{
  "id": 506936,
  "title": "Chicago school board to weigh adding ballot questions about new revenue sources",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/10/chicago-school-board-to-weigh-adding-ballot-questions-about-new",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-10T20:51:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Chalkbeat",
    "slug": "chalkbeat",
    "url": "https://www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2026/08/10/chicago-public-schools-board-weighs-two-referendums/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Chicago school board is considering placing two nonbinding ballot questions on the November ballot, which would ask voters if they support new revenue sources for the district. One question would inquire if Illinois should implement a millionaire's tax to increase K-12 education funding statewide. The other question would assess support for imposing financial penalties on owners of undeveloped city land to boost Chicago Public Schools funding. School board staffer Fae Rabin stated that the board has the authority to place advisory questions on the ballot following a simple majority vote. The city's Board of Elections would need to approve the referendums by next Monday for them to appear on the ballot. The school board plans to discuss the questions at their Wednesday agenda review meeting and vote at a special Thursday meeting. Despite significant funding increases in recent years, Chicago Public Schools remains short of what Illinois considers \"adequate\" funding. State lawmakers' willingness to approve additional dollars during a November veto session is uncertain, putting the district at risk of budget cuts. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson supports a new tax on high earners, but efforts to pass legislation for a millionaire's tax on the November ballot failed in the state legislature. Board President Sean Harden was not available for comment. Independently elected board member Che \"Rhymefest\" Smith expressed concern about the rushed process to vote on the questions this week and emphasized the need to demonstrate responsible governance and connect funding to student improvement.",
  "summary": "The Chicago school board might try to place two questions on the November ballot asking the city’s voters if they would be in favor of new revenue for the cash-strapped district. One would ask residents whether Illinois should impose a millionaires tax to boost K-12 education funding…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}