Chicago Teachers Union hiking dues ahead of school board election

The Chicago Teachers Union is increasing dues for most members, in part to raise money ahead of November’s school board elections.

The new 1.75% rate will raise dues by an average of $18 per paycheck, according to internal documents obtained by the Tribune. The change is expected to generate roughly $8.5 million in additional revenue for the union.

The increase comes six months before the city’s first race for a fully elected school board — which is expected to be hotly contested and costly. CTU was the biggest spender in the 2024 school board election, pouring more than $4 million into the 10 seats on the ballot.

“We must win a majority of the first 21-person, fully elected school board in November,” CTU officials wrote in documents, outlining the new dues. “Millions in dark-money donations are trying to ensure record school board closings and austerity instead of a fully funded district.”

CTU represents more than 30,000 teachers, paraprofessionals and clinicians in the nation’s fourth-largest school district.

Dues account for 89.5% of the union’s revenue, which, this fiscal year, is expected to exceed $40 million. Without raising dues, CTU is facing a $4.2 million deficit, according to the documents.

CTU has not had a structural increase to its dues in 40 years, union officials wrote, and the adjustment is intended to make dues more proportional to income. Under the current structure, higher-earning members pay a smaller share of their salaries than lower-paid members, the documents said.

This school year, annual dues for teachers are $1,476. After shifting to income-based dues, most teachers will see annual costs increase by about $193 to $800. The bottom 25% percent of earners will see their dues decrease by 0.16%, the union said.

In 2024, total spending in the school board races topped $13 million, according to a Chalkbeat analysis, largely pitting CTU against pro-charter and school choice groups. The other top spenders were the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and Urban Center.

Large public-sector unions, including teachers unions in other major cities, routinely spend on school board and state-level races to influence education and labor policy.

CTU-backed candidates won four out of 10 seats, but the union still holds a majority on the school board. Eleven other members were appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former teacher and CTU organizer who remains closely aligned with the union.

This year, all 21 seats are up for election. The new Board of Education will play an outsize role in setting district priorities, as Chicago Public Schools faces a projected budget deficit of at least $520 million — which is expected to grow in future years. The board will also likely reckon with the district’s declining enrollment, with the school closure moratorium lifting after the 2026-27 school year.

The transition to an elected school board was long championed by progressives, including CTU leaders, who argued the model was a vehicle for representation and equity.

“We invest in our political and volunteer programs to defend democracy and the integrity of an elected school board accountable to Chicagoans not billionaires,” CTU documents said.

The dues increase follows the ratification of the union’s four-year, $1.5 billion contract, which will raise teachers’ salaries between 4% and 5% each year.

In addition to school board campaigns, the extra cash will help fund lobbying efforts in Springfield for increased school funding, according to union leaders. Dues cover a slew of other costs, including staff salaries, legal representation, training and workshops.

The funds will also defend CTU from “growing attacks” from congressional Republicans, a U.S. Department of Labor audit and an investigation from the Internal Revenue Service, documents said. The union has emerged as a vocal critic of the Trump administration.

“CTU must be strengthened in a period of rising authoritarianism,” the union wrote.

In November, the Republican-led House Committee on Education and the Workforce launched an investigation into the union’s financial audits, alleging that CTU has not provided required records to its members.

The union submitted the requested documents Jan. 16, the extended deadline it was given, according to the committee. Five of Illinois’ Democratic members of the U.S. House wrote a letter to the committee questioning whether the investigation was politically motivated.

Tribune reporter Gregory Royal Pratt contributed.