Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

The Chicago Public Schools will be having their Local School Council elections this Wednesday, with roughly about 6,500 candidates running for the positions.

CHICAGO, CO (Catholic Online) - About 28 groups sent schools' CEO Jean-Claude Brizard an email, demanding that the filing deadline be extended because only 2,060 people had signed up for the elections. The date changed from March 8 to March 23.

Don Moore, executive director of the education policy group Designs for Change, said the partnership's push to get an extension helped gain more candidates.

"About 6,500 candidates signed up to run in Chicago's Local School Councils election this week, primarily as a result of an extended candidate recruitment deadline demanded by the 28 organizational members of the Coalition to Strengthen Local School Councils," Moore said in a press release.

CPS advertised the elections via parent letters, calls, emails, Facebook and Twitter posts, and posters across the city and on CTA buses. Officials, however, said financial constraints prevented CPS from paying community groups up to $25,000 to help recruit candidates.

On Monday, CPS officials reminded parents that they could give their votes for Local School Council candidates on Wednesday and Thursday as they receive student report cards. Officials also announced that CPS has created an app called, "Who is Running for my Local School Council?" so parents can see the list of candidates running for positions.

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