Chicago schools Chief Executive Officer Paul Vallas on Wednesday is expected to introduce to the school reform board of trustees a set of guidelines to govern how local school councils spend their Chapter 1 discretionary funds. Vallas said the intent of the guidelines is to ensure that the state funds get spent mainly on educational programs that will benefit students-not on items for the council. Several councils had come under the board’s scrutiny allegedly for spending some of their Chapter 1 dollars on trips for students and parents and refreshments at council meetings. Some schools annually get up to $1 million in Chapter 1 money. Also Wednesday, the school board is expected to vote on an ethics policy that would prohibit school councils and school board employees from conducting school business with relatives.
