CHICAGO (WGN) — The first day of school for over 300,000 Chicago Public Schools students is wrapping up, meaning the 2025-26 school year is officially underway.

Mayor Brandon Johnson greeted students Monday morning at Mary E. Courtenay Language Arts Center in Uptown on the city’s North Side, ringing the bell to kick off the school year.

He and other Chicago Teachers Union officials also made their way to Austin High School, one of 16 newly designed sustainable community schools under the CTU-CPS contract.

The community schools aim to forge strong relationships with nearby organizations and service providers, leveraging better support for kids beyond the traditional school day.

The $1.5 billion CTU-CPS contract, approved in April, ensured students would come back to smaller class sizes,

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