Nader Issa, Chicago Sun-Times

Nader Issa

Chicago Sun-Times

Chicago, IL, United States

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Recent:
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Past:
  • Chicago Sun-Times

Past articles by Nader:

Brandon Johnson replaces most of Chicago Board of Education

The new board will have a different feel than in past years when consultants, lawyers and bankers filled many of the seven seats. Only one of Johnson’s appointees is a lawyer, and she runs a legal aid organization. → Read More

Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling ‘an attack on people of color,’ Illinois education leaders say

The 6-3 decision by the high court’s conservative majority “will make it more difficult for Northwestern to achieve one of our imperatives — the promotion of diversity, inclusion and belonging on our campuses,” University President Michael Schill said. → Read More

CPS unveils new process for schools to drop racist namesakes

Chicago Public Schools officials have been working on an updated naming policy for more than two years after a Chicago Sun-Times investigation found 30 schools were named for slaveholders. → Read More

School board president Miguel del Valle to step down this week

Del Valle led the school board through multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and protests surrounding the school district’s renewal of its police contract. → Read More

CPS boosts school budgets with focus on special education — and more property taxes

Buoyed in part once again by federal COVID-19 relief funding, Chicago Public Schools will spend about $220 million more in the 2023-2024 school year to hire teachers and other support staff. → Read More

CPS special education head Stephanie Jones is out

She left the job a week after the Chicago Teachers Union demanded she resign because of “dismal failures to protect the district’s most vulnerable students.” → Read More

CPS’ special-education leader steps down

The change comes a week after the Chicago Teachers Union took a vote of no confidence in department chief Stephanie Jones and demanded she resign for “dismal failures to protect the district’s most vulnerable students.” → Read More

CPS seniors rack up record scholarship money

Schools CEO Pedro Martinez says “the pandemic caused a lot of challenges for our city and our district,” particularly for this year’s graduating seniors, who were high school freshmen when schools shut down. → Read More

Brandon Johnson is Chicago’s next mayor. So what’s next for CPS?

Some of Johnson’s first decisions after his swearing-in next month will have to do with education, the issue nearest and dearest to his heart and his work over the past decade. → Read More

Brandon Johnson wins Chicago mayoral race

“Chicago, how the heck are you?” Johnson called out, upon taking the stage at the Grand Horizon Ballroom, 2121 S. Prairie Ave., to claim victory. “Tonight is the gateway to a new future for our city.” → Read More

Vallas backed by PAC founded by former Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

The political committee’s contribution is a drop in the bucket of dollars pouring into the race in its final days. But it’s an indication that school privatization champions see an opportunity with Vallas’ candidacy. → Read More

Dollars vs. decentralization: Johnson’s and Vallas’ vastly different fixes for CPS

Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson have strong ties to public education — and very different plans for Chicago Public Schools. → Read More

‘Now is the time’ for new mayor, General Assembly to avoid $600M CPS deficit, Board of Ed says

Federal pandemic relief funding has papered over long-standing issues, but that money is set to run out in two years. → Read More

Chicago’s mayoral candidates have radically different approaches to fixing public schools. Here’s why.

Their backgrounds — Paul Vallas, a technocrat devoted to school choice, and Brandon Johnson, a teachers union organizer — help explain clashing views on school reform. → Read More

How the CTU marched from picket lines to political powerhouse

From its battles between ex-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and its late leader Karen Lewis in 2012, the Chicago Teachers Union is now hoping to help homegrown candidate Brandon Johnson win the runoff to be Chicago’s mayor. → Read More

Chicago elections see sluggish turnout

When polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday, turnout stood at 32.1% with 507,852 ballots cast out of 1,581,564 registered voters. Early votes were driven by those 65 and older, but middle-aged voters closed with the highest turnout. People ages 18 to 34 only accounted for 17% of votes. → Read More

CPS 2023-24 calendar once again starts before Labor Day, shows 2-week winter break

Some parents have complained that the earlier start cuts into summer vacations. → Read More

Lightfoot campaign sent 9,900 emails seeking support from CPS, City Colleges staff, documents show

Among the emails were four to City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado — who reports to the mayor — at his work email address inviting him to a Lightfoot campaign event. → Read More

Increase in after-school shootings leaves Chicago schools and families looking for answers

A WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times analysis shows that 2022 brought a spike in fatal shootings among teens in the after-school hours in Chicago. → Read More

UIC chancellor vows to make a deal with striking faculty this weekend, but says two sides are $9.2M apart

A union leader said management made an offer early in Friday’s negotiations that “shows significant enough movement” that bargaining would continue. → Read More