Chicago Public Schools is hosting a series of roundtable discussions for the public to weigh in on the future of arts education. Why it matters: Research shows art education is as essential as subjects like math,

The Chicago Board of Education approves a new five-year CPS strategic plan focused on equity and holistic student success.

The average age of a Chicago public school is 83 years and 70 schools have facilities built before 1900. It would cost $14.4 billion to update and repair all of Chicago’s public school buildings, and of that,

"This plan requires more of us to ensure that every student in every school in every community has access to a high-quality education that prepares them for college, family-sustaining careers, and to actively contribute to the civic life of thriving communities," said Elizabeth Todd-Breland, vice president of the Chicago Board of Education.

The number of people directly employed by CPS has increased — growing to more than 41,000 this school year. However, not all of these positions are filled each year and often schools go with vacancies and long-term substitutes instead of full-time teachers.

By the time a federal jury delivered their verdict Wednesday evening, awarding Jomaury Champ’s family $750,000 in damages, the CPS student, who’s now 15, had long left the courtroom. On the last day of a civil trial focused on the beating he’d endured as a fourth-grade Tilton Elementary School student,

The Chicago Board of Education was ordered to pay the family of Jo'maury Champ, who at 9 was beaten with leather belts by his teacher's friend inside a bathroom at George W. Tilton Elementary School in West Garfield Park.