The Biggest Misconception About Local School Councils? They Don’t Do Anything

This story was originally published by 15 West, a resident-, student- and volunteer-powered newsroom serving Chicago’s West Side and suburbs up to 15 miles west of downtown Chicago. It is republished under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.

CHICAGO — Come November, Chicago voters will help shape the future of Chicago Public Schools by electing the city’s first fully elected Board of Education. 

But for parents and community members looking to influence decisions at their neighborhood school, one of the most powerful opportunities happens every month.

Most Chicago Public Schools – except for some charter schools – have Local School Councils (LSCs), a group of parents, teachers, students, staff, and community members that help recommend and evaluate principals, approve school budgets, and bring community concerns directly to school and district leadership. 

LSCs play an especially important role in West Side neighborhoods where disparities in the size of Chicago’s school board districts are most pronounced. 

According to an analysis of CPS’ 2025-26 20th-day enrollment data, District 5 includes 100 schools serving 35,593 students in neighborhoods like Austin, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park and North Lawndale — more schools than any other district. By comparison, District 4, which includes several North and Northwest Side neighborhoods, has 34 schools serving about 23,000 students. 

Because each school board district is represented by two subdistrict members, each District 5 board member represents roughly 50 schools, while each District 4 board member represents about 17. 

That imbalance makes Local School Councils one of the most direct ways for West Side residents to influence decisions affecting their neighborhood schools. 

Bernard Clay, 75, has served as the community representative on Michele Clark High School’s LSC for about eight years. He believes engaged LSCs are especially important for West Side schools because they face “a lack of resources, a terrible lack of resources.” 

Clay said one of the biggest challenges is getting parents involved. He doesn’t believe the problem is a lack of interest. Instead, he said CPS has not made a concerted effort to recruit parents. “Parents are really the consumers of education,” Clay said.

One obstacle, Clay said, is timing. Many LSC meetings are held during the workday or too early in the evening for working parents to attend.

He also argued that CPS “spends more resources on training the parents than actually recruiting the parents.” While he considers training important, Clay said meetings and training should be offered during the evening or on weekends so more parents can attend.

CPS officials acknowledge that making meetings accessible remains an ongoing challenge.

LSC Relations Specialist Marcus Pittman said councils are required to post meeting agendas in advance under the Illinois Open Meetings Act, and CPS occasionally receives complaints from residents who were unaware of meeting dates or agendas.

“We actually do sometimes get complaints about secret meetings being held, and not everybody knows about it,” Pittman said.

During school visits, Pittman said one of the first things he checks is whether meeting agendas are posted where the public can easily see them. If agendas are not properly posted, councils may have to cancel or reschedule meetings. Posting the agenda, he said, “is the responsibility of the chairperson.”

Even when meetings are properly noticed and open to the public, many LSCs still struggle to fill open seats.

District 5 alone has 36 schools with vacant parent and community representative LSC seats.  Residents can use CPS’ LSC Members Map to identify vacancies and learn how to get involved.

The next LSC elections will be held in the spring of 2028, but candidates can begin filing paperwork to run as early as October 2027. 

Those interested in serving on their school’s Local School Council do not necessarily have to wait until the next election. When a parent or community member seat opens up, eligible residents can fill the position if approved by a vote of the current LSC members.

Further, residents do not have to join an LSC to make their voices heard. Anyone can attend each school’s monthly meeting, where the floor is open for public comments. Bernard Clay believes residents should attend meetings and speak up during public comment because “it’s the best form of democracy.”

“The biggest misconception about LSCs is that they do not do anything,” Clay said. 

As Chicago prepares for its first fully elected school board, LSCs remain one of the most direct ways for community members to get involved with local education. And if more parents attended meetings, Clay said, “they would be empowered and feel that they could make a change.”

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