>> The first ever fully elected school board is taking shape in Chicago with just a few races.

Still to be called.

And after a campaign marked by millions in spending in dueling union endorsements, one thing is clear with a split board members will need to find a way to bridge some of the clear divisions that emerged that'll happen as the district manages a budget shortfall.

If state lawmakers don't pass additional funding for this year.

Joining us to discuss the outcome of the races for school board and its president is Stacy Davis.

Gates, president of the Chicago Teachers Union and the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

Stacy, welcome back.

Thank you.

Would mean to you to be able to cast a vote in school board election this week.

you know, Tuesday was a long time.

Come in, as I've said to you before many times.

>> It is only thing that I've worked on for the last 15 years of my life is bringing that level of democracy.

2 families here in this city.

And I'm very happy that we had the opportunity to do that.

The union and our community groups to people in the neighborhoods.

They this and have this for some time and they finally got that opportunity.

That was All that said, you know, we talked about like we've been talking about like the millions of dollars that went into the races.

>> Any concerns about the level of money in politics that are getting sort of infuse into the system by the Chicago politics that are going to come along with having a race like that?

>> Well, I would say for me is just the redone dun story.

The individuals who poured millions of dollars into the race for also the individuals who are staunchly opposed to legislation passing Springfield for years.

They were Stacia.

Lee opposed to the legislation.

The finance requirements, voting requirements.

And so like most opponents, they take their game from one court to the next court.

So if they can stop the elected school board, then they shaped it with their millions.

>> Ctu made 15 endorsement in this race.

9 of those candidates, one.

What are your takeaways from victories will tend where we're counting the 10th once hill, but we feel very confident about the My takeaways from the races that the type of billionaire money that visited us in this race should be legal.

You should not be able to buy democracy.

A school board race at is very local level should be about the families and the community that want to see public schools perform a particular service for the children in those neighborhoods.

We didn't get to see that.

We had out estate billionaires from the North Shore and all over this country.

Weigh in on something that is hyper local.

We need controls on that.

I think what we also found, though, is that teachers are very well respected in the city of Chicago, the doors that were knocked, the phone calls that were named 8 people were very clear about respecting, loving and honoring teachers.

And so both of those things should be studied a bit more.

>> Ctu is not a billionaire, but you do all he do have your own pockets that you that you can use to support the candidates that you support.

Yeah, you know, people have tried to make that false equivalency that CTU and billionaires are the same.

>> Actually, the Chicago teachers Union is a constellation of 30,000 workers and the Chicago public schools, their teachers, their paraprofessionals, their clinicians.

There are people who work with your children every day in this city and they pull together $5.20, dollars in order to make our politics happened in a way that reflects the needs of the public school system.

And so that's a false equivalency.

I think that has been promoted by billionaires that said for all the money that goes into the race is the positions themselves are not paid positions.

Their volunteer do think that impacts was able to run.

And should that be different?

Will the billionaire's were the one who said that those people should be paid?

>> To make the job less attractive?

Again, this has been a struggle for the last 15 years.

So what's being covered today is very different than what was, you know, be a cover 15 years before this, billionaire interest did not want democracy on the Chicago public schools and therefore, when they lost in the state house, they took it to the ballot box and money does make a difference.

People power also makes a difference on proud that the 10 districts that listen to teachers.

Listen to parents listened to community members.

We're able to do so without the noise of the billionaire class.

And it starts the discussion to start a discussion on how we get better lunches for young people inside the school building it.

It Ban says the discussion on 3 year-old Pre-K.

It advances the discussion on sustainable community schools and I think it shuts the door on school closings in the way that the billionaire class has relied on it in the past common ground collective.

That's the pact that posed CTU backed candidates releasing a statement saying that Eladio Dominguez who of course he to support it.

>> Was, quote, soundly repudiated.

The statement went on to say, quote, Davis Gates ended election night by threatening a teacher strike.

A troubling response that underscored just how decisively Chicago voters have rejected the Johnson Davis Gates agenda and their grip on the Chicago public Schools.

>> Yeah, that's a political response to something that is about how we resource our schools.

They need funding.

They're underfunded by the state of Illinois by billions of dollars as our other school districts all around the state.

I think that the hyper focus of Michael Sacks and his billionaire class is to keep us embroiled in a discussion that's not about sustainable community schools.

That's not about smaller class sizes.

That's what teachers want to talk about.

That's why you saw Karen's a core retired teacher, Debbie Pope, a retired teacher both grandmothers say that they want to be a part of the school board that actually offers the things that they needed when they were in the classroom.

>> setting within saying the billionaires aside because of a pivot to another educator who we heard from yesterday, President-elect Jessica bigs.

We had her on the show last night.

Let's listen to some of that.

>> I have worked to build a broad coalition that's truly representative of Chicago.

And I think we really succeeded in doing that throughout the campaign.

You know, I'm proud to have the support SEIU that.

I represent some of the lowest wage workers in CPS, the Chicago Federation of Labor.

I think in the end it was more than 20 other people from across the city who supported the campaign.

Cook County Board, President Toni Preckwinkle.

5 of my elected board colleagues.

So when put together a coalition like that, I think you're really able to demonstrate to voters how you can bring people together.

>> Okay.

So maybe not necessarily a part of the same coalition, but you are both What do you think they're working relationship will be like with the president-elect for the have to be a part of the same coalition that was an election.

This is about offering Chicago schools an opportunity to give our students a world world-class education.

Right now we have sports teams that it cannot get to sporting events because they can't get buses or they can't afford buses.

We have to get serious about what's important young people are important.

People talk about literacy rates.

I want to talk about school Bet you if you match later see rates to the number of libraries that are not in our public schools, it would be an even Steven type of situation.

What we need to do is fill the gaps.

The conversations and commercials and our mellor are for the political class.

The discussions about how you offer a world-class education lunches, protections for students who are unhoused.

Those are the discussions that my union mine members, the parents that I know one a sting.

So I look forward to working with President elect bigs on those things.

I do draw the line, however, at hurting black children.

And we know that school closings in the way that they've been done in the city have her black children.

There's a ton of research on it.

It makes for a more violent neighborhood.

It makes for a longer commute to schools.

It makes for disconnection from parent to the school community.

We have to do better by those students.

The district has already pledged to do so with the black student success plan.

I look forward to expanding and resourcing that I look forward to creating a space where we talk about what our children need without the specter of taking away what they have already.

So we have to talk about the state because the current CPS budget relies on that additional 150 million dollars from the state General Assembly is, of course, going to be back in session for its veto session later this month.

>> Previously, the outgoing House Speaker Emanuel, Chris Welch on had announced or had said that the district could count on something but of course, now we know that he's going to be stepping down.

You know, what do you think this does complicate plans you make of all I think it comes clase plans for everyone in Illinois that just the Illinois Federation of Teachers are the Chicago teachers union.

It complicates it for everyone.

Speaker Welch has been a champion of public education.

Well, before he was in the General Assembly.

So he had receipts on his work.

So that is a loss, I think, for the state of Illinois, definitely for black people all around the state of Illinois who were happy that we had a black speaker of the >> I you know, I won't hide.

My disappointment is what I'll say to that.

>> But beyond that, what is also important is that throughout the state of Illinois schools are underfunded, they're underfunded and Peoria.

They're underfunded in Quincy.

They're underfunded in Lake County.

They're underfunding in Champaign.

They're underfunded everywhere.

So this is not issue of to Chicago.

So the state and that had to come, correct.

Okay.

right.

And of course, we know that the union has a lobby day coming up during the veto session a couple of weeks.

Best of luck.

I'm sure we'll be hearing more from you has safety Davis, Gates, Chicago Teachers Union.

Thanks for joining us.

Thank >> Up next, meet the new leader of a key Cook County office.

>> Its UK shun reporting on