001President Harden, before you begin today's meeting, I would like to read a few announcements. [snorts] >> Good morning. Welcome to the April 23rd, 2026 board meeting. Before we start the meeting, I would like to share a few safety points and next meeting announcements. Please note that the primary exit and entrance to the boardroom is the door which you use to enter this morning. If you are leaving the room, please use this door. The restrooms are outside the boardroom doors to your left. During the meeting, we ask that you keep all aisles and exits clear. If you need any assistance during the meeting, please wave the attention of one of our security officers. Please mark your calendars for the upcoming meetings. The next ARC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. The
002next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 28th, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. The ARC and board meetings will be held at 42 West Madison Street Garden level boardroom. For details on how to register to speak or observe at the meetings and to learn about the speaker lottery process, please visit the Chicago Board of Education website at cpsb.org. If you have any questions about registration or public participation, please contact the board office for assistance. Thank you for joining us today. President Harden, we are now ready for you to begin the meeting. >> Good morning everyone. >> Morning. >> Welcome to the Chicago Board of Education meeting. Today is April 23rd, 2026. We are holding today's board meeting in the boardroom at the CPS Loop office, 42 West Madison Street, Garden Level. I'd like to note that
003the board members and senior leadership are physically present in the boardroom and registered speakers may join us in person or virtually if they've opted to do so. I'm President Shan Bihard. On behalf of my fellow board members, thank you for joining us today. The regular meeting of Thursday, April 23rd, 2026 is hereby called to order. Board secretary, please call the role. >> Member Lozano, >> present. >> Member Smith, >> present. Member Lopez, >> present. >> Member Bole, >> present. >> Member Wallace, >> present. >> Member Kuster, >> present. >> Member Pope, >> here. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> present. >> Member Rivas, >> present. >> Member Brown, >> yes ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra, >> present. >> Vice President Vez, >> here. >> Member Gutierrez, >> present. >> Member Biggs, >> present. >> Member Thorakura, >>
004present. >> Member Blae, >> present. >> Member Zach, >> present. Member Deberry who's joining us virtually via Zoom. >> Present. >> President Harden >> present. >> We have 19 members present. We do have a quorum. I'd also like to recognize Dr. Meline King, superintendent, chief executive officer. Elizabeth Barton, acting general counsel. Charles Mayfield, chief operating officer, joining us virtually via Zoom. Thank you. >> All right. I think it was board member Smith who raised the point that we don't talk enough about students. So before we get into today's meeting, I wanted to start with recognizing the incredible and profound leadership and courage that our CPS students exhibit every day and really how that anchors my work as president. When we received applications for the honorary student board member role last year, there was a theme
005completely unprompted. Students talked about how supporting mental health at the district level was a top priority. Member Singleton has been a champion of this effort throughout our tenure and we're all the better for it. Through our student led roundtables, we've heard from students about their experiences, insights, and ideas. And we've named where the district could strengthen communications around the resources and supports already available for student staff and our school communities. And as we continue having these discussions, I'm grateful to Dr. King's leadership and to our partners who recognize that for every mental health support we identify, we also need to have the resources to deliver on them. And so we will continue to do that work. So with that, I'm pleased to share that the Chicago Board of Education is now accepting applications for its
006honorary stu for its next honorary student board member. This student will represent the interest and perspectives of all Chicago public school students at the board's monthly meetings during the 2627 school year and will also participate in the student voice roundt initiative which brings together students with board members and CPS leadership to discuss topics that matter most to Chicago's youth. In addition to gaining valuable leadership experience, the honorary student board member will receive $1,000 scholarship to support their enrollment in a two to four-year college or university of their choice. This opportunity is open to rising CPS juniors and seniors who have a 3.0 GPA or higher and demonstrate strong leadership. We encourage all students who are interested and meet this criteria to apply by visiting cps.edu/hsbm. edu/hsbm application. The deadline has been extended to Monday, May
00711th at 9:00 a.m. The board benefits tremendously from the insights and thoughtfulness that come from our students. So, I encourage every all students to apply and best of luck to all the applicants. Lastly, uh the board has had the benefit of hearing from the Shy Arts community almost every two weeks. We're clear in our shared commitment to preserve what makes Shy Arts Shy Arts. And so to that end, I wanted to take a moment to recognize Dr. Casey uh Feast who has come into this leadership role with Shy Arts with a missiondriven problem-solving uh energy and I really respect that. While the district budgets constraints, they're no secret. I want to underscore that our commitment to stay at the table is real and we'll work together to figure this out. There remains a lot more
008work to do in order to realize the full school model. Those efforts will continue to be ongoing and I look forward to supporting the continued success of Shy Arts. So, the order of the meeting will be as follows. We'll begin with honoring excellence, go to the CEO's remarks, we'll go then to committee updates, followed by public participation, a short recess. We'll reconvene from recess. There'll be a presentation on measuring what matters, a discussion of public agenda items, a vote on public agenda items. We'll go into cold session, reconvene from cold session, vote on executive session items, and then adjourn. Dr. King, we'll begin with you on honoring excellence. >> Good morning board members and school community. We will begin with Thank you. We will begin with honoring excellence, the reason why we are all here
009this month. We will dedicate our honoring excellence presentation to some exceptional student athletes beginning with Jordan Ham, a senior at Southshore International High School. Jordan is an accomplished track and field athlete who recently competed at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. This is one of the biggest track and field competitions in the country for high school athletes. Jordan competed in the triple jump, the long jump, and the 60 meter hurdles. In that last event, she advanced to the final finals, achieving a time of 8 and 18/10 seconds, which is an Illinois state record. This incredible time earned Jordan first place in the event and designated her as a national champion. along with her school community at Southshore. We are incredibly proud of Jordan for this accomplishment and are thrilled to welcome her today along with her
010mom, stepdad, and her coach Jason Cooper who will now share a few words. [applause] >> Good morning everyone. >> Good morning. Esteemed members of the board, CEO King, all representatives from Chicago Public Schools, and guests here today. I am Jason Cooper, head girls track and field coach and math teacher at Southshore International College Prep. I am here to introduce you to one of Southshore's dedicated and committed athletes, Jordan Ham. Jordan Ham has been a member of the Southshore girls track and field team for the past four years. She is a four-time state qualifier, earning all state honors the previous three years and holding state championships in the 100 meter hurdles twice and triple jump once. Jordan was also a major contributing factor to the team runner-up trophy in 2024 and that same year was a
011USA track and field national champion in the triple jump and national runnerup in the 100 meter hurdles. She currently holds the school record in the indoor 55, 60, 60 meter hurdles, 200, 4x2, long jump, triple jump, and outdoor [applause] and outdoor 100, 100 meter hurdles, 200, 4x1, 4x two, long jump, and triple jump. [applause] Many of these records she has set this season. In addition to all this, she recently traveled to Boston, Massachusetts to attend the 2026 New Balance Indoor National Champions Championships. For those who don't know, this championship is one of the top tier championship meets in the country, drawing in top competitors from all 50 states. At this meet, Jordan competed in the 60 hurdles and went on to win the event, earning the title of national champion. She did this in an
012Illinois state record time of 8.18 seconds, which also ranked her number two in the country at the time. [applause] The journey over the past four years has not always been easy. Jordan and myself faced many difficult challenges over the years, including CPS systematic challenges, personal challenges, and lack of facility and resources available. Currently, we do most of our practices in a hallway and we have to travel over a mile to practice on a track as we have no facilities at our school. Despite these challenges, Jordan has shown immense courage, dedication, discipline, and commitment. She has sent a message that anyone from our beautiful city and our wonderful school system can achieve great things despite the many challenges our students and athletes face. As a coach, I couldn't be prouder of her and I thank her
013for her time, energy, and dedication to our team and our sport. and I appreciate the trust she and her family has placed in me as her coach and thank her family for all the support they have provided me over the years. I also want to thank Principal Michelle Flatt and the rest of the Southshore community as well. It really does take a village. As she moves on to her future, we still hope to win a few more state championships this year, maybe set another state record and compete in the USA track and field um U20 competition. Next year she'll be running track and majoring in business at the University of Wisconsin. Um, what I would like to say is thank you Jordan and thank you board members and CEO King for honoring her here today.
014Thank you very much. [applause] [applause] I would love to hear from the real life superhero. [laughter] >> Hi. [laughter] Um, honestly, one thing I can say and start with is sports in general for anybody, especially track, basketball, soccer, but like all of it, it is very sacrificial. Like you have to take a lot of sacrifices when doing a sport. It could take away a lot of your youthful cho like choices, parties, having fun, hanging out with friends, all of it. And it's very disciplinary, but it's all worth it at the end of it if you take it serious and if you actually want to go through with it. And it's been a lot. This whole journey in track has been a lot. I've been running it since fourth grade and now I'm going to graduate
015and go off to University of Wisconsin Madison and do more. >> So, so I [applause] mean it's very tiring sometimes. Sometimes, I'm not going to lie, I'll sit there and be like, "When am I going to stop? Do I have to continue doing this? Do I have to do this, too?" And I question myself a lot, but I'm proud of myself for overcoming all questions and all doubts and anything in my mind that could pull me back from it. And I mean, I'm glad I chose to take this route with life. And I'm glad that I have enough skill and intelligence to be honored here today. It's it's an opportunity not everyone can get. M >> hopefully more students would take this as inspiration to do twice as better things as me maybe. >> But
016I mean, yeah, I'm loving this opportunity. I'm loving being here. It's different experience and I pray for the next generation of students after me, next classes after me to do the same exact thing or maybe even make CPS better. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Outstanding. [applause] >> Wow. and an outstanding impromptu speaker. Okay, great. >> That's right. >> Next, it is my pleasure to welcome the CLASS 1A STATE CHAMP BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM from Marshall High [cheering] School. [applause] [applause] After an outstanding season, Marshall Commandos faced off again faced off against Goreville High School in the state finals earlier this spring. Down 10 points with seven minutes to play, the Commandos came storming back to win the game by a final score of 52 to 44. This was Marshall's first state basketball championship since 2018 and their
017fourth overall. Joining us today are principal pool head coach Darien Lei and his coaching team and 13 members of the 2026 championship team. Coach Lelay, >> um I'd like to say uh thank you guys for uh writing this down for sure. Uh these guys here all year have uh basically gave their all on the court and also in the classroom. Um, I was speaking earlier when we talked about um the dedication. Uh, everyone on this team at at this point have at least a 3.1 GPA. So, um, [applause] I heard coach talk about uh, resources and, you know, just getting things done regardless to what's in front of you. And I felt like that was an opportunity that we took head on and we were uh able to go down and and go down state
018and actually bring home a championship not just for Marshall but for the city of Chicago. Um I can't say enough about our um resources in terms of the parents, uh the coaches. Uh we have so many people that was uh there behind us from day one. Um, and I think we're losing two seniors. Um, pretty much we have everybody coming back. Um, we're looking forward to try to, you know, make this thing happen again. But, um, I did hear about, you know, the the wonderful things and the dedication that she talked about and, you know, every single day it is a sacrifice. And I felt like these guys also sacrificed to be, you know, in the history books in the state of Illinois for the rest of their life. We always talk about your legacy.
019And what would you leave behind? And I felt like this year that them sacrificing, they they're going to leave a legacy in that building that has a lot of legendary uh other people as well. And you know, it's just something they can look back and tell their kids, uh their grandkids, and maybe even come back to coach as well. Um, so I could I can't tell you guys how u excited I am, you know, to just be a part of this uh school, the city, this group, this team. Um, so again, I want to say thank you guys and I appreciate you u letting us come down. [applause] >> Thank you all. As to underscore, I do want to say this is a great example of of the talent that exists in Chicago public schools.
020You can have a academics and athletics. You can have athletics and academics. You can have academics and arts. You can have arts and academics. You can have a skilled trade in academics. And this is why we are here. And I hope that this is a trend where we can definitely elevate all that CPS has to offer. So, thank you all for taking the trip down to share with us. um your winning vibe and I I did share with the team this is their foundation. This is a springboard and we do we only ask that they come back and share with the next generation and return to Chicago and and help us nurture Chicago public schools. So on behalf of the district, we congratulate you again and we hope that you have a wonderful rest of
021the school year. [applause] And if I might, the girls basketball team won their division too. So, shout out to the girls team at Marshall as well. [applause] [cheering] >> [applause] >> board members. Any comments or questions rel related to honoring excellence? >> I got to get me one of those Marshall sweatshirts. Just putting in a request right now. A Marshall championship. We got [laughter] >> me and G2 need to be covered. The Westside contingency. >> Definitely. >> Size 3X, brother. >> All right. >> I'm a large. I'm ready. >> I'll come pick it up. I only got to walk two blocks. Thank you. >> Remember Brown? >> No, I just wanted to say thank you, uh, Superintendent King. That That was That felt good. And I I think um hiring our young people um you
022know it's it's kind of what's traditional is is to kind of focus simply on academics. But the level of discipline that it takes to compete as a high level athlete and do your academics. Uh as a parent of an athlete, it is it is a it is truly it it tests your character. It tests your discipline. Um, and so I'm very proud of the young lady who who's we probably gonna be seeing in some Olympic games. No, we gonna claim it, little sis. We going to claim it. >> And I'm I'm just very proud of you. you did you you made me full as I heard and and you know just so just really congratulations to you and want to wish you all the all the just the blessings and and the good fortune moving
023forward and and hopefully we can be just one little part of the wind beneath your wings as you as you soar and you make us proud and to the brothers at Marshall um I just Googled as they were talking just all the the the people who were either in the WNBA or the NBA they came from Marshall High School Patrick Beverly Arthur Ag who they made the the the documentary Hoop Dreams about. This school has an amazing legacy and it deserves a lot more from us as a district. These memories will fade if we don't hold them up and support these schools the way they need to be supported. for a public league school with less than 300 students to go and win a state championship in the midst of all the uncertainty going on
024around them. They deserve better. They deserve better. [applause] >> Thank you. Um, it makes me so proud to see the young people here today and the accomplishments. I can't think of a better way to start off the board meeting. Um, Jordan, your story is an inspiration to me. I'm going to think in the morning when I wake up like, how could I have discipline? How can I go on a run thinking about the sacrifices that you've made and the perseverance that you've showed? And it's also a reminder to me and to us about the choices and decisions that we make that can support more young leaders across the city to be able to achieve their goals in the way that you have and also make history in the way that you have. What can we
025do when we're talking about our facilities to not just get the revenue um to to to fix our crumbling infrastructure, but to also make sure that we have more highquality tracks and facilities so that kids across the city, no matter where they live, don't have to travel a mile or more um to be able to practice their sport. That we have funding for highquality afterchool programs and sports and music and arts education and summer programs so that uh we're removing some of those barriers that you've had to overcome to to achieve your accomplishments. So, um, kudos to you, your family, your support system, your coach. Um, and thank you for sharing with us your words of wisdom, too. >> Are there any other questions or comments? Dr. King, we're ready for your remarks. >> Good
026morning again. This is our first full board of education meeting since I accepted the role of permanent superintendent and CEO for CPS. I want to just take a moment to say that I am truly humbled and honored by the opportunity. As a former CPS student, parent, teacher, principal, my heart has been with this district for as long as I can remember. I truly feel humbled by this opportunity to serve in this moment in time. Whatever the background, interest, or abilities, our students deserve, a leader who will put their needs first and who will advocate for their success at every turn. From distributing resources equitably to strengthening community engagement to continuing to fight for better education funding, I pledge to be that leader for Chicago's children each and every day. I am grateful for the trust
027that has been placed in me by the board of education and the entire CPS community and I will do my best to honor and uphold that trust. I'll move on to a group of professionals who are welld deserving of our thanks and congratulations. Our district's assistant principles. We were excited to celebrate these outstanding leaders earlier this month, acknowledging their extra extraordinary impact they have on our schools. Our APS do so much for so many, beginning with their students and extending to our educators, families, and of course, our principles. As a former principal, I can attest that assistant principles are true partners to our school leaders, anticipating their needs and helping them shoulder the awesome responsibility of shephering a school community. I am grateful for all of our APS and hope that they were made to
028feel valued and appreciated during April and all year long. I wish the same for our CPS teachers who we who we will celebrate from May 4th through a May 8th during teacher appreciation week. It is the hard work and dedication of our teachers that is keeping CPS moving forward. I know that our schools will be going above and beyond to celebrate teachers during this special time and CPS will be sharing resources with our families and partners to help them do the same. Our hope is that everyone in our CPS family will amplify how they have been positively impacted by amazing teachers from those helping our high school seniors prepare for the next chapter to those guiding learners who are just beginning their educational journey. And speaking of those youngest learners, I'm excited to share that
029the application window for our district's prek program is now open. Free full day prek is now available in all of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods. So that means every child and every community has access to free early childhood education. As a result, every four-year-old child in our city now has access to this programming with many half-day programs for those parents that really can't part with their three-year-olds just yet. uh half-day programs are available. We know that getting children into the classroom early is critical for their academic, social, and emotional development. So, I encourage all of our families with children this age to explore their early childhood education options for next school year at chicagoarningall oneword.com. Next, I'll turn to something that was really a highlight for me this year, this month. There's an exciting partnership with CPS
030and the Chicago Public Library. CPS students has has earned access to a very exclusive club. The club is the 81 club and it ensures that students in every CPS school has access to free highquality digital resources through the libraryies 81 branches. All CPS students and teachers now have their own 81 club accounts, giving them widespread access to digital resources that will help support learning at every grade level. Beyond the classroom, students can also use their 81 club accounts to gain access to out of school time resources, including books, homework support, cultural programming, and safe community spaces. This is an idea that has been years in the making, and I thank our partners at the Chicago Public Library for working with us on this groundbreaking initiative. Finding new and innovative ways to promote a love of
031reading among the city's children is so important. CPS students have achieved impressive literacy gains in the past several school years, and I'm confident this partnership will help us to build on that momentum. Next, speaking of impressive gains by our students, I want to congratulate CTE scholars from Sullivan High School on advancing to the National Competition for Future Business Leaders of America. Yeah, that deserves a round of applause. [applause] These scholars each achieved first place each achieved a first place finish at the state level excelling in the area of business law, personal finance, journalism, project management, and introduction to business concepts. These students will now move on to the next round representing Sullivan and CPS at the national competition in San Antonio, Texas. We wish them the best of luck and we're excited to see how
032far they'll go. We will keep you updated. I'll now move on to yesterday's celebration of Earth Day. Events were held throughout the district, including a gathering at Carver Military Academy to discuss how we are investing in green technology and infrastructure at the district level. This work will ensure healthier learning environments, save CPS money in the long run, and contribute to students learning about career and technical education. By exposing students to this work through our green pathways program, we are helping to prepare them for careers using renewable energy and other green technologies. In addition, our partners at Ambius continued their donation of more than 6,000 premium plant containers at over 200 CPS schools. Thank you, Ambius. This isn't just about beautifying our schools and fostering a great s a greater sense of community pride. It's also
033about hands-on learning. Using these containers will bolster student learning in biology, agriculture, and environmental science, including helping students learn how to grow their own food. I can think of no better way to celebrate Earth Day than with a partnership like this one, which will go a long way towards our district goal of expanding access to sustainable green spaces and enhancing environmental education for our students. I now want to share an important reminder for families seeking bus transportation for their students for next school year. The transportation request form sent to you last month must be completed by Friday, May 8th to secure bus transportation for the first day of school. Only families requesting transportation for the first time or those who have had students who are changing schools need to complete the form. Families whose children
034are receiving bus transportation currently and will be in the same school next year do not need to take this step. Again, these forms were sent to families directly, but they can also be accessed on our transportation services page at cps.edu or you can request the form at your school. I'd now like to address a vote the board of education plans to take today regarding the YCCCS Aspira Pentoha campus. As you know, earlier this year, CPS was forced to make a difficult decision regarding our relationship with Aspira, Inc. of Illinois. We believe that YCCCS should have the opportunity to make an informed decision about their continued partnership with the same organization. I want to be very clear, this is not a vote to close the school and CPS is not pressuring YCCS to close this campus.
035Today's vote is about giving YCCCS the legal ability to make its own decision about whether the Pintoha campus will remain open beyond this school year. So far, YCCCS has not yet indicated whether it will elect to close. Empowering YCPS to make YCCCS to make this decision is a crucial step towards giving students and families clarity about what they can expect going into next school year. The Penha school community deserves as much information as possible as soon as possible and that is the sole purpose of today's vote. Next, finally, I want to provide an update on our district's plans for the school day on Friday, May 1st. This most important the most important thing to know is that this will be a full day of instruction for all CPS students. In addition, all school-based activities scheduled
036for May 1st, I will move forward as planned will move May 1 will move forward as planned, including proms, senior nights, field trips, athletic events, recognizing the importance of civic engagement. CPS has also reached an agreement with Chicago Teachers Union to support classroom instruction on this topic on May 1st. As a reminder, CPS has approved curriculum around civic engagement and participatory democracy. Any additional materials will be vetted and approved by school leadership to ensure they align with legal requirements. Additionally, schools have the option to take field trips to local civic engagement on engagements on May 1st. We are currently working to support schools that choose this option. Just like with any school field trip, families have the right to opt out and have their child remain in school for the entire day. No student or
037staff member will be required to participate in the civic engagement events on May 1st. It is important to acknowledge there are different perspectives on what May 1 represents and I have heard from many families and I have heard from staff members. This date may have different historical connotations for some members of our CPS community. As a public school district that welcomes everyone, we need to respect the diversity of views among our students, family, and staff. In the end, I am glad that we were able to come to an agreement that acknowledges acknowledges the importance of civic engagement while preserving the critical instruction time our students need. Again, all CPS schools will be in session for a full day of instruction on May 1st, Friday, May 1st. Mr. President, this concludes my prepared remarks. >> Thank
038you. >> Before we proceed, I do want to note for the record that member Bannon has joined the meeting at 10:52 a.m. The Spanish translator will now translate Dr. King's statement into Spanish as a condensed statement. If you wish to receive the fully translated statement, please contact the board office for assistance. Chicago. Super director. Director. Alentoche. collabor. Chicago. Chicago Early Learning Chicago 81 Club. Chicago. The future business leaders of America in San Antonio, Texas. Carver campus. Transport. Fore for transport. forces. CCSC. Illinois. Person. If you can turn your mic on. >> Mic check. >> Yes. >> I'm getting used to it, folks. Um, board members, any comments or questions? Bor men Rosenfeld >> uh to Dr. King. Thank you very much for your hard work and your transparency on this whole Mayday movement. I really
039appreciate that you kept board members informed. You kept the public informed. There were so many questions. Parents didn't what to do. The instability of it all. I wish that we would have highlighted the student voice. I would have liked to have heard from more kids about how they felt about Mayday, whether they wanted to do be in school or um or wanted to take part in protests. Um it makes me really hopeful that we won't use students as pawns in any political movement and I am forever grateful for that. We successfully protected our classrooms. Send your kids to school. School is open for business. I feel like there was still some confusion on that, but classes in session. Um, in an effort to remain transparent and accountable to Mayday, I'm wondering what measures or what
040how if we can be sure to unknow what attendance was for that day, how many buses when transportation even curriculum, you know, I'm not sure how we're going to track what's being taught around that and ensure that it is in the guidelines withby curriculum, but as a district, are we going to be able to give the public information about what that day really looked like in in real time. >> Yes. And and I worked closely with um the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Principles uh association. So, we will make sure that we have that data data and make it available to you. >> Thank you. >> Member Bannon. >> I I too want to compliment Superintendent King on resolving the May 1st issue. I know it was a little little fraught, but I think
041it was a great example of your leadership and the ability of CPS to collaborate with CTU with the Chicago principles association to come up with a a compromised solution. I I don't think everyone's happy with it, which I think is a good sign of a good compromise. Um I I think it's important to note that, you know, this is an important day for unions and I think it's important for uh to remind people that, you know, what unions do for us. They It's easy to take for granted the weekend. It's easy to take for granted the worker safety, the 40-day week, but this is what unions have done for us. Uh, and I think it's it's worth celebrating that and and worth telling our students that. I think uh u I think we should remember
042that. But then, but thank you again for your hard work on that. >> Member Paul. >> Yes, you can see me figuratively putting on my other hat as the uh vice president of the Illinois Labor History Society. So obviously to me both as a history teacher and as the vice president of the labor history society I think Mayday is an extremely important day. It's celebrated widely around the world by workers. It uh commemorates many vital struggles that uh led to the gains that uh board member Madden just spoke about. I'm very happy that a compromise was able to be reached and that students will get to have some civic education, some historical education, will get to increase their knowledge and perhaps engage in some authentic experiences uh that they would not have been exposed to
043otherwise. There is a state mandate for the teaching of labor history and I think that using Mayday for doing some of that is an extremely good idea. As with everything, many of the devils are in the details. And I hope that teachers will have opportunities to do the kind of educational work that is so important for helping our students to understand aspects of the society that they may not be exposed to otherwise. And I wish everyone an important Mayday. We are in a fight for the right of working people in our country at the moment. and I think commemorating it on Mayday is extremely appropriate. Thank you. >> Thank you. There being no further comments and no committee reports will go to public participation session. Thank you for joining us. share your comments with the
044board and in compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act, public participation, sometimes referred to as public comment, is the portion of the board meeting or hearing that grants district stakeholders the opportunity to address the board with their concerns and comments. Note that public participation is the time for the board and CPS senior leadership to listen and hear from you rather than a time for dialogue with board members during or after your remarks. And while we can't discuss personnel matters, public participation is a key component of transparent governance and it provides us as board members as well as senior leadership an opportunity to listen to everyone who has signed up to speak. This board takes equity of voice very seriously. And while we may not address your comments directly during public participation, CPS leadership is always
045present at our meetings and are able to address concerns as follow-ups after the meeting. As a district and as a board, we also have many other spaces for authentic dialogue. For example, each and every one of our board members hosts board office hours so that we can have a conversation. And we invite you to take advantage of that by going to our cpsb.org website if you want to meet with the board member during office hours. Thank you for your attention and consideration. And as a reminder, union representatives will be allotted 5 minutes to speak before poll participation and any elected officials will be allotted 5 minutes to speak after the conclusion of poke participation. Board secretary, please share the rules of public participation. >> Thank you, President Harden. Members of the public who registered to
046speak were given the option to attend in person or via electronic format. For those who prefer to attend by an electronic format, they were given information to access this meeting by dialing a number and using their phone. We did this so that speakers with limited or no access to the internet or who may have weak internet connection could still participate using their phones. Also, members of the public may submit written comments for board of education meetings via the written comments form on the board's website at cpsb.org or or mailed to 42 West Madison Street, Garden Level. Written comments received between the day the public agenda was posted through 5:00 p.m. the day after the board of education meeting will be submitted to the board and published within five business days on our website at cpsboe.org.
047Speakers, please listen while I provide directions for public participation. I'll call your name and number when it is your turn to speak. For speakers joining us virtually, as a reminder, to unmute, please enter star six. Once you hear your name, please state your name for the record. I will then start the two-minute timer. When there are 30 seconds remaining, I will inform you so that you can proceed to conclude your remarks to allow for the next speaker to begin. For anyone standing with the speaker, note that in order to comply with the city's fire code, please stand along the glass partitions on the mark spots to keep clear. Thank you, President Harden. Before we begin calling speakers from the speakers list, we do have union reps who would like to address the board. We'll begin
048with Vicki Kidlo, CTU recording secretary, who is here in person. Good morning. My name is Vicki Kurszidlo, a veteran Chicago public schools educator, now proudly serving as the Chicago Teachers Union Recording Secretary. I stand before you today as an educator who has spent decades in the classroom and as someone who knows the decisions we make together will shape the daily experiences of our students and their futures. In Chicago, [clears throat] May 1st carries meaning. It is tied to the history of workers in this city who organized, took risks, and demanded dignity. That history belongs in our classrooms, not as an aside, but as part of how students learn to understand the world around them. As educators, we know that experience and authentic learning is deeply impactful. Teaching students to examine history and make connections to
049their own lives is core to our work as educators. Civic engagement is not separate from instruction. It is how students learn to think critically, to question and participate in creating their futures and shaping our society. That is why the directives teachers received via email from CEO Dr. Meline King requiring prior administrative approval for any supplemental civic engagement materials is so troubling. These directives conflict with the memorandum of understanding between Chicago public schools and the Chicago Teachers Union. That agreement is built on co-construction on the idea that educators are partners in shaping curriculum, not simply carrying out directives to implement CPS created material. A blanket requirement for prior approval moves in the opposite direction. It places limits where there needs to be trust. It creates uncertainty where there should be clarity and it raises concerns about
050the academic freedom protections in our contract which recognize that educators must be able to use their professional judgment to meet the needs of their students. This matters in daily practice. Teachers should not have to hesitate before bringing materials that help students understand real events or historical context to their administrators. They should not have to second guessess whether doing their job will put them on out of compliance. It also doesn't match the district's stated priorities. We've talked about culturally responsive teaching, about encouraging students to think critically and engage with their communities. The message teachers received does not support that work. We have seen that alignment looks like. We've seen what alignment looks like when we get it right. Sustainable community schools have expanded with a focus on student voice and community connection. Libraries have reopened. Restoring
051spaces for reading and research. Additional staffing and supports are making a difference in students lives every single day. Those steps came from collaboration and from treating educators as professionals. That is what we need to continue. That collaboration is especially important as we head into budget conversations in Springfield. We are already hearing that there isn't enough, that cuts are inevitable. That framing is familiar. It is also misleading and we must stop this false narrative that there isn't enough for everyone. The issue is not a lack of need. It is a question of revenue and priorities. The Chicago Teachers Union has been clear that fully funding our schools requires asking those with the greatest means to contribute fairly. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> CTU politics are school funding. Legislators have a choice to make. And
052yes, we engage with politicians because they make decisions about how our schools are funded. If we are going to make that case, we have to be consistent. We cannot argue for investment while limiting the kind of teaching that helps students understand the world they are inheriting. We need alignment between what we say and what we do. And that means honoring the commitments in ourou. It means respecting academic freedom. It means trusting educators to do their jobs. And lastly, it makes it means making sure that guidance coming from the district supports not restricts the work happening in our classrooms. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Jen Conan, CTU Charter Division Chair, who is here in person. Good morning board members. Two weeks ago at the agenda review committee meeting, we
053were shocked to discover that CPS and YCCS were asking you to vote on the potential closure of of Antonio Pantoa High School and that not a word had been said to parents, students or staff. After two years of repeated charter school closure fights, after the record number of school closures in Chicago in 2013, and after Espira's chaotic closures just weeks ago, we had hoped that CPS would understand that one, school closures are devastating and should be avoided if at all possible. Two, families and educators deserve a say in what happens to their school community. and three, CPS needs to provide better oversight of charter schools. CPS has clearly failed to learn those three lessons in asking board members to vote to give the charter operator special permission to close Pantoa. No one has made a
054case for why Pantoa should close. No one has asked the school community what they think should happen. And even worse, no one has even informed them. Educators found out about the possible closure through your meeting two weeks ago. Families found out from the educators at the school who shared the news since CPS, YCCCS, and Aspira had kept them all in the dark. Parents and students are upset. Pantoa is an alternative school and students there have already struggled at traditional schools. One parent shared that she appreciated that all the teachers at Pantoa know her son very well, how much they care about him, and she's worried about having to find another school. Another parent shared that her daughter was more successful at Pantoa than at any of the other schools she had previously attended. All the
055parents we talked to said that the small close-knit community has been essential to their students success. CPS officials are saying their proposal does not close the school. but only gives YCCCS permission to do so, to make that decision themselves. Is there any chance that YCCCS is asking for special permission to close a school because they intend to keep it open? If the goal is wanting to remove Aspira from managing Pantoa, that is understandable and it's a fixable problem. YCCS holds the charter. They can keep the staff and run the school themselves or subcontract management of the school to another organization. All of that is possible without asking this board to approve the possible closure of Pantoa. Please vote no today on its closure. Next, I want to discuss the 500 former Aspira students. Some of
056these students are handling the transfer to a new school well, but many are struggling. They miss the teachers and pairs they knew and trusted. While CPS worked with us to get students transferred to new schools, we are disappointed that so few Aspira educators have been hired by the district. These students deserve your support. You heard an Aspira counselor speak two weeks ago about how her former students were struggling and reaching out to her for guidance. She's eager to be hired and wants to help her students more directly, but CPS has yet to hire a single Aspira counselor. CPS, let's do better. Finally, let's address shy arts. Our members have worked diligently with a new principle on creative solutions to the bell schedule and to work within a budget. We presented a model that would one
057preserve the priorities of the community and two ultimately be less expensive than the model being proposed by the new principal. Our model would require a waiver vote, which is not unusual under the CTUCPS contract. However, the new administration does not want to run a waiver vote. Restricting the school's options because collaborating with staff feels complicated. There are solutions. It is possible to make the school day work, but we need partners, not roadblocks. There was a community meeting this week at Shy Arts which left parents, students, and staff disappointed in the lack of progress on key decisions. We still have no answers about the future of the conservatory, the teaching artists, the structure of the school day, or even whether any of the current academic staff will be retained. And the school year is almost over.
058Academic teachers were told in the community meeting that 2,500 external applicants are being considered for their current positions >> and the counselors at SH Arts will be fired for next year and replaced with people the students do not know. >> Why? Schools are successful when students trust the adults around them, when they build relationships, when they feel safe. Families and staff left the community meeting on Monday being told everything they have built may be taken away. The conservatory, the teaching artists, the curriculum, the courses, the academic teachers. What will be left? Taking everything away is closing a school, and you board members have the power to stop it. Please tell CPS to commit to partnering with us on funding, to staffing our current educators, to preserving the conservatory and the teaching artists. Commit to making
059Shy Arts thrive once again. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. [applause] The next union rep is Tmaine Reeves, SEIU Local 73, director of the CPS division, who is here in person. Good afternoon, President Harden, board members, and now permanent CEO, Dr. King. Uh, public congratulations to you on that. Welld deserved. Um, we are anticipating budget challenges for the upcoming school year. Um, and we recognize that tough decisions will need to be made. We are glad to see the stabilization of leadership in the in this district with a permanent CEO and Dr. King. This stabil this stabilization allows for clearer focus when making tough decisions. Something that helps in making tough decisions is prioritizing what we need versus what we want. We do it all the time in our households. We may want a bigger
060TV. We may want to go on that cruise to the Bahamas, but we need to pay that light bill. We need to pay that gas bill. We need to buy groceries because all of these things are essential. During the pandemic, the frontline workers of CPS who directly fa frontfaced student support were deemed essential and had to walk into the unknown during the scariest pandemic of our lifetime. So, as the budget for this upcoming school year is considered, the priority must be on the essential front-facing staff at the school level as well as the citywide level. Facilities management should not be caused to bleed any more than it has this school year as they still have a deficit of hundreds of custodial workers that used to help keep schools and buildings clean throughout the district. Those
061who remain, those custodial workers who remain specifically are experiencing an unrealistic workload and being penalized for not being able to do double the workload. We'll come back to that in another meeting. Safety and security cannot sacrifice another crossing guard, school security officer or citywide security officers such as the officers in this very boardroom as they are helping make school environments safer in spite of having to clash with some school cultures that contradict with district policies. We'll come back to that later. Transportation cannot receive cuts as our bus aids and bus monitors ensure the safety of students on the buses to and from school and they are in some of the harshest conditions as some of these buses do not have working air conditioning and or heat. We'll come back to that at a separate board
062meeting. Schools should have minimal budget cuts as our newly certified miscellaneous workers contribute greatly to the school culture by providing figuratively catchall student support opportunities at the school level which is essential to the overall learning experience for the students. So in my closing, the support staff of this district has been deemed essential by this district. Don't cut what is essential for your house to run. Cut the wants. The wants of some of these vendor contracts that are luxuries, not necessities, especially when it comes to continuity of student learning and student support. SEIU Local 73 is always ready and willing to meet with you to discuss solutions to many challenges that the district faces, including the upcoming budget. Thank you all. Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Cecilia Leva, Unite Here Local
063One, Vice President of Executive Board, who is here in person. Good morning everyone. My name is Cecilia Lea and I am by president of the executive board United here local one um the union representative Chicago hospitality worker. I am the mother of the two two former CBS students who previously attend Harton E Scholasty Academic. I proudly stand here on behalf of the Chicago public school lunchroom worker representative by local one. We are calling on the board of education to sign a fair contract now. Lunchroom lunchroom worker are the lower pay in Chicago public school. They have the starting wage of $16.78. That is four less than a custo $4 than a custodian worker. The report we're providing in September show that 49% had trouble paying for the necessity like housing and foods. This is disgraceful.
064We demanded farer and equality. We are approaching one year without a contract. And today our lunchroom worker are taking a stand. This afternoon launch ladies will partake in a civil disobedience action in front of the building because they can't wait any longer for equality. We urging you to stand with Chicago launch room worker because no person no person shall have to choose between paying rent or putting food on the table. It's time for the board to stop the inequal treatment of CPS lunchroom working and sign it the fair contract now please and thank you. Thank you for your comments [applause] Harden. We are now ready to call speakers from the speakers list. We'll begin with Judy Vez, speaker number one. If you're standing with the speaker, can you please stand along the glass partition with
065the at the mark spots? My name is Judy. I am a CPS parent, community advocate, and a mother tired of watching parents be ignored. While political decisions are made about our children's education without our say. The agreement between CPS and CTU about May 1st was created without parent input, without transparency, and with commitments that we believe violate public school policy by funneling social school resources for political events, transportation, lunches, staff time, and instructional days. Not to mention the most prec precious resource of all, the children in your care, our children. There is a difference between teaching civics versus advancing political agendas. That is the issue here. You heard it today from the CTU secretary. They want no oversight. They want no approval needed for supplemental educational material. They want the freedom to politically indoctrinate our
066children without accountability. And in your haste to satisfy outside interests like the CTU, you are putting our students in a high-risisk situation. Heaven forbid one child gets hurt at a protest that you have sanctioned. Who will be held liable? CTu, >> you have 30 seconds. PS this body we have taken a decision to inquire legal counsel today. We are demanding three things. An immediate pause to this failed May 1st agreement. Second that this board hold a full public vote with public discussion. Third, focus on what matters most, educating our children, not politics. Our children deserve to be taught how to think, not what to think. Parents are awake, organized, and we will no longer be ignored. >> Please conclude your remarks. >> Come first. >> Thank you for your comments. [applause] >> The next speaker
067is Nancy Jimenez, speaker number three. Good morning and thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak today. My name is Nancy Himenez and I am a proud parent of three intrinsic students, two graduates and one current senior. Intrinsic has had a long a long lasting impact on my family. I am grateful for everything the school has provided my children. This school has been more than a place of learning. It has been a place where children were encouraged to grow, pushed, and to reach their goals and supported every step of the way. Intrinsic helps support students recognize their strengths and build confidence in themselves and their future. What stands out most about intrinsic is the is a strong sense of community. Families are welcomed, respected, and included. Parents and students have a voice. There is
068a true partnership between home and school. That kind of connection matters. Intrinsic also understands that student success is tied to family support. They prioritize communication, relationship, and trust. Creating an environment while families feel connected and informed beyond high school. Intrinsic prepare students for what comes next, college, careers, and life. My own children are proof of that positive impact this school can have. For these reasons, I strongly support a seven-year renewal for Intrinsic so future students and families can benefit from the same opportunities my family has received. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next two speakers are from Espira Pantua High School, Lydia Kelsey, speaker number 12, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Lydia Kelsey, >> please proceed. >> Good morning. My name is Lydia Kelsey and I am
069an ESL teacher at Antonia Bantoha High School. Although I've only worked at Pantoa for a short time, I have come to deeply embrace the dedicated and resilient student population we serve. Every day I'm reminded that this school is more than a building. It's a lifeline. We provide strong advocacy for English language learners and critical wraparound services that support our students academically, emotionally, and socially. When I learned that YCCS and CPS were considering a vote to close our school, I was shocked not only by the decision itself, but by the lack of communication with our Aspira community. No one, not Aspira, YCCCS, or CPS has had a single conversation with us. Our families, staff, and students deserve transparency and a voice in decisions that directly impact their futures. But beyond that, my greatest concern is our
070students. If our doors close, what happens to the services they depend on every day? Where will they go to feel safe, supported, and understood? And who will advocate for them in the culturally culturally responsive ways that we do? These are real and immediate concerns. If the issue is management or structure, then let us be part of the solution. We are willing to work with YCCS to explore alternative options that preserve what is already working. Closing our school should not be the first or only choice. These decisions shouldn't be made behind closed doors. Shutting our students, families, and educators out of the discussion. Because closing Pantoa doesn't just disrupt education, it undermines a legacy. a legacy uprooted in uplifting communities through education and the arts and ensuring black and brown students are not just included but
071empowered with a rightful seat at the table. We owe it to our students to protect that, not erase it. Please vote no and work with us to find a plan forward that keeps our students supported, our staff intact, and our communities strong. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Claudia Buddha, speaker number four, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. >> Uh, can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Good morning, uh, members of the board. Uh, my name is Claudia Bura and I'm an educator at Antonio Pontoa High School. Uh I am urging uh the board to reconsider the decision that could lead to the closure of Antonia Pantoa High School. This is not just a high school. It is a proven thriving community
072that has consistently delivered for its students. Antonio Pantoa High School was once recognized as a level one school a distinction that reflects the strength of its academic programs. leadership and student outcomes. That success will not was not accidental. It was built through years of intentional work, commitment, and a deep understanding of the community they they serve. We also maintain a stable enrollment of 150 to 200 students, demonstrating that families continue to to trust us and to choose us as their school. Over the past four years, uh we celebrated some of the largest graduating classes with more than 100 seniors crossing the stage. Uh even this year, students who may not have succeeded in less supportive environment, but they thrive at Pantoa because of what we provided. None of this would be possible without our dedicated
073staff with many of their educators and support personnel that have committed. You have 30 seconds remaining. >> Even 20 years uh to Antonio Pantoa High School. >> Do not erase their years of progress, trust, and community investment. Our students deserve continuity. Please vote no to a possible closure of Antonia Pantoa High School. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. And the last speaker from the Pantoa High School uh group is Sandra Padilla, speaker number 27, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Sandra start. Go to the studio. Gracias. We will have the uh statement translated after the meeting. The next speaker is Nicholas Kaka, speaker number five. >> Morning. Um, I'm Nick Kitska. I'm a CPS parent. I'm a historian and I'm an education professor at National Lewis University. Um, where
074I train social studies teachers for careers across Chicagoland. And I'm here because I'm troubled uh by the definition of civic education that appears in the recent memorandum of understanding regarding a May 1st civic day of action. Uh in the agreement, CPS seems to endorse the notion that the authority and funds of the school district should be used to deploy school children to political demonstrations. Uh I urge the board to resend this agreement and to chart a course for CPS toward a formal policy of institutional neutrality. I recently spent two years studying the political pressures facing US history teachers in classrooms nationwide across the country and here in Chicago. I was consistently impressed by social studies teachers refusal to politicize their classrooms. Teachers everywhere repeated the same theme. We teach students how to think, not what
075to think. Teachers can only teach with integrity if students and parents trust them to play it straight. Current CPS agreement makes it impossible for teachers to perform this crucial role as trusted brokers of civic and historical inquiry. More concerningly, it puts the system itself in a in an e unethical role as an incubator for young people's partisan loyalties. If public imagine for a second, if uh public schools in Washington DC, let's say, had provided buses and teacher substitutes for those attending the stop the steel rally of January the 6th of 201. parents would rightly object that schools had crossed the line from civic engagement to partisan politics and a breach of the public trust. Chicago parents are right to raise precisely the same principled objections here today. Uh here today I've also heard uh about
076the need for authentic civic experience. Um there is nothing less authentic than turning political protest into a state sponsored field trip. Young people must come by their politics honestly and independently, free to define their own interests from their form their own judgments and make their own mistakes. No one at Hey Market in 1886 had a permission slip. To move forward, the board can borrow the model adopted by many universities, a policy of institutional neutrality to safeguard inquiry and restore the trust that teachers have earned and that parents deserve. I urge the board to pursue this path. Thanks very much. >> Thank you for your comments. The next two speakers are from Hogan Elementary School and Nolan, speaker number six. Good morning. My name is Anne Nolan and I'm a bilingual special education teacher at Hogan
077Elementary in Albany Park. I'm here to speak today once again about the damaging effects of overcrowding issues at my school. The overcrowding crisis at my school has led to teachers, staff, and students being moved into every available corner of the building. We have overenrolled classrooms and support staff without office space. Our kindergartens are overenrolled with 30 students in two of the four kinder classrooms, well above CPS's cap of 24. This is particularly concerning because both of these classrooms include students with special needs who have IEPs and benefit from environments with fewer students, less noise, and fewer distractions. More seriously, we have students with IEPs that specify they should be in a resource room for all or part of the day. Yet, these students remain in general education classrooms because our resource rooms are at their
078full legal capacity and we have no available space in which to open an additional classroom. We know that our space challenges will only get worse in the coming years. Based on current enrollment alone, we will need to open three additional classrooms in the coming year. If our enrollment grows as predicted, we will need more. It seems like a problem with no solution, right? But there is a solution, an easy and affordable one. North River School, just a few blocks from Hogan, has an empty third floor, completely vacant. North River has been denied permission to grow their enrollment to fill this space. We are a neighborhood school required to educate all the students within our boundaries. It is our mission to do so. Please let us use this vacant space to address the severe overcrowding at
079our school. Please conclude your remarks. >> Thank you for your comments. Next speaker from Hogan is Sarah Eroule, speaker number 20, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Good morning. My name is Sarah and I'm a parent of three students at Hogan Elementary. By now, Hogan should sound familiar to this board. For the last six months, parents, teachers, staff, and students, and community members from Albany Park have shown up here again and again. We are here because we're tired of being treated like our community doesn't matter. When you see one or two of us speaking, understand that five, 10, sometimes 15 of us have signed up. We are missing work and we're rearranging our lives to be here because the situation at Hogan is unacceptable. We know Hogan is overcrowded no
080matter how CPS tries to twist the numbers. We know Hogan should have had have had access to the building that was built to relieve overcrowding in this neighborhood more than 20 years ago. We know about the backroom attempts to give the space at the Leland building abandoned by a sphere charter charter to a lotterybased school instead of the neighborhood school that desperately needs it. We know about the pressure placed on our school leadership to silence this community. And we know something else. This would not be happening in a wealthy neighborhood with political clout. People in power know this, too. I want to thank alder person Rosanna Rodriguez and Representative Delia Ramirez for listening to our community, seeing their overcrowding firsthand, and advocating for the resources our neighborhood deserves. I also thank CTU leaders for standing
081with us. But thanks are not enough. What we need now is action. You must reconsider the decision to leave the third floor of the Leland building empty next school year. >> You have 30 seconds. >> Can you justify leaving unusable space vacant just one block away while Hogan students attend counseling sessions in hallways while STEM materials are sent back because there is nowhere to store them while art classes are taught from a cart. This board has the power to fix this. So, we're asking you clearly and directly to do what our elected officials, union leaders, and even your own strategic plan already recognize as the right thing. Support neighborhood schools, give Hogan the space it needs, and stop making our community fight for what we should have done a long time ago. >> Thank you
082for your comments. The next speaker is Blue Benton, speaker number seven. My name is Blue Benton and I'm representing the Illinois Labor History Society. Um, today as we look forward to May 1st, our organization was founded in to ensure that the lessons of Hey Market remain in the public memory. In May 1886, [clears throat] a protest rally was called at Hey Market Square, which is about a mile from here. Um, it was called because of police violence against striking workers. At that rally, someone threw a bomb into the ranks of police officers who had been called in to disperse that peaceful gathering. Many workers and many police officers were injured and killed. It was a terrible, terrible tragedy. But no one was ever tried for throwing the bomb. Instead, eight labor activists, seven of whom
083were immigrants, were tried for inciting violence and because of their political beliefs. Five of those men were condemned to death. That injustice is the reason that Mayday celebrations around the world honor workers. It's specifically because of what happened right here [snorts] in Chicago. It's our core belief now more than ever that it's crucial to teach labor history and the deep historical importance of labor unions in the city. Chicago history is labor history. Thank you for this time. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Kairen Gonzalez, speaker number eight, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. >> Hello. Um, can everybody hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Thank you. Hello board members, CPS admin and other listeners. My name is Karen Gonzalez and I am a junior at
084George Washington High School located on the southeast side. I've attended GW for three years and I'm a collegebound student with hybrid classes AP, IB, and dual credit. I remain civically engaged by being a representative on the LSC and student voice a member of student voice committee. That's a challenge in work. With this, I can wholeheartedly say that my school building does not match the values of my classmates and me. We deserve a learning environment that is comfortable and sufficient for us to feel hopeful about the future. My school was originally built as an elementary building until it was refurb to high school with small classrooms, narrow hallways, and low toilets. Due to overcrowding 20 years ago, a new unit with four classrooms was built apart from my main building. Over the last decade, however, numerous
085problems started to arise, including leaky windows and roofing falling tiles and even expold exposed mold in and on the plan. Even when students and teachers advocated, we got more of a mandate/ disregardment of our to fix our concerns. Only when the roof caved in our schools were relocated. All the students and teachers have been displaced in other rooms that are not the environment to be learning or teaching, including the auditori room with no AC, no windows, no desk. We have gotten reports back saying that be fixed in weeks time, but it still shows a clear communication problem within our school and leaves us still to be displaced and are unrecognized with an avoidable problem. Our water is murky, locker rooms, showers work, and HVAC has been so bad. We opened up the windows in the
086winter. We have never received the clear response. >> You have 30 seconds remaining, >> building new schools. And when will it be our turn? Is it because we're a neighborhood school, majority lowinccome, or something else? Regardless of our sustainable community schools grant, we are certainly not experiencing the impact due to the nature of their inferior facilities. I have not come to serve drama or cause a promotion, but it's time we are heard, seen, and prioritized for all the hard work that our students, teachers, staff, and community members do to make quality accessible education. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your comments. The next two speakers are from Aero Schools, Daisy Okmpo, speaker number nine. Good morning everyone. Good morning to the president, CEO and distinguished board members. My name is Daisy Oko
087and I'm a proud mother of a fourth grade student at Ato. My daughter especially enjoys reading and I seen how much it has helped her grow not just academically but in her confidence and curiosity. I chose a settle because it offers so many academic opportunities that support students both inside and outside the classroom. From the very beginning, I saw that this school community that act cares deeply about helping children success and discover their strengths. As a parent, I try to stay involved as much as I can. I volunteer volunteer at school events like field trips and student picnics. every as every time I'm there, I see first f firstand how much effort and heart um the sta the staff puts into create creating a positive environment for our children. It's not just about academic, it's
088about building a community where students feel supported and inspired. What stands out to me the most is the dedication of the teachers. They are truly passionate about what they do and they go above above and beyond to help their students grow. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. that that kind of a a commitment makes a lasting impact not just on my ch child but in all the families at Ato also provides excellent programs that enriches students experience such as afterchool programs partnerships like a YMCA activities and engaging reading events. This opportunity gives us students in a safe supportive space to learn explore and tribes. For all the of these reasons, I strongly believe Aetto deserves a longer Carter renewal. I'm sorry, charter renewal. This school is making a difference in our children lives and it
089it should continue to have the opportunity to do so for many years to come. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Maria Clementina Cruz, speaker number 11. is Maria Clement. creativity. responsibility. for forest. We'll have the statement translated. Good afternoon, president and distinguished members of the board of directors. My name is Maria Clementina Cruz Gerero and I am proud to represent Torres an Asero School. I am the mother of a second grade student, Valentina Munos. I am very grateful for this school because my daughter truly enjoys coming here every day. She is supported by talented teachers who help her grow academically and creatively in an environment built on teamwork, respect, and care. This positive atmosphere motivates students to learn with joy and commitment. My experience as a parent has been
090very positive. I feel confident knowing my daughter is in a safe environment where she is gaining important skills for her future. I also value the strong communication between the school and families which allow us to stay involved and work together. The discipline we see in daily routines like punctuality and uniforms help reinforce responsibility and the values we teach at home. Seeing my daughter happy and excited to go to school reassures me that tores is the right choice for our family. Because of this, I have become more involved in joining the padres compromos group. This program has allowed me to connect with school leaders, support my children more effectively, and grow alongside other parents. I am thankful for the resources ACO provides to help families succeed. I am proud to be part of this community. Acetto
091schools create safe, supportive spaces where students can grow academically and socially. I invite you to visit our school and see the incredible work our teachers are doing. We understand your commitment to keeping selective enrollment schools open and we respectfully ask that you also commit to keeping our charter schools open, schools like Acetto. Thank you for your time and consideration. The next speaker is Leonardo Gutierrez, speaker number two is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. for Leonardo. for the includ Endoch. Alteress. translated um into English. >> Good afternoon everyone. My name is Leonardo Gutierrez and I'm the LLC parent representative for Clemente High School. I would like to thank board members Sakur and Brown for meeting with members from our LSC and community. I am here today to formally request that the board
092refrain from appointing a temporary non-eing staff member. We have confirmed that our original staff member will return from her leave on Friday, May 1st. Having been deeply involved in the principal selection process for the last 10 months, including resume reviews and both rounds of interviews, her continuity is essential. Appointing a temporary replacement for only one week would be an inefficient use of resources and would disrupt the progress of our committee of our committee. We respectfully ask that the board honor the original staff's member's return and allow her to conclude this critical work. Additionally, we would like to request a meeting with the chief of face CEO Dr. King and board members Brown Lace and Sakor to discuss to discuss this matter further. Thank you. Thank you. The next group of speakers are from Chicago High
093School for the Arts, Gray Synindako. Speaker number 10. Hello. Students come to Shy Arts for a public pre-professional arts program. Any artist, especially a performing artist, knows it takes hours of training. You should have started yesterday to accomplish your dreams. This is incredibly hard to do when you're a high school student. So students before me and after me search for that extra time. A place where artists that get it. Arts high school like Shy Arts across the country have a blockbased schedule based on realworld models experiences for students. Do you know how long an opera is? Three and a half hours. How long recording artists stay in the booth? How long I spent last week just self-taping? These time blocks help teaching artists provide students with the instruction they need to succeed. I come to
094you as a proud alumni of Dillard Center for the Arts in uh Fort Lauderdale, Florida, an arts school that has its ups and downs, but by my senior year, it found its groove. The biggest challenges were attendance in academic classes uh and attendance in academic classes. Um Oh, no, no, no. Um okay. Well, anyways, the biggest struggles were attendance in academic classes. Before my senior year, my arts classes were scattered throughout the day. It kills me to say this, especially with my students watching, but once I got to theater, I stayed in theater. I skipped my academic classes because I wanted to stay doing what I loved all day. And that's just the honest truth of teenage behavior. By senior year, arts classes were at the end of the day and academics were on a
095block schedule. Uh 30 seconds. >> To ask Shy Arts to lessen or spread out its arts scheduling is to ask it to downgrade from a pre-professional training. You cannot expect pre-professional training on a standard high high school art class time. Our model at Shy Arts works for a reason. Artist school art schools have tried before us and now it's your job to listen to them. How you go forward with Shy Arts will set a precedent on the future of arts education for the entire city. If you diminish this program, you are setting a president pre president not of progress but of failure to honor what these students need to succeed. We need you to move forward together with this knowledge so that our school community and the city at large can benefit. Thank you. >>
096Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Megan Riley, speaker number 15, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. >> Good afternoon. Can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> My name is Megan Riley. I'm a math teacher and department chair at Shy Arts. And I'd like to detail why our community is so concerned still about the future of our school. The reality is that our students and our staff don't get to enjoy school right now because of a looming cloud of anxiety about what comes next. We got a very exciting yes from this board last November, but at present there is nothing concrete different about our situation. I have this incredible group of 18 juniors and three sophomores in my AP pre-calculus classes. At least once a week,
097they ask me if we will have a calculus class next year and if I'll teach it. I have no answer for them. We don't know what courses are going to be offered next year. Neither arts nor academics because the most recently proposed schedules make cuts to both. We don't know who will be teaching the classes. It has been made very clear that the over 2,500 external applicants are being considered with equal weight to the people who already work at Shy Arts. Our entire office and counseling staff have already been replaced. The message really seems to be that all the relationship and culture building we've done just doesn't matter. The chopping block for next year includes the curriculum, the schedule, the central philosophy of arts programming and all the staff. What's left? These pillars of our
098school are being stripped away. And it is not because of policy. These are decisions CPS is making. >> When I say our community is not being heard, it is because everything that comes out of CPS leadership shows they still don't get it. They don't understand why pre-professional arts education matters and how it works. The proposals from the shy arts community on everything from fundraising to schedules are not being considered earnestly. It is killing our school. As a community, we are standing strong on what we know works for our school. But we are this close to too late. We come to every meeting because we need you and district officials to understand that our school isn't just a building with a kiln in it. It's the people and the work we do. Please work with us
099so we can save it. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Christian Swan, speaker number 16, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. >> Good afternoon. Can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Good afternoon. My name is Christian Swan and I thank you for your time and this opportunity. I stand before you not only as a Shy Arts faculty member of five years, but also a proud alum of the class of 2015. As a Shy Arts faculty member, my job is to provide students with the pre-professional training filled with information I've accumulated through studies and real world experience. Before we widen the knowledge gap by increasing class sizes, let's think about if it truly benefits the students. As we are all ex studentents, we
100can acknowledge how chaotic it would be to take a high school math class filled with all grade levels. So, as we articulate the desire to be an innovative model for the district, let's lead with practices we know to be successful in the arts. Parts of part of your training is developing your creative voice while another part is presentation. This reality is what led to me seeking a degree in music performance. As a college graduate, I've been in the education classrooms that focus on theories and the ensemble rooms that provide the hands-on training of an apprenticeship. If you replace the teaching artist model with career educators, you greatly alter the education Shy Arts intends to share with students. As the youngest of three musician brothers, I've gotten to experience firsthand the sacrifice it took to receive
101a pre-professional training in Chicago. We've all participated in all the city music programs such as afterchool matters, all city choir and bands, Chicago children's choir, the jazz institute and so many more. The key difference in my high school experience was shy arts. I watched my brothers participate in their excellent school music program, but then I also then I also saw them travel to after school and Saturday music programs to achieve their professional goals. Shy Arts created the space where you could get a world-class pre-professional arts education in the same place you attend academic classes while still having time for extracurricular activities. As a product of this model, I hope we can continue to offer these resources to the students who need them. Please work with us, not in spite of us, to make this happen.
102Thank you very much. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from the Chicago High School for the Arts Group is Andrew Rogers, speaker 29. Good morning, members of the board. My name is Andy Rogers and I'm a computer science teacher in my second year at the Chicago High School for the Arts. I want to start by acknowledging something. Dr. Fe's proposed schedule reflects real thought about how to best serve our students given our current budget constraints, but it is not enough. The proposal shows significant cuts not only to our arts conservatories, but to our academic electives like AP psychology, ethnic studies, and Spanish classes. If this happens, many families who choose Shy Arts for its unique combination of rigorous academics and deep arts training will leave. Enrollment will decline. Those who remain will
103lose both breadth and the depth of of learning. This school the board promised to save will become a shell of its former self. That would be a tragedy. In my 10 years of teaching, I have never worked with students as creative as those at Shy Arts. My students learn to see code as an expressive medium, building virtual instruments, creating generative art, and making things that are about beauty and logic. They ask not just how does this work, but also what does this say? What does this program make you feel? That's the unique dual perspective that only a rigorous academic and conservative mo conservatory model is able to cultivate. This model is the heartbeat of the school, allowing passion and creativity to flow into all of what we do, including academic classrooms like mine. AI and
104technology are going to change virtually every field. The students that are going to thrive in that world will be the creators, the storytellers, and the original thinkers. How lucky are we that shy arts is already built that >> this school could be a national model. proof that rigorous academics and pre-professional arts training not only belong together but strengthen each other. But that vision requires stability. It requires staff and it requires funding. The board made a promise to shave to save Shy Arts. We are asking you to honor it, not with a watered down schedule, but with a funding that gives the school a real future. So, please fund Shy Arts. The students and what they're capable of are worth it. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. [applause] The next speaker is Ann Marie
105Miller, speaker number 14, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. >> Hello. >> Please proceed. >> Good morning. My name is Amry Miller and I am a working parent on the west side of Chicago. My child is still young, but like many parents, I'm already thinking about the kind of school system she will enter. I want to trust that when she is in school, her time is focused on learning consistency and safety. Right now, too many CPS students are already struggling. Only about four and 10 students are reading at grade level, and even less are proficient in math. At the same time, roughly 40% of students are chronically absent. When outcomes look like this, every hour of instructional time matters. So, it's difficult to understand why this board of education would
106support decisions that allow students out of the classroom for political rallies and protests and not in school learning. There's also a real safety concern. We've seen situations across the country where large school-related events have led to students being separated, lost, or not properly accounted for in an age of teen takeovers. Are we not concerned that such an incident might happen? Even one in child even one incident of a child being harmed or lost in a sea of mass protesters is one too many. As parents, we are trusting the system with our children during the school day. For working families, we rely on schools to provide structure, supervision, and stability. And while we respect the importance of learning civics and recognizing history, this is not the manner to do it. As parents, we urge the board
107to first implement an immediate pause on this flaw May 1st agreement. Second, conduct a full public vote with transparent public discussion in front of this board. And third, refocus on what matters most, educating our children, not >> remaining. >> We do not want public money or school resources to support any party or viewpoint. Children should be taught how to think critically, not what to think, through coercion or with the rubber stamp of approval from this board. When less than half of our students are attending school or meeting minimum academic standards, we need to focus our time and resources on getting students into the classroom and invest our resources to instructional time in a safe learning environment. We don't have a penny to waste in turning this around. Every hour matters. Every dollar matters. Parent voices
108are not optional. They are vital. Institutional neutrality is vital. Our children's safety is vital. Our children only get one chance at an education and we cannot afford to waste it. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Wanda Hopkins, speaker 17 Good afternoon, Mr. President, CEO. I'm going to say my representative, Mr. Brown. Congratulations, CEO. Now, the time is to try to work on some of the issues that I've been bringing to the table >> whenever I can get a chance. My name gets to be moved over many times. I'mma bring it back up. I need you over at Douglas High School. >> Marshall one ac uh sports. There's a lot of work needs to be done at Marshall High School. So, I need you and and G2 knows about it
109uh to do something with it now that you're a permanent CEO. Lewis Elementary School. Uh G2, they asked me to run against you. I told him I told them I'm retired. I'm not running, but I will roll on my roll later hoping that G2 will roll with me. I attended a hearing on yesterday and general counsel uh my godson is a lawyer was listening in said exploited her authority and not giving us the access to questions and he said you changed the questions as much as you can Wanda Mama but yet you still was not able I want that to go on record when there's hearings with when you give her that position that she's the playing field becomes equal because there are some people that's smart. >> You have 30 seconds remaining >> at
110the table. >> My my fourth recommendation, CEO, is the removal of my principal at my school. >> Miss Morales is one of the parents. I'm going to give her number to uh uh one of the board members. She speaks Spanish and she for for four three and a half years she's been saying her child is going to be has been bullied. >> The child has said now he's going to kill himself. >> The principal says that's not bullying. That's something that children need to deal with. I take it. Miss Morales is crying to me and I'm I gave her each and every one of y'all's name. If her son kills itself, I've given her all the law department's name, everybody in this building that you sue them to to the best of your knowledge because
111if that child kill that principal lost time, we want you all to do something. I want you to roll. The principal also has 47 grievance complaints to the teacher union. A parent had to stand between him and a staff member. >> Please conclude your remarks. >> I understand. I am not confused. This principal has misused funds. I've given you everything that's in the contract that you have a right to sit him at the network for the remaining part of a year. He also >> kept money for children. Could have went to a track meet. Listen to me y'all. This is not about this is not about kids anymore. This is personal. Don't do things to hurt people to hurt kids. That's not what a principal is supposed to do. >> I want you to roll
112with me, G2. >> This principal has also approach approach staff members, scaring them to death. >> That's not a good principle for schools. >> Teachers are scared to death. You know what happened? >> I just got it clear. >> Teachers had access. You know how they go in and tell things are happening in the building? They never had a what they called I didn't understand escalation. I called safety and security. The same incident that happened on the south side where a parent was almost beat to death by kids HAPPENED AT MY SCHOOL. Does anyone of you all know about it? No. Because he kept it. This is not what we need in a school. President Harding, I know you now. I need this principal sent to the network and another person bought into our building
113and I'm telling you if Miss CHILD [clears throat] >> thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Evangel Madi Inubian, speaker 18. a hard mind damage survivor and crimes against humanity descendant that the United Nations has said, quote, "The greatest holocaust in the history of humankind. I have not been made whole. I'm certified in Montasauri education. I realize today's youngsters live different lives but they have the same basic needs uh to be loved and [clears throat] respected but they are not getting that they are recognition starved and getting attention from street takeovers. So instead of taking them out of school to civically engage on Mayday, why my question, why not have them civically engage in class and write down the reasons for teen takeovers and how this uncivic behavior puts their lives and the
114lives of others at risk. and how do they think it can be stopped? I think this approach is more in line with the purpose of education than um making children political pawns in adults agenda and schools should not be used as pawns in their political games. So, can you tell me if this is >> We have 30 seconds remaining. >> Can you tell me I'd like an answer all of these educators in this room. Which is a better approach that is more in line with the purpose of schools? Anybody can answer it? That's the problem. you're solid and the beat goes on and on and so on because you keep doing the same thing the same way expecting a different result and it's not going to happen. >> Thank you for your comments. The next
115speaker is Marisella Salazar, speaker number 19. We want to start this. Chicago. Angular CPS. Chicago. Access. CPSurific. That is instruction. person. Chicago. We'll have a statement translated. A respectful good afternoon to the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education. My name is Marisella Salasar, member of the Chicago Multilingual Parent Council. We heartedly congratulate Dr. Meline King's recent appointment to CEO. This appointment gives us confidence that those who a that those who know whom they serve are good leaders and you Dr. King know us and our needs. We hope that you who know our needs will be a cornerstone in the bridge between the board of education and CPS's bilingual programs. I am here today to represent the more than 97,000 students enrolled in bilingual programs. The results of a recent University of Chicago study note that
116students with long tenures in bilingual programs fall behind in ways that only worsen with with each year, leaving them leaving them at a great educational disadvantage. The increase in the number of students who are not meeting the established requirements to pass the access test should be an unmistakable and worrying alarm bell for you, the CBS CPS leadership. This should be an immediate red flag. The implementation of highquality education with adequate curricula and materials imparted by quality qualified personnel from students first very first years together make up the formula that will prevent the problems we currently see. This year you decided to enact considerable cuts to the funds assigned to the OME which will widen the gap for our bilingual program students. One of the most significant losses was a cancellation of the program that provided
11716 weeks of support and instruction for students with educational delays which is offered in 157 schools. That's a large number. Notice it. Please note the monumental impact of these cuts. We have students who are even more vulnerable. families with children in special education or the bilingual programs who navigate the system without materials in their language without staff to guide or accompany them through the system. A system that ignores and abuses them. We're talking about an enormous number, nearly 24,000 CPS students. And they have names. Maria Juan, they are not just a statistic. We urgently need you to carry out a detailed review of CPS's bilingual programs. We are at your disposal for an open and constructive dialogue. And we hope, Dr. King, that we get to have our discussed meeting. We will not rest in
118our advocacy because its goal is to achieve justice and equity for all the children in Chicago public schools. The next speaker is Sarah Haidet Shite, speaker 23. My name is Sarah Haidershite and I stand before you today as a proud parent of two Anahean elementary school students and a member of our local school council. Um Anahan is located in region one on Chicago's northwest side and I am here because the Anahan field is a safety crisis for our students. Currently, our field is a dangerously uneven pitted and grally expanse. It is a constant slipping hazard for our students during PE recess and a liability for our neighbors on the weekends. Because the drainage system has failed, the field frequently floods, turning a space meant for play into an inaccessible swamp. Let's talk about the human
119cost of this neglect. Since 2022, we have documented 30 significant student injuries caused directly by the condition of the field. We are talking about broken wrists, a major knee surgery, and emergency room visits for possible concussions. Every day that CPS delays is another day that we are gambling with our children on the field. This isn't a new request. In 2023, CPS committed to fully funding this project at an estimated $4.5 million. At the final moment, the funding was pulled. Because of that delay, the estimated cost has now ballooned to $8 million. CPS is currently offering only 1 million, a fraction of what is required to fix the disaster that has been created through the deferred maintenance over these years. Our community has done the work. You have 30 seconds remaining. >> We have reached out
120to our elected representatives and Congressman Quigley has stepped up to commit significant money to this, but we cannot bridge this gap alone. CPS, you previously acknowledged this was a priority. You promised our children a safe place to play and we are asking that you honor this commitment. Please do not push us aside and wait for more injuries to take action. I urge you to fully fund the Anahean field in your capital planning. Our students have waited long enough. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Josh Winer, speaker 24. I am Josh Winer, the chief advocacy officer at Na'vi and a Chicago taxpayer. The agreement between Chicago public schools and the Chicago Teachers Union amounts to a state sponsored protest. It's a coercion allowing taxfunded facilities to be used to influence
121students into a partisan political agenda. The agreement talks of civic engagement curriculum over which the CTU will now have influence. Na'Vi recently uncovered CTU promoted professional development workshops that say traditional social studies education serves to uphold a genocidal domestic and global status quo. Another workshop was Drop the ADL, a campaign Na'vi exposes a plan to de delegitimize every single major Jewish advocacy organization out of America's K12 institutions. High school curriculum training with the NEA led students to the conclusion that the US is currently authoritarian and preschool curriculum covered queer theory, immigration politics, and politicized definitions of racism. Also, how to sneak social justice pedagogy past administrators. CTU says political activism is necessary in class because of the actions of the current administration. The CTU's resolution for Mayday and the protest span an extraordinary spectrum. LGBTQ
122rights, racial justice, taxing the rich, voting rights, immigration, opposition to M East policy, and much more. How is an eighth 8-year-old expected to form independent nuance political opinions across these complex issues simultaneously? The obvious answer is that they are not. CTu has shown a pattern of activism alongside extremist groups including the FRSO. >> 30 seconds remaining >> who call for the overthrow of the US and the Palestinian youth movement who have clear connections to designated terrorist organizations. This is not civics. It's state sponsored uh conditioning of children into partisan activism. It is inappropriate to have such a partisan politically driven union determining school curriculum. CPS should keep classroom instruction neutral to political point of view and remain neutral as an institution by not allowing its facilities, taxpayer money, and children to be used for the
123political agenda of the Chicago Teachers Union and other extremist groups. The CTU's idea of civic action is to promote forces that aim to dismantle America's civic foundations themselves through the same extremism they seek to resist. I urge messes >> to hold a vote on the aspects of theou that are under its jurisdiction. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Jessica Kieran, speaker 26. Good morning. Um, before I get to what I had initially planned on talking about when I signed up, I just want to say a couple of things. Um, I think anybody who is out here talking about being opposed to bigotry as something that we should be avoiding in classrooms should be ashamed of themselves. Um, we are a diverse city. I am proud to be raising my
124kids here. I am thrilled that my kids have the opportunity to be exposed to these things. And as we talk about parental preference, I'm I want to make sure that we're hearing voices who are supportive of these things because not everybody can take the time off work to be here and sit here for hours. And in fact, the people who are being honored on Mayday are the least likely to be able to do that. Related to that, um, as we talk about the importance of workers, the people who feed our kids every day are invaluable. For a lot of kids, these are the only hot meals they are getting every day or the majority of them. Where I grew up, when you feed people, it is an act of caring and an act of love.
125This isn't just about their time. This is about what they give to our kids every day, knowing that they show up and they can count on that. Um, moving on to what I had initially planned to talk about. There's been a lot of issues across the district coming up about the LSC elections. Um, another parent has suggested creating a Google form to track them because I'm sure we're only hearing a small snapshot of them. And I think this is a fantastic idea. We can't solve problems if we don't know they're existing. I'm seeing at my own school, not not problems the day of the election leading up to it where for years now, multiple election cycles when staff members talk about running for office, they get harassed and one of them who won their election
126even had her position eliminated by administrators. And this is not limited to one principal that we have had in this school. Additionally, we have student vacancies that have existed all year because our interim principal refuses to hold a special election. Again, this has happened through multiple administrators and the network chief is aware of this and apparently is enabling it. Um, these things are happening across the board. I know I'm out of time. I will probably reach out to some of you. Um, and I hope that we can follow up. And I see one of you nodding. Thank you for your time and your support. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker is Erica Reyes, speaker 28. Good afternoon, members of the board. Um, my name is Eric Reyes. I am proud to stand
127before you today in support of a 10-year charter renewal for the Academy of Global Citizenship. In 20 um 23, I joined Cultivate Collective as the manager of clinical department. From my very first days working alongside the team and engaging with the school community, I was struck by something that was difficult to quantify but impossible to miss. A deeply rooted culture of care, intention, and belonging. This is not just a school where students learn. It is a place where they are seen, nurtured, empowered to grow into thoughtful, healthy, global minded individuals. Um, this became even more real for me as a personal level around the time that I started. My sister was exploring school options for my niece Maya. I couldn't help but share my experience and encourage her to consider AGC. Today, I can say
128with complete confidence that it was one of the best decisions my family had made. The growth in Maya we um has been remarkable. She is becoming fluent in Spanish at a very young age. Something that will open doors for her throughout her lifetime. Beyond academics, her relationship with food has completely changed. She went from being a picky eater to generally enjoying healthy, thoughtfully prepared meals at school. In fact, her enthusiasm was so contagious that her mom began creating those same meals at home. This is what makes the um academy for global citizenship so special. It doesn't just educate student but it transforms communities. >> Granting a 10-year charter school renewal would not only recognize their incredible work already being done but would also ensure that the model of an education continues to strive and expand
129impact years to come. I urge you to support in renewal so that the more students like Maya and my family like mine can benefit from everything this school has to offer. Thank you for your time and consideration. >> Thank you for your comments. President Harden, this concludes public participation. >> Thank you. Before we move into a short recess, I want to acknowledge uh Dr. King some comments on some uh recent uh public participation. I just wanted to address the um the concerns around Pintoha and I want to express that your concerns um are very much received here and I want to just state that in the current environment CPS the district and the board we all agree upon the importance of uh the entire Chicago public school landscape and what I mean by that we've
130experienced the school closures the um short notice, not really having much of a runway. We've um embraced our work with the arch dasis and I I guess what I'm trying to say is we embrace the entire we support all students across the Chicago public schools system and we touch charter, we touch private, we touch parochial and all of those students are important to us. Some of the challenges with um with charter is that with Pintoha is that YCCCS is the vendor that works directly with Pintoha. So what does not escape us and board members, we will work to keep you all informed as we improve our communication across all of those school types that make up the the educational landscape of Chicago. So, it is not ideal for um community members to hear things from
131their schools um in this board meeting. And that's a goal that we will work to make sure that that does not happen again. And as we work out those systems of communication, we'll share that with the board, but most importantly, we'll also share that with uh the community members and those uh families that are impacted um by um these types of events. So, I just wanted to elevate that to make sure that the parents, the community members know that they're heard and that as a district we support our school, our students across the entire city. >> Thank you, CEO King. We will now move into a short recess. Board member Biggs, do you have a motion? MO1. >> I move that the board take a 30-minute recess. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >>
132Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. I >> member Lopez. >> I >> member Bole. >> I >> member Wallace. >> I >> member Kuster. >> I >> member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President VeZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> I. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> Yes. Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I >> 19 eyes zero naz. This motion is adopted by the board. This meeting will now go into a 30-minute recess. >> The meeting of the excuse [clears throat] me, the meeting of board of education is
133reconvened. Before we proceed with the business portion, uh I will acknowledge the board's desire to make comments on public participation. We do have a dense agenda still ahead for us. So I'll ask that you make the comments as brief as possible >> and thank you so much for being flexible, President Harden. I appreciate it. Um I wanted to u make some comments about um May 1st and first I want to thank you Dr. King and our partners at C2 and CPAA for working out a plan for Mayday that addresses the concerns of many about not having school that day while upholding the idea of an intentional focus for the day on civic action. I would like to point out that many students are already engaged in civic action which requires academic skills and that our
134CPS graduate profile includes being an engaged community member. I had the opportunity last Saturday to attend a conference co-sponsored by Mikva Challenge and the Social Science Network entitled Moving in the Moment, helping educators empower informed action. There were a number of CPS schools present, including 75 students who led workshops and discussions about projects they were passionate about. They had used skills of research, reading, writing, and speaking to create meaningful presentations. And I'm just going to shout out a few because they deserve it for their impressive work. We heard from a panel featuring students from Alcott and Gwendeland Brooks high schools and Hurley Elementary School who highlighted their projects which included planning for a schoolwide assembly and walkout for those impacted by the current federal administration, creating a documentary on black resistance, and working to get
135more space for their school. But the students also highlighted the learning they did to work on their passion projects and the support they have got from their teachers to find their voices and speak up. Students from Mitchell Elementary presented a workshop on how to use root cause analysis both to study topics in their social studies class more deeply and to explore problems they want to take action on. They and the other students at the conference and students throughout CPS are motivated to work for positive change in their schools, their communities, the city, and beyond. Like young people throughout history, many youth in our schools want to make a difference. People speak of indoctrination as if our young people have no thoughts already about the current state of affairs in our country. To the contrary, they
136see and hear what is going on and are watching how the adults around them respond to the obvious injustices occurring daily in this unprecedented time. Uplifting a day of civic action in defense of our communities promote solidarity and let students know they are seen and valued. I'll just end with a famous quote that I'm sure you are all familiar with. If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. Our young people are depending on us to not be neutral, but rather to show that we are on their side. For my part, I'll be attending a studentled rally on the north side on May 1st, and I hope to see some of you there. >> Board member Brown. >> Okay. [clears throat] Yeah, I I had a few things
137that were on my heart when I was listening to a lot of the uh testimony and what came to me was that I didn't learn that um there were ancient civilizations in Africa in school. I learned almost that our history started with slavery. I learned that in my community. I didn't learn that the original civilization here was the old civilization and those people had lips that look like mine and they were the mothers of the Aztecs. So there's always there's a natural connection between black and Mexican people. That's not taught in our schools. I didn't learn that black people brought algebra and lighted streets to Spain and ruled a civilization for 700 years, longer than the United States has been alive. I didn't learn that in the classroom on the south side of Chicago. I
138learned that in my community. And when I So, we're [clears throat] indoctrinated already. We're indoctrinated often to believe that black children don't matter. We're indoctrinated to believe that [clears throat] somehow we deserve the conditions that we're getting. And I think my personal experience as a kindergartener and first grade student, I went to Bennett Elementary on 103rd Street. I went to school in some of the last Willis wagons. A brand new school, Wendle Smith, was built in 1972. I learned about the 1963 Children's March as an eighth grader at Wendle Smith through my teacher, Miss Johnson, and the Rosemore Community Association and understood that this action where 250,000 children stayed home and over 10,000 marched to the board of education put a national spotlight on how black children were being warehoused in trailers instead of being
139integrated throughout the district. Children were not being controlled. They understood their conditions and they acted and they changed Chicago forever. I was one of the co-founders of Voices of Youth in Chicago Education, a citywide youth organizing initiative of seven community-based organizations who each adopted two high schools. While adults sat by and did nothing, young people who had learned participatory action research raised with us that children in Noble Street were being counseledled out to the tune of $400,000 a year. They were taxing black and brown families. And while adults were silent, the young people, as they say, got active. And what they did is they began to go to WBEZ. One of the young people is very well known now, his name is Parish Brown. He does restorative justice throughout the district and they made Noble
140Street clean their policies up. Today, young people exist in a world where the return of the draft is pretty much a certainty. And I'm This is from an Army veteran. I'm I I've served this country proudly in the United States Army and I have a child that is of draft age where federal education infrastructure and policy designed to protect us from the vicious treatment under the guise of state rights are being eliminated right in our face on our watch. The right to exist for our immigrant brothers and sisters, brown and black, are absolutely under assault. This is not a moment for shut up and dribble, but to provide the space for young people to see organized resistance to tyranny and to dream a better world. That does not only happen in a classroom. I for
141my part I am doing a workshop at the build center for youth to come who choose to come and the focus is building a vision for youth investment in the city of Chicago. In it, they will learn what a community institution is, how institutional racism works and expresses itself globally, and how they can connect with youth across the city to impact the city. I invite you to join us. Thank you very much, >> Thor Coror. >> Thank you. Um, I think it it's understandable. I want to acknowledge um a lot of the confusion and uncertainty that uh this situation around May 1st this year has caused, but I want to commend Dr. King for the urgency with which you've treated this situation um to work towards a a compromise that works for to meet a
142lot of different key stakeholder interests. What I want to speak to is um this recurring theme that has come up about politicization or what is political. The idea that kids of all races deserve access to a great public education is inherently political. that your gender, your sexual orientation, your family's immigration status, the idea that that should not matter to whether or not you get a great public education is political. So every day that we show up to do the work, we are showing up in political defiance, especially under this administration. And we celebrated Earth Day yesterday under this administration especially. That is a political act. Our children deserve access to different perspectives. That's not just a belief. That is an Illinois state standards for social sciences. Our students are expected as early as first grade
143to engage critically with different perspectives to develop their own ideas. And only one perspective is what they see from the news, on social media, from the mouth of our president about whether or not they matter, their identity, their community, their neighbors, their fellow classmates, and with parent permission. Cannot repeat that enough. With parent permission, if students are able to be exposed to another perspective, if that parents choose to send their kids to an educational experience, to be exposed to a different perspective, that is something that we should celebrate. You know, when students learn about black history in this country, um they learn and they watch documentaries about the march on Washington. And so, the opportunity to experience something firsthand is something I'm very glad that Dr. King is working towards seeing how we can make
144that a possibility. But it's not like students are being shipped off to a rally and then expect, you know, hold this poster and that's what we're doing for the day. It has been so great to hear about the breadth and depth uh and the diversity of civic action that's being planned across the city. um from educational workshops, uh from assemblies, um art projects, all grade levels. It's been great to hear about what student leaders, teachers, and principles are planning um for the day of civic action. And and the reason I was compelled to speak is just hearing this likening of Mayday, a celebration of workers and immigrant workers to a violent insurrection is insulting. That is not what Mayday is. I It's not a partisan event, just a celebration and a recognition of workers and
145the contributions that workers have made to our city, our society, and our world. Um, and it's okay if people have different political beliefs and preferences or even views on on Mayday itself. But I I think it's really exciting that our kids have an opportunity to even see this discourse that we're having right now. um and with their parent permission uh shape how they may be participating in Mayday activities. So, thank you >> member Boys. [clears throat] Um most my fellow board members really covered a number of um the things I wanted to say but I just will underscore again um Nicholas Krisa the assistant professor of social studies at National Lewis University who spoke spoke here today said how would you feel about um school buses going to the January 6th um protest? Personally, I
146wouldn't mind them going to a protest. What happened January 6 was an abomination. It was attack on our government. It was feces smeared on the wall. I mean, legitimately that that was bananas and the comparison is preposterous. Just to underscore what um member Thakora mentioned. Additionally, let's look at some of the other days that C that CPS has off. Veterans Day. Are we celebrating war? Are we encouraging our kids to go fight and pick up guns? No. We're celebrating that history. Indigenous People's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, these are all people, at least MLK for sure, is is is a protester um all day long. Um the President's Day, so this country was founded by protesters. And then there's Junth which we all had to protest to make a reality. This actual board was
147born of protest. So pretending like um learning about different protests and social movements is preposterous is is crazy to me. Additionally, as a child of union workers, I will tell you my mom is one of nine or my mom's father is one of nine people. Um it was eight boys and one girl. They all all the men didn't get past their 50s. They all died um because they worked in steel mines and they had black lung. On my father's side, my grandfather [clears throat] was a laborer and my dad will tell you to this day that he worked himself to death. This is what labor unions help us to prevent. They made sure that we weren't working seven days a week. They were they made sure that the kids who are at CPS wouldn't be
148in a mine somewhere or in a factory somewhere. That's what labor has done. So to ignore their contribution to our culture, to our life, to our children, to our families, to our city, which is 13% union workers. 90% of the people who work at CPS are in a union. And so we're going to act like celebrating Mayday was was was a big deal. But then the last speaker, can't remember his name, but he went on a rant about CTU. And that's the problem. So many people are mad because CTu asked for this. CTU apparently made an an agreement with the previous administration that this day was supposed to be off. CTU began conversations about handling this in November and December, and it wasn't handled. Um, so there were some failings all the way around. This
149isn't a last minute. It shouldn't have been pushed to last minute. It shouldn't have had all of this drama around it. We should have handled this when the question first came up. So, I'll say this. My children will not be there. Oh, let me just throw in there, too. [clears throat] We get three days for weather days. We only used one. There's two that we still have to use. So, if nothing else, give your kids a snow day. I've got two kids. One will join me in my protests or wherever I decide to go, we'll learn, and my other one will sit on the couch, and she's entitled to do that because that's what she can do with her her labor. Um, I I encourage all of us to remember and to learn our histories.
150I encourage all of us to support our children in learning. Learning doesn't just happen in a classroom. So many parents come up to me saying the kids aren't learning anything real. They need to learn about um different histories and and and just practical things on how to how to conduct themselves in a society. Being able to stand up for yourself and demand what you deserve is a critical component of being an adult. Um, so I'm 100% uh not sending my kids, but I understand that other people make other choices. That's all. Thanks, >> Member Guano. >> Yes. Uh, thank you, Mr. President. I too wanted to speak on this subject uh because of the different people that spoke and opposing uh any participation on Mayday. Um, and it's because I think it's a choice. If
151people on this board uh believe that they you shouldn't participate, that's fine. But if you do, then that's fine as well because that's our choice. And I believe that with the students as well and the teachers and to even say that teachers are indoctrinating our students or that you know the curriculum's indoctrinating the students is so bizarre because it's history. Mayday is history. It's not only I mean it was political. We can't say it wasn't politics back then, but it was actual history and it's celebrated all over the world. what happened right here in Chicago is celebrated and it mundo entro you know so I wanted to say that and also you know this type of protest and events that are happening it's okay as well if there's something you see that's unjust that's the
152American way to protest it it's the Mexican way to protest it it's the African-American way to protest it if it's injustice and you stay silent then you're part of the problem, you know. So, I think that and I don't care how big the situation is or how little the injustice is, but we fought for bilingual education. We had to leave schools. We had to protest. We had students have to walk out. And all of that was important for us to get where we are today. You know, and we are obligated as members of the board to be open for for a change and not go backwards, to go forwards, to become more civilized and to become more inclusive. And I just remember something so small and it and and it was like when I was
153only 14 and we walked out of school because my brother Rudy, you know, convinced me that was the right thing to do. And he said, "You're a great organizer. Go prove it." And we were walking out because we were not in the history book. I looked in there. The only time they had a Mexican in a history book is we were sitting with a sombrero under a tree taking a siesta. Give me a break. >> You know, give me a break. half of the US was originally Mexico, you know, and there was a whole resistant movement and everything and none of that was in there. So, I was not in the books. So, we had to fight for that. And then another thing that was so small, you know, I don't know if y'all remember,
154but I'm I'm going to be 73 this year, but when I went to high school, we still had to wear skirts. We were obligated to wear skirts. Even though it was double digits below zero, we had to wear skirts. And so we we walked out of Richard's vocational high school, black and brown school and out of Lucy Flower and we said we're not coming back. And we wore pants that day and we said we we ain't coming back until we can wear pants. It was cold but we were outside for the longest time and then finally they said you know what go ahead wear your pants you know and I say today anybody who's wearing pants in school that was because of that movement we did back then. All right. So, I I think that
155we should celebrate um together all of the accomplishments that people make, but also celebrate that we have different opinions, and that's okay. I respect everybody on this board and their opinions. I, you know, and uh however you want to do it, but I just wanted to let you know my opinion. Thank you. Number four, [cough and clears throat] >> I wasn't going to speak again because I spoke earlier, but then the professor from National Lewis spoke and as a social studies teacher and he says he trains social studies teacher. So I think I'm the board representative of social studies teachers and also my first masters is from National Lewis in bilingual bicultural curriculum and instruction. The way I was taught at National Lewis is very different than what he's expressing. We were taught in the
156cohort that I was in that our students had been, as Emma just described, deprived of their real history. We took kids to museums. We took kids to look at murals. We took kids out into the laboratory of life. As a social studies teacher, I tried to do as many field trips as I could to expose my students to [clears throat] all kinds of things. I took the kids from Gage Park to the Holocaust Museum in Skoi. And then we went to lunch at Old Orchard Mall and some of them were more impressed with Old Orchard Mall. Some of them really the Holocaust Museum was very heavy and resonated for them. I also participated with my students from Gage Park in the 2006 Day Without Immigrants, which was the largest demonstration in Chicago history to this
157date. And I think it's really important to note that my students were not afraid to participate in that. There hadn't been the kind of attacks that there are now. Now with the kind of deportation attacks, many students will be afraid to go and participate in things like that, even if that's where their heart is. And so I think providing alternative activities in the classrooms, in the neighborhoods, etc., is a really important part of allowing people to have civic engagement to express their feelings, to express their ideas. And I think if we don't allow these kinds of things, we are bending the arc towards support of the authoritarianism and the censorship of the current administration in Washington. And I know that that is not what any of [clears throat] us want to do. So I think
158what we're doing now is sending a strong message. And I thank everybody who has worked on crafting and implementing this. and we will close this out with member Gutierrez. >> Oh, interesting. I I apologize that I missed such a robust discussion the last meeting and I think um I'm I'm going to frame the conversation where I think that since I've been back from vacation as I travel the city all over whether it's Anglewood, Little Village, Pilson, Garfield Ridge where I live the parent who feel that this decision wasn't done in a very timely manner, right? That so there are some governance pieces that we here have a responsibility to, right? That ability to make decisions in a manner that is open in public that is communicated effectively down to the uh to so that everybody
159in the school understands so that parents understand. I think that's the cause of the of such a big commotion. I think Mayday, everyone believes that, right? They honor the history of of the work that's been done by our labor units. But though, I think that we as a body have to really consider and I'm super glad to have heard uh Dr. King say, right, we will work on that communication piece, right? It is so important how we say things, when we say things, right? And it seems that we've had a couple botches, right, where we have been always on the back end and and and trying to retrieve back what we said and you can't say it once it's out there, right? And I think that I challenge all of us to really think about
160that. Think about when we're thinking of decisions that we make them here because I think that's the other piece. I think that you hear it all over, right? whether if you believe in the court of public opinion, right? That's what people are saying. Well, if you're going to make a decision, make it make it in public here, right? Like just think of this. We're having such a great discussion. No one's here to hear it currently, right? No one's here. It's empty. We're in an empty room. And so I just ask each of us to really consider that as we are moving forward with the work that we're doing to really be very vigilant in what we're doing but also making sure that we're connecting all those dots right that we are not only our schools
161but we are the greater community right our parents work right so someone who saw the calendar for the year kids are in school now I have to take a day off or maybe I don't have the time to take off. Do I have a babysitter? All those things um put in. And I think you're right, the people who should be celebrating can't take that day off, right? Because they're working, right? They have to work, right? Because that's kind of the the system that we're in. So those are my two cents in on this. So thank you. >> Thank you all for a robust discussion. We'll now proceed with the business portion of the meeting. Superintendent King, we're ready for your presentation. >> Thank you, President Harden. I think this is a natural segue. I too
162have a master's in social studies curriculum and definitely am uh I value the importance of history. Definitely realize I'm standing on the on my ancestors. I also want to ground us in the moment of history that we're making right now and for the students that we're serving. So with that, I'm going to call um to the the the podium um Chief Assaf, Chief of Multilingual, Multi-education, Multicultural Education, and Acting Chief Anise Lewis, um Chief Acting Chief of Teaching and Learning to kind of ground us and center us on the MOI data for our students this year. Measuring what matters, district MOI data, and the OM newcomer journey. Thank you. Greetings, President Harden, board members, and thank you, CEO, Dr. King. I am Dr. Anise Lewis, acting chief of teaching and learning. With 16 years serving
163CPS students, it is a privilege to share our work on measuring and strengthening what matters, which will hopefully be the first of continued opportunities to provide you with practice and outcome data measures. Firmly grounded in every child, in every school, in every neighborhood. Our five-year strategic plan guides how we accelerate proven practices and prioritize areas that require new approaches. Core to our district strategy this year is a universal focus on effective instruction. It's built on grade level rigor, making sure every student feels they belong. It attends to the linguistic diversity in our classrooms and the cultural assets of our students that they bring with them every day. And within this strategy is a focus on targeted priority groups such as students with disabilities and English learners. As a former principal and network 11 chief, we
164know when we invest in our students furthest from opportunity, all students benefit. Embedded as a foundational practice for every school, our model for effective instruction focuses district alignment and supports across all academic offices on strengthening three key areas. First is student centered programming pathways and schedules. Second, school-based professional learning and learning cycles. And third, implementation of highquality curriculum with integrity. to then see each component of effective instruction elevated in classrooms to ultimately result in a daily learning experience that is joyful, rigorous, and equitable. Starting with our youngest learners, the story in our middle of the year data on I Ready Math benchmark assessment is clear. Our K2 students are outperforming students in both peer districts, which includes 82 of the nation's largest urban public schools, and students across the nation. In K2, about 70% of
165students took I Ready at both BOI and MOI. Looking at these charts, the green represents students at or above grade level. in math across every primary grade. You'll notice that CPS students are outperforming our peer districts and national average. In reading, there is a similar story. CPS primary students are outperforming peer districts across all grades, and CPS has higher performance than the nation in grades kinder and first. These numbers affirm that we are setting a strong foundation that ensures our students start strong and we proactively minimize the numbers of students who catch up in the upper grades. We'll move on to looking at our middle of the year data for upper grades and starting with third through eighth graders who took the I Ready benchmark screener assessment. While student participation in benchmark and screener assessments
166in upper grades is determined locally through each school's assessment plan, these results show student performance for approximately 30,000 of our students in grades three through eight who took the beginning of the year and middle of the year I Ready screener. We encourage that these data points show that in our upper grades, we're continuing to grow the percentage of students at or above grade level in both math and reading. And we're not just moving our kids at the top, but we're continuing to decrease the percentage of students who are furthest away from grade level benchmarks. The same story holds true when we look at our other benchmark screener assessments for math. The STAR 360 assessment in third through 8th about 54% of students took STAR 360 in BOI and MOI in 9th through 12th about 19%
167of students took STAR 360 at both BOI and MOI. For this subset of students in the district who take this screener multiple times throughout the school year, we measure student progress from the beginning of the year in gray and to the middle of the year in blue. Of the count shown here, about 80% of students who tested are in grades 3 through 8 and about 20% are in grades 9 through 12. This chart shows students math performance, specifically the percentage of students at the beginning of the year and middle of the year who are at or above grade level benchmarks on the left. And the percentages are on watch and identified for intervention and identified for urgent intervention. In math, we've moved nearly 2% more students into the at or above grade benchmark tier. Just
168as important is the urgent intervention category on the far right. We've reduced the number of students flagged for urgent intervention by almost 2%. That represents more than,400 students across the district who have moved out of the highest risk category because our targeted supports for effective instruction and math are hitting the mark in reading. the upper grades in read in reading in the upper grades the momentum is just as pronounced for the subset of students taking the star 360 screener at both beginning and middle of the year for this group of students we've seen a 3% jump in students hitting grade level benchmarks and once again look at the urgent intervention category on the right it is shrinking our focus on grade level rigor and belonging is pulling students out of that urgent intervention category and
169moving them towards grade level proficiency which I look forward to coming back and being able to share our end of year our ACT and our I data with each of you. So this story is clear our district's focus on effective instruction is resulting in learning improvements for our students and the students who need us most are responding with the biggest gains. Thank you. I now pass to Dr. soft to elevate how we support every student through our strategic priority pathways. Thank you, Dr. Lewis. Good day to all of you. It is an honor to join you today. I'm Dr. Karimia Saf, chief officer of multilingual, multicultural education in our district. Together we rise is the district's commitment to ensuring that every student regardless of where they live in our 77 city neighborhoods their native language
170or level of ability receives a rigorous joyous and equitable learning experience. This commitment gets translated into action through the five targeted priority pathways. Each pathway responds directly to what stakeholders told us during during all the community meetings I attended that opportunity gaps are real, persistent, and concentrated among specific groups of students. These pathways are the district's answer to that call. For OME, our focus is on the pathways to multilingualism. This priority affirms what we have always known, that multilingualism is an asset and that every student deserves access to rigorous instruction that honors their language and identity. We are executing these levers from the strategic plan including responding to evolving needs and supporting newcomer students and their families. At OME, we are expanding world language programming with the intentional focus on access, particularly in black communities
171that have historically been underserved and where we find language deserts, as I call them. We are in communication with some of you about offering Swahili in some schools next year. We are improving the instructional quality our English learners receive, especially students who came to us with limited or interrupted formal education and newcomers. They need to receive strong core content instruction, native language support and wraparound services. We are strengthening dual language and world language offerings to reflect the full linguistic diversity of CPS families. Did you know that we speak different languages in CPS? We look forward to celebrating a new record of seal of biiteracy recipients on May 21st. Three strategies for multilingual pathways. One focus. Every multilingual learner in this district deserves a rigorous identity affirming education and OME partners up closely with all academic
172offices across the district to help ensure this work is carried out with fidelity and consistency. What you see now is what responsive leadership looks like in real time. Starting in August 2022 with the first families who arrived to Chicago from South America. There was no playbook. OME built one from the ground up. We work handinhand with the mayor's office on the new arrivals mission. Internally, we created a response plan establishing enrollment systems directly inside police districts and shelters and paying close attention to bus activity at the landing zones. This was to ensure student safety before enrolling them in schools. By 2023, we transition from emergency response to integrated support with a welcome center at Roberto Clemente High School, centralizing school and family services. After the city shifted to a unified long-term sheltering system in 2024,
173the center in Humble Park became our permanent home. This is a comprehensive hub for enrollment support, family guidance, immigration related trauma training, donation distribution, and multicultural celebrations all center around the whole child. This happened because OME led with urgency, with confa, and with a clear conviction that our newest students deserve the same rigorous, joyful experiences as every other child in our district. One of the clearest sign of a system that is serious about equity is whether it gives every stakeholder the tools to act. This toolkit is designed to accomplish this. OME developed the comprehensive EEL resource toolkit as a living document, a foundational road map. It moves us deliberately away from a remediation mindset and towards an assetbased approach to EL instruction. Our students come to us with languages, histories, and strengths. This toolkit helps
174educators build on those assets. What makes it powerful? It's his reach. From the principal making scheduling decisions to the parent navigating their child's academic journey. Everyone has access to the same data, the same resources, the same road mapap. This is what quality infrastructure looks like and it is one of many tools OME has built to ensure that the multilingual pathways priority is practice in every school. Did you know that ELS are in all schools across the district except nine schools? When a child's education has been disrupted by migration, by trauma, by systemic barriers, you must do more than enroll them in school. You have to meet them where they are. That is what this continuum does to re-engage students after interrupted learning. OME developed this re-engagement guidance because our students with limited or interrupted formal
175education and newcomers need safety first, then belonging, then confidence, then language, then independence and identity. This continuum names that progression and gives every educator a road mapap for layering supports intentionally. We didn't build this as a remedi remediation tool. This is about rightful presence. Every stage of this continuum is designed to affirm who our students are while building the academic foundation they need and deserve. Schools become sanctuaries and centers of academic excellence when they are designed with this intentionality. That is the standard for every school to be upheld for every student. When the immigration landscape shifted, OME proactively ensure our communities were supported alongside our partners in FACE and many other central office teams. We helped develop school safety protocols and emergency plans, centering the needs of multilingual families and newcomer students. Recognizing that safety
176protocols must be trustworthy and accessible, we created the immigration resources for CPS guidance to provide clear, actionable support during some of the most frightening moments of our parents' lives. This defines our sanctuary district commitment. Showing up before the crisis peaks, building the tools families need and ensuring every school can affirm you are safe here. You belong here. OM is proud and I am proud to lead this essential work. President Harding, board members, CEO King, we thank you for your time and leadership. We look forward to establishing a regular cadence of data sharing at board meetings because when we support the students furthest from opportunity, we move the entire district forward. Thank you. >> Thank you both for your presentations. Member Smith. >> Thank you. And uh this was a wonderful presentation. And President Harton, when
177I say I I I really want to hear more about students, this is what I want to hear. I want to hear the data. I want to hear about improvement uh and and what we can do to be better. Some of the questions I have uh in terms of the math and reading improvement uh is we have data, but what are the demographics? And when I'm asking demographics, I'm also asking about our diverse learners since we're seeing more and more diverse learners. What are the demographics of the students that uh are improving? That's my first question. >> Yes, thank you for that question, board member Smith. We do have that data. For the sake of time, we didn't bring it today, but we can certainly get you that information. >> Please. Thank you. And then
178as we talk about uh dual language and multilinguism uh programs, when I visit schools, a lot of times I see our Latin children are doing very well when it comes to uh learning English and uh primary grades and improving as they go. But then we see black students that don't get any Spanish. And while I am on board with Swahili, many of our African and Caribbean students speak French. And so I don't see Spanish, I don't see French in a lot of the black schools that I go in. And how can we have a real multilinguistic, dual linguistic program if it does not uh enable our black students to speak clearly with our Latin students? >> That is a very good point. Thank you, board member Smith. For last year, for example, we selected three
179schools as part of the multilingual pathways. There are three schools that are selected each year to receive the world language program. For example, we selected PO in this in network 13. That's a school that is u has an African-American enrollment only and they're going to be teaching Spanish. In our world language selection for this year, we're thinking of a school who is interested in Mandarin. So we are going to promote that uh dual language programs are essentially for English learners but we're trying to look at options. For example, Hughes Elementary in network 7 has a beautiful balance of African-American students and they're now receiving a lot of Latin students. So that would make that school, for example, a perfect a perfect candidate to have a twoway dual language program. >> And we're working um to
180create that equity. We do we are very aware of the language deserts that exist in our district and our city. And language learning is something that OM is very focused on. >> Okay. However I can be helpful in that, let me know. Thank you. Member Thoor. >> Thank you. Um, I first uh want to echo board member Smith's uh like concern about or or request rather to see the data uh the subgroup date level data for English language learners, students in temporary living situations, students with disabilities, race, ethnicity, and um I don't think that there's many things that are more important than engaging exactly with with this data, the academic level data. Uh I think it's really important that we share this information in public because the public deserves to know about where students and
181where our district is at. Um I also know that in previous times where we've been presented um the progress monitoring updates, there have been so many questions from board members about, you know, different types of data or different strategies that are being implemented, areas for growth and next steps. Um, and oftentimes when we are presented really important information at board meetings, we're we're briefed on this information uh weeks ahead of time so that we can ask those questions um in smaller group settings and get more information. And previous times when we've gotten this uh information public, the follow-up has taken a a lot longer, maybe even until the next time we're giving the progress monitoring update on the same topic. Uh so a request that I would have is that we um present this information
182in five by five settings for all academic updates moving forward because we have so many questions related to the data and the follow-up. Um for example, I don't need the answers to these questions right now, but in addition to the subgroup data, I would love to see the middleofear to middle ofear comparison because while having the nationwide benchmark is always helpful, that's not the story of students at CPS from year to year. and we previously were presented with information um related to student enrollment at CPS and that how that can fluctuate very widely uh from the beginning of year to the end of year. So I do wonder about how um the changes in categories of students who are three or more grade levels behind um or students who are at grade level those fluctuations
183if at all could be attributed to uh changes in student enrollment. Um but we really appreciate all the work that that you all are doing. Um and the last question, this is actually a question that I have is related to um uh expanding world language offerings to Hindi and Erdu. Is that something that you all are planning for? >> We are in contact with ISBY. Uh we would need that language to be acknowledged and to be a language where a teacher can receive uh an endorsement for that language in several other languages. But as I shared, we do have a wonderful celebration on May 21st. Last year, we had a student that earned the seal of Bitacy in five different languages. He's at Princeton now. >> Thank you, >> member Rivas. >> Uh thank you,
184Mr. President. Uh so this is uh I'm really happy to hear all of these things um from your I'll go to the the first part of your presentation. Um, I had a question. Um, as I'm, uh, conducting school visits and talking to school leaders about, uh, assessments, uh, one of the greatest honors [laughter] that I have in in district 3B is that I have 10 dual language schools. And so, and that spans multiple networks and things like that. And so, uh, I'm very honored to have uh, that many dual language schools um, and that uh, we're really honoring um, our students languages, right? And so, I've actually I've heard from school leaders about that two-way. you know, we have students uh you know, black students or or other races who don't speak Spanish and so
185wanting them wanting to also learn the language. Um and just how important it is that we're allowing our uh families to continue that culture. And the examples I give school leaders is that, you know, growing up I was in bilingual ed until I got to first grade and then my mom forced me into monolingual. Uh but that actually created a a real difficulty in in being able to communicate with my mom as my vocabulary was expanding in English. I lost vocabulary to be able to to communicate with her in Spanish, right? And so this dual language, I think, really honors our students culture and also uh their background and our families and being able to, you know, have that communication. Um, so I think that's really wonderful. Um, one of the things that I that
186I've heard on school visits, um, is about, uh, when we're doing the assessments, uh, I've heard about, uh, Star 360, about I Ready. Um, one of the concerns that I've heard from school leaders is that we lack consistency across K to 8. So if you know we're doing progress monitoring with I Ready uh from K to 2, but then we switch to STAR 360 to 8 um they're lacking the ability to be able to moni monitor progress throughout the continuum, right? Um so I'm wondering if there's any solution to that for the future as as we work through contracts and what that looks like for assessments. >> Absolutely. Thank you for that question and we have been taking that in consideration because one of the areas that we've been focusing in on is throughout the
187entire academic experience is coherence and ensuring that K through 12 experience is coherent but more specifically in our elementary schools that is a coherent experience and really looking at what each of those assessments really are able to give our our schools around looking at foundational skills versus looking at grade level proficiency. being able to look at both vendors and see what their opportunities are to offer that K through eight so that we can see growth across the grade levels. So that is something that we are considering and looking at for next year. >> Thank you. Um and then the the second thing I just wanted to highlight um Dr. first off your amazing work uh with OME and um you know I I've worked for the city now for nearly four years and I was
188able to uh witness firsthand as we were welcoming uh our new migrants um at the at the landing zone um helping them off buses and into wherever we could get them um the amount of work that CPS did during that time um to be able to ensure that uh our students had places to uh arrive um and places to uh to thrive and our families were well supported. And so I'm really honored that the OM center is in in my district and in my neighborhood. It's actually the former primary center that I attended um as as a child. And um that's wonderful because we have multiple shelters in that area that received a ton of uh migrant families and uh that this is their new home and there are so many resources now that CPS
189has provided uh all those families are newcomers. So, um, I was a witness to your and your team's work, um, for all of those months and hearing on the calls how many students registered or GPS every single day. Uh, it was just astonishing, but the the district really stepped up to support our families and our newcomers. Thank you, >> member Paul. >> Yes. I also want to thank you for the work that you're doing as a retired bilingual educator and as someone who went down to a police station on the south west on the southeast side to help uh support the registration of students. I think that CPS really, and this isn't easy when you're a big bureaucracy, turned on a dime and actually got involved really fast in doing what was necessary in an
190emergency situation. It's not it's not how how big organizations generally are able to pivot and I really want to commend people for doing that. I wanted to uh bring up uh something that board member Thodakura mentioned and that is the Asian languages that are frequently overlooked. I have several schools in my district with large numbers of Asian and South Asian students as does uh board member Deberry also. And I think it would be really great if we could establish a few dual immersion schools for languages such as Erdo and to further the Arabic education of students uh in that area as well. And I have to say having taught in one kind of bilingual program and having had my daughters and now my granddaughter in the original dual immersion program. I think dual immersion is
191a wonderful model and really results not just in people who can speak another language but people who can think in another language, people who have a broader understanding of other cultures and other people's ways of life. And I think in terms of the civic engagement we were talking about earlier and the kind of future uh society we want to create I think dual immersion is a great model to use. So thank you >> member Rosenfeld. >> Uh I do appreciate you keeping that joyful, rigorous, equitable mindset at the front of everything you do and your report. My comment is more about how we assess than it is the particular assessments. The schools that I visit, I sat with an AP that told me that it literally keeps her up at night. The fact that our
192Chromebooks were given to everybody in 2020 and they're getting old and because we don't fund a tech coordinator at every school. I was in a classroom where the little kid the little one was doing I Ready and her computer shut down for like an update during it. And I mean it it freaked everybody out. And I'm just, you know, they can spend the summer updating these Chromebooks, but without a tech coordinator, it really is triple quadruple work. So I'm wondering as a district sort of what we're doing to address the fact that our Chromebooks are old and you know, you got a computer and you got a everybody got a computer in 2020 and I feel like maybe we don't have a plan for keeping those updated. I know the governor and as we sort
193of try to move away from screens and that also needs to be discussed as a district but um what are we doing to ensure that these assessments don't are available and ready and consistent as our Chromebooks age. >> This is a conversation that we're having now as we're planning by department for budgets. Um and in the tech department it is something that we're realizing that a lot of those computers have there are be they are reaching age you know and so we we are um trying to keep them updated as much as possible. It will be one of the discussions that we'll have to have as we think about the priorities um that will guide our budget. And so I know this presentation was very short and brief, but it was really an introduction to
194the ongoing conversations and depth that we will have to have because in order to build that year-over-year growth that board member Thakura was asking for, you want to see cohort model, we're going to have to choose our use our dollars wisely. And that's why the conversation around technology is really important and is in addition to laptops, there's other tech forms of technology that we have to consider. So as we make decisions, we do want to ground you in all of that data. You will get cohort data. You will get regional data because we will have to make some budget decisions that do not compromise the growth that we're seeing when we're compared, you know, compared to our national to their national peers, but not and not just growth. We're going to be looking at proficiency.
195That's a priority. Growth and proficiency. And I and you'll hear about acceleration. And I think you talked about that, Chief Assaf. So we are going to be grounding you and we did talk about providing this data in in in the 5x5s because this is the data that we are going to be asking you to use when we vote on budget. Our dollars will have to touch our students in order to sustain the growth that they've made. And we do not want to compromise the student experience which equates to their their academic achievement. So, you're right. It is a very serious conversations and what I can do is make sure that we give you updated data on the conversations that we've had. >> Thank you, >> Member Brown. Thank you, Mr. President. Um, so I have
196a question and I have a comment. Um so like philosophically um do do you favor systems where the curriculum is centralized and then kind of dictated to the schools or do you prefer a system where sort of the standards are centralized and then educators are able to build curriculum themselves? >> [clears throat] >> I would say that I got I'm most be more so around the standards. >> And the reason I would say more standardsbased is because you cannot prescribe a curriculum exactly yeartoear. Your curriculum, your lessons, your daily interactions are going to be guided by those students. Um not just year to year but daytoday. Yes ma'am. And so your stu which is why lesson plans become important because they do need to include your students that are at grade level, your students that
197receive second language learning services, those students that may receive special education services. However, there need in order for coherence to track, you know, progress year overyear, you have to have some standards, some guidance, some guard rails at which we're all working towards as far as a standard. >> I appreciate that. Um because and and um I felt that but I wanted to ask the the reasoning is because I I feel like there has to be sort of a a transition because during the era where standardized tests were very punitive, we know that a lot of the um freedom that teachers had to kind of work their magic was stripped away. Um and so I'm just I'm concerned about like getting back to that. I I I worked with a lot of teachers that I saw
198and I'm talking like the the the mid 90s um and they they were just they were brilliant and and and and they were able to work their magic in the classroom and um I was witness to that. So thank you for that. And I I just wanted to on the question on the question of um the work that you all are doing around world language. I just want us to think about some of the words that we're using, you know, and we use them very casually. We use words like equity because we know the system is like deeply inequitable. And the question we have to ask ourselves is like why? like why, you know, we use words like opportunity gaps and it was a fight. The Shot Foundation for Public Education was one of the
199groups that helped win that fight to say, "Stop saying achievement gap." Cuz it achievement gap insinuated that it was something wrong with us as opposed to what Dr. Bobby Wright called the psychopathic racist personality where no matter what you do, white supremacy does not see you. No matter what you do, no matter how many degrees you have, no matter how good of a citizen you are. And that's what we're fighting. We're in an environment right now where it may not be that comfortable to say, but that's what we're fighting is a deep baseless hatred of us that can get as graphic as we need to get in this room when we talk about it. The people that invented public education in this country have the the less access to it. There would be no public
200education without the African Methodist Episcopal Church and the abolitionist that stood with them. And so I think when we're using these terms, this is why we want to we want our young people that are black to learn languages that are not colonial. Languages that they the only reason they speak it because of speak the people who stole them speak that language. Like you go to a 85% black nation called Brazil, they speak Portuguese because the people that stole them speak Portuguese. We speak English because the people that stole us speak English, but there are languages. Ki Swuahili is one of the largest second languages spoken by black people around the world. And one of the reasons they speak it is because it is non-tribal because the notion of tribe is a colonial aspect. And so
201I just I it's a it's a colonial uh tool. So, I want to thank you for being responsive and for the work that you're doing. I agree with board member Smith. I think that our young people should have access to, you know, I worked with Mollis Elementary School in 2011 and in order for them to get a part-time Spanish instructor, they had to lose their library. Baseless hatred. So, I get it. I went to Wendle Smith. I learned Spanish from sixth grade all the way through high school. I I I had I had access. Why don't children have access today? So, thank you. I appreciate your work. Thank you, Dr. King, for um the work that you're doing and and the direction that you're leading us in. Appreciate you, >> member Gutierrez. >> Um thank
202you, board president. Um two questions. one on the data just I I think it would be great also to see it by school by network um because one of the things that I I I I heard you do this great presentation but the thing that I'm interested is what are we learning from the data to help improve teaching and learning across the district right because that's where is there something that network one is doing that network three could do um I'd love to hear that from Absolutely. Thank you. Thank you for that question and and comment. Um we are looking at and knowing that this is the middle of the year screener data. Um and that gives us information around how students are progressing versus just moving at and being at proficiency. And as we
203look at the trends, schools look at the trends for their school and then we look at the data trends across the district in order to determine where those supports are most needed. specifically knowing the networks are looking at their data across their schools and and providing that intervention and support for those schools, school leaders and the teachers. Um, but we're also looking at it as a district to see how our professional learning is landing and where their additional teacher development structures are needed in order to support our teachers for whether it's interventions, whether it's acceleration to ensure our students are getting what they need. So, thank you for that. >> And I think that and I think as you're putting that data together for us, if you can highlight some of those interventions, I think
204that that's the other piece to this work, right? The interventions aren't going to look the same. >> That's correct. >> For student, district, and schools. So, thank you. >> That's correct. Thank you, >> member Lopez. >> Thank you, board president, and thank you for presentation. Um, as it was mentioned, we live unfortunately right now in an atmosphere where our differences, our diversity gets targeted while when we should be seeing it as a strength in unity. Uh, so thank you for that data. You know, it's often times we got to be reminding ourselves to be proud of our culture, of our different languages, of our different point of views. You know, it's an opportunity to lead with curiosity and respect. Um I will share the story and then I'll have a few questions. Um throughout my
205school visits I have a very diverse uh 7B. I have a large immigrant community from individuals that come from uh Central America uh Latin America but also from uh China, right? And uh one of the most recent uh school visits in elementary school I was asked by the students how do I identify myself how do I integrate my culture right and I shared for me it's and many of my maybe fellow board members have seen whether it be with my earrings that I always wear proudly from Mexico uh or my shoes or anything integrated right um I share that with with the students Afterwards, I had a student come up to me and she connected on the fact that my parents are from Mitraan. She was born in Mitraan and she shared well you know
206I haven't gone back to my home country and you know I asked and she's like I'm undocumented but she lowered her voice right because she felt it was a sense of shame when it shouldn't be. And I took the moment to ask you know make her feel comfortable but also ask what can we do as a district to support you and your dreams? Uh but I share that story because that's often what our families are going through. So again, thank you for that. Now I'm going to go regarding some of the uh questions I had already have been asked. Uh but regarding particular as I mentioned, I have a Chinese Mandarin and Cantonese uh larging growing student body. And what I've been hearing from parents uh school leaders is that there needs to be more
207support in particular curriculum. I know we've come a long way for our Spanish speaking students, but what is it? What else can right now we do in the short term to help our educators and our families that speak Chinese and um sorry, Mandarin and Cantonese? >> Thank you for your question, board member uh Lopez. We um again with three schools that we select for world language and three schools for dual language each year. We have to be very selective about who uh participates, what other programs does the school have, what is the community asking for. So when we go to schools, we usually uh require a meeting with parents, a meeting with students, a meeting with the staff just to ensure that is it's a community decision to bring a world language program. Um when
208a school has less than 20 students that speak the same language, we we go into uh transitional program of instruction, which is more than anything based on English as a second language. When we have more than 20 students, we're required to provide native language instruction. And yes, at this point, there's so much to do. There is so much to do to really serve our multilingual learners across the district. We are uh ensuring that our ELPs, our English language coordinators at schools and right now we have over 500 in the district uh are very well trained to uh ensure that the school that the the staff is welcoming. Not only that, but to ensure that the language development and that identity stays um well uplifted. There's a lot of work to do. Um we're moving forward
209with a lot of foundational work understanding that we still need to take a lot of steps to be where we want to be. And I do not know but I I have the feeling that one of the schools in your district is the school getting uh the mandering uh world language. Definitely would love to hear which schools. Um and then regard more at the also national level. Recently we heard in the news the US department of education plans to dissolve the office that oversees uh the federal programs and the funding that primarily we get for English learners. um nationwide it's going to impact at least five million. Uh what is the potential impact that it's going to have here in the district and in particular with our title three funding? It's very concerning. We are
210in communication with our business partners and keeping an eye very closely. We meet with ESB regularly uh to also ensure that title three is secure. Uh we do not have a definite answer on that. It will be devastating uh especially in the circumstances that the district is currently in um in terms of uh financial security. Uh so at this point we have two programs that would be impacted and the other program is the American Indian education program which OME also supports that was also moved to a different office. As soon as we have more information, we will provide it. But these are definitely tense times um for us at gracias. >> How can I add to that? One of the budgeting um during our budgeting process at the department level what we've looked at is
211authentic ways uh in which our work touches across departments. So OMA in OSD or OMA and teaching and learning. And so where we have those points of intersection, where can we make sure that that work stays present to the greatest extent possible. So when we think about just alignment and communication, that's a major priority priority for us as we move forward with budgeting in consideration of some of these challenges that you you just one of like the challenge you just mentioned. >> Members, >> uh, thank you so much for your presentation and I'm looking forward to diving deeper into the data. Um, one of my constituents has expressed a a concern that I want to ask you about. Um, her children are at a a school that is designated as a world language school. It's
212had that identity for a while, but um, actually they've lost a Spanish teacher and and so now they only have one because, you know, you only get so many holistic teachers and you have to have certain things. Um, and at the same time, a school more or less down the street uh got designated a world language school. Um, so they're just wondering like what are we doing to um support the current world language schools in maintaining that identity while we try to expand to other schools as well. >> Thank you so much for that question. So just to kind of give you context in in the district we have a total of 254 world language programs. Um 54 of them are actually in elementary schools. We're starting world language at prek because we believe that
213that's the time it takes um to really acquire a new language and hundred 100 programs at the high school level. We have never really engaged in taking away staff from one school to assign to another. This is part of the strategic plan. So we have uh the ability to offer one world language teacher every time we open a new program. We have a very strong world language team that works directly with the office of teaching and learning and we offer uh French, Spanish and mandering curriculum through Skyline. But I will be glad to look into that particular school and see how we can support them. We also have a great number of international teachers that talent brings from other countries to ensure that the world language programs are covered and um there's probably an opportunity
214to look into that particular school. Thank you. >> Thank you very much for your presentation. >> Thank you. Thank you. We'll now open the floor for questions or comments on the items of public agenda. I'd like to note that the following public agenda items will be separate votes taken after MO3. So you can provide your questions and comments for those items before we proceed with each separate vote. EX2 amend report 25-0626-EX2 authorize renewal of the youth connection charter school agreement with conditions. EX6 warning resolution Adabishi Eay, tenure teacher assigned to Ronald Brown Elementary Community Academy. EX7 warning resolution for Devon Brown, tenure teacher assigned to Carrie Jacobs Bond Elementary School. RS2 resolution by the board of education of the city of Chicago regarding the discipline of Adabishi Eay, senior teacher assigned to Ronald Brown Elementary
215Community Academy. RS3 resolution by the board of education of the city of Chicago regarding the discipline of Devon Brown, tenure teacher assigned to Carrie Jacobs Bond Elementary School. The unfinished business item from March 19th, 2026 board meeting 26-0319 RS2 resolution authorize the appointment of members to local school councils to fill vacancies. Board members, comments or questions regarding those public agenda items? Are there any reports you wish to remove from the consent agenda as a separate vote? >> Member Kuster. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um, I don't have anything that I would like to remove, but um, I did want to take this opportunity as we get into the voting items, um, to move that the board of education take up for consideration a vote on the memorandum of understanding concerning May 1st that was, um,
216executed on April 16th, 2026. >> I would second that. Are we allowed? >> Point of order. Uh, Mr. President, I I didn't hear everything that board member Kusta said. Could she repeat her motion? >> Yes. I move that the board of education take up for consideration and vote on the memorandum of understanding theou concerning May 1st that was executed on April 16th, 2026. Point of order. Can we add items to the agenda at this point? They haven't been on the They haven't been notified 48 hours in advance. >> We cannot take a vote on that. >> Then I Well, I guess I would ask that we get um an explanation as to why we can't take a vote on that. I guess um I'd like to know sort of whyUUS do not come in front
217of the board then for a vote um as sort of extensions of the contract and this one in particular um calling for taxpayer funded items and um for commitment from board members for working groups curricular development um and a couple of other things. So I'd like an explanation then please if that could be provided. I'm going to def defer to our acting general counsel. >> Sure. Um, board member Kuster, the Open Meetings Act requires uh 48 hours notice in order for the board to vote on an item. So, the item cannot be voted on today. Um, but the matter can be taken up for consideration for the next uh board meeting um as long as it's on the agenda. And then um with respect to the second portion of your question um I'd prefer that
218that communication uh remain privileged under the attorney client privilege so we can have that communication um offline. >> So Robert's rules does not allow you to make motions on the floor for things like that. >> It's the open meetings act that requires 48 hours notice um for the board to be able to vote um on an item. >> Okay. Thank you. The floor is still open. Members ECO. >> Um yeah, thank you. Um I wanted to comment on a couple of the items that we're voting on today. Um one of the items is the one regarding professional learning, which uh honestly I had originally planned to abstain on. Um, and that's not because I don't think professional learning is important, but because it is so important and I have many questions about exactly what we're
219getting for the money we're spending. Um, but a number of my questions got answered and I really appreciate it with good answers. Um, so I am going to go ahead and vote to approve it. But I still do have other questions like for example um if skyline is our approved curriculum why are we spending 40% of the uh professional learning funds on other curricula and how is it determined which schools get their curriculum choice paid for and uh which do not in terms of professional learning. And then secondly uh why do we not have a way to rate the effectiveness of professional learning? um we were told customer satisfaction but that's not a measure of effectiveness. So I have other questions besides that and I I guess um the issue really is that often we
220don't have enough opportunity to really thoroughly understand the issues that we're being asked to vote on and moving forward I hope that we can remedy that situation. Um the other item I want to comment on is the food contract. So this morning we got to taste samples of some of the meals. It was quite enjoyable. Um and several of us had the opportunity to tour open kitchen site uh which was also very eye openening for me. Um I learned a lot about the challenges that have to be overcome and changing menus and ensuring that each school has the means and the training to make sure that the food they serve is the best quality possible. And obviously there are many challenges but nonetheless as we anticipate that there will be a new RFP for next
221year. I think it's imperative that we strive for a significantly better result than 60% of students eating the meals. Um, improving the food is the most common desired change I hear from students as I go around to my schools. So, I I think that it's a priority because we know our students cannot learn well when they don't eat well. Member Gutierrez, >> member Gopez. >> Thank you, board president. Um, regarding the items that we're going to be voting on the consent agenda, very similar to board member Sakor regarding the lunch um vendors. Uh, are we I'll be voting as a yes. I'm saying that it's important that we provide the food to our students. Uh but it's one of the also items that I've been hearing in school visits uh from the students themselves and
222also when I speak with parents uh when I'm out there you know at attending meetings in the community or canvasing and they uh they bring up whether it's you know to quote a student it if it was more tasty the food will be better. Uh the other is that one of the other complaints I keep hearing is regarding the pizza that it's something that they even staring at it is not appetizing. Um you know some of the other suggestions that they have it's some food that might be more culturally revalent given that I represent very diverse constituency. Um, so there was a lot of feedback that I'm always hearing as it pertains to to the food and while I know during ARC meeting it was mentioned that there's been some improvements over time, it's something
223that needs to be crucial and kept as a main item as we move forward when it's an open bidding process. While yes, we want to be uh you know selective when it comes to how we spend the money, but also it doesn't mean just because we want to save money that we are going to short change our students and what they receive um as a meal, you know, especially because we want them to be uh have energy, still be able to uh pay attention after they're done with their meal. Thank you. We'll now proceed with the vote on the public agenda items. Board Secretary, please proceed. >> Thank you, President Harnen. I'll proceed with the items on the public agenda. Read the board report numbers and brief titles. I believe board member Blae has motion
224MO2 regarding the record of proceedings. I move that the record of proceedings of the agenda review committee of March 4th, 2026, special board meeting of March 9th, 2026, board meeting of March 19th, 2026, and special board meeting of March 30th, 2026. We've had a lot of meetings um prepared for by the board secretary be approved and that such recordings of proceedings be posted on the Chicago Board of Education website in accordance with section 2.06B of the open meetings act. >> Is there a second? >> I second the motion. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. [clears throat] >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez I. Member Bole. >> I. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >>
225Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Hi. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President BZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. Thank you. 19 eyes, zero nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. President Harden, I'll continue with items that do require a vote. RS1, resolution authorize appointment of members to local school councils to fill vacancies. P1, authorize the commencement of the public comment period for the comprehensive non-discrimination harassment and retaliation policy. PO2 amend victim's economic security and safety act. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to comply with the state law. These items do require a vote. >> Is there
226a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Opposed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> I. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Hi. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President BZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicur. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deerry. >> I. >> 19 I zero naz. These matters are adopted by the board. President Harden, I'll continue with a communication and read it into the record. This item does
227not require a vote. CO1, communication from the acting chief financial officer concerning the annual comprehensive financial report act for of the board for fiscal year 2025. The Office of Finance has prepared the fiscal year 2025 annual comprehensive financial report pursuant to section 34-29 of the Illinois school code. The board retained the independent certified public accounting firm of Baker Tilly US LLP to audit the basic financial statements of the board as of and for the fiscal year ended June 30th, 2025. Baker Tilly US LLP has completed the audit and issued an unmodified report on the basic financial statements which is included in the annual comprehensive financial report. Copies of the annual comprehensive financial report have been distributed to the members of the board in advance of this meeting. Today the annual comprehensive financial report is being
228presented to and accepted by the board. The report will be filed with the official records of the board and transmitted to the mayor of the city of Chicago and the Chicago city council as required by law. President Harden, I'll continue with items that do require a vote. As you noted earlier, separate votes will be taken at the end of all consent agenda votes. EX1, transfer of funds. MS1, authorize the renaming designation of schools. OP1 amend lease agreement with the Catholic Bishop of Chicago. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to revise exhibit A to correct the location of one of the school sites. OP1 was a draft on the agenda. The final report will be included in the agenda of action. I'd also like to note an extension for board member Lopez on the whole report
229of OP1. I'll continue with PR1. Authorize the second final renewal agreement with various vendors to provide professional learning services. PR2 amend the first and second final renewal with various vendors for the purchase of maintenance, repair, and operation supplies and personal protective equipment. President Harton, this amendment is necessary to add an additional vendor. I'll continue with PR3, authorize the pre-qualification status of a new agreement with various vendors to provide services for the green schools solar program. PR4, authorize the fourth final renewal agreement with various vendors for food management services. PR5, report on the award of construction contracts and changes to construction contracts for the capital improvement program. PR6 amend the second final renewal agreement with RLC Canning, Inc. for desk service desk and tech support services. President Hart in this amendment is necessary to extend the
230agreement for one year and increase the not to exceed amount. I'll continue with PR7 amend the first and second final renewal agreement with Sentinel Technologies Inc. President Hart in this amendment is necessary to extend the agreement for a year and increase and increase the not to exceed amount. I'll continue with PR8. Authorize the first final renewal agreement with Sentinel Technologies Inc. for firewall, firewall licensing, maintenance, and support services. For the record, PR1 through PR4 and PR 6 through PR8 were drafted on agenda. The final reports will be included in the agenda of action. President Harden, these items do require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. Member
231Lopez with the noted abstension on the whole report of PO1. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> I. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President BZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. Yes, >> member Thorakura. >> Yes, >> member Blae. >> I >> member Zachor. >> Yes, >> member delay. >> 19 I zero nays for reports EX1, MS1, OP, I'm sorry, EX1, MS1, and PR1 through PR8. The count for OP1 was n 18 eyes, zero nays. These matters are adopted by the board. I'm sorry. One abstension for OP1. So 18 I's, zero nays, one
232abstension for OP1. These matters are adopted by the board. President Har, I'll continue with additional items on the public agenda that do not require a vote. PR9, Chief Procurement Officer, delegation of authority report for February 2026 and chief financial officer report for February 2026. Ex3 report on principal contracts new. EX4 report on principal contracts renewals. EX5 report on the chief executive officer pursuant to board rule 5-4 AR1 report on board report recisions. President Harden, these items just need to be accepted by the board. >> Please mark received and filed. >> President Harden, I will continue with items from the acting general counsel that do require a vote. AR2 amend the continued retention of various outside council law firms. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to increase spending authority for one outside council law firm. I
233would also like to note an extension for board member Gutierrez for the following law firms on AR2. Burke Warren McKay and Saratell PC Meer Brown LLP and Greenberg Triorg LLP AR3 workers compensation payment for lumpsum settlement for Patricia Hunter Scales President Harden. These items do require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? I second the emot I second the motion. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> I second the motion. We're voting. >> Oh, we're taking the vote. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> I. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. Ma'am.
234>> Member Rio Sierra. >> Hi. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Member. Vice President Veles. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierz with the noted abstensions on the law firms on AR2. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> Hi. 19 eyes, zero nays. This these matters are adopted by the board. President Harden, I will continue with items from the superintendent chief executive officer that do require a vote. EX8 warning resolution Christina Pasho's tenure teacher assigned to Mariano Asella Elementary School. EX9 EX9 is noted in the public agenda is to appoint chief officer. So the action before the board for EX9 is transfer and appoint chief education officer effective April 24th 2026 Kareem Assaf. The final report will be
235included in the agenda of action. President Harden, these items do require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So move. >> Is there a second? >> I second the motion. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. Member Member Boy. >> I. Member Wallace. >> Hi. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Hi. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Me. >> Vice President BZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachar. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. I'm sorry. Did you say
236I >> I >> Thank you. 19 I zero nays. These matters are adopted by the board. President Harden, I'll continue with items from the board that require a vote. RS4, resolution by the board of education of the city of Chicago regarding the discipline of Christina Pasho's tenure teacher assigned to Mariano Aswuel Elementary School. RS5 resolution approving interim superintendent chief executive officers recommendation to dismiss educational support personnel. RS6 resolution approving interim superintendent chief executive officer's recommendation to dismiss probationary appointed teachers. President Harden, these items do require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> Some moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> I. Member Wallace. >> I. Member Kuster. >>
237I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. Ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President Vez. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicura. >> Yes. >> Member Bliss. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 19 eyes's zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board. President Horn and Al, I believe board member Rio Sierra has motion MO3. I move that the board adopt the minutes of the closed session meetings of March 4th, 2026, March 9th, 2026, March 19th, 2026, and March 30th, 2026. Pursuant to section 2.06 06 of the Open Meetings Act. Board members review these minutes and determine that the
238need for confidentiality exists. Therefore, the minutes of the closed session meetings held on March 4th, 2026, March 9th, 2026, March 19, 2026, and March 30th, 2026 shall be maintained as confidential and not available for public inspection. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano, >> yes. >> Member Smith, >> I. >> Member Lopez, >> I. >> Member Bole, >> I. Member Wallace. >> Hi. >> Member Kuster. >> Hi. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Hi. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President BZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes.
239>> Member Deberry. That was an I >> I >> thank you. 19 I zero nays. This matter is adopted by the board. >> President Harden will now proceed with a separate votes as noted earlier with a separate vote on EX2. Amendable report 25320 EX6 authorized renewal of the youth connection charter school agreement with conditions. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? I second the motion. >> We'll now open this matter up for discussion. >> Member Kuster. >> Oh, I'm sorry. It's still on from >> President Harden. I move to divide 26-0423-EX2 into two parts. first to relocate the Chattam campus currently located at 9035 South Langley Avenue to a facility located at [clears throat] 4017 South Drax Boulevard effective July 1st 2026 and
240any other pro provision associated with the relocation and second approve the self-closure of the Espira Pantoa attendance center effective July 1st 2026 and any other provision associated with the self-closure >> is Is there a second? >> Second. >> I second. >> It's been moved a second. Please call roll. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with the uh roll call vote on the motion to divide the question into two recommendations. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> Hi. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> I. >> Member Wallace. >> Hi. Member Kuster, >> no. >> Member Pope, >> yes. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> yes. >> Member Rivas, >> no. >> Member Brown, >> yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra, >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President Veles. >> Yes. >> Member
241Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. Member Blae, >> yes. >> Member Zachor, >> yes. >> Member Deberry, >> 17 eyes, two nays, zero abstensions. The U motion to divide the YCCS report into two parts has been adopted. We will now proceed with the vote on the relocation of the Chattam campus currently located at 9035 South Langley Avenue to a facility located at 417 South Drexel Boulevard effective July 1st, 2026 and any other provision associated with the relocation. >> Is there a motion? >> Motion. >> Is there a second? >> A second. We'll now open this matter up for discussion. There being none, please proceed a roll call vote. Thank you. I'll proceed with the vote on the relocation of the Chattam campus currently located at 9035 South Langley
242Avenue to a facility located at 4017 South Drexel Boulevard effective July 1st, 2026 and any other provision associated with the relocation. Member Lozano, >> yes. >> Member Smith, >> I. >> Member Lopez, >> I. >> Member Bole, >> I. >> Member Wallace, >> I. >> Member Kuster, >> I. Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. Ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President BZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. 19 eyes, zero nazs, zero abstensions. The motion uh for the relocation of the Chattam campus is adopted. >> Great. And I'd
243like to move to postpone the motion regarding 26-0423-EX2, the self-closure of the Aspira Pentoha Attendance Center effective July 1, 2026, and any other provisions associated with the relocation to the next regular board meeting on May 20th, 2026. Is there a second? >> We'll now open the matter up for discussion. >> Member Kuster. >> No, I'm sorry. member Bole. >> Please proceed with a roll call vote. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with the uh roll call vote on the motion to postpone 260423 EX2 self-closure of the Spear PenAttent Center effective July 1st, 2026 and any other provisions associated with the relocation to the next regular board meeting on May 28th, 2026. Member Loausano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> Yes. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> No. >> Member Wallace. >> Hi. >>
244Member Kuster. >> No. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> No. >> Member Rivas. >> No. >> Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. Vice President VeZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I >> member Biggs. >> No. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deubberry. >> I. >> 14 eyes, five nays, no abstensions. the motion to um postpone the self-closure of the Spir Pen Toha attendance center effective July 1st, 2026 and any other provisions associated with the re relocation to the next regular board meeting on May 28th, 2026 has been adopted. President Harden, we will now continue with the separate votes on EX6 warning resolution adabc eay tenure teacher assigned to Ronald Brown
245Elementary Community Academy. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> We'll now open this matter up for discussion. >> Member Rosfeld. >> Yeah, I have a statement here. Um, I vote with my values and when a neutral hearing officer recommends termination and our CEO concurs, I believe the board should act accordingly. My vote today is constrained by what is before us. My judgment is not. Full stop. In the case of Miss Devin Brown and Ms. Adabishi Eay, I am voting yes on the warning resolution because that's what is before the board. But I want this on the public record. My preference consistent with our CEO's recommendation was termination. I am not satisfied with this outcome. >> Member Bole. >> Yeah. While
246I am voting in favor of the warning resolution and the accompanying payment of the back salary to both Adabishi Eay and Devin Brown, I wish to state for the record that I would have preferred termination as recommended by the CEO and the ISBY hearing officer following the administrative hearing process laid out in state law >> member Kuster. >> It's real this time. Um I would like to echo uh the sentiments of my colleagues and say that while I am voting in favor of this warning resolution as well um and the back pay for both of these employees, Adabisha Eay and Devon Brown. I would also like to say that I would have preferred the recommendation from our CEO superintendent and the ISBY hearing officer um following the administrative hearing process laid out in state law.
247Thank you. Member Rivas, >> I'd just like to echo uh what uh my fellow board members have stated uh regarding the importance of making sure that we're listening to the professionals that are hired by this board to be able to conduct um these uh hearings, the ASP hearing officer, our general counsel and following the recommendation of our CEO and superintendent. Um that is uh that is always the preference. Um, and I think that uh we spend a lot of money and a lot of resources to ensure that we have fair processes. Um, and I believe that we should be sticking to the recommendations laid out and presented to us by our general counsel and CEO. >> I'll proceed comments. >> That concludes the comments. I'll proceed with a roll call vote on EX6. Member Lozano.
248>> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> Yes. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> I. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President VeZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I >> member Zachor. >> Yes. Member Deberry. >> Is that an I? >> Yes. I >> thank you. 19 eyes, zero nays, zero abstensions. This matter is adopted by the board. >> President Harden will now proceed with the separate vote um on EX7 warning resolution. Devon Brown, tenure teacher assigned to Carrie Jacobs Bond Elementary School. This item
249does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. We now open this matter up. >> There being no comments, we'll move to a vote. >> I'll proceed with the roll call vote on EX7. Member Smith. Hi. >> I'm sorry. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> Hi. >> Member Lopez. >> Hi. >> Member Bole. >> I. >> Member Wallace. >> Hi. >> Member Kuster. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President VZ. >> Yes. Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deerry.
250>> I. >> 19. I zero nays. This matter is adopted by the board. President Harden. We will continue with a separate vote on RS2 resolution by the board of education of the city of Chicago regarding the discipline of Adabishi Eay, tenure teacher assigned to Ronald Brown Elementary Community Academy. President Harden, for the record, this resolution reflects that the board of education issues an opinion order in order. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? Second. >> This matter is now open for discussion. Member Rosenfeld. Member Brown. Um this point of clarity. Um Mr. Chairman, what's the difference between this and what we just voted on? And what is an opinion and order? I don't remember seeing anything about that. So, the warning resolution was
251coming from the CEO that um also included directives for improvement for the employee. Um, this resolution that you're voting on now is noting that the the teacher is was suspended for time served and there is a back pay amount noted on there. Um, an opinion in order is an additional report that gets filed with the state upon adoption of this resolution and is also sent to the tenure teacher in um the matter. >> Are there any other comments or questions? Boy, >> so just to make sure I understand. So the first vote was accepting the warning resolution and the second vote basically is authorizing the back pay. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Correct. >> Member Smith. And so, uh, to be clear, would a no vote mean that the back pay is not authorized >> if
252the matter fails of adoption? >> Um, yes, general counsel. >> Yeah, just briefly. Um, so the second vote that you're taking now is the vote about discipline. discipline that will be issued to the employee as a and then the discipline um is for time served which was discussed with your independent council um a couple of weeks ago and this is the board report that um you know finalizes your decision on discipline. >> So let me be clear is is it the same thing that a no vote means no backpack? Like what does a no vote mean? Well, under state law, the employee is entitled to back pay because the employee will be reinstated to their position. So, a no vote would mean that you disagree with the with disciplining the student with the disciplining the
253teacher. Member Gopz, >> following up on that question for board member Smith, if this motion doesn't pass, does that mean the district is not following state law? >> Uh, no. That's not what this means. So, if the motion doesn't pass, then it essentially means that the board is choosing not to discipline the employee. The employee will be reinstated with back pay no matter what. >> Okay. Thank you. And I I think this is also uh an example of maybe some policies that need to be updated at the state level. Um given that in some situations employee with the warning were found that there was some issues that need corrective and whether the taxpayers should still be paying even though they took actions they shouldn't have. Um so I think it's a part of maybe conversation
254with their IGA team. Thank you. I do want to clarify that on this resolution um on the report in section two under the now therefore clause it states Eay shall be issued a time served suspension of 90 days and that wage amount shall be deducted from her back pay less mitigation by the teacher >> member Paul I turned it off by mistake opposite problem Could you clarify? My understanding is if we vote yes, uh the person will be penalized the 90 days of suspension that we're supporting and if not, the person would get the entire back pay amount. Is that correct? That's correct. Thank you. >> We can now move to the roll call vote. >> Thank you. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> Abstain. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole.
255>> I. >> Member Wallace. >> Hi. >> Member C. Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. Ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. I >> vice president. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I abstain. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 17 I zero nays. Two abstensions. This matter is adopted by the board. President Harden will now proceed with a separate vote as noted earlier on RS3 resolution by the board of education of the city of Chicago regarding the discipline of Devon Brown, tenure teacher assigned to Carrie Jacobs Bond Elementary School. President Harden, for the record,
256this resolution reflects that the board of education issues an opinion in order. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? Second. We'll now open this matter up for discussion. Member Brown. >> We can move to a roll call vote. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with the roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> I. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President BZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >>
257Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> Hi. >> 19 eyes, zero nays, zero abstensions. This mo this matter is adopted by the board. President Harden will now proceed with the UN an unfinished business item from the March 19th, 2026 board meeting. I'll read the board report number and brief title. This item does require a vote 260319 RS2 resolution authorize appointment of members to LLC's to fill vacancies. President Harden, this resolution was adopted in part in March. Clemente High School is a standing matter deferred from the March from the board meeting held on March 19th, 2026. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Are any comments before proceeding with the roll call vote? >> Yes, sir. Um, Mr. Chairman,
258I was again, Clemente is in my district. I was approached by uh several local school council members saying that the gentlemen that they want to that some of the council wants to appoint um to the non- staff non-eing staff position uh is a wonderful person. Um but that the person who was actually on leave is coming back on May 1st. Um, so they're, you know, they're asking us not to vote on it and let the local school council work their business out themselves. Um, and so I'm supporting that as a position. So I wanted to just recommend that maybe we table this issue uh and allow the local school council uh to handle their business. One of the things that uh when I met with them that I I recommended because democracy is, you know,
259it's tricky, it's sticky, it's not always nice, is that you create more transparency so that they actually do a student forum and a parent forum to get input on what the community wants to see in a in a principal and then hold the local school council to actually using those recommendations as they select a principal. But what will not help democracy is two warrant sides and then we picking a side. And so I think my recommendation is that we table this um until the May the May board meeting um while also giving them some guidance and some support through local school council relations. Uh again because this person is coming back from leave next week. So it's not like they're not coming back. So, you're introducing a motion to table. Yes, sir. Is there a
260second? >> Second. >> I have a I have a question regarding that. Um, if if we leave this vacancy open, are there any ramifications to the LSC itself? Um, because not coming back till May. If there's no ramifications and in less than 10 days this person will be back, is it worth tableabling or is it worth to just defer indefinitely and take no action and allow this person to return in a week if there's no ramifications to the LSC? >> I mean, I think that would be a question for the LSC relations team. Um, but essentially what the board would be voting on and placing is is uh replacing someone for the vacancy. Um, but once the staff member returns, then um the appointed person is no longer in that spot, right? So, it would
261really just be for 10 days or until the person comes back from leave. That's my understanding. >> Yeah, it's it's like eight days including weekends. So that's why I just defer like def tableing it until next week. Won't it we won't need to vote on it at all. It'll be over, right? It might become moved, right? >> Member Smith. >> So to be clear, to vote yes and appoint someone, that person will be uh when the person comes back, they'll get their spot back anyway. So no, I'm okay. Am I correct in that? You are correct. But there is a motion on the floor right now to um table the vote on this item on the item that was deferred from March 19th. So the Clemente appointment, that's the motion on the floor. [clears throat]
262One more question. Just just to be clear, the folks at Clemente asked you to just leave it alone, right? So, what you're doing is what they've asked you to do as their representative. Got it. Thank you. >> Was there a second on your motion, Board Member Brown? >> There was a second. >> Okay. I mean, >> I'm Mike. >> Could we [clears throat] amend the motion to simply >> defer indefinitely that we don't because even if you table it till next time, we won't be voting on it if the person has returned. There's no point in voting on it. And if they've asked you to have us just leave it, could we amend the motion instead? >> I I do want to point out that a motion to table is not amendable. >> Got it.
263>> What was the original motion >> To table. >> Member Biggs. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Um, I just want to point out that that employee leaves can change at any moment. So, an employee who's set to come back in 8 or 10 days may or may not come back in 8 or 10 days. Um, it's unclear to me who from the school is making the request that this be deferred. Um, it seems to me that the principal and the local school council have put this before us. So, it feels responsible in this moment to vote on what's been put before us and then when someone comes back to fill their spot, um, they can certainly do that when that time comes. member Reus. Uh >> I'll just add um we we've been receiving a
264lot of uh communication uh a lot of emails um a lot of meeting requests. There's been a lot a lot of reports uh related to the LSC at Clemente. Um and so um although some have asked asked that this is tabled, there's a whole a whole other side that have asked that this move forward. And so, um, I I I struggle with saying we're going to table because one side told us to or asked us to, uh, when there's a whole other side that even this morning still we're receiving messages about um, messages of support to ensure that this person was appointed to the LSC. >> Okay, we'll move forward on the vote on the matter that's on the floor. >> May I just say one other quick thing? I think by voting yes, we
265are taking sides. >> And so our recommendation to them by voting to um accept the uh the person to take the position of the non-eing local uh uh uh school staff, we are taking sides. My recommendation to them as uh a person who trained local school councils for many years, I explained to them that they have to create more democracy. That's what they have to do. I'm not expecting everybody to get along on the local school council there. There is So, board member Rivas is right. There are two different sides that are kind of going at it with each other, but they're asking us to take sides. And so, my position to them because some of the things that that that side that wants us to table it was saying I knew were not accurate
266just based off Illinois school code. But then there was some things they were raising that I've experienced and I knew were legitimate. And so if we sit both of them down, they're going to have a position. But what helps those situations and what you know under Dr. King's leadership, I know we're going to get a lot of lot better at what this district has never done a good job of is taking community wisdom in communities. They think we're passionate. They don't think we're wise. And so it's important to pull people together, pull young people together, pull parents together, hear from the community, and then let the community hold that local school council to a process. It's not our job to take a side. And so that's the position that I'm taking and and so and
267and the reason for the motion. >> May I I have one additional question? >> Sure. >> So I I hear you and respect what you're saying. M um I'm I'm thinking through a democratic process here, right? And local school council has been elected and then this body has voted to appoint this person in a vacancy. Correct. >> No, >> that's that's the only way this would come before us. >> No, I I can explain what happened. In the in the last local school council meeting, they were given some incorrect advice. The incorrect advice was that they can vote on the principal's contract without putting it on the agenda. And so several LSC members got up and left the meeting. So they couldn't make the vote. So this side, the side that that board member Rivas
268is talking about is pushing us this way, but there is no official vote. There has been no official vote. They want to appoint this person so that then they can appoint the principal. You get what I'm saying? And so that's that's my understanding, but there has been no and I' I've talked to both sides. There has been no official vote, but they were given they were given some bad advice from us. >> Member Bo. >> Yeah. Question for um uh Liz. Do you remember I forwarded you an email? Was somebody from Clemente like saying something was violated? Did we check that out? Do you know? >> Yes, I think all of the board received a communication from LSC relations related to um any of the complaints uh that had come before the board related to
269open meetings act violations or other items, you know, allegations to be investigated and I think you received an update on that. >> No. This was um this was April 22nd when the person said that a board member was getting involved in the Clemente LSC or something and I just forwarded to you like please advise because and then you said you would have it forwarded somewhere I think to maybe Kasha. >> Okay. So the the email communication that was forwarded yesterday. Yes. Um I don't know that that's been addressed by LSC relations. >> Okay. So I mean that doesn't um impact this. >> No. >> Okay. >> Member Lopez >> to clarify and also following up in the question from board member Biggs to the candidate before us that we've been we are getting asked to
270approve. Can you walk us again through the process of how this name got to us? Is it the LLC that they voted among themselves for the temporary? >> I I would need um the chief of face and the chief of local school council relations to answer that question. >> Okay. >> Board member Lopez, can can I can I offer something on that? Mhm. >> There has been no local school council vote that they agreed to and then they brought a proposal to us. You have two factions that are divided right now. So, a particular faction moved the the the that proposal to us. But there has been no vote. There has been no this is the guy like the LSC agreed this is who we want to appoint. What we have is again two sides
271that don't agree but there there has not been a lot of engagement with the Clemente community to my understanding around who this person who who the the next instructional leader should be. So that's what that's what I'm calling for if that makes sense. member Rivas. Uh >> I just the final thing I'll say on this is that if we don't vote on this now, um I we just get a lot of requests related to LSC issues. uh we have hundreds upon hundreds of LSC's uh within the district and um I would really dislike if we became the um place where all the complaints are received and we have to take sides. Um, and so if we don't appoint today, what is it that happens next month where there's an other another LSC where there's these
272issues that come up and we receive a an appointment that uh I would hope came through a democratic process as that's how typically people are voted on to LSC's. um you know if that comes before us again and then we have outcry from multiple sides and then we decide then to take a side by not appointing someone to an LSC. >> Are we ready to address the motion that's on the floor to table? >> President Harden, I have an answer to board member Lopez's question. >> Could you speak up, please? >> Yes. >> General Council, I can't hear you. I have an answer to board member Lopez's question about what occurred here. Um, so the LSC declared a temporary vacancy due to one of the members leave. Then a non-binding staff poll was conducted to
273select the person that is before you. And so that is the um appointment that you are considering is for the temporary appointment of the person that was selected in the non-binding staff poll. Thank you for a clarification. Can we move the motion that's on the for the table to a roll call vote? >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> No. >> Member Smith. >> No. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. No >> member Wallace. >> I >> member Kuster. >> No. >> Member Pope. >> Abstain. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> No. >> Member Rivas. >> No. >> Member Brown. >> Ma'am. >> Member Rio. Rio Sierra. Hi. >> Member Bannon. I me. >> Vice President Vez. >> Abstain. Member Gutierrez. >> Abstain. >> Member Biggs. >> No. >> Member Thorakura. >>
274Yes. >> Member Blae. >> Hi. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deerry. >> I. >> Nine eyes's seven nazs. Three abstensions. This motion fails of adoption. So the matter would go back to the vote as it was posted as the unfinished business item um on the public agenda. Member Boy, are any comments or questions related to the initial agenda item? >> I think I just want want to say something uh to general counsel. Um the non-binding is a similar issue that we had with Hancock which is why we need to resolve bring some resolution to that non-binding issue because the non nonbinding issue is something that internally has been created and not necessarily uh for us. So I think I think it's still superintendent as you can tell we have lots of local school
275council issues and we have to figure out a way to um be much more efficient in determining resolution because these things seem to be dragging on on and on and on. And I think I come up with at least since we've been on the board, 15 schools that come to the board on a constant basis to talk to us and and it's the same same stuff. And it then gets picked up in emails that are sent. Um and that's not even to include the things that are on in the Twitter world, right, that maybe don't make it necessarily here as well. So um thank you. >> I just wanted to provide clarity. Um, board member Gutierrez is the non-binding staff pole process is something that's laid out in the Illinois school code. So, it's it's
276not a CPS, you know, process or guideline. It's laid out in state law. >> Are there any other comments or questions related to the matter? So just so I understand, so the vote that's going to be coming before us now is whether or not the non-binding person that was recommended will get to serve for the next eight days. Okay? We'll get to serve the remainder of the vacancy. Okay? Until the other person comes back from the leave me first. Okay? Okay, let's proceed with the roll call vote. >> Member Lozano, >> yes. >> Member Smith, >> yes. >> Member Lopez, >> I. >> Member Bole, >> yes. Member Wallace, >> abstain. >> Member Kuster, >> I. Member Pope. [sighs] >> I'm sorry. Can you say it into the microphone? I'm going to say no >>
277for the court reporter. That was a no. Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> No, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Nay. >> Member Bannon. >> No. >> Vice President VeZ. >> Abstain. >> Member Gutierrez. >> Abstain. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. Member thorakura >> abstain. >> Member Blae. >> No. >> Member Zachor. >> No. >> Member Deberry. >> No. >> Eight eyes's seven nazs. Four abstensions. This matter fails of adoption. President Harden. There are no further items on the public agenda. We'll now move into executive session. Vice President Veles, do you have motion MO4? >> I move for the passage of motion number 26-0423-4 and the commencement of a closed session to consider matters permitted under section 2C of the Open Meetings Act subsection one and specified in
278the motion. >> Is there a second? I second the motion. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> I. >> Member Wallace. >> Hi. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President VeZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. Yes. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> Yes. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 19 I zero nays. This matter. This motion is adopted by the board. >> This meeting will now go into close session. >> Board secretary,
279please proceed. >> President Harden, I'll continue with an executive session item. This item does require a vote. BD1 as noted on the public agenda as is appointment of general counsel. So the action before the board for BD1 is transfer and appoint general counsel effective April 24th, 2026. Elizabeth K. Barton. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> I second. >> There's no discussion for this. proceed with a roll call vote. >> Thank you. Member Lozano. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Foil. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. Vice President VeZ
280>> I. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blaze. >> Sorry. Could you repeat the question? >> We are uh voting on BD1 transfer and appoint gen general counsel effective April 24th, 2026 for Elizabeth K. Barton. No >> member Zachor. >> Abstain member Deberry. Member Brown saying >> member de voting on the transfer and appoint general counsel effect of April 24th 2026 for Elizabeth Barton. Member Deberry. >> I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm doing. >> I'm sorry. What did I We didn't quite I didn't quite catch that. I didn't hear. >> Yeah. >> Okay. You're voting on BD1 transfer and appoint general counsel effective April 24th, 2026 for Elizabeth K. Barton. I >> 14 eyes, one nay, two abstensions. This matter is adopted by
281the board. [applause] >> [applause] >> President Harden, there are no further items on the agenda. >> Thank you. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. So moved. So moved. >> All in favor? We are journ. Thank you everyone.