Becky Vevea

Lightfoot is the city's first black female and openly gay mayor. After her swearing in, she laid out a plan to make Chicago "a city that families want to move to, not run away from."

In Chicago, a plan to merge one of the wealthiest public schools with a nearby school serving mostly low income, black children has met with a "no" from school officials, but parents aren't giving up.

How much money a school can spend on its students still depends, in large part, on local property taxes. And many states aren't doing much to level the field for poor kids.

How much money a school can spend on its students still depends, in large part, on local property taxes. And many states aren't doing much to level the field for poor kids.

The politics surrounding the future of Chicago's public school system are intensifying. Three different players are in a power struggle for control of the system, which is suffering financially.

Barbara Byrd-Bennett is expected to appear in court on Tuesday. She is accused of taking $2.3 million in kickbacks for steering no-bid contracts worth $23 million to a former employer.

Some 26,000 teachers and school staff in Chicago were on strike Monday after talks with the city's administration failed to reach agreement on benefits and job security issues.