Chicago Teachers Union Chief Says Your Kids “Belong” to Them — As Schools Empty Out and Costs Soar

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates sparked controversy by declaring that children “belong” to the union during a public speech, even as public schools face declining enrollment and ballooning per-student costs.

Key Facts:

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates stated, “CTU thinks your children are its children,” during a City Club of Chicago speech.
The union has demanded over $50 billion in wage hikes and other contract items—equal to the entire state’s base tax revenue.
Chicago Public Schools have lost 70,000 students over the last decade, with current enrollment at 325,000.
A ChalkBeat and ProPublica report found 47 CPS schools operating at under one-third capacity, with some spending up to $93,000 per student.
CTU and Davis Gates have previously made headlines for controversial anti-school-choice rhetoric and high-dollar demands during contract talks.

The Rest of The Story:

Speaking at the historic City Club of Chicago, Stacy Davis Gates cited author James Baldwin to justify her assertion that the Chicago Teachers Union “owns” the city’s children, saying, “We do. We do. We do.”

She dismissed critics who see the union as part of a socialist conspiracy, saying, “We like children… we nurture them… we negotiate for them.”

Her remarks come as CPS reels from a steady exodus of students and soaring costs.

Chicago now spends an average of $18,700 per student, with some schools—like Frederick Douglass Academy High School—spending more than $93,000 per student to educate just 28 kids.

School choice advocate Corey DeAngelis called out the irony: “If the CTU were a parent, it would lose custody for educational neglect and abuse.”

He cited low academic outcomes and bloated union demands amid a crisis of confidence in public education.

Chicago Teachers Union president just said they own your kids. pic.twitter.com/XyaQz1tgnn

— Corey A. DeAngelis, school choice evangelist (@DeAngelisCorey) June 24, 2025

Commentary:

When a union boss tells you your kids belong to them, believe them.

That’s not a slip of the tongue—that’s a mask coming off.

Davis Gates isn’t just echoing Baldwin—she’s rewriting the social contract.

Parents don’t come first in her worldview. The government-run system does.

And if that system’s failing? Just hand over more cash and control.

Chicago Public Schools are bleeding students, wasting money, and failing to teach basic literacy.

And what’s the CTU’s response? Demand $50 billion—yes, billion—with a straight face.

That’s not collective bargaining. That’s hostage-taking.

Meanwhile, Gates accuses conservatives of not wanting Black kids to read. Really?

It’s the school choice crowd pushing for charter schools and vouchers—options overwhelmingly favored by minority parents in urban areas.

The CTU? They fight tooth and nail to keep poor families stuck in broken schools.

The spending numbers are staggering: $93,000 per kid in one high school. That’s Harvard money for failing classrooms.

The union calls it “support.” Taxpayers should call it insanity.

And don’t forget, all this comes from the same crowd that shut down classrooms during COVID while dining out and sending their own kids to private schools.

This is the reality of progressive education politics—control without accountability, spending without results, and rhetoric without remorse.

The Bottom Line:

The Chicago Teachers Union is demanding more power and money while its schools hemorrhage students and fail to deliver results.

Stacy Davis Gates’ comments aren’t just tone-deaf—they reveal an ideology that places the system above the family.

Parents, beware: the fight over who controls your child’s future is already here.

Chicago Teachers Union Chief Says Your Kids “Belong” to Them — As Schools Empty Out and Costs Soar

Key Facts:

The Rest of The Story:

Commentary:

The Bottom Line:

Sign Up For The TFPP Wire Newsletter

Read Next