New Show: ‘Round the Board
A new show has premiered at Lumpen Radio!
‘Round the Board is a school bus-inspired radio series exploring Chicago’s historic transition to its first fully elected school board.
Hosted by journalists Cynthia Salgado and Leslie Hurtado, the eight-part series takes listeners on a route through Chicago’s South and Southwest Side districts, making stops along the way to hear from candidates, educators, experts, students, parents, and community members. The series journeys through a central question: Who should help shape the future of Chicago Public Schools (CPS)?
Through interviews, explanatory reporting, and community conversations, Round the Board breaks down what the school board does, why this election matters, and what voters need to know before casting their ballots
The show launched back in August 11th. For the first two episodes Hurtado and Salgado went over a general explanation on the Board of Education’s history, how it functions, and how it will change on this upcoming elections. The first episode was in English and the second in Spanish.
“This election is not just for parents. Every eligible registered voter in Chicago can participate. You do not need to have a child in CPS or work for the district. Public schools belong to the public, and the Board makes decisions affecting more than 316 thousand students, over 630 schools, including charter schools. And a budget of roughly $10 billion. Billions of taxpayer money funds go to CPS, specifically property taxes make up a big portion of the budget.”
For the third episode Salgado interviewed candidates for the Board’s presidency Jessica Biggs and Hilario Domínguez. Their conversation centred around what was were the issues they were going to tackle if elected president. They offered their proposals as well as their plans to materialiase them.
“I’ve spent the last twenty years in classrooms, in schools, and communities in every corner of this city. And I know what’s possible when adults can come together in service and support of a greater goal for our young people“,
“Families are really hungry for this board and for the district to get clear about what is our focus and really returning our focus to teaching and learning and school improvement.“
– Jessica Biggs.
“What many people don’t know is that this is actually a volunteer role. It is completely unpaid. So that already makes it very hard for working people to do this. But when I heard that people that never sat in our classrooms start to talk about school closures, (…) that’s when I challenged myself to step up.”
“This campaign is for fighting for the people that have poured love and support on me.”
– Hilario Domínguez.
As the show moves forward Salgado and Hurtado will continue to feature candidates and community members, culminating the show with a special live coverage on the night of the elections, November 3rd, 2026.
Listen to ‘Round the Board every 2nd & 4th Tuesdays of the month at 2pm on WLPN-LP and HD-1 Chicago, 105.5FM Lumpen Radio, or on our website at Lumpenradio.com
Past episodes can also be streamed clicking here.