SEIU Illinois State Council transferred $1.1 million to a new independent expenditure group last week, gearing up to spend big in Chicago’s school board race as the rift with its onetime ally turned rival, the Chicago Teachers Union, escalates publicly.
The contribution — made last week to super PAC Brighter Futures Chicago — came days before CTU Vice President Jackson Potter and SEIU Illinois Executive Director Anthony Driver traded blows on a social media exchange over Chicago Public Schools’ controversial budget. Driver created Brighter Futures Chicago last month.
The two progressive, politically powerful unions helped carry Mayor Brandon Johnson into office. But last year, their relationship blew up amid a turf war over CPS employees. Now, the split between the two largest CPS unions is unspooling over a historic November election.
Notably, CTU and SEIU, which represents service employees, are backing opposing candidates for school board president. Jessica Biggs, a current board member and SEIU’s pick, reported a $150,000 contribution from the union Tuesday. Hilario Dominguez, CTU’s political director, has reported nearly $100,000 in in-kind donations from the teachers union over the past month.
The budget has emerged as a dividing line between those candidates and the two unions. The CTU-aligned majority of the Chicago Board of Education passed a $10.11 billion budget last month with a surprise amendment to include $150 million in unconfirmed state funding. District leaders warned that the move could leave CPS vulnerable to midyear cuts if the money doesn’t materialize.
While CTU supported the plan, SEIU has called it a “gamble” that is “dependent on state funding that does not exist.” Then, the dispute spiraled into an online spat this week between Driver and Potter, the CTU vice president.
When Driver posted on Facebook condemning the spending plan, Potter commented, “Not sure what your interest is in school finance suddenly.” He questioned why the district shouldn’t budget on unpromised state funding while assuming tax increment financing dollars, which rely on City Hall.
“Don’t play with me,” Driver shot back before challenging Potter to a public debate. “Otherwise, stay TF off my page with these rude (expletive) comments. You have caused immense harm to Black and Brown low wage workers at CPS.”
After Driver followed up with “The privilege here needs to be checked,” Potter responded: “I see I hit a nerve.”
The amended budget directs CPS officials to use the shaky funds to reverse the layoffs of more than 1,500 staff members — a feat that has proven difficult just weeks before school starts. School budgets had been finalized in early July.
In a letter to CPS CEO Macquline King on Monday, SEIU Local 73 President Dian Palmer called for a “concrete, public, written plan” addressing what will happen if the funding doesn’t come through. Palmer also wrote to Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch and other lawmakers who had pledged to advocate for more funding, asking for their plan of action.
“We told this board that hope is not a budget line, and we meant it,” Palmer said in a statement.
CTU, meanwhile, has contended that the revised budget is a pressure tactic to force lawmakers to act — arguing that there is growing momentum in Springfield for increased funding.
Based on the state’s funding formula, the district is only 70% fully funded, down from 73% last year. The CTU-aligned bloc of the board has argued that the state should bear responsibility for the district’s layoffs and other programmatic cuts.
“This Board of Education has finally insisted that the state do its part,” Potter said at a news conference Wednesday. “This pressure is working.”
CTU has asked CPS officials to engage in impact bargaining to immediately rescind the layoffs of its members. The district sent an email to principals Tuesday night, obtained by the Tribune, asking school leaders to rank their most critical staffing needs in an effort to restore some positions.
Hilario Dominguez, the political director of the Chicago Teachers Union, chats with supporter Mary Gardner before filing his petitions to get on the ballot for Chicago Board of Education president at the Board of Elections site in the Loop on May 26, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
Driver told the Tribune that his social media comments boil down to “a big disagreement about the way the board has conducted its business.”
“There’s a very clear power dynamic here, where there’s one union that controls the Board of Education and the mayor’s office,” Driver said. “I would make the argument that this is not two unions fighting. It’s a union defending itself against bullies who don’t know when to stop.”
Aside from the board president race, most special interest groups have held off from making major contributions. But that’s expected to change in what may well be the largest school board race in the country. Driver confirmed the $1.1 million transfer to Brighter Futures Chicago will be funneled into school board candidates’ campaigns.
For the first time, all 21 seats of the Board of Education will be on the ballot. The body was previously composed of seven mayoral appointees. It is now in a two-year transition period, with 10 elected members and 11 appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, a CTU ally.
SEIU Illinois Council’s PAC had $29,000 in cash on hand at the end of June, according to state records, but has since transferred in $315,000 from member dues. CTU’s PAC, which is also affiliated with the Illinois Federation of Teachers, last reported $377,000 in cash on hand.
In the district-level races, only five candidates have both CTU and SEIU backing. The endorsements carry weight because unions give money to campaigns and provide boots-on-the-ground support to get out the vote. CTU represents more than 30,000 teachers, paraprofessionals and clinicians in CPS, while SEIU Local 73 represents 13,000 janitors, special education classroom assistants and other support employees.