What happens when a legendary artist and community advocate takes a seat at the head of the class? In the conclusion of our two-part series, Dr. Che “Rhymefest” Smith—one of Chicago’s first elected school board members—sits down for a poignant conversation on the intersection of activism and administration. We highlight what it actually means to be a modern board member in a city as complex as Chicago, how to create a student-centered strategy, agonizing trade-offs required during budget season and school closures, leveraging public-private partnerships, mobilizing volunteers to drive systemic change, and protecting the community with the heavy impact of immigration actions and ICE on student well-being and community culture.
Resources:
A Segregated Connecticut. State + School Finance Project. https://schoolstatefinance.org/issues/segregated-connecticut
Che “Rhymefest” Smith, candidate website. https://rhymefestforcps.com/
Corbett Education Consulting, http://www.corbetteducation.com/
Cost Sharing (ECS) Formula, State + School Finance Project. https://schoolstatefinance.org/issues/ecs-formula
Lawrence, A. (2024). Rapper Rhymefest on Trump, Kanye and David Cameron: ‘There’s a political realignment happening in the US.’ The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2024/dec/02/rhymefest-rapper-chicago-schools-kanye-cameron
Karp, S. (2025). CPS school board votes to require the next leader be an educator, not a CEO. WBEZ Chicago. https://www.wbez.org/education/2025/03/20/cps-school-board-votes-to-require-next-leader-be-an-educator-not-a-ceo
