Paul Vallas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Vallas
Vallas in March 2023
Superintendent of Bridgeport Public Schools
In office January 3, 2012 – November 8, 2013 Acting: January 3, 2012 – June 24, 2013
Preceded by	John Ramos
Succeeded by	Fran Rabinowitz (acting)
Superintendent of the Recovery School District of Louisiana
In office June 2007 – May 1, 2011
Preceded by	Robin Jarvis
Succeeded by	John White
CEO of the School District of Philadelphia
In office July 2002 – June 2007
Preceded by	Phil Goldsmith
Succeeded by	Thomas Brady (acting)
1st CEO of Chicago Public Schools
In office July 10, 1995 – June 26, 2001
Appointed by	Richard M. Daley
Preceded by	Argie Johnson (superintendent)
Succeeded by	Arne Duncan
Personal details
Born	Paul Gust Vallas (1953-06-10) June 10, 1953 (age 72) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sharon Vallas ​ (m. 1984)​
Children	3
Education	Moraine Valley Community College Western Illinois University (BA, MA)
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Paul Gust Vallas Sr. (born June 10, 1953) is an American politician and former school leader. He is known for leading public school systems in several major cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia, and New Orleans. As a member of the Democratic Party, he has also run for several important political offices.

As a school superintendent, Vallas often supported charter schools. He also supported the privatization of some school programs, which means having private companies help run parts of the school system.

Vallas has run for office many times but has not won. He was a candidate for governor of Illinois in 2002 and for lieutenant governor in 2014. He also ran for mayor of Chicago in 2019 and 2023, finishing as the runner-up in his most recent campaign.

Early Life and Career

Paul Vallas was born in Chicago, Illinois. His grandparents were immigrants from Greece. He grew up on Chicago's South Side and later lived in the suburb of Palos Heights. After high school, he went to Western Illinois University, where he earned degrees in history and political science.

Before working in schools, Vallas had jobs in government finance. He worked for the Illinois Economic and Fiscal Commission, a group that studies the state's money. From 1990 to 1993, he was the budget director for the city of Chicago under Mayor Richard M. Daley.

Leading City Schools

Vallas became known for taking on tough jobs as a school leader. He was often seen as a "crisis manager" who would make big, fast changes to try and fix problems in school districts.

Chicago Public Schools

From 1995 to 2001, Vallas was the first CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS). Mayor Richard M. Daley had created this new leadership position to give the mayor's office more control over the city's schools.

During his time at CPS, Vallas made many reforms. He balanced the budget and started new programs like mandatory summer school and after-school activities. He also increased the number of charter schools and magnet schools. Under his leadership, the use of standardized testing grew to measure student progress.

However, some of his financial decisions were criticized later. To fix a budget shortfall, he moved money that was meant for teacher pensions into the general budget. This helped at the time, but later contributed to a large budget crisis for the school district.

Vallas resigned in 2001 after six years, which was a longer time than most big-city school superintendents served back then.

School District of Philadelphia

In 2002, Vallas became the CEO of the School District of Philadelphia. The state had recently taken control of the district because of its struggles. Vallas brought in many of the same ideas he had used in Chicago.

He started one of the country's largest experiments in privatized school management. Over 40 schools were turned over to be run by outside groups, including for-profit companies. He also changed the school structure to K-8 and 9-12 grades, getting rid of most middle schools.

During his time in Philadelphia, standardized test scores slowly improved. He also expanded special programs like International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement. Vallas left the job in 2007 after five years.

Other School Leadership Roles

After Philadelphia, Vallas went to Louisiana to lead the Recovery School District. This district was created to rebuild schools in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He greatly increased the number of charter schools in the system.

From 2012 to 2013, he served as the superintendent of Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut. He left this role to run for office back in Illinois.

Political Career

Vallas has run for several major political offices in Illinois.

Running for Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Logo of Vallas's 2002 campaign for governor

In 2002, Vallas ran for governor of Illinois as a Democrat. He came in a close second in the primary election, losing to Rod Blagojevich.

Quinn-Vallas 2014 campaign logo

In 2014, Governor Pat Quinn chose Vallas to be his running mate for lieutenant governor. Quinn praised Vallas for his work in education. The Quinn-Vallas ticket lost the election to the Republican ticket of Bruce Rauner and Evelyn Sanguinetti.

Campaigns for Mayor of Chicago

Vallas ran for mayor of Chicago twice.

2019 Mayoral Election

Vallas marching in the 2019 Chicago Pride Parade

In 2018, Vallas announced he would run for mayor of Chicago. The race became very crowded after the current mayor, Rahm Emanuel, decided not to run again. Vallas campaigned on his experience leading the city's schools. He finished ninth out of fourteen candidates in the first round of voting. After he was eliminated, he supported Lori Lightfoot, who went on to win.

2023 Mayoral Election

Vallas ran for mayor again in 2023, this time against the incumbent, Lori Lightfoot. His campaign focused heavily on the issue of crime, promising to make the city safer. He also promised to give parents more choice in where their children go to school.

He received endorsements from the Chicago police union and the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Many saw him as a more moderate or conservative candidate compared to others in the race.

Vallas (left) with Brandon Johnson at a mayoral forum in March 2023

Vallas finished first in the initial round of voting but did not get more than 50% of the vote. This led to a runoff election against the second-place finisher, Brandon Johnson. In the runoff, Vallas was endorsed by several other candidates who had been eliminated. However, he lost the election to Johnson.

Personal Life

Vallas married his wife, Sharon, in 1984. They have three sons: Gus, Mark, and Paul Jr. In 2018, his son Mark passed away.

Electoral History

Images for kids

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  Vallas in December 2018

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  A logo for Vallas's 2019 mayoral campaign

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  Another logo for Vallas's 2019 mayoral campaign

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  Vallas with supporters in December 2022

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  Vallas speaking to the media in January 2023

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  Vallas (far left) at a mayoral forum in December 2018

See also

In Spanish: Paul Vallas para niños