At Peirce Elementary in Chicago, parents and local school council members allege that the Common Ground Collective violated CPS rules by electioneering at a back-to-school event on school grounds, triggering an ethics investigation.

The LSC chair and principal are under scrutiny for allowing the event, and there are calls for clearer ethics guidance to prevent political groups from leveraging school partnerships to influence voters.

CPS ethics officials are investigating, and Peirce’s Local School Council filed a formal complaint asking to prohibit political advocacy activities tied to schools, sponsors, or vendors during school events.

Common Ground Collective is led by Michael Sacks‑funded donors and operates separate nonprofit and political entities, including a PAC and a super PAC, with about $31,000 donated to candidates and roughly $944,000 spent on digital ads supporting or opposing candidates.

The broader CPS school board race features more than $3.3 million in reported contributions and involves groups with nonprofit arms that obscure donors, sometimes described as dark money.

Common Ground Collective describes itself as a 501(c)(4) social welfare group with a political arm; it says it funded the Peirce event through its nonprofit, while CPS notes the organization’s endorsements appeared on social media after the event.

Related concerns about electioneering include complaints about a board member’s social media posts; CPS has issued updated guidance to principals and Local School Councils on political activities.

Public materials from Common Ground Collective present a social welfare mission; its leadership includes ties to prominent Chicago figures, fueling scrutiny of how nonprofit and political activities intersect with public schools.

The group, described as a new anti-CTU entity funded by Michael Sacks, maintains both nonprofit and political arms, including a PAC and a super PAC, and is active in fundraising and campaigning for school board candidates.

At Peirce, fliers and a QR code promoting upcoming school board elections were distributed at an art table staffed by the group, which CPS says amounted to political campaigning on district property.

Financial activity shows about $31,000 direct contributions to candidates and roughly $944,000 in digital advertising; the group endorsed Debby Pope’s opponent, Kyna Lenhof, and spent about $37,500 on digital ads related to Lenhof vs. Pope.

The wider context: the November 3 Chicago school board election involves all 21 seats, with substantial spending and concern over opaque funding and the influence of groups tied to broader political agendas.