catalyst-chicago.org

Local School Council elections are scheduled at hundreds of elementary schools today and dozens of high schools tomorrow. (WBEZ)

* State Sen. James Meeks pitches his school voucher plan in a letter to the Tribune.

* CPS officials tout new financial literacy classes. (Sun-Times)

Related: Dunbar financial classes may expand into other schools. (Tribune)

Also, a soccer video game teaches financial skills across CPS.

* Two CPS-related obituaries in the Tribune: Richard Kelly, a Civil Rights activist and CPS teacher, and Susanne Conners, a Schurz High stalwart.

Pension changes frustrate Chicago teachers who seek clear answers on how much they’ll have in retirement. (Fox)

Related: pink-slipped teachers statewide face similar confusion. (ISN)

* Ed Department officials have cleared the way for some high schools to track seniors’ college aid applications. The effort is modeled on a similar Chicago Public Schools project and spearheaded by former CPS staffer Greg Darnieder. (Chronicle of Higher Education)

* Police say 17-year-old shooting victim refused to name his murderer, another example of the code of silence that frustrates many investigations. (Sun-Times)

* Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady wants to remove the Illinois State Board of Education’s policy-setting authority. In what is being pitched as a budget cutting move, Brady would have the agency serve only as an advisor to the governor. (KMOX)