cps closings

But Ald. Latasha Thomas (17th) countered, "School is not a baby-sitting apparatus."

The union said it will concentrate on issues, not candidates, "but 2015 is on."

The Chicago Board of Education was set to vote on 17 proposed new charters.

Members of the school community said they were looking to move past internal tensions and find solutions.

The City Council used an old trick to derail a demand to halt a Board of Education vote on charters.

CPS closures, Ventra snafus overshadowed aldermanic shifts in the City Council as Rahm kept rolling.

CPS said that in merger situations, it is ignoring the scores from the schools that disappeared.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said it would improve school choice and ease overcrowding.

The Grassroots Collaborative mixed City Hall protest with Halloween to win more school funding.

A request for new charter proposals in neighborhoods where they haven't been welcome drew criticism.

A district spokeswoman insists CPS is committed to its five-year pledge not to shut more schools.

The group, featuring "accountability committees," will meet on the same days as the Board of Education.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel said first-day attendance wasn't the true test of "consolidated" schools.

Chicago Public Schools claimed a 1.2 percent increase from last year on first-day attendance.

Students took part in boycott of classes to "support the schools, support the teachers."