001If everyone can kindly take your seats, we can begin the meeting. If everyone can kindly take your seats, we can begin the meeting. President Harden, before you begin today's meeting, I would like to read a few announcements. Good morning. Welcome to the March 30th, 2026 special 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 board room is the door which you used to enter this morning. If you're leaving the room, please use this door. The restrooms are outside the board room 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
002officers. Please mark your calendars for the upcoming meetings. The next ARC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 8th, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 23rd, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. The ARC and board meetings will be held at 42 West Madison Street, garden level board room. 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 cpsboe.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. Welcome to the Chicago Board of Education special meeting. Today is March 30th, 2026. I'm President Shawn
003M. Harden. On behalf of my fellow board members, thank you for joining us today. We are holding today's special meeting in the board room at CPS Loop Office, 42 West Madison Street, garden level. I'd like to note that board members and senior leadership are physically present in the board room. Registered speakers may join us in person or virtual if they've opted to do so, and registered observers are joining us in person. The special board meeting of Monday, March 30th, 2026 is hereby called to order. Board secretary, please call the roll. Member Smith? Present. Member Lopez? Present. Member Velez? Present. Member Boyle? Here. Member Wallace, who's joining us virtually via Zoom? Present. Member Custer? Present. Member Pope, who's joining us virtually via Zoom? Here. Member Rosenfeld? Present. Member Rivas? Present. Member Brown? Yes, ma'am. Member Real
004Sierra? Present. Member Bannon? Present. Member Gutierrez? Present. Member Biggs? Present. Member Thodiyakonattu, who's joining us virtually via Zoom? Present. Member Blaise? Present. Member Zackor? Present. Member DeBerry? Present. President Harden? Present. We have 19 members present. We do have a quorum. I'd also like to recognize Elizabeth Barton, acting general counsel. So, before we begin, I would like to first recognize the staff who've made today's meeting possible. I think sometimes we take for granted what goes into putting together a board meeting. Takes a lot of effort, and I just wanted to take a moment to recognize the staff. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. I'd also like to thank my fellow board members uh taking another day and more time out of your schedule to be here today. It too is greatly appreciated uh for making uh today's
005meeting possible. Recognizing that they're a few days ahead of April 1st, which is the filing deadline with various federal, state, and other regulatory agencies, I would like to also recognize staff who worked diligently to complete the district's FY2026 annual comprehensive financial report. Specifically, Wally, Patrick, and Domier, in particular, thank you. Your work has not gone unnoticed. We people appreciate it. President Harden, before you proceed, for the record, note that the following board report is being withdrawn. RS1, resolution regarding the Chicago Board of Education position on school voucher programs. Thank you. The order of meeting will be as follows. We'll begin with public participation. We'll then go into recess. There'll be a closed session. We'll reconvene from closed session, vote on executive session item, and then we'll adjourn. We'll now proceed with today's public participation ses-
006session. Thank you for joining to share your comments with the board. 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 a 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 to speak. This board takes equity of voice very seriously. And while we may not address
007your concerns directly during public participation, CPS leadership is always present 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 may have a conversation. Please use our website, cpsboe.org, if you want to meet with the board member during office hours. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with board members outside of a board meeting, and we thank you for your attention. As a reminder, union representatives will be allotted 5 minutes to speak before public participation, and any elected officials will be allotted 5 minutes to speak after the conclusion of public participation. Board secretary, please
008share the rules of public participation. Thank you, President Harden. Members of the public who registered registered to speak were given the option to attend in person or via an electronic format. For those who preferred to attend via 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 cpsboe.org, or mail 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
009meeting, will be submitted to the board and published within 5 business days on our website at cpsboe.org. Speakers, please listen while I provide directions for public participation. I will 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 2-minute timer. When there are 30 seconds remaining, I'll inform you so that you can proceed to conclude your remarks to allow for the next speaker to begin. For anyone standing when standing with a speaker, note that in order to comply with the city's fire code, please stand along the glass partitions on the marked spots to keep aisles clear. Thank you. President Harden, before we
010begin calling speakers from the speakers list, we do have union reps who would like to address the board. We'll begin with Jackson Potter, CTU vice president, who is here in person. Morning. So, since 2000 when I started as an educator in the district, I think we've had 12 to 13 CEOs when you count the interims. And we've seen during that period the greatest number of schools closed in American history, primarily in the black community. We've seen district leaders kowtow to mega-millionaires and privatizers that unleashed a wave of charter schools that siphoned huge amounts of resources away from the district and now are collapsing, costing the district twice over. We've got a deranged racist in the White House unleashing tirades against our school communities uh because we serve black and brown children and families. So, Chicago
011is top on their hit list for ICE terror, for reductions in funding to vital services like nutritional assistance for our students, Medicaid, housing support, and any program whatsoever that helps students that aren't wealthy, white, Christian, or cisgender. And yet we are seeing transformation in our school system. Uh historic investment in sports in this new collective bargaining agreement. Counselors, social workers, nurses, tech coordinators, case managers, lowest class sizes in a generation, expansion of world language and dual language programs, a black student success plan that's historic, expansion of librarians and sustainable community schools. For the first time a commitment to housing for students in temporary living situations. This is your work and our work together. When we partner, it means we can address the inequities and failed promises of the system. Uh Superintendent King, we've seen how
012that partnership can manifest. Uh we talked last meeting about the NBCT program. Your work to ensure that Aspira students graduate with as little disruption as possible despite the grave and irresponsible actions of the charter operator are to be lauded. Um we've seen your predecessors in contrast partner with the rich and powerful corporations, foundations, billionaires while they gut programs and close schools for our most vulnerable students. You've experienced that heartache directly. Key members of your predecessor's cabinet are now working directly with Michael Sachs and his Common Ground Collective, flooding our electoral system with dark money, offering school board members big checks, some of them in this very room, if they will cosign onto another era of closings and runaway charter expansion. I hope that sorted past remains there where it belongs because a different path available
013and it's also with people in this room. Jitu Brown, who I camped out with in the freezing cold, who starved himself to reopen schools that were wrongfully closed, is on this board. Former educators and principals, community organizers like Emma Lozano, Norma, Ebony, Yesenia. We have an opportunity expand the partnership with people that matter the most. Our students, their families, community organizations, administrators, and recenter the terms of the discussion back to the classroom where it belongs and how we protect our most vulnerable students from an administration hell-bent on erasing their interests, identities, and destroying what little remains of our democracy. I look forward and the CTU extends our hand in partnership that builds upon our collective work in a moment that will require all of our coordination, collaboration, and practice to meet the considerable challenges ahead.
014Uh we're all staring down a nearly billion-dollar deficit in CPS for next year. If you had to enact cuts to meet those gaps, it would be 10,000 staff members. Imagine our schools facing that kind of catastrophe. So, we'll need to use all of our ability to, you know, move our movements and orgs to push the governor and legislature to tax the rich, fully fund the district. We're seeing from, you know, the tax assessors that, you know, the district is, you know, getting about 2% of its pension payment support from the state, whereas the rest of the state gets nearly 100%. >> seconds remaining. Thank you. Um we can't stave off the harm that is on the horizon without being in lockstep in our advocacy and vision. Look forward to doing more of that transformation together
015in a moment that requires all of us to do more. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Before I call the next union rep, I do want to recognize for the record that Dr. Macke King, interim superintendent chief executive officer, joined the meeting at 10:43 a.m. Dr. Alfonso Carmona, acting chief education officer, joined the meeting at 10:42 a.m. And Charles Mayfield, chief operating officer, officer joined the meeting at 10:43 a.m. Our next union rep is Diane Palmer, SEIU Local 73 president. Good morning, President Harden, interim CEO Dr. King, and members of the board. We stand here today at a crossroads. Chicago Public Schools serve 320,000 students, children who deserve the very best this city has to offer. And when we talk about who should lead those schools, we don't just talk about a title, we
016talk about a vision. We talk about values. We talk about who will sit across the table from us and treat our support staff not as a line item in a budget, but as the beating heart of this system. We have the faith that person is Dr. Macke King. I've spent my career in the labor movement because I believe one simple truth, when workers are respected, the work gets better. When support staff are suppo- supported, students thrive. When paraprofessionals are paid fair, classrooms are more stable. When school staff feel heard, schools feel like home. Dr. King understands this, not as a talking point, but as a lived conviction. She has listened, I mean really listened, to the men and women who show up every single day, not for the salary, not for the glory, but because
017they believe in these kids. In a system that has too often treated collective bargaining as an obstacle, uh Dr. King sees it for what it is, a partnership. She knows that sustainable progress in our schools cannot be won through top-down mandates. It is built brick by brick through honest negotiation, mutual respect, and shared sacrifice. Let me be direct about what's at stake. Our members have seen CEOs come and go who promised reform, but delivered chaos and who balanced budgets on the backs of the lowest-paid workers in the building, who talked about equity in press conferences, and then closed schools in black and brown neighborhoods without so much as a community conversation. We have been burned before. We are not naive. But Dr. King feels different, and here is why. We believe that she has a
018record, not a resume built in boardrooms or think tanks, but a record built in schools. Real schools with real children, real challenges, real stakes right here in Chicago. To stretch a resource, to inspire a discouraged students, to hold a grieving pa- uh parent's hand, to lift up burned-out employees. She has done the work. She is the work. And critically, she has committed to us. She has committed to transparency in the budgeting process. And we are asking her to commit to ending the practice of leaving vacancies unfilled and overlooking our members. We are asking that she commit to expanding mental health resources for students and staff by allocating resources to schools that are cleaner, safer, and better supported. And making sure that every school in this city, not just the ones in the well-resourced zip codes,
019has what it needs to succeed. Brothers and sisters, we have a word for a leader who makes commitments and keeps them. We call that person trustworthy. The city has spent decades asking our members to do more with less, to love these children into success despite crumbling buildings, outdating textbooks, and wages that forced them to work second jobs, and go without over the over the summer months. That era must end, and it will not end with a CEO who sees labor as an obstacle. It ends with a CEO, a leader who sees labor as partners, who sees our students as the priority, who sees this moment for what it is, a chance to get it right. I believe we at SEIU Local 73 believe that Dr. Macke King is ready. Our schools are ready and our
020children cannot wait. Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Kija Banks, CPA president. Good morning. Today we mark a pivotal moment. That moment is to move our district from trauma to trust. It is an opportunity to restore the confidence in CPS. The confidence of our learners, the confidence of their parents and their communities. To restore the confidence that CPS really is the best place for our learners to learn and grow. Your decisions about who our next CEO superintendent will be reflects a commitment to leadership that is grounded in experience, stability, and a clear understanding of the complexities of our district. Over the past year, CPAA has had the opportunity to work alongside Dr. King during a period defined by significant fiscal pressure, leadership transition, and operational demands across all of our schools.
021Together we have navigated a historical budget deficit, ensured that schools open successfully, avoided disruptive mid-year cuts that it would have destabilized all of the learning environments across our city. Throughout this work, Dr. King demonstrated a willingness to engage directly with school leaders, listen with intention, and approach decision-making with a focus on continuity and outcomes. We are especially appreciative of Dr. King's clear and unequivocal recognition that CPAA is the sole and legal representative voice of Chicago's principals and and assistant principals. Her commitment to engaging with CPAA as a true labor partner has strengthened the foundation for a labor management relationship that respects professional expertise of school leaders, those ultimately responsible for delivering the results and successes celebrated across this district. This acknowledgement is not just symbolic. It is essential to building a system that functions with
022coherence, trust, and mutual accountability. Dr. King's commitment to bringing labor partners together, all to the table, instead of focusing on our differences, is historic and is much appreciated. While we approach this next chapter with both optimism and clarity about the work that lies ahead, the challenges that face CPS are real. They will require disciplined leadership, honest dialogue, and shared accountability. We recognize that we will not always agree. There will be moments of tension, there will be difficult decisions, and there will always be competing priorities. However, our commitment to the success of all of our learners and stability of our schools requires that we continue this work together, not just with our CEO superintendent, but with you, the board members who are charged with making those crucial decisions consistently and in good faith. Our priorities remain
023stabilizing the district's financial position while identifying new sustainable revenue streams that protects our schools from ongoing uncertainty, modernizing the local school council structure to ensure that governance aligns with the realities of leading schools today, and preserving our principals' autonomy and authority, and improving the working conditions of principals and assistant principals so that the role is not only effective, but it is sustainable sustainable and safe, and it is worthy of the long-term commitment you see for school leaders. We look forward to continuing to build on this progress that we've made, and in working in partnership with Dr. King, her leadership, and this very board. We want to move Chicago public schools together forward with clarity, stability, and purpose. Thank you for your comments. President Harden, we are now ready to call registered speakers from the speakers
024list and we'll begin with William Scott, speaker number one. Uh giving honor unto God to be able to even stand here at 85.10, a 60-year veteran of Chicago public school. When I looked in the faces of some of your 28 members, my reputation would precede my appearance. But with 2 minutes, I better jump right to it. I'm here, Dr. King, because I heard you speak on W V O N. I'm here, Dr. King, because of Rufus Williams. Our long interview, no no phone calls from the public. I'm here, Dr. King, because of Pastor Harris sent me an email that exceeded the capacity of my phone. So I said, "Let me come and tell you myself, not just to praise you after the vote." I'm a little bit premature cuz I know Chicago. But after the
025vote, after the vote, I can tell you standing here based upon my 60th anniversary this year that I can deliver the forgotten senior tsunami to you for volunteers. Cut right to the chase. As you said in your interview, the only way this is going to work is to hear from the students, to hear from the parents, to hear from the community, to hear from the business entities and the faith-based. I'm here, as usual, representing me, solamente, from New York, still visiting Chicago. But I can assure you, since I knew the 2 minutes was going to run out in 2 minutes, >> 30 seconds remaining. what I'm up with. All of you have a printed copy sent of the places I can go to get the copies I want pro bono. So you all have your
026copies and I even gave Dr. King an envelope with some references from prestigious places singing the praises of William Scott. So what I'm looking forward is the vote because if you send someone tomorrow young enough to keep up with me and this energy, I can show you how we can have Chicago schools as the first school in the country to register all students before November who are eligible to vote and get every school to the Obama center. Zero [clears throat] on the clock. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Dwayne Trust, speaker number four, who is joining us virtually. Please un- star six to unmute. Uh good morning, King. Good morning. Can you hear me? Yes, please proceed. All right, good morning. How are you everyone doing? My name
027is Dwayne Trust. Good morning, President Harden, CEO Dr. King, and board members, and all in attendance. I ask that the Chicago Board of Education vote to approve the contract offered to Dr. King. I also ask that the CPS board and CPS not make uh May 1st a day of no school or no non-class day for students. I I get the reason why, but I feel as though that factually that if you really want to be effective with the changes of May 1st, then make it a civic day of civic action. I believe that then the school day could be carved into where kids could be involved in civic activities, learn about different things about civics versus them having a day off and they try to make it up at the end of the school year.
028And we know with our seniors, once they graduate and they're out of prom, they're not going to show back up. So uh I would say that's the most effective way uh May 1st is to make sure our kids are in school that day and not out of school because we know that the most you may get 1,000 kids to participate, but you got another 100,000 out there. But again, I look forward to the board, uh especially the West Side representatives, voting to affirm the uh contract of Dr. King. And uh I'd like to say kudos to Dr. King and your staff. Uh you've dealt with a lot of stuff uh with this journey. And lastly, thank you all for letting me speak before my wife. You have 30 seconds remaining. Thank you for your comments.
029The next speaker is Nelson Jeru, speaker number five. Good morning, President Harden, members of the board, and interim CEO superintendent Dr. King. I'm Nelson Jeru from the Chicago Public Education Fund. Congratulations to all of you on reaching the end of the CEO selection and search process, and good luck with the important work ahead. The end of the school year is now less than 3 months away. And at this point principals and school communities have been contemplating the FY27 budget and how to best prioritize student needs in what we expect will be a tough situation. Considering and approving a budget while facing a structural deficit is never easy. And we, along with many partners, will continue advocating for new revenue for CPS. In the meantime, we ask that schools once again receive a student-centered budget that
030is timely, responsible, and flexible. A timely budget release allows school leaders to make proactive decisions and to work with their communities on any potential tough calls. School teams have been working on the CIWPs that will guide their strategy for the next 2 years. Releasing budgets as soon as you can will allow schools to plan comprehensively and proactively. Second, borrowing to cover operating costs pushes today's challenges onto tomorrow's students. Had such borrowing been approved last year, the deficit we're looking at today could be at least $250 million larger. You have 30 seconds remaining. >> deficit projected to be at least $500 million annually for the next 4 years, such borrowing brings considerable future risks. Finally, local communities know their students and schools best. They understand where tradeoffs can and should be made. A student-centered system trusts
031school leaders and local school councils to make those tradeoffs and to have the autonomy to allocate resources where they are needed most. Last year's process served schools and students very well under very difficult circumstances. We hope you can replicate that effort this year. Congratulations again and thank you all for your leadership. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Vina Velay Valum, speaker number six. Good morning. Uh my name is Vina. I'm a third-term LSC rep and a CPS alumni. In addition to my comment, I'd like to request that board members vote yes on the voucher resolution when it is reintroduced. On Tuesday, March 17th, elections took place in Chicago. On Wednesday, the 18th, another set of elections took place in Chicago with far less due diligence, resulting in 40% of schools having their
032LSC seats filled. Using the 21 board seats as representation, that's the equivalent of filling eight seats. This raises questions about the district's ability to deliver on democratic governance for our school communities. The district takes pride in LSCs as democratic bodies and ways to engage families in school governance. I'd like to share examples of what led to up to and took place on election day. Leading up to election day, schools throughout Chicago received inconsistent guidance despite what is stated in the election guide. Candidates received differing information about allowable campaign materials. An election monitor was incorrectly advising candidates to remain 50 ft away from school boundaries instead of 50 ft away from the entrance. Candidates reported election coordinators were not available the afternoons of the deadlines. The main OLSC our phone line often went to voicemail and
033emails were left on a press for days, so no council members did not have responses to time-sensitive questions. On election day, there were protocol and access issues abound. At 6:10 a.m. at a high school in the Clearing neighborhood, pencils were stationed in polling booths. Pencils. At 7:10 a.m. at a high school in Belmont Cragin, the voting could not be accessed from the main entrance and there was no signage, but there was signage on the 17th. As you are aware, there were numerous issues at North-River Elementary and the community is filing a challenge to the election results. I respectfully request that the board create actionable steps for the district to take to ensure fair, consistent procedures for the next election cycle in 2028. I ask that OLSC adhere to the guidance shared by their office for
034the thousands of candidates to have a fair chance to be elected to the governance body envisioned and instituted by a movement led by communities in partnership with the late Harold Washington. One suggestion is to link candidate statements and former recordings in the election map along with election day instructions for easier access for all. Another is to offer Please conclude your remarks. for mailing ballots as was offered during the pandemic. I'm formally requesting the board's intervention on these matters and I look forward to to working with you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Coda Trust, speaker number seven. Good morning. My name is Coda Trust. I want to bid a good morning to Dr. King and to the board. One of the reasons that I'm here today is I want everybody in the
035room to look at all of the people in the room. And everybody that you see here in the room is here because they have a stake in the education of their child or grandchild or niece or nephew, someone within the system. And right now, as a day-to-day sub, I can stand here and tell you that our children, as well as our teachers, are suffering. And we need help. And we need help in terms of even counseling, not just for some of our students, but for some of ourselves. Some of the things that we're seeing and that we're hearing about is way beyond what we're able to handle on a day-to-day basis in the classroom and to not address it is not fair to us, nor is it fair to the teachers, firstly. Secondly, um I
036want to also, while I'm here, appeal to the board to adopt the contract of Dr. King. I stood here a couple of months ago telling you why I thought she was a good choice. And in addition to that, there's been times where I've been adversaries of of the Board of Education, adversaries of some of you, adversaries of some of the people in this room. But at this point and this time and in this season, we have to work together. We have to find a way to come together on one accord because the lives of our children are at stake. Thank you. And I hail to Dr. Scott. If you wonder where I get it from, he was one of my first teachers at Wendell Phillips High School. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker
037is Pastor Harris, speaker number nine. So, good morning, Mr. Chairman, to the board members and to all of our CPS leadership and to the august body that is in this room today. I stand to say thank all of you all for your consistent work that you do in leading our schools. We are grateful for your partnership and we're grateful for your strong leadership. I trust that your wisdom and I thank you in advance for voting to make Dr. Macklin King the official superintendent and CEO of CPS. She is the right leader with the right vision at the right time. Now, leadership must include partnership that is not adversarial, but truly collaborative. Uh we are proposing community action councils across the district to ensure that every vote that you take reflects the real voices of your
038communities that you represent. These councils will strengthen accountability while preserving autonomy. While current councils do exist, we have never been fully respected, adequately funded, or consistently engaged by CPS board members nor CPS leadership for over 16 years. That has to change. And thank you, Dr. King, for not only believing in, but also endorsing community action councils. With the Greater Bronzeville Community Action Council, over 200 senior leaders representing more than 200 organizations are already organized. We are committed to seeking philanthropic and corporate fund that funding needed to properly staff and equip these councils so that this work can be sustainable. You have 30 seconds remaining. On behalf of current community action council leaders across the city, we are requesting a meeting with each of you individually, but more importantly collectively, so we can adequately build a
039strategic plan that represents all necessary voices across the city. We welcome these conversations because you have sat in these seats, because you have seen the challenges firsthand. Your voice is vital and our plan will not be complete without your insight. As I close, we also need to discuss how community-based and faith-based organizations are engaged and given not only safe, affordable access to CPS spaces equitably, but also with respect and partnership uh that our communities deserve. We encourage you to visit Please conclude your remarks. We encourage you to visit gbcac.com and watch our February and March meetings and see the work already in motion. Thank you so very much. Uh so, thank you so very much and congratulations in advance, Dr. King. Thanks, everybody. Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from the speakers list
040is Michael Brunson, speaker number 10. How y'all doing today? Um I I have 3 minutes. I'm going to try to keep it as close as possible. 2 minutes. >> school council movement is approaching 40 years now. It started something like 1988 or something. And so, first of all, I would like to remind the all of the board members and all of you in operational lines of the bureaucracy to go online. There's this uh video on there by the school project called worst schools in the nation. And if you look at that, you'll see where the local school councils came from. The local school councils came about to uh solve a problem. And the problem and and don't take no offense, but we had a bloated and self-seeking uh bureaucracy that was not really getting anywhere
041and it had calcified the educational system. And so, uh the result was grassroots participatory democracy. And that's what the local school councils are supposed to be about. As a matter of fact, we saw a good um demonstration of grassroots democracy just recently of those going against our uh present king and Chicago showed up really well. That's the power of democracy. That's the power that we have behind the local school councils. However, once again, we have a bureaucracy that is stifling the growth and the development of the local school councils. And so, I don't have time to talk about it now, but I would like to talk to each and every one of you board members so I can say who's who doing what. >> 30 seconds remaining. >> this whole thing because I think it's
042extremely important that we that these local school councils survive. So, um I'm going to be reaching out to you. I hope I don't get blocked. Every time I try to talk to y'all, somebody blocks me from, you know, the gatekeepers block me. I want to talk to each and every one of y'all because I really do have something that you need to know. Once again, I'm Brunson, no mister. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you for your comments. President Harden, we also have several elected officials officials who would like to address the board. We'll begin with Alderman Desmond Yancy of the 5th Ward who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Uh good morning, everyone. This is uh Alderman Desmond Yancy of the 5th Ward representing the communities of Hyde
043Park, Woodlawn, South Shore, and Greater Grand Crossing. Uh I just wanted to say that I am in full support of the appointment of Dr. King as CEO of Chicago Public Schools. I think she's an amazing administrator and her background and institutional knowledge uh really set us up for success as we look at educating this next uh generation of young people in this next iteration of Chicago Public Schools. So, not to belabor the point, uh I think she's going to be an amazing asset and her leadership and I look forward to supporting her. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is Alderwoman and Chairwoman of the Black Caucus, Stephanie Coleman of the 16th Ward. She's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Hi, thank you so much. This is Alderman Stephanie Coleman
044on behalf of the Chicago Aldermanic Black Caucus. I'm actually sitting with four members, Alderman Moore, Chairman Jason Ervin, as well as Alderman Greg Mitchell. We undeniably support the appointment of Dr. King. This woman has led, has started as a teacher, has worked her way up throughout the system, and with the board, we couldn't be more prouder of the accomplishments that she has made, especially in the last most trying budget. Dr. King, you have done an Herculean job with balancing the budget, no furlough days, no school days out. And I commend you and your team, especially Jamille Chambers, who represents uh this board's excellence with us in City Council. God bless you all and we look forward to the favorable support and vote for your appointment on today. Thank you for your comments. The next elected
045official is Alderwoman and Chairwoman of the Committee on Education and Child, Jeanette Taylor of the 20th Ward. Who's joining us virtually? Please enter star six to unmute. Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, please enter star six to unmute. Good morning. Can you all hear me? Yes, please proceed. Thank you. So, good morning to everybody. I am Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor, was the chair of the education committee. I just want to say how excited I am to know that the city of Chicago, the Board of Education, has picked one of their own. Dr. King, we are extremely proud of you. We know that the board has made the right decision and I'm excited that we're going to get back to information and inspiration. You all have a good day. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is State
046Representative Ann Williams from District 11, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Hi, good morning, everyone. Uh can you hear me? Yes, please proceed. Thank you. I just wanted to weigh in and echo the comments of many of my colleagues that just spoke. Uh I'm very uh thrilled about the appointment of Dr. King. She has uh demonstrated a level of engagement in Springfield that we have not seen really in a number of years from the CPS Superintendent CEO position. And she has been available to all of us with technical questions, with broad policy uh uh issues that we've had to date and this is in her acting role. So, I can only imagine um how it's going to be moving forward, that partnership, that collaboration. I think it's going to be invaluable
047as we struggle to meet the funding challenges and and some of the long-term and short-term issues that we all need to work on together for the children of Chicago. So, um big supporter, uh very grateful to have the opportunity to speak on Dr. King's behalf. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. President Harden, this concludes public participation. Thank you. President Harden, I move that the board take a 30-minute recess. Is there a second? I'll second the motion. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll roll call. Member Smith? Yes. Member Lopez? Yes. Member Velez? Yes. Member Boyle? Yes. Member Wallace? I. Member Custer? I. Member Pope? Yes. Member Rosenfeld? Yes. Member Revas? Yes. Member Brown? Yes, ma'am. Member Rio Sierra? I. Member Bannon? I. Member Gutierrez? Yes. Member Biggs? Yes. Member Thodukura? Yes. Member
048Blaze? No. Member Zackor? Yes. Member DeBerry? I. 17 eyes, one nay. This motion is adopted by the board. This meeting will now go into a 30-minute recess. >> Mhm. >> Please take your seats so we can reconvene the meeting. Thank you. Special board meeting of Board of Education is reconvened. We'll now move into executive session. Member Lopez, do you have motion M01? I move for the passage of motion number 26-0330-M01 and the commencement of a closed session to consider matters permitted under section 2 C of the Open Meetings Act subsection 1 as specified in the motion. Is there a second? I second the motion. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano? Yes. Member Smith? Yes. Member Lopez? I. Member Velez? Yes. Member Boyle? Yes. Member Wallace? Member Custer? I. Member Pope? Yes.
049Member Rosenthal? Yes. Member Rivas? Yes. Member Brown? Member Real Sierra? I. Member Bannon? I. Member Gutierrez? I. Member Biggs? Yes. Member Thodakura? Yes. Member Blaze? Yes. Member Zackor? Yes. Member DeBerry? I. 17 eyes, zero nays. This motion is adopted by the board. I do want to note for the record that board member Lozano joined the meeting at 11:25 a.m. Thank you. This meeting will now go into closed session. >> Mhm. >> The special board meeting of the Board of Education is reconvened. Board secretary, please proceed. President Harden, I'll continue with an executive session item. This item does require a vote. RS2, resolution to appoint chief executive officer and to and to approve chief executive officer's employment contract, Dr. Macklin King. Is there a motion? Move. Is there a second? Second. We'll now open this matter
050up for discussion. Are there any comments preceding the roll call vote? Member Gutierrez? Member Lopez? Thank you, Board President. Um I sitting here excited that we're concluding a process now over a year in the making. Thank you for numbers people that applied. Thank you for those that were in the committee for your leadership and also the staff for the long process. I want just want to state for the record as to why I plan on supporting Dr. King in this permanent appointment. I've seen her leadership growth since her since she got appointed to the interim position. I've heard from school leaders and community members that have seen her growth as well. She leads with empathy but also with courage. She's met with families in the district I represent in the Southwest side. She's met with
051the youth and she was open to collaborate in the best response possible at the time when Midway Blitz was operating hitting many of our communities in the immigrant communities from Little Village, Pilsen, Gage Park, Back of the Yards, West Elsdon area, Chinatown, Bridgeport area. So because of that growth, I feel that given the situation right now, given that our schools, our students, our families, our staff need consistency, need strong leadership, that's why I will be voting in support of her. But I also ask that now as she starts a new chapter that she also keeps in mind the importance of having leadership in her cabinet that is representative of the students we serve, the importance of having Latino representation and also Asian American representation, having individuals that understand the importance of our English learners, of
052our diverse communities, of special education, Safe Passage program, among others. So I just want to make sure I share that information and also do a pre-congratulations to Dr. King. I'll say some brief remarks in Spanish. Member Bannon? Um I I go former assistant Lopez's thanks to the members of the transition team and the staff and President Harden himself for landing this plane. Um I know we took a long time to took the long way around to get to this vote, but I think the trip was worth it. Hiring a superintendent is one of the most important things we do as a board and taking the time to evaluate our options was the responsible path. The path might have seemed a little rough at times, but as the chant goes, this is what democracy looks like.
053Um As the interim superintendent, Dr. King has shown grace under pressure, under the pressure of school closings, she's shown dedication to student safety whether from ICE agents or school threats. Um lost my place here. Um she has uh shown the ability to deliver results. For example, in her uh first test of getting schools open on time last fall. So I believe Dr. King's knowledge of CPS, her collaborative nature, and her deep, deep passion for student success will make her an excellent superintendent. And I'm happy to cast my vote to hire Dr. King as our permanent superintendent. Member Rosa Fel? Uh what a long, strange trip it's been. Uh congratulations prematurely. I have never wavered in my support of Dr. King, not from day one. Um I've supported her because I believe of her proven bravery
054and her proven independence. But now the work begins. It was we will continue to demand transparency, accountability, and meaningful engagement. So congratulations. Let's get to work. Member Blair? Congratulations. Um you know, you check all the boxes for me. Um a black woman, West Sider, lifelong Chicagoan, you have CPS experience um both as a student and as an administrator. Um but also relationships uh in the city and state level. It was great to hear um about your engagement down in Springfield because those folks have our money and we have to go and get that. So um I'm really glad that um that we landed here. I would just also like to make a note um >> [clears throat] >> we're going to have a number of challenges in my community in particular. We've um I appreciate
055the conversations we've had already and I'm hoping we will continue our conversations about the under-enrolled schools on the West Side um and truly part true partnership in cultivating a vision for those schools and and seeing that vision through to fruition um without um just closing doors. Um the one that is closest to my heart, my dad went there, it is at the end of my block, is of course Marshall High School. It is um a school when my dad went there had 5,000 students in it um and now has just a little over a hundred, but it also has all of those amenities that I didn't even know Chicago schools had till I went to the suburbs. I remember going to a basketball game in some suburb and I was like, "I'm going to the
056gym." Asking for directions, and they were like, "Which gym?" And I was like, "Wow, people have multiple gyms?" Um but Marshall has all that, has multiple gyms, has an Olympic-size swimming pool, has a greenhouse on top, has s- land space and um and I I I feel excited about what could be to come for them and I'm glad that I'll have your partnership on that path. Um and lastly, >> [clears throat] >> I hope that um we've talked about the do not hire list before and I know you were going to um pull back and have some internal conversations and come up with a plan on how to how to rethink that. But, I want just in that instance and and moving forward, I hope that you'll also use us as resources. Feel free to
057throw a working group together. Feel free to get a few of us on the phone. Feel free to um um share in the breadth of knowledge that you have here at your fingertips. Um and we'll help you to come up with plans. We'll help you see visions. It doesn't all have to fall on you. And it also helps with buy-in and helps all of us walk along the path together. So, um so with that said, congratulations. Thank you. I'm excited about what's to come. Member Smith. Yes, I want to thank you uh for your leadership uh Dr. King. And in that leadership, what mattered most to me is the fact that there's so many pressures on you, but you've always centered students. That's where my heart lies. This is a learning institution, and you've prioritized
058it as such. Uh but on this road to stability, we didn't just get here because of you. We didn't just get here because of the board. We got here because of the voices that are in the audience today. And I want to also thank the community. I want to thank Pastor Chris Harris. I want to thank President Kia Banks. I want to thank the West Side NAACP for being involved in this how decisions are made in our Chicago Public Schools. I want to thank SEIU. Uh and I want to thank Ms. Trust who came up today and also centered students as she spoke about mental health. And that is one of the biggest things that we're seeing in our schools. Our children that are diverse learners, mental health issues that need to be addressed. And
059I know that as you begin your permanent term, uh that is something that will be highlighted. And I want to be a part with the community of helping you to achieve those goals. I want to thank Ms. Trust for bringing that up. Not Not only for students, but for staff and administration. There are members of this board, and I'll start with myself that need therapy. And and I'll you know, this is something that CPS needs to look at for a healthy environment for everyone. And that comes from the community first. So, thank you, Ms. Trust. And I just I will encourage all uh of our members, go out, visit your schools. Visit every school in your district. See the lived experiences that may not be what it was 10 years ago when we were in
060schools teaching or going to schools. There's a new experience happening. And uh I just want to thank everyone in the community. But now that we're on this road to stability, it's not time to get out of the car and turn the car off. Your voice is continued to be needed in how decisions are made. Thank you. Member Brown. Just want to say congratulations. You deserve it. You've earned it. Um There's an old proverb that says the truth is simple. If it's complicated, it's a lie. So, when you look at the state of um black Chicago or black children in Chicago Public Schools, we know that black boys are suspended five times as much as their white counterparts for the same infractions. Black girls 10 times as much. We know that when you look at course
061offerings across the district, you can tell the the racism by the course offerings. What's What is availed to a child that lives in Austin based to as opposed to a child that lives in Edgewater. We know that we are inheriting a system that has purged black teachers out of the system aggressively over the last 25 years. We have monumental challenges. There are no backroom deals to be cut when it comes down to confronting the disparities that exist in Chicago Public Schools. I have full confidence that you will be a visionary leader in that work. I pledge to support you in that work. Um because I want to be able to look our children in the eye when our 10 years done and say that we've done the people's work. Not someone else's work, but the
062people's work to make sure that our children can stand on our shoulders. So, congratulations, Dr. King. Again, you deserve it. You've earned it. I look forward to working with you. Member Zeckor. Thank you. I want to offer my congratulations also, Dr. King. Uh thank you so much for being willing to take on this very challenging job long-term. Um I appreciate your calm and steady leadership in the midst of massive turmoil that we've seen. Um the care and concern for our students that is always present in your words, but much more importantly in your actions. And how you've listened to the community and taken their input into account as we heard from so many people today. Um I'm particularly excited to have a leader who is going to support sustainable community schools. And um to be
063part of ensuring that they are the model for strong and equitable education that they were designed to be that we know that all of our children deserve. So, I really look forward to continuing to work with you. Member Biggs. Dr. King, um it's been quite a ride to get to this moment. I am thankful for your integrity, your consistency. I'm excited to cast my vote for as fellow school leader. Um someone who has deep experience in our communities. Someone who's demonstrated not only the ability to listen, but to hear. I look forward to supporting you in this next phase uh building out a strong cabinet that is reflective of our communities and of our district as a whole. So, congratulations. You have absolutely earned this. Member Lozano. I just want to say thank you to
064all the members of the board for all the conversations we've had. For President Harden, I want to just say congratulations to and you have my total support. And I you've showed leadership during a time of crisis, especially in my community where fear was and it may continue again. But during that crisis, you showed tremendous leadership. And for that, I want you to know if that I will call you if I have a question. And I want you to feel the same way with whatever time. So, congratulations. Felicidades. Member Gutierrez. Dr. King, congratulations. A couple of things that I've gotten to learn about you over the course of the last several months. Um one, you're one who keeps staying the course. Um you keep following your moral compass. You keep listening to everyone. You keep even
065keel even under pressure. And lastly, even in when when when lights may be bad and everything is not well, you always have a wonderful smile. So, keep smiling as we do the work here together. Congratulations. Dr. Boles. Uh Dr. King, again, congratulations. Felicidades. Uh I'm thankful to support you with a yes vote. Uh I have been speaking directly with the Angle CAC. I have seen your work directly with our schools when we visited Earl STEM Academy. We We had those Christmas hats. Um I have seen also uh you have seen you have grown in this role. Uh it's not that you are just black. It's that you're qualified for this role. Okay? Um Uh there are a lot of calls uh as you heard from LSC improvements. Uh Uh Teresa and I are working together
066to uh in trying to strengthen LSC. So, uh we're going to be reaching out soon for that. Uh again, congratulations. As a black Puerto Rican, I feel like I represent both communities. Uh I want to say that I'm proud that it is a black woman at the helm. Uh and I also want to tell the Latino community, I've seen the work and she leads with equity and empathy. Uh she's going to help us drive the needs for all communities. Uh Dr. King, con los Latinos luchando mano a mano. Congratulations. Member Pope. Yes, I'm sorry in my post-surgery state that I couldn't be there to congratulate you in person, but I look forward to doing that in the near future. I just want to say that what people have mentioned about you being calm and cool
067and collected and steady is even if you're shaking inside, it's a super important characteristic of leadership that has really impressed me as we have dealt with various crises over time. And I also want to reassure you that not only are we all here as board members to support you and to help you in whatever way we can, but that you will be building out a team of educators, a team of school leaders, a team of people who can do this work with you, who can march side by side with you, who can help you in the difficult moments, give you opportunities to consult and make decisions in a collective fashion. And that although it's an awesome responsibility that you're taking on, you're not taking this responsibility on alone. We are all with you. We have
068your back. We have your side flanks and we are here to build the very best situation we can for all the children of Chicago and I know that's what's in your heart and mind and I feel very confident as we step off into this new adventure together. Thank you so much. Well, I'll conclude Dr. King with saying today the people have spoken. Uh, it's clear that you are the right leader for our time. And I'm excited for what's before us. Um, I'm looking forward to in particular as I wind down my time as president having the opportunity to work with you um, is going to be pretty incredible. I'm excited about it. We'll now proceed with the roll call. Thank you. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. I. Member Lopez. I. Member Velez. Yes. Member Boyle.
069Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Custer. No. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Brown. An enthusiastic and emphatic yes. Member Rios Sierra. I. Member Bannon. I. Member Gutierrez. I. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thodiyakon. Yes. Member Blais. Absolutely. Member Zackary. Yes. Member DeBerry. I. 18 eyes, one nay. This matter [clears throat] is adopted by the board. President Harden, there are no further items on the agenda. We're ready for your remarks, Dr. King, and no take backs. No do-overs. So, my mind is telling me to stick to my talking points. But my heart is going to is forcing me to speak from my heart before I I start with my talking points. This moment and what it means to our future does not escape me. I understand that this could be a mark on
070my resume. However, this truly is a commitment to community. And I will know that I am successful when every voice or the voice of the organizations that are represented here and all of the board members, you'll come back from retirement or all the other great things that you're off doing can speak just as emphatically about my leadership. Thank you, President Harden, members of the board and to the city of Chicago. Thank you for the opportunity to serve. I am both honored and humbled to accept the position of permanent Superintendent CEO for Chicago Public Schools. It is a responsibility I carry with the weight of every student's future in mind. My life has been a series of chapters written within the walls of Chicago Public Schools. I have been the student in probably some of the
071same Harden or if I date myself wooden chairs, I'm wondering if the world was as big as the teachers promised me. I have been the teacher holding the joy of a student's breakthrough and for some the weight of their home lives. I have been the school leader the glue in the building from as early as 6:00 a.m. and some days as late as 9:00 p.m. I have been the parent trusting this institution with my most prized possession. Seeing the district from all of these angles has given me a unique perspective on the importance of this work and also appreciation of the challenge that lies ahead. Becoming a school leader was a great joy but an even greater responsibility as I found out. I suddenly knew how it felt to have an entire community looking for
072guidance and counting on me to lead. I have felt the same responsibility since taking the role of interim Superintendent CEO though on a much larger scale. When I joined the when I rejoined the district last summer, my priorities were crystal clear. Open schools successfully in August and pass a budget that was in the best interest of our students. In the months since achieving these goals, I've been able to take a much wider view of what's happening in our district. And despite the serious challenges we continue to face, I have confidence that we are moving in the right direction. I am encouraged by the book ends progress that we have. Our case students are outpacing the nation in math and their peers in literacy. That's our middle of the year data. At the same time, we
073have high schoolers that are increasingly reaching and outpacing the increasing graduation rates, obtaining more hours of uh, dual enrollment. Our mission will be to build the bridge of excellence for every grade in between, kindergarten through senior year, ensuring a rigorous, comprehensive curriculum across all content areas. We will protect the progress that we've made with everything that we have. Today we begin a new chapter. Together we rise. And this is more than just a slogan. It is the blueprint blueprint to actualize our five-year strategic plan across all 77 Chicago communities. Our path forward is clear. It's etched in our strategic plan centered on one thing. Student experience. As your permanent Superintendent CEO, my mandate is to actualize this plan with absolute fidelity for every student, every school, every community. Our students have shown incredible resilience in
074their recovery not just from the pandemic, but just this most recent events that took place this fall. And they they've captured the nation's attention. We cannot and we will not allow financial headwinds to jeopardize those hard-won victories and our students' confidence. This is why I pledge to be the most vocal advocate for the funding of the 315,000 students within our schools. I will pass a budget that's that are I will pass budgets that are moral documents. Budgets that ensure business the business of the district never gets in the way of the success of our students. But I know that strong leadership isn't a monologue. It is a conversation. One that we very much started on this floor today. I will continue to immerse myself in our schools communities listening to our families our educators, our
075board members, our labor partners, our community-based organizations and our elected officials. Most importantly, I will listen to our students. Everything we do, we do for them. So, their voices must be the heartbeat of our decision-making. I want every child from every background and every zip code to feel a deep sense of belonging at school. They deserve a leader who doesn't just speak for them but who empowers them to speak for themselves. I pledge to be that leader every single day. As a proud CPS graduate, I see myself reflected in the eyes of our students. This success, their success, is my success and I will stop at nothing to give them every opportunity I can. I am grateful for the trust that had been that has been placed in me by the board. And I am
076very much looking forward to this new chapter as CPS's permanent CEO superintendent. Thank you all. Thank you, Mr. President. President Harden, the Spanish translator will now translate Dr. King's state full statement. Thank you. Are there any comments from the board? Member Caster. Oh, no, I'm sorry. I was waiting for my cue. Okay. All right. I have a motion to adjourn. So moved. Is there a second? I second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. We are adjourned. Thank you, everyone. What's up, dude?