From The Classroom To The Campaign Trail : NPR Ed : NPR

From The Classroom To The Campaign Trail : NPR Ed : NPR:



From The Classroom To The Campaign Trail

FEBRUARY 03, 2015 9:03 AM ET

 It's a frigid, 9-degree day and Susan Sadlowski Garza is trudging through fresh snow in Chicago's 10th Ward.

"Hi, good morning. How are you? My name is Sue Sadlowski Garza, I'm running for alderman," Garza says to a woman who has just cracked open her front door.

Garza is the only counselor at Jane Addams Elementary, a school of about 850 students on the far south side of Chicago. And she's one of five Chicago teachers running for city council.

The others are: Ed Hershey (25th), Tim Meegan (33rd), Tara Stamps (37th), and Dianne Daleiden (40th).

Garza, like a lot of Chicago teachers, is no fan Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

The mayor made enemies in the Chicago Teachers Union early in his first term. He refused to pay a 4 percent raise promised by the previous administration, then pushed to lengthen the school day by more than an hour. That drama ultimately led to the first schools strike in 25 years.

And Emanuel's decision to close 50 schools has caused even more dissent from teachers and communities.

The mayor, who's facing his own tough re-election challenge, has countered that the tough decisions, like closing 50 schools, were necessary to keep the city's finances under control.

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Alderman John Pope is running for re-election against Garza in Ward 10. He says he's proud of the progress he's made to improve schools.

Doug Mcgoldrick/Courtesy of John Pope

These concerns are on Garza's mind when she heads out to talk with voters after school and on weekends.

"Ward by ward and everywhere we go, people have had it," she says. "People are really just standing up and saying we need to take back our city."

Ultimately, Chicago's City Council has little power over the public schools, which are controlled by the mayor and his hand-picked school board.

John Pope, the current 10th Ward Alderman, who's running against Garza, says that doesn't mean he's not involved with schools.

"Certainly, Chicago Public Schools is their own taxing body," Pope said. "But as an alderman, we're responsible for everything pretty much ... I'm certainly proud of the progress we've made in the 10th Ward with respect to schools."

Pope said that since taking office in 2000, he's helped open schools in the ward, not close them.

Garza counters that Pope's constant agreement with Emanuel is telling. City Councilrecords show he's voted with the mayor 100 percent of the time. If elected, Garza says she'll change that.

"Every month, I want to have an open door policy," Garza said. "Because of my From The Classroom To The Campaign Trail : NPR Ed : NPR: