Controversial Left-Wing Chicago Teachers Union President Elected To Higher Position

Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Stacy Davis Gates won a unanimous election Saturday to lead the Illinois Federation of Teachers, expanding her influence despite mounting criticism over student performance and radical statements.

The 48-year-old will now lead the state’s largest union with more than 100,000 members while Chicago schools struggle with dismal test scores, NBC News reported. Fewer than one in three elementary students read at grade level and just 18% test proficient in math.

Davis Gates has drawn fire for controversial positions throughout her tenure. She called standardized testing “junk science rooted in white supremacy” during a 2024 radio interview when pressed about low reading and math proficiency.

The CTU’s official X account posted a tribute to Assata Shakur, a convicted cop killer who escaped prison and fled to Cuba, prompting backlash from conservatives and Chicago City Council members. (RELATED: Chicago Teachers Union Memorializes Convicted Cop-Killing Communist)

Stacy Davis Gates was elected president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers Saturday, putting more than 100,000 teachers, college faculty and public employees from across the state represented by the union with her.https://t.co/wgRi3RBP3O

— Chicago Sun-Times (@Suntimes) October 18, 2025

“They’re a political party. They don’t give a damn about the kids,” said Paul Vallas, former Chicago schools superintendent and mayoral candidate who lost to Brandon Johnson. “The Socialist Party of Chicago is the Chicago’s Teachers Union.”

At a City Club Chicago event Monday, Gates declared “all children belong to” the union, quoting civil rights activist James Baldwin, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported. When she asked rhetorically if parents would say “CTU thinks your children are its children,” Gates responded: “Yes, we do. We do.”

The union helped elect Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former CTU member, as its top donor. Davis Gates negotiated two contracts for more than 25,000 Chicago teachers, winning approval from 97% of membership on the latest agreement.

Her CTU salary was $195,000, with an additional $78,000 from IFT as executive vice president, according to NBC News. The new position’s salary remains undecided.