Mila Koumpilova

Mila Koumpilova

Senior Reporter, Chalkbeat Chicago

Mila Koumpilova is a Senior Reporter at Chalkbeat Chicago. She previously wrote about higher education and immigration at the Star Tribune newspaper in Minneapolis. Mila has also covered education at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and The Forum in Fargo, N.D. A former North Dakota Rookie Reporter of the Year, she has received recognition from the Education Writers Association, the Minnesota Society of Professional Journalists and others. She is a graduate of the American University in Bulgaria and the Missouri School of Journalism.

Chicago Public Schools could face federal pushback to its plan to improve outcomes for its Black students.

The third-party arbitrator sided with the district on annual raises and staffing levels for counselors and case managers. But he sided with the union on adding librarians and family engagement coordinators.

The district is adding 18 campuses to its “Hub Stop” pilot program.

The district first set out to overhaul its approach to measuring school quality in 2019.

The teachers union and pro-school choice super PACs spent big on direct mail, digital ads, and text messages in the lead up to Election Day, according to a Chalkbeat analysis of campaign finance disclosures filed Jan. 15.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is yet to appoint the board’s final, 21st member.

The CTU says dipping in the district’s reserves and other steps could help cover contract costs, but CPS says its options are limited.

The district’s Office of the Inspector General found that CPS employees and at least one campus mishandled family income forms that determine fee waivers and school funding.

Eight months of increasingly contentious negotiations have produced some notable agreement — and little progress on other issues.