of Chicago public school buildings have space for at least double the students they’re currently enrolling. Chicago officials have previously viewed under-enrolled schools as an inefficient use of limited resources — and a decade ago the city closed a record 50 schools. Do you support closing schools for low enrollment?
No. We should prioritize using school building space efficiently to generate revenue and meet other community needs, for example by expanding school-based health centers, which can conveniently provide mental health, immunization, and primary care, and primary care services for students, families and the broader community. The White House has publicly supported expanding these kinds of integrated student supports.
Bilingual education
CPS has long struggled to comply with state and federal laws requiring bilingual programs at schools that enroll 20 or more students who speak a different language. The recent influx of migrant families has exacerbated the problem. What policies do you support to ensure the district is supporting bilingual students and in compliance with state and federal laws?
As a former bilingual education teacher, I strongly believe in expanding bilingual programs in CPS. There is high demand for bilingual programs in CPS, and not just for students who speak a different language other than English. Expanded language programs will help prepare our students for the modern economy, where speaking multiple languages is a significant asset.
Top local issue
Please share one issue that’s a top concern for your community or your larger elected school board voting district.
Ethical and responsible spending. The 6th District includes some of the highest property-tax bases in the city, and many community members are proud to be supporting our public schools with their tax dollars, at the same time, they want to see better results for our students. With the board’s history of fiscal mismanagement and corruption, my community is looking for honest representation that will hold CPS accountable for results that we can see in our classrooms.