Kate Armanini

Kate Armanini is an education reporter for the Tribune. She previously interned on the Tribune's metro desk and covered breaking news for The Boston Globe. Armanini is a graduate of Northeastern University.

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates addresses members at CTU headquarters on Jan. 27, 2026, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Amid federal pressure, CTU President Stacy Davis Gates declares union is ‘really strong’

January 28, 2026 at 1:23 p.m.

Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates gave a sweeping address to a sea of supporters at the union's headquarters on the Near West Side.

An Illinois state trooper tells Cassie Creswell, executive director and president of Illinois Families for Public Schools, she will have to mail a letter she was hoping to deliver to Gov. JB Pritzker calling on him to opt Illinois out of a new federal school voucher program, outside of the governor's office in the West Loop, Jan. 27, 2026. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Public school advocacy groups urge Gov. JB Pritzker to opt out of federal voucher program

January 27, 2026 at 7:31 p.m.

Activists called for Gov. JB Pritzker to reject the first federal school voucher program under President Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act."

Chalmers STEAM Elementary School Principal Romian Crockett greets arriving students on Jan. 22, 2026, in Chicago. Chalmers has one of the highest attendance rates in the district, and is also one of the few schools to dramatically reduce chronic absenteeism post-pandemic. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Can school climate solve chronic absenteeism? Ask these principals.

January 26, 2026 at 9:55 a.m.

A University of Chicago study found that school climate is perhaps the most powerful predictor of how many students show up to class.

A crossing guard assists students crossing the street as they arrive for classes, at Chalmers STEAM Elementary school, Jan. 22, 2026, in Chicago.(Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

CPS cancels class Friday due to extreme cold

January 22, 2026 at 3:56 p.m.

Chicago Public Schools has canceled classes and afterschool activities Friday due to sub-zero temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills.

Destiny Singleton, a senior at Ogden International High School, is an honorary student member of the Chicago Board of Education and will attend Stanford University in the fall, Jan. 15, 2026. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

CPS honorary student board member on her tenure: ‘Speak when you’re scared’

January 19, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Destiny Singleton stood inside a Garfield Park church last November. Every seat was filled for the community event, but her voice was measured as she spoke into the microphone. The...

The Lincoln Park High School Local School Council meets in front of an audience at the school's auditorium on Feb. 13, 2020, in Chicago. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

CPS short thousands of applications for Local School Councils less than a week before deadline

January 16, 2026 at 10:12 a.m.

Chicago Public Schools has received less than half of the thousands of applications it needs for Local School Council spots before Tuesday’s deadline.

Chicago Teachers Union member Tom Felson, center, attends a community engagement session to discuss the Chicago Public Schools budget at Dyett High School in Chicago on July 14, 2025. CPS held community engagement sessions to elicit feedback on its budget strategy prior to the Chicago Board of Education’s vote to approve a 2026 budget. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Budget fights to funding freezes: Chicago’s top education stories of the year

December 31, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Chicago’s education landscape faced an unprecedented set of challenges this year, from public school budget problems to Operation Midway Blitz.

Wally Stock, Chicago Public Schools acting chief financial officer, walks away after speaking during a Chicago Board of Education budget hearing, March 14, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

CPS board hikes property tax levy to capture extra $25M

December 30, 2025 at 3:26 p.m.

The Chicago Board of Education voted to slightly increase its property tax levy, to yield up to an additional $25 million for district schools.

Desks in a classroom at Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center, in Chicago, Dec. 15, 2025. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

CPS says ‘miscellaneous’ school workers shouldn’t be allowed to unionize

December 29, 2025 at 4:12 p.m.

Chicago Public Schools is challenging the Service Employees International Union’s petition to represent 1,600 miscellaneous workers, stalling the effort.

1 dead, 3 injured in River North shooting, police say

December 28, 2025 at 2:56 p.m.

The victims were getting into a vehicle on the 400 block of North La Salle Drive around 2:35 a.m. when four men approached and opened fire.

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