Monthly Board Meeting – Thursday, October 23

001President Harden, before you begin today's meeting, I would like to read a few announcements. >> Good morning. Welcome to the October 23rd, 2025 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 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. Mark your calendars for the upcoming meetings. Note that the November December meetings are consolidated and will be held in December. The

002next ARC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 18th, 2025 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 cpsboe.org. If you have any questions about the registration or public participation process, please contact the board office for our 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 board meeting. Today is October 23rd, 2025. We are holding today's board meeting in the boardroom at

003the CPS Loop Office, 42 West Madison Street, Garden Level. I'd like to note that the board members, honorary student board member, and senior leadership are physically present in the boardroom. Registered speakers may join us in person or virtually if they've opted to do so. I'm President Shan B. Harden. On behalf of my fellow board members, thank you for joining us today. The regular meeting of Thursday, October 23rd, 2025 is hereby called to order. Board secretary, please call the role. >> Thank you. Member Smith, >> I. >> Member Lopez, >> present. >> Member, >> present. >> Member Bole, >> here. >> Member Wallace, >> present. >> Member Kuster, >> present. >> Member Pope, >> here. Member Rosenfeld >> present. >> Member Rivas >> present. >> Member Rio Sierra >> present. >> Member Bannon >> present. >>

004Vice President Bautista who is joining us virtually via Zoom. >> Present. >> Member Gutierrez who is joining us virtually via Zoom. >> Present. >> Member Biggs. >> Present. >> Member Thorakura. >> Present. >> Member Blae. >> Present. >> Member Zachor. >> Present. Member Deberry >> present. >> President Harden >> present. >> Before >> we have 19 members present. We do have a quorum. I'd also like to recognize Dr. Maline King, interim superintendent, chief executive officer. Elizabeth Barton, acting general counsel, Dr. Alfonso Kimona, chief education officer, Charles Mayfield, chief operating officer, and Destiny Singleton, our honorary student board member. Thank you. Before we continue with today's meeting, I want to take a brief moment to publicly thank Mayor Johnson for proposing one of the largest financial investments in Chicago public schools history. >> Uh through a

005historic tax increment financing surplus, the mayor is proposing over a half a billion dollars in TIFF surplus to fund and support the education of our students. This unprecedented investment serves as a strong indicator that the mayor is keeping CPS among the city's tops priorities. So now it's time for us to do our part. So I look forward to working with members of city council who have pledged their support in a August for our budget to follow through with their commitment to support a tiff surplus that helps the district. And as incredible as this historic proposal is, it does not address the structural deficits faced by the district. So, we still have work to do. So, I want to thank each and one of each and every one of my colleagues here today on the board

006for your commitment and your engagement thus far. I know it's not been easy, but I also look forward to us doubling down and working together with members of the general assembly to identify long-term solutions that take CPS off this reoccurring fiscal cliff. So, with that, the order of the meeting will be as follows. We'll be honoring excellence, interim superintendent CEO remarks, committee updates, public participation, recess. will reconvene from recess, via a presentation including SY26 enrollment trends, discussion of public agenda items, vote on public agenda items, and then we'll journ. Acting Chief Carmon, please proceed with honor and excellence. Thank you, President Carter. Good morning, board members, Dr. King and members of the CPS community. My name is Alonso Carmona and I stand here both honored and humble in my new role as CPS acting chief

007education officer. I have dedicated my professional life to public education. First as a bilingual teacher, then as a principal, and finally as a district leader. My educational philosophy is rooted in equity, academic excellence, and community engagement, and I will bring all of these priorities to the role of acting chief education officer. I am truly fortunate to be leading the exceptional CPS academic teams, and I look forward to our collective work to ensure Chicago students continue to thrive. One great thing about this new role is the opportunity I have to lead the honoring excellence section of our monthly board meetings. This is a chance for us to recognize students, staff, and school communities who are the reason we say that the best are with CPS. And speaking of the best, I want to quickly acknowledge all

008of our school leaders during principal appreciation month. As a former C CPS principal myself, I know just how hard you work and how many roles you play in keeping your schools running smoothly. I thank you for your dedication and look forward to continue with working with you more directly as the school year continues. It's now my pleasure to introduce today's first honore, Prescott Elementary School in West Lincoln Park. Before the program was abruptly halted last August by the US Department of Education, Prescott was among the schools being considered for this year's prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award. Fortunately, Governor Prrisker and the Illinois State Board of Education are ensuring that these schools achievement are acknowledged and celebrated. Earlier this month, Prescott was among 28 schools across the state to receive the first ever Governor's Blue Ribbon

009Schools Award. Prescott was recognized for exemplary academic performance and for actively celebrating every student's background and contribution to the community. We couldn't be prouder of this school's community represented today by principal Aron Roach, AP Melissa Rulles, and a group of proud Prescope teachers. I'll now invite Principal Roach and his team uh to say a few words. Thank you, Dr. Carmona. Good morning and thank you for the recognition of the Governor's Blue Ribbon School Award to our Prescott students. With me today are two stellar reading and writing teachers, Golden Apple Awardee Jennifer Ferris, who teaches third graders, and those who excel state winner Taylor Shoalter who teaches sixth and seventh graders, as well as our incredible assistant principal, Melissa Relis, and our chief Dr. Jerry Travalos. as the only CPS school to win the award this

010year and the only CPS non-magnet non- selective enrollment neighborhood school to win twice, especially as a majority school of students of color. Prescott's story is extraordinary. Prescott School in 2008 was a level three school, the lowest level. in 2010 was scheduled to be closed for low enrollment to projected 170 students. In 2014 was recognized by this board for the highest gains in ISAT succeeds category in the district. In 2016 was rated number 15 by Chicago magazine among city public schools, number 13 in 2019, and number nine this year. In 2019, Prescott enrolled 470 students and earned the National Blue Ribbon School Award. In 2025, Prescott now enrolls 490 students and has earned a second Blue Ribbon School Award. Our students are extraordinary. On behalf of our students and community, I request that the Chicago Board

011of Education build the school a standard elementary schoolsiz gymnasium. The current gym is on the fourth floor of our 126year-old building and is substandard with 14t high ceilings and it's the size of two classrooms. As you can imagine, there is no basketball, there is no volleyball, and there is extremely limited physical education in this 19th century building. The students of Prescott have brought home twice to the city of Chicago and its citizens the highest honor in the field of education, the Blue Ribbon School Award. They have won the educational equivalent of an Academy Award twice. Our students have won the educational equivalent of a Nobel Prize. Twice the children and families have earned a 21st century gymnasium. Thank you for this opportunity to celebrate our extraordinary children of Chicago and to further invest in the

012future of this amazing city, Chicago. Thank you. Uh, thank you, Principal Roach, and congratulations again to the Prescott community. I'll now ask Charles Mayfield, our district's chief operational officer, to continue today's honoring excellent presentation. >> Thank you, Chief Carmona. Uh, good morning, uh, board members, Dr. King and the audience. Um, I want to congratulate again, uh, Chief Carmona on his new role. Uh, all his hard work. Uh it's a welldeserved opportunity. So glad you could be here. I also want to recognize that I know we're sitting now. Uh but Chief Carmona and I are both above 6 feet tall. So there is no height requirement for this role. So I just want to point that out. But we do attribute this to all the good work that nutrition has done which I'll highlight here because

013we drink a lot of milk. So keep drinking the milk kids. Um, so I'm glad to be a part of this month's honoring excellence celebration as it gives me the opportunity to really recognize the great work our district's nutrition support team uh has been doing. This team was nationally recognized this fall for elevating the quality of our Chicago public school meals for our students. The US Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service along with Action for Healthy Kids presented Chicago Public Schools with four healthy meals incentive awards earlier this month. Not one, not two, not three, but four. Our district was recognized for improving nutrition, increasing access to [clears throat] healthy meals, and engaging community members to make sure we're hitting that mark. I'm proud of the work that our nutrition support team has done

014to provide free, healthy, and nutritionally balanced meals that support the well-being and the academic success of our all of our students. The team is led by our acting executive director, uh, Tara D. Clemente, uh, who I'll now invite, uh, to say a few words about the department's excellent work. Thank you. Good morning and thank you Chief Mayfield for the introduction. Nutrition Support Services is honored to accept these awards. This recognition validates our diligent efforts to engage our students, parents, and community members in ensuring our menus are delicious, nutritionally sound, and reflective of the cultural diversity of our families. I must take this opportunity to commend the entire nutrition support services team from our central office team to the 2,200 dedicated staff members in our schools as well as our vendor partners. Their operational excellence allows

015us to serve 1.2 2 million meals per week and ensures that these meals are not just food, but a joyful and equitable daily experience for all students. We appreciate the board's recognition of our team's impact and look forward to advancing the critical mission of nutrition support services. Thank you. or members. Are there any questions or comments? Member Roosevelt. >> First of all, congratulations Dr. Kimona. I'm so happy to see you in that seat. Um, so Prescott Elementary, home of the Prescott rules and a uh school, a gem of a school in District 4, has shown an incredible commitment to academic excellence under the leadership of Principal Ro, who has dedicated many, many, many years to his wonderful school community. I had the privilege of visiting Prescott, and I was filled with pride. As I walked

016through the hallways, I heard the voices of students actively engaged in learning and wis witness the energy and excellence happening in every classroom. Principal Roach and I had an honest, meaningful conversation about the school's vision and its challenges. His dedication to students and community was evident in every word, including the truth about that gym. Um, at Prescott, children don't just learn reading, writing, and math. They learn to persist through challenges, work together as a team, and problem solve as part of their social social emotional learning. And we know that when students feel supported emotionally and socially, they do better academically. Really impressive to me was William H. Prescott's Elementary School's counseling program that just became one of only six CPS schools and one of only 30 schools across Illinois in Illinois to earn the American

017School Counselor Association National RAM designation. That's incredible. Um, all this outstanding work has been recognized at the highest level that was mentioned with Prescott earning the National Blue Ribbon School in 2019 and recently honored with the Governor's Award. um one of the most prest prestigious recognitions a school can receive. The this reflects years of dedication, exemplary teaching, and a true commitment to every single student success. It's a testament to the entire Prescott Wolves community, the teachers, the staff, students, families, and especially Principal Roach, whose years of leadership have built deep roots and lasting partnerships in the community. I'm incredibly proud of Prescott and I congratulate everyone who's contributed to this welldeserved honor. >> Thank you. Are there any more comments from the board? >> Congratulations again, Dr. King. We're ready for your remarks. >> Good

018morning. Thank you, Chief Carmona, for leading our honoring excellence presentation this morning and for taking on the critical role of acting chief education officer for our district. Having served CPS as a teacher, principal, network chief, and most recently as our district's chief portfolio officer, I have complete confidence in your leadership, and I look forward to all you will bring to our academic mission. I also want to congratulate three other uh professionals who are taking on new leadership roles at CPS. All all our district veterans and all bring a great deal of expertise and passion to their roles. Congratulations to Walter Stock, our district's new acting chief financial officer, Emila Zoko, our acting chief budget officer, Conrad Timbers Assar, our acting chief portfolio officer. I thank all of you for your willingness to take on greater

019responsibility in our district and look forward to working together to provide our students with the academic, financial, and operational foundation they need to grow and thrive. >> Yes, it's okay to give them all. And I will join um Chief Carmona in wishing all of our school leaders a happy principal appreciation month. We often talk about the many hats our school leaders wear from instructional leader to financial planner to family and community liaison. But this school year they have added a new title that is school protector. With the increase of federal law enforcement in our city, there is fear and anxiety in many of our school communities. And despite the fact that almost all of this city, all of this activity is happening off of school grounds slowly encroaching, families and communities are often turning to

020their local school and principal, local school and the principal of that school as a primary source of support. I'm proud to say that our principles, your principles are facing this challenge head on. They are a daily source of calm and reassurance for their students, staff, and families, and they have not wavered from their commitment to creating a positive learning environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and supported. I am proud of the job they're doing and so grateful that they have not that they can they can be an anchor for their school community communities during this very challenging time. There is one week left in principal appreciation month. So if you have not done so already, I strongly urge everyone in our CPS family to let your school leaders know how deeply they are appreciated. Could

021you would you all mind just I know they made they're focused on instructional time, but please just give them a round of applause. Show them a little applause. Love. Thank you. So, I also want to acknowledge that October is also LGBTQ plus history month, a perfect opportunity to acknowledge the many contributions of this community in our district, our city, and our world. To the LGBTQ members of our CPS family, I want you to know that we see you, we affirm you, and we celebrate who you are. We also thank you for the strength, power, and imagination you bring to our school communities every day. Our goal at CPS is to create learning and working environments that are supportive, inclusive, and welcoming to everyone. As such, we will continue to ensure vital protections remain in place

022for LGBTQ plus students and staff and will fiercely protect your rights, your safety, and your ability to grow authentically. You may also recall during honoring excellent month, the uh the the honoring uh excellent portion of the September board meeting, we were greeted by students from Lavazo and the Hughes World Language Academy, students studying Japanese language and culture. As we continue on our strategic priorities, I'm excited to highlight a development that directly impacts our students and school communities. As part of Chicago Public Schools 5-year strategic plan and its multilingual pathway priority, we're expanding our dual language and world language education programs to help shape a new generation of globally minded graduates. The expansion grounded in teaching and learning data as well as the recent agreement between the district and the Chicago teachers union addresses community needs

023and expands access to the worldclass programming. As a critical part of that work, we are providing students with the opportunity to learn more than just one language. To to continue our growth in this area, CPS has added new dual language programs at Lloyd, Satlowski, and Little Village elementary schools. Dual language programs ensure that students achieve high academic performance in two languages while learning to thrive in a multicultural global society. They also help native speakers maintain pride in their home language and cultural identity while becoming proficient in English. We have also added new world language programs at Nettle Horse Pole and Swift elementary schools this year. These will give students the chance that wasn't my background music but um these these programs will give students the chance to acquire an additional language while gaining a deeper

024understanding of diverse cultures. I thank the office of multilingual multicultural education for identifying the schools that will benefit most from this investment as well as the six school communities themselves part for partnering with CPS to bring these resources to their classrooms. I now want to transition to the gops deadline that is fast approaching. All GOC CPS applications for the 2627 school year must be submitted by 5:00 PM on Friday, November 14th. Go CPS is a one-stop shop for exploring the many academic programs our district has to offer, including neighborhood schools, magnet programs, career and techn technical education opportunities, and selective enrollment schools. Families can visit GOC CPS um the GOCPS website to explore their options and access helpful training sessions on navigating the application process for both elementary and high school. Again, November 14th is

025the application deadline in just 3 weeks. So, please don't wait. On Saturday, October 18th, the Office of Local School Council Relations relations hosted the 2526 LSC election kickoff event. I want to thank the attendees for joining the kickoff. Whether you were our current LSC member, those considering candidacy, and those of you who joined simply to explore what it means to serve, your presence is a testament to your commitment to our schools. Now more than ever, Chicago public schools need bold, compassionate leaders, parents, students, and community members ready to step into this moment and to make a difference. Applications are now open for the spring 2026 LSC election. Students, parents, staff, and community members can apply online at cps.edu/lscelection edu slcelection. To run in the next LSC election on March 18th, 2026, candidates must file their

026paperwork by January 20th. If you're looking to play a more active role in your school community, I strongly encourage you to consider this opportunity to lead, serve, and shape the future of CPS. I'll now turn to a topic that I know is on a lot of people's minds. The increase in federal law enforcement in our city. In the past few weeks, there has been a significant increase in the aggressiveness of federal enforcement, especially in black and brown communities. As a result, CPS has ramped up our response. We have set up a command center within our student safety center to help streamline responses. um and reduce delays in communication. We're also meeting twice a day to triage responses and update both internal guidance and public facing resources, making sure our response evolves to meet the needs

027of the moment. Since the beginning of the school year, CPS has provided realtime assistance to dozens of schools dealing with the crisis situations caused by the increased federal presence. The critical work includes safety and security staff, keeping schools communities safe from the chaos chaos, providing communication support to school leaders, mental health resources for those impacted by the trauma, and more. After advocating for additional support from the city, we now have regular calls with public safety leaders at the city level, our sister agencies, and our labor partners to discuss how best to protect our parents, students, and staff. Many school leaders are also finding creative solutions that work for their communities, such as setting up walking school buses, having additional staff outside to support during arrival and dismissal, and getting the word out about resources that

028are available to families. CPS will remain vigilant during this time and will continue doing everything possible to support our staff, families, and students. I encourage everyone who is looking for resources from know your rights trainings to legal information to visit our website at cps.edu/immigration. I'd also like to note that um our district re to note our district's recent collaboration with Springfield. I'm glad to report that CPS leadership and some members of the board of education had a collaborative visit with state legislators earlier this month. Several of us traveled to Springfield to meet with top legislatores leaders during their veto session and our our conversations were productive. The purpose of this visit was to strengthen relationships and to help ensure our elected officials understand the very real funding crisis Chicago schools are facing. We must continue

029collaborating and building our partnership with state lawmakers so we can secure the increased financial support our families need and deserve. Finally, I want to touch on the subject of charter schools. Given the decision by several charter operators not to move forward next school year, there have been a lot of conversations around this topic. Let me say first that CPS is committed to making sure every student learns in a strong, stable, and supportive environment. This goes for all charter, contract, and district managed schools. Because of factors like rising operational costs, funding challenges, enrollment shifts, and aging facilities, some charter and contract schools have made the difficult decision to cease operations after this school year. When this happens, our primary responsibility is to the needs of the students and their families. We understand the school's transitions can

030bring questions and uncertainty that when charter operations decide to close, families look to CPS for immediate answers. Each situation in each school community is unique. So before recommending any decision to the board, CPS carefully reviews multiple factors including legal and financial obligations, facility conditions, and academic, social, emotional needs of all students involved. Whatever the outcome, our goal will always be to minimize the disruption and maintain educational quality and ensure that our families remain informed and supported every step of the way. Mr. President, this concludes my prepared remarks. >> Thank you, Dr. King. President Harden, before we continue, I do want to note for the record that Member Lozano joined the meeting at 10:47 a.m. and member Brown joined the meeting at 11:06 a.m. The Spanish translator will now translate Dr. King's statement into Spanish as

031a condensed statement. If you wish to receive the fully translated statement, please contact the board office for assistance. Dr. Carmona, director Walter Stock, director financers, director. Algrees. Fore speech. Authent. programs village popptoes. Go CPS. LSC selection. Election. LSC election. Proximus election. Municipal. Immigration. E M A M A E A T E O N. I immigrationfield. Charter. formotion. This concludes my prayer remarks. >> Thank you board members. Do we have any comments or questions? Dr. King, we have no committee updates. So, we'll proceed with today's public participation session. >> I'm sorry. >> I'm moving right along too fast. >> Member Lopez. >> Thank you, board president. Thank you, Dr. Keen, for those comments. Um, also want to acknowledge uh Dr. Carmona um Sak Soho Timber Assad. I'm sorry I mispronounced probably the name. Congratulations on the

032new roles. Looking forward to working with you in that new capacity. Um I also want to first of all congratulate uh Farret Farragate High School in the seventh district. They are the softball city champions. So congratulations to them and the team also for the parents that uh stood to protect the students. I know the last few games were rough on the community. Um and the other item I also want to thank um Department of Face, Safety and Security, CPS leadership, community organizations, rapid response teams who have been on the ground making sure our students and parents are of safety. Right now as I'm speaking, Little Village, Brighton Park, it's getting attacked again by ICE agents. And I been on the ground. I I got to thank the principles from all the schools that I've seen

033primarily in the seven district um and from charter schools all the way to man um schools run by the district where the community within the schools have step up to make sure that dismissals or when kids are been dropped off goes as smooth as they it can be. I know parents are fearing with number of them um either self-epporting or not leaving their house. If if you were able to get up this morning, brush your teeth, take a shower, dress, and make it here without looking over your shoulder, that's privilege. Also want to um thank my colleagues for being very supportive of what's going on and we are going to continue working and figure out what's the best way forward. Um that's all. Thank you. member Paul. >> Yes. Uh good morning and congratulations to

034all who uh have uh received these uh new interim positions and best wishes in your role. Uh I am speaking today in awe and support of the expansion of our dual language programs. My daughters had the opportunity to attend Interamerican which is the premier district uh school for dual language and my granddaughter is a first grader there now speaking fluently in long sentences to the amazement of people who see her and speak with her and I think dual language is a fabulous path. I have recently heard from one of the schools that had been previously awarded, the Hibbert School in Albany Park, which is a K6 school. And Hibbert students transitioned to another school on that same campus, Albany Park Multicultural, for seventh and eighth grade. And when they started in preschool, they had been

035told their students would get a dual immersion education through elementary school. And now I've been contacted by people who are very concerned that these same kids are going to have their dual language opportunities cut off in sixth grade. I hope that the district will be able to work with us to find a way to continue the seventh and eighth grade education for those children at Albany Park Multicultural. I know they have had conversations with them. I think this is a really important thing and it would be a shame if these kids and their families had invested in eight years from preschool through sixth grade and didn't get to terminate the program, get the seal of biiteracy and things like that. So, I wanted to bring that up and I also wanted to commend the work

036of many board members who have been out at schools helping to coordinate school patrols and things like that. I was actually visiting a school in my district on Tuesday when I was chatting with the principal in AP and suddenly we heard the whistles blow at an elementary school across the street and we all ran out and fanned out through the neighborhood. So this is not an abstract thing. This is something that is happening every day to our students in our schools and is not only going to have a huge social emotional effect but also an effect on learning. So I thank everybody who's done what they've done and I urge us to figure out new and creative ways to do more. Thank you >> members. >> Thank you. Um, I want to echo the the

037thanks that um my fellow board members have so eloquently stated, so I won't list them all again. Um, and I want to uh focus my my comments today on um the ICE presence um and and give a shout out also to the uh people in my community who have stepped up to do school patrols. But I I want to ask for an update on some of the things that um have been mentioned before. And thank you so much to board member Lopez for raising a lot of these issues. Um, so one of them is the the issue of of signage on CPS property. I I know there's been some talk about getting signage. I have to say I've been going to schools in my community and I don't see that, nor do I see um

038the gates locked after hours. So I just want to raise that and see if we can get a report on what's happening with that. Um I want to raise again the issue of remote learning. So increasingly we are hearing from our families a desire to have that as an option and I think we all understand that it's very difficult. You know a lot of obstacles to that. I I'm just hoping we can figure out a way to work together to make it work for the many families that are telling us they really are just too fearful to allow their children to come to school. and um you know we need their learning to continue. And then I just want to raise um one other issue which is um a request that uh CPS um institute

039a policy that uh students and families will be allowed to enter schools early or return into schools uh after hours if uh if there is a an ICE presence nearby. Um, we talk about we want to we our schools are the safest place for our children. And I think it's important that that be true not just from the start of class to the end of class, but in those uh additional times that families are present. In regards to the signage and the parking lots, I'm going to allow uh Chief Mayfield to respond to that first because that was the first item. >> Thank you, CEO King. Uh as far as the signage, uh we've ordered over 500 signs uh to be placed and prioritized in specific schools. So, the engineers at the school buildings will

040receive the signs. Um, some of them have been installed and what we can do is we can give you a report out on where they have been installed and the status of where they still need to be installed. As far as the gates, every school does not have a parking lot gate, but the the ones that do um obviously there was I would say um some flexibility there uh where they don't always close the gates because they may be used as a as a community uh hub. Sometimes we can call it as near as 24 hours a day. And so after hours, what we've encouraged and we work with the office of network support uh with our network chiefs to remind the principles that when it's after school hours, no one's in the building, please

041close that gate. Um and if we see any federal agents on the gate, uh we just we acknowledge and we let them know, uh hey, here's our sign. If it's there, if the sign is not there, uh we we ask them to please leave. We haven't had any issues in regards of doing that. Thank you. >> The second uh was the remote learning. That is something that we discuss in with senior leadership. As a district, Chicago public schools does not have the authority to call remote learning. That is that the governor has that right and the ability to authorize remote learning. So, it's something we talk about. We we've we're going through the process of of all of our resources and you know we should have a remote learning plan in the event of emer

042an emergency but if the governor does not call an act of an e a state of emergency we do not have the ability to just send the district into um remote learning. What was the third one board member? allowing students and families to return to school. >> So, um I will follow I we have um regular meet weekly meetings with our part labor partners. That is something I'll add to the the our discussion. However, there is a protocol in place if students are outdoors, but I think that we bring them in immediately. However, I think what you're talking about is at the end of the school day. Okay. I will uh share protocols with you. I'll update well conversations with our labor partners and I'll update you more on that. >> Member Blaze. >> Morning,

043Chief Carmona. So glad to see you in that seat. Um when I came on the board, um I had lots to learn and you always answered my phone calls. We talked at 10 o'clock at night. Um, all of us up here are volunteers, so I'd go to work all day, take care of the kids at night, and then by the time I put them to bed, that's when I had the opportunity to really focus on stuff, and you were there to answer questions. So, I'm I'm I'm happy to see you in that seat. Um, I also want to um thank some of the board members um and the families at Shy Arts for welcoming us to visit the school last week. week. We had a great time. We met some fantastic people. It is a

044very special place and we are going to work hard to make sure that my kids, Uncle Sean, and the rest of the crew there stays together and um and that we keep that school running like it should. Um just to dual language programs. Um there's definitely data that shows that children who learn another language um it makes them smarter. Um but also in my personal situation, my husband's Haitian, his family speaks French, um and Creole and I don't. So having a my kids went to Lasel Language Academy and were able to learn their own um culture and language. Um and so dual languages are super important even just to keep families together. So I'm I'm glad we're having that conversation. I want to underscore what our president mentioned um with a record surplus. Uh, Mayor

045Brandon Johnson is giving us a record surplus of TIFF funds. Um, before he became mayor, CPS average somewhere $90 million, $100 million. But we are set up, if all goes well with their budget, we are set up to land somewhere in the neighborhood of $520 million. He's giving CPS half a billion dollars um to fill holes that we have to ensure that um that our budget is is what we hoped it would be. So, um I can't say enough not just to the mayor and his team, but also to the aldermen that have to vote on on this budget and to other other people around city hall that we see you. We appreciate your support for CPS. We are grateful that in our hour of need, we've got partners at city hall. Um, and then

046the last thing I want to say, and have I gone over I've gone over my minutes probably. Never mind. I um, thank you all. I'm I'm learning how to how to be brief, you know. All right. So, have a good day. I look forward to the rest of our discussion. >> Thank you, Member Blaze. Member Lozano. >> Yes. Um, I just want to add that our community is really right now being under attack. I'm on signal and I'm listening and watching just the pictures and everything that's going on. I think the issue is once the kids are in school, that's the safest place for them right now is being inside the school building. But it's the way getting there and getting home. And especially for the parents, safe passage does not exist right now today

047in Pilson or Little Village. They're all over the street. So, we need to figure out that part. You know, how we can use the laws or whatever. Our parents are asking for remote learning if possible. It is an emergency. Period. This is an emergency right now. So we need to figure that out whether we go to the governor al together >> we write a letter we do what we have to do we march we do everything but remotely it is an emergency right now aita and we have to figure it out they already picked people up this morning I was on 21st in Palina they were there and we just need to work this out because our children are totally frightened that they're going to come home and they're not going to see their parents

048anymore So we need to do this now. I want to congratulate everybody for whatever but this is what the urgency for this right now. Aita period member Brown. Um thank you and good morning uh Mr. President. uh make my statements brief. I want to start with two proverbs that I that that were taught to me that have helped me often in spaces where people think they're smarter than you kind of get to clarity. Um one of the quotes is that the you know values are beliefs that govern your behavior. What you believe is what you do. So you don't listen to the rhetoric, you watch the actions and that will teach you what someone believe. And the other one is the truth is simple. If it's complicated, it's a lie. It's old African proverb. And

049often when people try to complicate things, that's because they're trying to spin you. They're trying to move you from the truth. So this moment where human beings are being hunted because of how they look, they're being otherred because of how they look. I appreciate the efforts of the warriors on the ground. I appreciate the efforts of the district to make sure that schools are the safest place. I unite with my board members on the need to figure out how we can make sure that virt that virtual learning is available. I also want to um ask this uh madam superintendent I want to see there's a group a coalition of organizations that have been doing know your rights know your risk trainings and these trainings are excellent and we've done them with young people uh black

050and brown young people um and I and some schools have been welcoming some schools have not so I'm hoping that um those trainings are available if there's if there's a um a request from the CEO's office, a mandate from the CEO's office that says to to allow these organizers in the school to do these trainings with young people because yes, it's about protecting our young people, but one of the ways we protect our young people is we make sure that our young people are informed and we make sure that they have the information that they need to understand how to navigate these moments. Um, we've done them with young people in Austin. We've done them with young people in Bronzeville. And what's amazing is that the young people are not sitting there bored. They they

051they they are asking questions because they want clarity. You know, do I have to answer any questions if they approach me? Um, do I have the right to remain silent? um what should be my demeanor when I deal if I have to deal with an ICE agent or a law enforcement period. So these trainings should be available in schools. We do have the community organizations that are available to do them and I think it's critical at this moment because it we are in a state of I mean we've been in a state of emergency. We're in a heightened state right now. But I just think it and this is what I mean by values. You know values are beliefs that govern your behavior. I want to I want to switch subjects right now because I

052think what has been happening in Chicago public schools since the year 2000, the gutting of the black teaching force, the purge of the black teaching force, the targeting of black administrators, the targeting of black coaches. If we are against it, then I am I am raising the question of how is that demonstrated? How do I actually say that is not okay? Cuz my phone is ringing all the time with administrators that I know, coaches that I know that have been targeted somewhere within this institution where antilackness exists and it has been allowed to fester and ruin careers. We the institution where we sit on the board of went from 44% black teachers to 19%. and we act like that's that's just a natural occur. No, that's a purge. That's a purge. And so I'm asking,

053Madam Superintendent, I want to be a partner in that process, but I I think that we need to address that aggressively. Now, if black administrators are doing something where they need to be held accountable, that's different. But I know of situations where black coaches have been targeted and careers ruined. And I don't think that should sit well with us. I'm not a bureaucrat. I'm just an organizer that's on this seat. So for me, the truth is simple. If it's complicated, it's a lie. So if we don't believe in that, then our actions need to dictate that we are against that. I'm in full support of the expansion of world language. I raised in the last meeting. I think our young people should learn Japanese. I think they should learn Spanish. I think they should learn

054French. But I also think they should learn Kis Swahili. Again, there's an antilackness in the world when it comes to what world language looks like. The largest second language spoken on the African continent is Ki Swuahili. If you go to Zimbabwe or you go to South Africa and you say habarani, they'll say in janteadi and dugu. They'll speak back to you in kiswahili. And so I think as the continent with the greatest number of natural resources on the planet earth, the birthplace of civilization, we should also be embracing those languages. So I'm I'm again I'm I'm saying this because I want to be a partner in this process. Two last things. I've mentioned this at a board meeting before. Again, values are beliefs that govern your behavior. As we sit here as volunteers, the greatest

055service of volunteers that we have in the city of Chicago, our local school councils, people and I see one of the people that trained me in the audience. Hey, Miss Wanda. And if I understand things correctly, what I want to understand is that these are six parents, two community representatives, two teachers, the principal, nine teaching staff, and a student that volunteer their time to be the governing body at a school. While many most of the folks in here that work get paid, and they are the decision-making body at a school, and when they get here, we don't treat them like they're elected officials. If we respect that position, then they should be able just like an alderman can get up there who gets a salary, just like a state representative can get up there that

056gets a salary. That mother that gives her time and her spirit to make sure that their young people has the re so they should be able to stand there like an elected official and speak. And I'm not saying this to hear myself talk. I've said this in a meeting before. I think this is something we should move on. Lastly, in support of what board member Blae said, I want to I want to give respect to alder to to to Mayor Brandon. I'm giving him a demotion to Mayor Brandon Johnson. You don't have a lot a lot of people are very critical of him, have been harshly critical of him. And I wonder what they would do with the same level of pressure that that man has been under. And that's my little brother. And I'm

057I'm say this right here in front of everybody. I've known him when he was 30 lbs heavier and didn't have the manicured haircut. If I understand things correctly, I commend him for standing strong for all communities in this moment because this this takes more than just rhetoric. It takes real strength. >> That's right. >> It takes real strength >> when the cameras are not on you. When you have to look in the mirror and your wife is asking you, "Why are you doing this?" And you got to stand firm. So, I commend him for that. But there's a part two to this investment and one r one ring of that part two is October 29th in Springfield. The budget deficit in Chicago public schools has been and is a manufactured crisis. >> It has been

058and it is a manufactured crisis. It is state sponsored sabotage of public education. So, we are going to Springfield to demand progressive revenue to make sure that we heal this crisis. It is the tiff funds and it is the tiff funds and funding by the state. Last thing I'll say is how could we be the global city that we are the third largest city in the United States and for decades 49th in public education. decades and all these people standing in front of you like that and your leaders did nothing. The truth is simple. If it's complicated, it's a lie. So, we're going down to Springfield. As Martin Luther King said before they took his life, we going down to get our check and we need you to come with us. Thank you very much,

059>> Member Smith. So, um, when I heard the music playing earlier as the superintendent was giving her comments, I thought to myself, every hero needs a theme song. And it was a very heroic thing for our superintendent to create a budget that we can vote for that could put us in the situation where we are now to be able to approach equity. So, I want to thank you, Superintendent King. I also want to say that uh I am in total agreement with member Brown when it comes to the archaic rules that our leaders are under, especially in underserved and black communities. Uh when we look at our coaches as we have now an elected board, a board that is coming together to fight for equity for our students, our coaches are not only uh coaches

060or leaders. And our communities, they're mother figures, they're father figures. And so when CPS says yes, it's okay to take the children to have ex global exposure and then we see other agencies apply archaic rules like wait no horses and carriages on residential streets, no spitting on the ground and then punish those leaders that are father figures and mother figures and coaches to our children. Punish them and take them away from our children. That is injustice and that's not just CPS. Those are other agencies that we need to speak out about to protect our leaders. With that being said, I also want to thank member Pope, member Lozano, member Rivas, member Lopez for fighting not only for the communities but for our cities uh you know for our city in my area. There was a

061school called uh Galveistston that was invaded by ICE. There was a building across the street from a school, Adam Clayton Pow, where a Blackhawk helicopter had people repelling down to take out black and brown people, young and old people and separate them in a community where we don't hear a lot of our uh as member Brown said, we don't hear our elected officials speaking out on behalf of Haitians and Caribbeans and Africans. So, one of the things that I want to ask CPS and I want to ask the face department uh is a report about our African and Haitian communities and how this is affecting those communities as well because we all need to stand together in solidarity and say this isn't just the Latin X community. There's a Afrolatin community as well. This is

062our city. the Puerto Ricans are being affected who are Americans. And so, you know, I am concerned about the city of Chicago. I am concerned about the East Side and Southshore. I am concerned about crimes against humanity that may that may need to be taken to the United Nations. This is not a constitutional violation. This is a human rights violation that we are seeing in our city. And I believe that we must all stand together because first they come for you, then they come for us. Thank you, >> member Singleton. >> Um, I'm going to get I'm going to try to get through this without crying because this is really an emotional thing for me. Um, but wanted to talk about the presence of ICE agents in our city. And recently I've been surrounded by

063many, many students, CPS students from many, many different schools. And I just wanted um you guys to know that we feel the weight of ICE in our city and in our um country and students have been posting minute-by-minute updates on ICE location on ICE agent locations in hopes to protect our fellow students. And I feel like we shouldn't be able we shouldn't do this because we're children and we shouldn't need to protect ourselves in this way and we are terrified. Um, everyone is terrified and I deeply appreciate the steps that CPS have done to protect us and I urge CPS to do more and to continue and to protect us. Um because immigrants are amazing and their presence in this city makes this city the great place it is and everyone is under attack. It

064is just not Latinx people just not immigrants. Everyone is under attack and [snorts] the people I love and hold dearest to my heart are afraid for their lives and that is not okay. Thank you. Member Gutierrez. >> Thank you, President Harden. Uh I apologize for not being present today, but uh the neighborhood that I work in has been under siege the past two days uh with with ICE agents and uh uh caravans and uh taking people uh from the street. But uh I'm actually wanted to to say a couple words to uh uh thank CPS for mobilizing um not only the command center for students and principles um and making sure that uh information is being shared with uh teachers and students. Uh, but really want to give a shout out to uh Chief Ronin

065and Chief um uh Fanny uh because their teams have been uh literally at the forefront um in the streets um trying to uh make sure that resources are available and and sent out um into the community. And I think uh that that presence is helpful. Um also want to thank the district for um taking up us as board members our offer to meet with us and to provide uh rapid information. Um because I think uh I I I'll continue to say this. You know, we there's 21 of us on this board and we are your best advocates. Um we have a pulse for what's happening in the street. um on a daily basis. So, um with that, I uh see it back to you, President Harden. >> Thank you, Dr. King. Did you have a

066comment? I just wanted to say to our governing board, the beauty of an elected board is that you all have line of sight across the city and you bring what's happening in real time to the district and we are ready to respond. We need you. This team is working day and night. Our phone calls end at 1000 p.m. because not only do we carry the weight of the federal actions, we're still dealing with gun violence. We are still dealing with the custodians and we're still focused on teaching that leads to learning. We need you. If you see that there are policies that need to be put in place, we will respond. You You all send us questions. we will respond. It helps us to find gaps, blind spots. But in this moment, we are you.

067You are us. We need you. So, I'm just asking in this moment, thinking about the student that just left, that is our reality. We receive every every single dete detainment and we have to carry that throughout the day. So, we're asking in this moment, activate your bases and your individual districts. Talk to legislators, elected officials. We need help. And I guarantee you, if you bring it, we will gladly, gladly accept it and enforce it. >> Thor, >> thank you. Um, I don't think that there is anything more important right now than keeping our students and families safe. And I agree with everything that um board member Lozano shared that this is an emergency um and that although the safest place for kids is at school um even if there's something that we can do to

068prevent one family being separated or one child coming back home to see that their parents are not there, we need to explore those avenues. So looking forward to see if there's something we can collaborate on um to explore remote learning as an option. Um, another policy that I'm going to ask for is that board members are more integrated into the command center that we have at CPS. You know, I I just found out this morning through the news that there was uh ICE taking a vendor from a CPS campus and I shouldn't have to find that out through the news. I knew that I know there's so much going on, but for board members to be able to activate our networks and do the work that we need to do, we need to know what

069is happening. So, I hope that we can have some more communication information about what's going on in our districts and the actions that we can take um to keep our students safe. Even if that is like patrols and community patrols, a lot of communities have set up their own networks, but how can CPS be integrated into those community rapid response networks to keep our kids safe? Um the other thing I want to mention is that board member Lopez and I were among um the board members that went to Springfield last week during veto session for the first week to advocate for revenue. Um, we had fantastic conversations. I would say we spoke to about 20 um, legislators, about a dozen who were outside of the city of Chicago, many of whom who were very receptive

070to our unique needs and situation where we are underfunded. I will also say that the most commonly asked question was, "So, what revenue proposals do you support?" Because everyone's down there asking for money, but not everyone wants to say how we get it. And that is a political challenge for legislators where they want to fund schools, they want to fund health care. Um millions of Illinoans are about to lose access to SNAP, they want to fund food assistance, but if we don't tell them, well, we're going to help you organize and build the will and communicate to our community members and parents about how we need progressive revenue solutions, not just funding for schools, but how we're going to get there and get that buy in, then it's going to be a hard sell for

071them. So, I would ask um my colleagues in the district to consider taking a position on progressive revenue and it doesn't need to be specific um but something that shows that we believe education is so important that we must raise a revenue to fill the hole that is being created by the federal level tax breaks in the big ugly bill. And the last thing I'll mention is um just just reminding folks about the uh green schools resolution that we had passed this summer in the big ugly bill. there are components that will affect implementation there as well. And there are several um national resources and advocates that are offering support to help us strategize on how to design and fund and implement the pilot program that we have um in a way that maximizes the

072tax credits in the um time that we have left. So um I would ask on the district for your collaboration in um working with the resources that we have available at the national level um to make sure that this pilot program is a success and it maximizes the incentives that we have. So hope that we can set up a meeting to discuss that as well. >> Thank you, Member Rivas. Uh thank you, Mr. President. Um first off, I want to thank uh Dr. King for uh your support. Um I was able to join the briefing yesterday uh related to um all of the things that are happening in our communities. And so I appreciate um the district's willingness to create that space for us to understand um where we're at um and what policies are

073in place not only to support our communities, but also what policies are in place that prevent us from doing the things that our community is asking for. So I completely understand that our communities are asking us for um for remote learning opportunities. Um and I understand that it's not our we don't have the ability to do that as a district. And so I really um uh once once folks call this an actual emergency because it is it is an emergency then hopefully we can get those things rolling for our community. Um I also want to just thank that um first off Dr. Carmona it's so great to have you in this role. Um, a few weeks ago I was able to go to uh Darwin Elementary School in my district where we had the Association

074of Latino Administrators and Superintendent there visiting to learn from our district as we are a leader in dual language. Uh it's so beautiful to see that we have so many uh dual language schools uh not only in my district but across um the Chicago public school system and that we're adding more uh thanks to our collective bargaining agreement because it is absolutely beautiful to have um this education in multiple languages um and that especially our bilingual students are excelling um in these programs. And so uh I just wanted to plug that. I really am appreciative of the dual language and hope that we continue to expand those opportunities. Thank you. >> Thank you, member. Gope, do you have anything else? We I want to move us to move. >> Yes, I'll be brief. Thank you,

075uh, President. Thank you again for our fellow colleagues. Um, and thank you, Dr. Hank. feel like given this conversation again I would um something that many of our um fellow colleagues asked for was an ad hoc committee and I think this maybe has shown the need for that whether as a board members we can have as long as we're not breaking right the any of the rules we come together and see what policies comprehens comprehensive policies that we bring together and push forward knowing that that is ever changing given that situation keeps escalating on the ground um but I think this again is showing the importance of how we can come together and I look forward to receiving uh responses to the number of questions I've submitted via email. Apologies to my fellow uh members

076and also board staff that you can't keep hearing messages from either via email or text messages. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh we don't have any committee updates this month. Uh so we'll proceed with public participation. Let us now u move forward with that part portion of today's meeting. Thank you for joining to share your comments with the board. 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 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. While we can't discuss personnel

077matters, 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. The board takes equity of voice seriously and while we may not address your comments 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 you can have a conversation. Please use our website cpsb.org board. 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

078outside of a board meeting. Thank you for your attention and consideration. And finally, as a reminder, union representatives will be allotted 5 minutes to speak before public participation and any elected officials will be allotted five minutes to speak after the conclusion of public participation. Board Secretary, please share the rules of public participation. Thank you, President Ardan. Members of the public who registered to speak were given the option to attend in person or via an electronic format. For those who prefer 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 internet connection could still participate using their phones. Also, members of the public may

079submit written comments for board of education meetings via the written comments form on the board's website at cpsboe.org 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 cpspoe.org. Speakers, 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

080your 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 marked spots to keep clear. Thank you. And before I proceed with calling the uh union reps, I do want to note that President Harden had to step away from the meeting and we do need to um proceed with the election of a chairman prom to sit in as in his absence. Board member Rivas, do you have a motion? I move that pursuant to board rule 1-6, the board elect Ma Blae as chairman prom to preside over the October 23rd, 2025 board meeting in the absence of President Shan Harden. Mala Blae will serve as a chairman pro 10 solely for the

081duration of the October 23rd 2025 board meeting in the absence of President Shan Harden and will exercise all duties and responsibilities of the chairperson until the return of President Shan Harden. >> I second the motion. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. >> Uh member Smith >> I. >> Member Lopez >> I. >> Member Villz >> I. Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President Baltista. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. He's thinking. Is he still the one? Member Gutierrez. >> Member Bigs. >> Yes. Member Thorakura. >> Yes. Member Zachar. >> Yes. Member Deberry. >> I. How many? 16.

08216 eyes. Zero Naz. This motion is adopted by the board. Uh the motion to elect Ma Blaze as chairman Prom is adopted. Chairman Prom Blaze, we are ready for you to reconvene the board meeting. >> Great. We'll begin with um as far as union reps, we do have some union union reps who would like to address the board. We'll begin with Vicky Kursidlo, CTU recording secretary, who is here in person. Good morning. My name is Vicki Kurszidlo and I'm proud to stand before you as a veteran educator of 32 years. I've had the privilege of teaching Chicago's children as an elementary school librarian at Holden Elementary School on the south side and as a special education teacher at Sagenash Elementary on the northwest side. Today I serve as the recording secretary of the Chicago Teachers

083Union. But before saying anything else, I am and will always be a teacher. Leaving the classroom last June was challenging. If you've ever taught, you know our students don't just learn from us. They bond with us. They feel our care, our belief in them, and our love. And even though I'm not at Chai Arts or Epic or Espira, I can attest that this entire city feels those students pain and the pain of the educators who have poured themselves into their classroom only to have a private unelected board pull the rug out from under them. We can and we must do better. As you need us, we need you. We need Chicago public schools to take this moment seriously, not just with words, but with resources, with partnership, with urgency. And the truth is, we have

084a real opportunity to do that right now. Mayor Brandon Johnson's proposed protecting Chicago budget gives us something we've been fighting for, a an historic investment in our public schools, more than half a billion dollars. The largest TIFF surplus in city history is being directed to our students. Let me say that again. Over half a billion dollars. That's not just a number. That is an opportunity to change lives. When this board passed its budget, it did so assuming that if the TIF money came through and if the state stepped up, then we could meet our promises to students. Now that the mayor has called for an historic tiff surplus, it's time for us to work together to make sure our city council passed that tiff passed that tiff surplus and for you to make sure those

085dollars are used in a way that meets this moment. I'm talking to parents who are afraid to drop their children off at school. I'm hearing from educators whose classrooms are half empty because families are scared. Attendance is plummeting, not because parents don't care, but because they're afraid. This surplus can help. It can help fund safe passage pro safe passage programs, expand social and emotional supports, and strengthen the network of community schools that anchor our neighborhoods. For families who are too afraid to send their children in, we can bring school to them through wellsupported virtual options like the virtual academy that we already have. If this board is clear on how these funds will be used to trump our district to protect paraprofessional pensions and to deliver for young people who have spent the last month

086terrified by their president, we can rebuild trust and show our children that the adults in this city are fighting for them. Donald Trump has already sent federal troops to Chicago, not to protect, but to intimidate. His message is one of control, not care, especially toward black and brown communities that have endured generations of disinvestment and state violence. Our children don't need to look out their windows and see soldiers. They need to see after school programs, librarians, nurses, and safe spaces to learn. When a child stays home because their route to school feels unsafe, that's not an attendance problem, everybody. That's a failure of protection. Fear is showing up in our classrooms in the form of empty seats. That's why the Chicago Teachers Union is calling for true partnership. We have joint committees written into our

087contract for this very reason. We've requested impact bargaining since September 30th because we know that when crisis hits, we are stronger when we face it together. So today, I'm asking this board to join us to commit to this partnership and for CPS to engage in meaningful impact bargaining immediately to ensure that every dollar of this historic surplus is used to uplift our students. President Harden, we have sent an email to you moments ago and the rest of you board members will receive it momentarily. It's time we all push our alder people and governor to do the same. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. >> The next union rep is Jen Conant, chair of the CTU charter division. Good morning, members of the board and CEO King. I stand here in support of our

088students, families, and communities that are under attack. I echo everything that has been said about protecting our communities however we can, and we must do more. And I'm here because given everything that students are experiencing, they should not have to worry about the future of their school. Today, you will hear from a lot of concerned parents and staff members from charter schools, and there are many more who were not selected to speak, but wanted to. There are several key issues before you today, specifically around Epic, Shy Arts, Asero, and Aspira schools. First, let's address EPIC. Epic is a small charter school on the south side. The Epic board of directors has not provided sufficient oversight of the organization's finances and they committed s significant school resources to buying a new property while student enrollment was

089plummeting. EPIC's board has already voted to close the school at the end of the year, but the school is at risk of closing in the middle of the year if this board does not act. We are asking you to provide EPIC the funding and oversight needed to ensure stability for the students there until the end of the school year. In regards to EPIC's future, this board again has to look out for the school community. It is not okay for CPS to just watch a school they oversee close while offering nothing to invest in the school community or into remaining whole. CPS should either take over management of the school or think creatively and offer to move students and staff to another school like Southshore to ensure the school community can stay together in a strong

090stable setting. Next up is Shy Arts. The executive director and president of the board decided in secret that they would not take the final step of submitting an application for renewal. This decision will effectively close a fully enrolled school with almost 600 students at the end of this school year unless CPS intervenes. CPS has an opportunity here to take over management of a school with a unique conservatory model. Transferring this model to the district will take work and it is essential that CPS and you as board members understand how it works. But we don't have to have all the details worked out to know that this board should vote to save this school by providing district management. Next, let's talk about Aero. This board passed an incredibly important resolution in February stating that CPS should

091take over management of five closing schools. Since that time, C2 has tried to reach an agreement with CPS about the transfer of these schools to CPS and so far we have been unable to. The key sticking point, CPS does not want to guarantee positions to the current staff at these schools. They want the new principles to be able to hire whomever they want. But that misses the whole point of this board's decision. If kids return next year to a building that doesn't have the same educators in it, we will have not saved these schools. We will have closed them and open brand new ones in their place. Tell CPS to follow the intent of your resolution and get this deal done. Reaching an agreement on a serero is essential. It will provide the model for

092any transition to CPS management of epic or shy arts and it will give the district a new tool to provide stability for school communities impacted by unaccountable charter executives who choose to wash their hands of CPS students. Finally, I want to raise concerns about Espira and its three schools. Espira enrollment has declined significantly over the last few near years and the network has an operating deficit of $1.8 8 million for this school year. Last year, Aspira already closed one school and reduced and cut sports and clubs for students. Now, Espira plans to cut 10% of its unionized workforce with layoffs set to take effect three weeks into quarter 2. We're talking about cutting teachers, pair professionals, counselors, and a social worker. These layoffs will require reprogramming student and staff schedules in the middle of a

093quarter. will create overloaded class sizes will mean that some students may not receive legally required special education and ESL services and the disruptive nature of these cuts midquarter and to key services means that more families may choose to leave resulting in lower funding in the future. Given all of that, we're calling on this board and CPS to provide support. We also have deep concerns about the choices made by management that brought us to this moment and questions about Aspir's budgeting, including how they went from having millions in reserves several years ago to having left nothing left now. We're guessing CPS has questions, too. So, we're calling on CPS to provide additional oversight in addition to support. All students deserve stable and thriving school communities. Students in charter schools don't deserve the harm and chaos they

094are experiencing now. But closure at any moment seems to be baked into the model. CPS has welcomed charter schools as part of the district for decades now. So CPS has a responsibility to protect students and families that are at charter schools when the organizations that run these schools do not protect them. That may not be a responsibility or problem that you want, but you have inherited it. Thank you for looking out for students, families, and educators. >> Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Kia Banks, CPAA president, who is here in person. Good morning. First, I'm going to start by welcoming Chief Carmona. I could not be more proud to see you in this critical role. as a principal under your guidance as a chief I've had the benefit to know firsthand

095your commitment to students to also I let you know that we respect as leaders school leaders your transparency and coaching to the prof to the way you taught us to professionally disagree but to never give up when we can always come to a common ground. You are a true problem solver and you know the role and the work of the principal. We have all you have always been fair. You've given praise when it was warranted, but you always offer gentle and stern direction when it was needed. So now I have the privilege to work alongside you to represent our school's leaders. And I am confident that we will either professionally disagree or we will find common ground to bring transformative change to this district. I also want to take a moment to recognize and congratulate

096Principal Ro who is a dedicated leader but he is a fearless and vocal advocate for school leaders and I am proud to call him an active member of our union. I want to be really brief. That's kind of difficult for me but Dr. King we are so proud to see that your team is taking shape. I want to stand before you today and thank you for acknowledging the tremendous pressure that our school leaders are under right now. We are addressing the realities of continued ICE engagement. Our leaders hold the community's trust. We are too gracefully working under threats. Our school leaders too are being attacked. And that sense of helplessness for a school leader who can't run in their office and put on their super leader cape and protect our children and our families. It's

097really discouraging. So what we need from each of you is bold and courageous leadership right now. We need radical unity. We support this effort to go to Springfield. And there are things that we could be doing right now. We welcome each of you to take a post, join a walking school bus, volunteer and donate groceries to families who have food insecurities, afraid to go to the grocery stores, volunteer at a local school to be a tutor to help bridge the instructional gap for students that may have missing time or days. We must make sure all of our sister agencies are visible. If you have networks in your districts, bring out those community-based organizations. Ask them to help. Ask them to stand corners. Ask them to support our leaders because they are charged, as Dr. King

098said, with custodial issues, with instructional issues, and also protecting our students. We must always remember that the trauma and the fear that our children and our families will grapple with right now will last much longer than the headlines. Let's deploy social emotional resources now to all students because it's not just our immigrant brothers and sisters. It's our black brothers and sisters, our Asian brothers and sisters, our white brothers and sisters who are experiencing this every day looking out at their windows. No child should get up and wonder if they're coming home to their parents. And no child should sit and have to console their classmate who is worried and can't focus on school. Board member Thadakora, we are ready to work with you. When we find out about those incidents, we are coordinating resources and

099taking them directly to the school. So if you ever want to work and coordinate, give us a call. We are working to make sure that we are responding rapidly. We are supporting the district and their efforts to ensure that policies are enacted and are are working together in coordination. But finally, I want to take this moment to speak to the collective CPS team. And I want to clear something up. I am emphasizing team. I stand here to represent 1,153 school leaders, chief problem solvers. We don't want I'm not going to apologize for my urgency to see the decision makers each of you to come together and proactively find solutions and a common ground. Our union does not seek to dictate to district management how it manages. Our role is to mitigate the impact of your

100decisions on our schools, our students, and our communities. You make decisions for us. We want to ensure that those decisions have the outcomes expected and meet the realities. We encourage every leader here to we inc encourage every school leader to boldly advocate for their schools, their communities, and their students because they know what's best. But when your decisions are going to impact the collective, we want to implore you to work with our union to ensure equity, transparency, and transformative change for all schools, not just one, not just one leader and not one community. Do not get distracted. CPA stands boldly with all stakeholders who want to roll up their sleeves and do the work. So, let's go to work. Let's hold those alders accountable for fulfilling that budget that they all stood here in August

101and said that they would support. Let's make sure they vote for it. Our district and our students deserve it. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. >> Chairman Prom Blaze, we are now ready to call registered speakers from the speakers list and we will begin with um a few speakers from the Chicago Multilingual Parent Council. As Moralda Gutier, speaker number one, members of the Launduc is Chicago. CPSUN Chicago. classes, the ESL We'll have the um statement translated from Spanish. One second. >> Good morning, members of the board of education, principles, teachers, and parents. My name is Esmeald Gutierrez and I am a member of the Chicago Multilingual Parent Council or CNPC. First, I want to thank Ricardo Rivas for inviting us here. We're here to represent nearly 90,000 bilingual students in CPS and their parents

102who face challenges in our school system. Our focus is on bilingual students who are learning English as a second language and bilingual students who receive special education. According to a recent study by the University of Chicago, bilingual students who do not achieve English proficiency and remain in the bilingual program long-term do not progress in the same way as those who receive adequate support and pass the access state exam. This lack of equitable access perpetuates academic inequalities that we could avoid by strengthening our bilingual programs. Many bilingual students fail to achieve English proficiency because they are not given enough support to build a solid foundation in the early grades. This year, there is no funding to offer the ESL tutoring that was provided every year in elementary schools. This limits the progress of students who need

103more time and support to master the language. In our public schools, bilingual students have the option to take four English as a second language classes that equal the English credits required by the state for graduation. The problem is that no curriculum for these high school classes actually exists. The next speaker is Leonor Ariano, speaker number 29. Okay. Chicago for different certific information. Certific We'll have the statement translated. Good morning board members, principals, teachers, and parents. My name is Leonor Ariano and I am a CNPC member. I'm here to represent nearly 90,000 bilingual CPS students and their parents who face challenges in our school system. We propose that elementary school ESL tutoring program is reestablished, especially at the 157 schools certified to offer ESL programs. This tutoring which used to be offered for 16week periods can

104make a great difference in student performance and confidence. We also asked for attention to the lack of resources and guides for parents who have bilingual students with disabilities. Many do not receive the orientation required to understand the educational processes or advocate for their children's rights. Furthermore, we have to guarantee that there are certified educ special education teachers with training on bilingual education, which is an area that is currently being neglected. When bilingual students who receive IEPs are not given linguistic resources, their needs are set aside and with them the opportunity to find academic and personal success. All of this is why we asked the board to one finance ESL's tutoring in elementary school. Two ensure the presence of personnel certified in both special and bilingual education. Three offer guides and workshop for parents in their

105languages and four understand that bilingual children's language development is an academic necessity and not a privilege. When we support language learning, we also strengthen inclusion, equity, and our children's future. Thank you. >> Thank you. Um, before we go to the next speaker from the Chicago Multilingual Parent Council, I do want to note for the record that President Harden has returned to the meeting as of 12:28 p.m. Thank you. And the last speaker from the Chicago Multilingual Parent Council is Marisella Salazar, speaker number 22. Chicago CPS. Chicago, multicultural CPS. the CPS Chicago. Correct. Examine access for CPS. the CPS Thank you for your comments. We'll now have the statement translated. Good morning and respectful greetings to the board of education administrators, teachers, and fraternally to the parents and community members present at this meeting. My name

106is Marisella Salasar, mother of four, two current CPS students and two graduates. For 18 years, I've been on various occasions a volunteer at Chicago public schools, serving on the Chicago Multilingual Parent Council, made up of parents, teachers, community members, and administrators from the CPS Office of Multilingual Multicultural Education or OMA. I stand here before you today to bring attention to a problem we have been dealing with for too many years. the precarious attention given to CPS's bilingual students who, as you know, this year total 90,000 of the 300,000 public school students in the system. As large as the numbers I mentioned are, they are not matched by the funds so that these students may have an equal public school education. Not enough attention has been paid to ensuring that these programs are imported correctly to

107the from the first years of development imported correctly from the first years of development by properly certified staff and with sufficient and appropriate material to ensure student success. With each passing year, we see more and more students that fail to pass an access test in the time allowed by CPS. It is you who are respon directly responsible for revising and adjusting the required areas required to correct bad or nullified decisions about CPS's bilingual students. A good server is one who knows whom they serve. What kind of server do you wish to be? I attach here the meeting calendar for committee meetings. You're welcome to get to know the parents, teachers, and administrators of the bilingual program. get to know us so that you can make the correct decisions. Additionally, I fa yenia and caros who

108have already approached us. Thank you. Thank you. Our next speaker is Carolina Schwarz, speaker number two. Good morning or good afternoon board members. My name is Karolina Schwarz Salasar and I serve as a bilingual social worker at Aspira. Every day I have the privilege of supporting students who are bright, motivated and deeply resilient young people balancing academics, family responsibilities and often the emotional weight of systemic inequities. Many are Latino and first generation working to build a future that honors both their heritage and their potential. Aspira was founded to close those very gaps to ensure Latino students are not only educated but truly empowered to lead. What began as a grassroots movement now serves thousands of culturally diverse students nationwide and Aspida Illinois proudly carries that mission forward here in Chicago. We are one of the

109few school school communities intentionally designed to nurture bilingual bicultural identity and holistic well-being. When students feel seen, valued, and emotionally supported, attendance improves, engagement deepens, and academic achievement follows. We witness that transformation every day. However, recent layoffs have placed immense strain on our staff and our ability to provide the level of care our students deserve. Like many of my colleagues, I now serve double the number of students, often balancing urgent mental health crisis, family emergencies, and academic support, sometimes all within the same hour. Many fellow social workers, counselors, teachers, and administrators continue to show up wholeheartedly, often staying long a long long hours um to ensure no student is left unseen or supported. But the emotional toll is growing. The compassion that fuels this work cannot sustain itself without structural support. Our students come to

110us carrying heavy burdens, loss, instability, trauma, and the stress of navigating two cultures. They they depend on >> as a place where they can feel safe, heard, and affirmed. If Aspita loses additional funding or faces closure, hundreds of students will lose not just a school but a lifeline, access to counseling, mentorship, and culturally responsive supports that are proven to strengthen academic well-being and academic persistence. These are not extra services. They are essential components to the equity of belonging and social emotional learning. CPS is receiving significant increase in funding. Um we urge you to direct those resources towards schools like Aspita, schools that are making a measurable impact on students who have historically been underserved. An investment in ASPIA is an investment in prevention in resilience and in the future of our in the future leaders

111of the city. With equitable funding, we can expand counseling services, strengthen programming, and deepen cultural responsive supports. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Wanda Hopkins, speaker number three. >> [laughter] >> Good morning all 40-year advocate for the Chicago public school parents and students. A lot of you all know I've been working and retired, but I've had to come back. I was laying down last night and I was trying to think, what do you do? Wanda, when you're tired and can't walk and my mind said you got to run because it's still not right. My first thing I want to talk about and I'm going get to what G2 talked about with black principles. Everybody ain't right. That's black principle. Why is CPS sabotaging the enrollment of Douglas High School

112because a man of not color want the school? I'm I say it like I need to say it. It's been parents telling me they've been trying to get into Douglas Hospital, I'm sorry, Douglas High School, and they won't allow them in. When I voted for my person who was G2 and others voted for you all, you all knew the system. You knew the corruption. So that's why you ran. I used to I was talking about this the other day. I used to work with Emma's husband on a lot of issues. So, I know the situation uh as my children are walking down the street and the mothers are standing for every corner >> and they and I tell them, "Go ahead on. We're going to watch them go in." And I'm on a roll later,

113y'all. So, I know what y'all can do when you sit on this board. Number two, Marshall High School corruption CEO. you know cuz I made them send you everything but nothing is happening that we know. Pam Price who has been demoted the only worker that I know in Chicago public school has supported parents and making sure the federal monies in compliance for their schools to be able to s spend those dollars correctly. CEO send a call to Fanny. She needs to hear from you. >> Please conclude issue. I hear you. 40 years should mean something. I've been on every LSC for the last years. Give me some respect. If you ask a robber, I'm going to LSC relations now with the director, Chip Johnson, and you ask a robber, do they steal? If it calls

114for that job, they gonna say no. My God say a liar will not tear in the eyesight of God. So, the LSC relations, I'mma continue to say it, and that's why I'mma come here is and and sue y'all if you don't let me speak every now and then. Uh that that is illegal, guys, for the corruption in that LSC relations department. That woman lies. She does things to help principles. My school, my school, he's they're doing it. I'm not talking about, she said, I didn't know what I'm talking about, Chip. Johnson, but now let me go to my school where it's happening. She's letting him know he can do what he wants to do. Oh, but that's a lie. It's not happening. I'mma get him. That's what I'm talking about. G2, when it's wrong, it's

115wrong. I'mma I'mma next say the CEO. I've been asking for a meeting from the CEO for ever since I came last month. CEO King. So, I went back to my history where the first, you know, pope uh general superintendent was Tim Kimbro. I was able to meet with him, RJ Johnson. I was a able to meet with her. So, I asked myself, well, Wanda, what's the problem? And I called some of my CEO friends and said, well, Wanda, she doesn't know you yet. Once she know you, maybe she'll let you in. But everybody's not like everybody. So we let you in because we knew you and you felt we felt the the hurt that you were hurting just like um helping walk the immigrant children as their parents little babies like this walking down the

116damn street by the parents are scared to death. Why can't I sit there when you all can make decisions? Okay, I sit on the committee. Mayor Brendan has my own special person, but I can't meet with the CEO. I can call him right now. I sit on the governor's task force. I'm going to be asking them, have they had a had a letter from you all about what you talked about, Emma? Is a letter been sent from the CEO or anybody about remote learning? I want to know for myself cuz you might not want me to come back to speak, but I want to be able to tell you if it was come back >> because I tell the truth, y'all. I They don't like me because I don't care what I say. Sean, I

117know you from a long time. Michael Scott would tell me, "Leave my brother alone. [laughter] I never did anything to you, but he would that was I would meet with him on Hosted." For people who know Michael Scott, he'd be on host. We'll eat and do whatever we need. I met with everybody, but I can't meet with y'all CEO. Thank you very much. That's all I got to say. >> Thank you for your comments. Our next group of speakers are from the Asero Charter Schools. Jason Rice, speaker number five. Um, before I begin, uh, I recently became aware that I have several parents here, uh, who would wish to stand with me, but I did not get the blue cards because I wasn't aware they're here. Would it be all right if they joined me

118before I began? You can't exceed 10 because >> Okay. >> It had we have to comply with the fire. >> Thank you. I'm grateful. >> Good afternoon. My name is Jason Ree and I am a firstear teacher at Esmeralda Santiago School, but have been an educator in the Osero network for over 5 years. My previous five years were spent at Octavio Paz, which sadly permanently was shut down by Asero and CPS at the close of last school year. As I stand before you again to advocate for our students and our community, I can't help but be reminded of the strife and hardship that was inflicted upon the PA community and the negative effect it had on our scholars and their families. The uncertainty, the fear, and the ultimate sense of loss that a family experiences

119through school closure is quite real with lasting effects on communities that go beyond the emotional. Imagine as a child experiencing that sort of uncertainty, fear, and loss for an entire school year, which is essentially what happened with the Acero announcement coming last in October of 2024. Now, imagine going through that twice. This is the scary reality for our Santiago Spartans. My second and third graders have often asked me what might happen to our school if we able to stay together as a school family. I really wish I could give them the clear and comforting answers they deserve. Here's what I would hope to be able to tell them. We will be staying together as a community. We need CPS to guarantee all our current staff from our leadership team on down is able to remain

120in our current positions, which will needless to say be the best possible situation for our scholars in our community. I'm confident that I speak for my colleagues when I say that our leadership is the best and that sort of consistency is what we need to continue on being the excellent school that we are in the Humble Park neighborhood. And speaking of our school and our school building, please buy it. Please. Santiago is excited and anticipating our transition into CPS next year, but an Esmeralda Santiago school that is not located at 2510 West Cortez will not be the same. It would be an even greater challenge at that point to keep our wonderful and vibrant community together. Please say yes to kids and no to condos. >> Please conclude your remarks. >> We are profoundly grateful

121to the support of Alderman Viegas and of schoolboard member Rivas for their advocacy. so far in supporting our school, but we would invite all Chicago public uh public board school members to come visit us and experience the magic and the potential that Santiago has. And I forgot to mention, Santiago is consistently among the top academically performing schools in the Acero network had to offer. Not to mention our sterling record for student attendance. And our achievement numbers are not a fluke. They're the result of a consistent united educational community. And so Osero's loss is most undoubtedly CPS's gain. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker from Aero Charter Schools is Maria Barahasa, speaker number 11. >> Good morning. My name is Maria. I am the proud mother of two

122students at Esmeralda Santiago school today school. Today I want to talk I want to share why Santiago is more than just a school. It's community. It's family. It's a place where our children truly thrive. My oldest daughter Ketali has autism. Before Santiago, she attend a private therapeutic school. He helped her emotionally, socially, but academically she wasn't getting what she needed. When she transferred at Santiago, when we transferred her at Santiago, everything changed from the very first day. She began to grow, not just academically, but emotionally, socially, and in confidence. She felt support, challenged, and seen. This summer she graduated and now she's thriving as a freshman at Walter Payton College Prep. Watching her succeed has been nothing but short of amazing. And we credit Santiago, her teachers, and especially Principal Swiss and assistant principal Kate

123for so much of her growth and success. Our second daughter Naomi was in another private school up to third grade, but she wasn't getting she wasn't and she wasn't experiencing the growth she deserved. When we transfer her to Santiago, it was like light turned on. She's now in sixth grade, excelling in ways we never imagined. Thanks to the medical staff going about go up and about and beyond every day to make her and every child feel capable, challenged and cared for. When we heard when we heard Santiago might close our heartbroken that has become the heart of our community or with the staff and leaders who make this such a special place. Please help us >> please conclude your remarks >> not the case. Please help us keep Santiago what it is as keeping our

124dedicated teachers, our inspiring leaders leadership team and keep us in the building that has ch nutrit our has nutrited so many dreams for our children, our families, our community. Santiago deserve to stay in its home. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker from Asero Charter Schools is Caroline Rutherford. Speaker number 12. Need readers now. [clears throat] Good morning members of the board and CEO King. I am Caroline Rutherford, vice chair of CTu's charter division, and I am here to inform you that the resolution you all passed in February to transition the five schools to district manage is not on track to be carried out by CPS for months now. The chief portfolio officer, Dr. for Carmona, which is now the new interim CDO. Congratulations. And other CPS officials have provided excuses

125not to guarantee the current teachers and staff any positions at these five schools for next year. If these five schools could reopen in the fall without a single familiar face reading the students, then let's be honest, the school was not saved and the families will not stay. Is this the message that the district will be allowed to send? that CPS should take over management of the schools, but the staff is expendable. Many of you have been visiting Shy Arts, talking to the parents and the teachers at the school. You are encouraging them to have hope because Dr. Carmona recommended Shy Arts become a district- managed school at the last board meeting. Thank you for that. But given the concerns we have with the Aero transition, I'm wondering, will CPS create the same crisis for Shy

126Arts? Will CPS have to let Shy Arts parents, students, and staff know that maybe none of the current teachers touching artists will be able to stay because a new principal can come and replace all the staff. The position CPS and Dr. Carmona are taking about retaining the educators at the five schools does not live up to the board's resolution. They want to treat them as five brand new schools where a new principal gets to hire all new staff, but these are not brand new schools. They are technically new to CPS management, but they've been existing existing students, existing communities, existing staff. We spent a year fighting for this, and the board made a historic decision to keep them open, but now CPS is risking going back on your word. >> Please conclude your remarks. >>

127Aerero will begin layoffs for the five schools in November. If they are uncertain about their job, they'll be forced to move to another school. Saving a school but not retaining the staff is not saving the school. Board members, please tell CPS and Dr. Carmona they have a responsibility to uphold the resolution you all passed by making every effort to retain students and the dedicated qualified educators at these schools. Thank you very much. >> Thank you for your comments. And our last speaker from the Asero Charter Schools Group is Sheeter Collins, speaker number 28. It's been a little Hi, my name is Peter Collins. I'm a serero teacher. It's been a little over one year since the attempted to close the doors on nearly half their students. Thanks to the efforts of several members of this

128board and despite the unsuccessful efforts of a few others, this board committed to pro protecting those students in their schools. However, for reasons I don't quite understand, were at risk of undoing that hard work. A little over three months after Asero attempted to profit off the pain of their students, members of this board demanded that CPS protect them, you passed a resolution that every attempt should be made to keep these schools intact. Aso has already sent out warn Act notices letting teachers, social workers, and counselors know that mass layoffs are coming. And yet, despite the fact and yet despite [clears throat] the fact that this board passed a resolution in 2024, we are at the end of 2025 without knowing who will be in these buildings in 2026. That's why we need the C this

129board to remind CPS that saving the physical architecture of a building matters far far less than saving the teachers, pair professionals, and all other support staff working with students. Thank you to those who fought for my kids, but I'm here to ask for your help once more. The intent of this resolution wasn't to save the buildings. It was to save the school communities. CPS officials have repeatedly told students that parents are teachers that answers are coming and that it takes time. But behind those platitudes lies only silence. These parents who are already ignored and disrespected by Asero are seeing a familiar pattern repeated by people who already failed to ex failed to ensure their schools continue existence. In the years since Asero tried to turn students away, other chopper charter operators have followed suit. These

130were more operators CPS officials, some of whom have gotten promotions, said could be trusted with their children. Epic, Aspa, Asero, Shy Arts. CPS told parents that they could tr that parents could trust these operators with the most precious thing they have, their child's future. But that wasn't true. Time is a finite resource and it is increasingly not in my students side. I implore members of this board to apply pressure once again on CPS and Chief Carmona to stand up for their children and their parents. My students and their families don't deserve silence. They deserve intact schools. >> Thank you for your comments. >> The next group of speakers are from the Chicago High School for the Arts. Emily Herrera, speaker number four. Um, hello. Good morning, members of the board. My name is Emilia Eera.

131From the moment I could walk, I knew I wanted to be on stage. Growing up on the southwest side of Chicago, those kinds of experiences weren't easy to find. To develop my craft, it often meant paying thousands of dollars for programs that my parents simply couldn't afford. Thanks to Shy Arts, the dream of being able to do musical theater has started to become a reality, not just a fantasy. Shy Arts has allowed me to hone in on my craft and grow as a pre-p profofess pre-p profofessional artist. I've been able to learn from working with teacher artists directly and discover what I am truly capable of. Our teachers are special members who emphasize building connections with their students. They help build confidence to go out into the professional world and make an impact. Not only

132are we an art school, but we also have strong academics. A question that was asked to students at Shy Arts was whether they considered themselves a scholar. The answer is yes. I along with other students at Shy Arts are in AP, honors, and even dual enrollment classes. Shy art students are hardworking, passionate, and committed to both our arts and education. The saddest part about all this is that I shouldn't be here begging the board to save our unique school. I should be in my AP Spanish class getting ready to learn about stage combat and prepping for our Latin culture showcase later tonight. Shy Arts isn't just a school. It's a community, a family, and a home to so many of us who might have not found our place anywhere else, which you may recall from

133our last meeting. I ask that CPS not only see the building, but also the people inside it, the students, the teachers, and the community that makes Shy Arts so special. I also invite you to come see our shows to see how special Shy Arts truly is. We have a Latin culture showcase later today at 6:30 p.m. Please save Shy Arts. Shy Arts is our home. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Megan Pete, speaker number seven. Please stand on the um mark u the axes on the ground. >> Good afternoon. My name is Megan Pets and I'm an English teacher at Shy Arts. I am grateful to speak with you today and for the opportunity I have had to meet with many of the board members over the last week.

134At your meeting on October 8th, I was struck by several pieces of the recommendations put forth by Dr. Alfonso Carmona and his team about CPS taking over management of Shy Arts. Though I believe that Shy Arts should become a CPS managed school, I am deeply concerned about the lack of family, staff, and community engagement around the recommendations as well as parts that reflected a fundamental misunderstanding of many aspects of SHIE arts. It is imperative that our voices be a part of this process, not exclusively the voices of our executive director and the shy arts board. When CPS officials propose a citywide program, I think of the 30 students already sitting in my full classroom and the full photography studio above my classroom. Where would more students go? With over 550 students already in the building,

135we do not have the space or the additional educators to bring more students in. If CPS is willing to expand our program, that would be incredible. The students of Chicago deserve it. But our building is full. And with no attendance boundaries, students from all 50 wards are already welcome. I personally helped draft our school's course catalog. So, I can tell you all about the diversity of classes we offer across our school day. Our teaching artists are essential in offering these unique, compelling courses. Their expertise, professional networks, and connections to post-secary institutions are invaluable. You have 30 seconds remaining. >> CPS's own arts 2.0 plan emphasizes the importance of the teaching artist, and Shy Arts can lead the way as a model. Mayor Brandon Johnson had said, "The arts are not a luxury. They are essential.

136A city is vibrant and creative as Chicago must reflect those values in its schools." The CPS board has an opportunity to codify an incredibly special, bold, pre-professional program that prioritizes novice students from diverse backgrounds and can model it for the rest of the city. As we plan for the future of SHIE arts, please work with our community to maintain the fundamental model of our school and further our shared mission of arts education in Chicago. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Ethan Buzzman Baron, speaker number eight. >> Good afternoon, board members. Uh, my name is Ethan Guzman Baron and I am the proud parent of a sophomore dance student at Shy Arts High School. I'm here to ask you to save Shy Arts as it is, not

137just taking it over as for the district, but also to preserve its pre-professional arts conservatory where they are taught by working artists. My daughter Audriana started dance at a young age. It's been a constant in her life. So, when it came time to look at high schools, Shy seemed like a great fit. she could continue this passion that she has, the most important thing in her life, while she pursued her education. Since being there, it has exceeded our expectations. Not only has she grown as a dancer, which we expected, she's also grown as a student, she's grown socially, emotionally, shown leadership, cultivated by this warm, supporting community that is Shy Arts. Like-minded, supportive peers, and dedicated, concerned faculty. If you've never attended a performance at Chy Arts, I encourage you to do so. There's nothing

138quite like it. Not only would you see the talent on display on stage, but you would hear the cheers, screams, and shoutouts from the community supporting and encouraging these young artists. The first performance we attended right after our daughter was accepted, we attended a senior showcase for the dance department. And it was that night that I realized what pre-professional truly meant. the young men and women on that stage could just as easily be performing on any of the stages down here in the loop. >> 30 seconds remaining. >> And that happens because of that conservatory model. These teachers are teaching skills and techniques that are taught in classrooms and studios throughout the world. But more importantly, because they are working artists, they can give them additional insight, connections, and understanding of what it takes to

139navigate the world as a working artist and pursuing their vocation and passion. In this world that we live in today, we need artists more than ever, especially in this worldclass city. So, I ask you to save Shy Arts and save its conservatory model for my daughter, her fellow student artists, and the young artists of Chicago to come. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Rosemary Vega, speaker number 13. >> Here comes the boom. Now you my name is Rosemary Vega. I am a parent advocate for public education in the city of Chicago since the closing of Lafayette Elementary which now holds Shy Arts. So this for me is very very traumatic to be going through it again. But I'm going to start with this President Sha. We recognize that a thriving

140arts ecosystem requires collaboration. And we are proud to stand alongside educators, families, students, and community leaders to bring this vision to life where we need that now. And we need you to stand with us, families, students, and community. Shai Arts serves the entire city of Chicago. We have students that commute for two hours just to get to the school that it's 8 to5. This is a job. 8 to 5 is a job, but to them is their home. It's their space. It's their where they can be creative and it's where they can be theirelves. So when you take a vote, when I heard about this, it I was I was blindsided. We were not expecting this. My daughter let go of an opportunity at Lincoln Park High School for Shy Arts. My daughter had no

141prior experience, but leading up to her audition, it was dedication. It was practice. It was >> trying to get into the school, she got it through an audition, through hard work, through dedication. Shy arts is unique. It's unique. It's a gem for the city of Chicago. It's an opportunity for our black and brown students. Let me say this. 55% of the families and students at Shy Arts are low income. They are black and brown students that otherwise would not have an opportunity to get where they want to be. 41% and it's on the fact sheet. 41% of the students that graduated in 24 I mean um in 2023 242 will be >> the first to enter college and their families. >> 97% of the graduating class went to college you guys. So when you make

142a vote, not just to say shy arts because I know this board will not let shy arts close because of the groundwork that we've done in the past because of who you are. But what I am asking you do not change the conservatory. So when you make that vote and when you make your plan, invest in our students, invest in our Chicago kids because they wake up one day and say, "I want to be an actor." They have it. I want to be a singer. They have it. And this school is unique in itself. So I am asking you to dig inside. Let us be on this table. Carmona, I am asking you please don't just save the school, preserve the staff, preserve the conservatory and do something for our kids. This would be a

143huge conclude your remarks for the city of Chicago. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Flynn Ramirez, speaker number 14. Hello, my name is Finer Mirez and I am a senior vocalist at Shy Arts. Now more than ever, I want to spotlight spotlight the legacy of our scholar artists from both alumni to current students. Since Shy Arts opened its doors in 2009, we've had our students go above and beyond in both their academic and artistic pursuits. In the past few years alone, Shard's vocalist alum Raven Len has reached over 30 million listeners on Spotify, was titled Billboard's R&B Rookie of the Year, and is currently on tour with Sabrina Carpenter. The Shyard's Chamber Choir performed for former First Lady Michelle Obama. Our creative writers started a professional literary magazine called

144Levitate that draws submissions from around the world. Chai arts theater alums have featured in everything from Netflix specials to the latest Superman blockbuster. Our current dancers have been featured on WGN News and alumni are dancing with the country's top companies. Visual artists have won prestigious residency programs and countless scholastic art awards. Shar's musical theater and dance alumni have performed on Broadway in productions of The Lion King, The Great Gatsby, Real Woman Have Curves, and Water for Elephants. Students across conservatories have been accepted to top tier colleges, including Ivy League schools and competitive arts conservatories. And just two days ago, Shards dancer Dasha Era and I were announced as QuestBridge National College Match finalists, qualifying us for some of the co country's most competitive full ride scholarships. Each and every Shire student that has walked into

145our building has left a legacy behind. Many of us walked in as noviceses with no prior arts experiences. But our teachers lifted us from our comfort zones and prepared us for futures bigger than we ever imagined. Sherard students are already making history, not only in this city, but all over the country and the world. Many of us, myself included, would have never gotten these opportunities without the open access Shy Arts provides to students all across Chicago. our unique model works and we ask you that and we ask that you protect it and you preserve it so that Shah's legacy can continue to flourish in a time when the arts are needed now more than ever. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is J.B. Gerolium speaker number 15. My name is

146JB. I'm pleading with you as a parent of a 10th grader. She's an extraordinary vocalist to keep Shy Arts alive and maintain its unique model in supporting the arts to the fullest. My daughter, Luchana Dominica Pacilei, along with all of her gifted multidisciplinary artist friends, would have never survived if it wasn't for Shy Arts, pre-professional approach, invested artistic teachers, and their collective drive, and specific care for each individual. In celebrating and encouraging creativity as the whole person, Shy Arts has uplifted all children across the entire city with more than half coming from lowincome households and granted them opportunities that they may have never received. In a time where mental health is most prevalent, please help us keep holding these inclusive, incredibly driven individuals in the brightest light and limitless world here at Shy Arts. CPS

147should absolutely wish to take pride in revering and supporting these students in such an acclaimed school in a city encompassed by the arts. We need you to recognize the value of our school. Students and teachers and breathe into Shy Arts. We can only be stronger together. And our children prove each and every day that they want this for their future. They will not disappoint. They have been locked in since before auditioning and being accepted and are a major contribution here in their communities and throughout Chicago. As young accomplished teens, they are already surpassing rigorous personal and financial obstacles to make a difference and be integral working artists. Thank you very much. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Bernard Chesley, speaker number 16. Good afternoon. I'm Bernard Chesley III, a pair professional

148at Shy Arts, and I've spent a decade in education. I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak about the future of Shy Arts and why it's a unique ma uh why its unique model matters. Shy Arts is a remarkable institution distinguished by its conser conservatory that offers arts experience and training unlike any other program. In my role as a pair professional of supporting three students on my case load. Each student is different. One a guitarist, another a pianist and another a visual artist. Without Shy Arts, these students who come from neighborhoods on Chicago's south and west side and face disabilities might have access to sports like basketball and football, but they would likely lack the access to highlevel arts in instruction. Furthermore, I've had the chance to support students during my arts conservatory classroom itself, a

149capability that only exists under Shy Arts current model. Other citywide programs like afterchool matters do not provide the same level of special education service. Changing the conservatory model would mean sacrificing a cornerstone. You >> have 30 seconds remaining. equitable access to the arts in Chicago. Shy Arts is a safe haven for our scholar artists. A place where students for every ward in our city come together to receive training that isn't available anywhere else in Chicago. I urge that the board vote to keep Shy Arts under CPS management and to preserve the current conservatory structure. This is a clear moment to defend access and equity in our city's arts education. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Kyle Cortez, speaker number 19. Esteemed board, my name is Kyle

150Cortez. I'm in my fifth year of teaching at Shy Arts in the Music Conservatory. As we prepare for the special session where the board will vote on the fate of our institution and community, I am here before you to advocate for the unique structure of the school and the educators that work there. From 8 to 1, our students are engaged in college preparatory academic courses. And at 2 p.m. the shift changes when our part-time teaching artists arrive. Our faculty of working artists represent major institutions in the Chicago area where they create at theaters such as the Goodman, Steenwolf, Drury Lane, the artistic home and beyond. Teach at local universities and colleges such as Northwestern, Roosevelt, Depal, and Columbia College. perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Ravenia Festival, and Hubbert Street Dance. Exhibit artwork in national

151galleries, and publish acclaimed novels, plays, poetry, and more. We are a pre-colgiate conservatory program tasked with interfacing our students who represent all 50 wards of Chicago with both collegate and professional opportunities post high school. While some of our conservatory faculties hold professional educator lensures, the majority hold bachelor's, masters, and doctorate degrees in the fine arts. I myself hold three degrees in music and have performed with the Gummen Theater and the Second City Theater just this year as a music director and assistant sound designer on multiple projects. It has been my honor, it has been the honor of my lifetime to teach at this institution where the majority of our students are black and brown, where 55% of our populace is categorized as low-income students, where 41% of our graduates are the first in their family

152to attend college, and where all of our students and families have questions about what it really looks like to live a life as a creative professional. Why? Because I, too, emerged from an immigrant family as the first Afro Latino man to receive a college education in the arts and know firsthand that it not only takes a village to get our students to their better tomorrow, but it takes a village to get them to stay there in excellence, joy, and peace. As the city of Big Shoulders, the city of Chicago should be interested in preserving the only public high school whose core model and mission is to cultivate diverse and well-trained scholar artist through mentorship and direct education from active artists. I urge you to consider all avenues that would allow us to maintain our current

153structure and model as an inclusive in an inclusive and transparent fashion. Thank you so much for your time. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Jenny Liz Santiago, speaker 24. Um well good afternoon members of the CPS board. My name is Jenna Santiago and I am a proud mother of a freshman Heavenless Santiago a vocalist at Shi Arts. Heavenless has dreamt of attending SH since the sixth grade but the seed was planted even earlier. In fifth grade, we attended a musical performance at the school. I watched her eyes lit up. And in that moment, I knew shards was she belong. But getting here wasn't easy. Years ago, I had found an intrusive thoughts of self harm. Hitting her hidden my daughter's bedroom. She was struggling deeply, exhausted on the bullying she endorsed

154simply for being different. As a parent, imagine the torment of reading such a heart such heartbreaking words from your child. I had to find the strength not to collapse in front of her, not to question if I had somehow failed her as a mother. Instead, I looked her in the eyes and I told her, "You are loved. You are strong. You are worthy." And I made her a promise that one day when she got into that dream school that she talked so much about since fifth grade, she would finally be accepted, celebrated, and free to be herself. That school was Shy Arts, and it has been everything we hoped for. Shards is not just a school. The conservatory is not just an afterchool program. It is a lifeline. It's where my daughter stopped hiding. It's

155where she found her voice, her [snorts] confidence, her spark. is where she met mentors who believed in her and peers who uplifted her. >> You have 30 seconds. >> Is where is where she's seen that her uniqueness is not something to fix, it's something to shine. I made her a promise that once she got into shy arts, the pain of self-doubt of the past would become a closed chapter. And thanks to this school and its incredible conservatory, that promise is being fulfilled. My daughter is flourishing. She's working harder than ever. She's growing. She's dreaming again. She's becoming the artist she was always meant to be. The conservatory at Shaw Arts is not just an after school program. It's a home, a place where students work incredibly hard to get into and even harder to remain

156a part of. It's hours and hours of rehearsals, discipline, creativity, and teamwork. These young artists pour their hearts into their work. Opening the conservatories to students who are not part of shards may sound inclusive, but in reality is risk is undermining the very essence of what it is. Oh, is what it is is so powerful. It's not even it's not even an even playing field. These students have earned their place. You don't see other high schools opening their specialized programs to nonsh students. It wouldn't happen at a selected STEM or an IB school. It shouldn't happen here. >> Sh is a dream come true for our family and for so many others. Please do not touch the conservatory. Don't take away the safe haven, the passion, the purpose these students have worked so hard to

157find. Do not disrupt a system that works, that saves lives, and that nurtures the soul of this city's artistic future. Let's protect our arts. Let's protect the conservatory. Let's protect them. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Zelda Magalo. Speaker number 26 I'm speaking on the behalf of try arts. My name is Zaldo Madria, a sophomore in Tri Arts who is still finding themselves who is a Mexican in a little village who wants to thrive in a school that could potentially shut down forever. I shouldn't be thinking about that when I when I go home and I shouldn't hear that from people inside and outside the school. I am learning the guitar and would like to show you a piece I'm working on that reminds me of a simpler time in my

158you're losing time. Would you like to submit that to the board? We can set we can get um if you want to send that to us um through the email, we can submit that to the board members. Everyone else call for right now. The last speaker from the Chicago High School for the Arts group is Ilana Morero, speaker number 30. >> Well, can we give him his time back? Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. >> Right. I was trying to let him know that his time was coming down. >> No, I know. I know. We want to hear it. Okay, let's continue with the next speaker. >> Iana Morero, speaker number 30. Hello members of the board. Thank you for allowing me to speak on behalf of my school. My name is Ilana

159Morero and I am a proud junior visual artist at Shy Arts. Before my journey at Shy Arts started, I felt the immediate energy from the school was strong and passionate. It was different from any other school I was considering attending. Students faces glowed and teachers radiated passion. That's when I knew my heart and purpose was at Shy Arts, not just another school that had some art classes. Shy Arts is a community filled with raw talent and joy expressed through multiple mediums. We are fortunate to have found a community that is welcoming and supportive that promotes our passions no matter what they are. Our school provides the free pre-professional arts training that kids who want to create deserve. with AP visual arts classes that are determined by our major. We are we are driven by our

160love for art, not a line on our transcript. This year I'm taking classes like AP drawing and painting inquiry and research studio, drawing three and interdisciplinary studio. Jarts isn't just a school, it is a lifeline, a safe creative home for students who see the world through color, movement, beauty, art. Countless students have found their identity and voice at Shy Arts. One of the ways I found my voice is through being able to share personal topics through my artistic work. I am an outgoing, extroverted kid, except when it comes to having to express my feelings aloud. Painting gave me the ability and peace to share my emotions in a new form. An ability I get to grow at school. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> I hope I can help you realize how important this

161school is to a community of young young upcoming artists, passionate staff members, and supportive families. If CPS were to change the core parts of this community, it wouldn't be Shy Arts anymore. It would just be another school with some art and it would be taking away something so beneficial to our growing artists. We need our teaching artists. We need our peers. We need our sanctuary. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Jasmine Morales, speaker number six. Good afternoon, members of the board of education, CEO King. Thank you for this opportunity to speak before you all today. My name is Jasmales, one of the principles at Perspectives Leadership Campus. I speak to you today to urge CPS and the board to make changes to the GOC CPS enrollment system to better

162support our families and students. In the past years, GoCPS allows students and families to participate in more than one matching round. If for any reason a student or family wanted a different school option that would offer that was offered in the first round, they could forfeit that round forfeit their first round match and enter the second round in hopes of a more favorable offer. In the current CPS setup, there is only one matching round. If students and families for any reason want to match with a school other than what was assigned or offered in the first round, they must decentralized wait at be a part of a decentralized waiting list process. They must apply to individual schools and wait for a result. This one round process oversimplifies the complexity of choice facing Chicago parents. To

163ask families to commit to one school more than 9 months before the start of the school year might not be a realistic or feasible option for any family. >> Seconds remaining. >> No one knows the uncertainties of life and brains or what may come in a long-term future. CPS and the Chicago Board of Education. You have to prioriti you prioritize listening to and acting upon feedback from stakeholders and across our city and many other issues. Multiple dates and locations are provided for our community to share his voice and listening sessions. We urge CPS to view multiple gops rounds through the same lens. Parents should be able to exercise their rights and their voice for a first round entry and a second round if they choose to. This approach will be consistent with our community engagement

164and feedback sessions. Truthfully, we really want to cons we really hope you consider this change. A multiple round approach that delays the automatic rejections we believe is rooted in equity and honors the complexity of the choices our families face. Thank you for your time and your service to the students of Chicago. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Katherine Jones, speaker number nine, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Proceed. >> Oh, okay. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Good afternoon. Uh my name is Katherine Jones and I am a uh local school council member at Frederick Douglas High School. I'm calling in once again about Frederick Douglas High School. And I want to say this first before I start speaking. I am a

165woman of character and a woman of intelligence. And when I call in this board, I try to be honest with you all and and as transparent as I can be. One thing I'm very disappointed in, I hate to be called a liar for one thing. And once again, Miss Hopson told you all again about the LSC advisory board. And uh I be on the meeting and like I said, if anybody want to know anything what's happening, I'd be on the meeting mostly every month. You're welcome to call me, ask me questions about anything that's being said or done, anything. I was on it last night again and I heard LLC members uh again want support. LSC member, we asking for support. with our uh a lot of in schools, community members and and parents and

166teachers and we uh volunteer. I volunteer. I never get paid. We never get paid. So, we know we volunteer. So, and we appreciate what we do. We know our community. I've been in Austin community over 50 years. And I'm also Austin CAC member. I'm on that board and I have made recommendation to the CAC facilitator and the uh CPS facilitator to make recommendation for Frederick Douglas High School. Frederick Dougen High School is a beautiful school in Austin and Miss King and uh President Harden once again. Okay, once again you all invited to come out to visit Douglas. >> President Harden and President and and CEO King, I invite you. We having an open house November the 8th. November 8th, next month from 10:00 a.m. to 2. November the 8th. If you all can take time

167out, privilege to come and look at our beautiful school. And we need uh uh more uh programs at Douglas. A performing arts. We put in a couple times before. I've told y'all before on on another meeting. We put in performing art twice when Mr. Muhammad was there. Please come and talk to us. the one I do not like to call a liar. I don't know. I'm not putting no name out there. I don't know. But I was told I we we not telling the truth on some things. When I call in, I'm a woman of character. I try to be truth and honest. And I respect each and every one of you all. President Harding, once again, you and CEO Kee, please uh if you can, if your time permit, come and visit our school

168November the 8th, 2000. I mean, no, come v two, I mean visit our school November 8th. conclude your >> 10 a.m. to 2. That's open house. It would be greatly appreciated and God bless each and every one of you all because we all advocating for our children and definitely my community, the Austin community. I will keep advocating till the Lord tell me to be quiet. >> Thank you all for this time and this opportunity. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Veronica Lombeda, speaker number 10. Superintendent King President Fore! Foreign! Foreign! Fore! Foreign! Foreign! Thank you. We'll have this statement translated. >> Superintendent King, President Harden, and members of the board. My name is Veronica Surita, a mother of students at the intrinsic charter school and community member. Today I speak before

169you in order to stress the important in the importance intrinsic has to the community and the future of our children. This school is one where countless dreams have been forged. It is a place where today's children are turned into the responsible citizens of tomorrow. This board will make a crucial decision about our schooling community. We are currently amid a very rigorous and long renovation process, renewal process, and we've here to tell you that we deserve a 7 to 10year renewal as permitted by law. This longerterm decision will allow parents, students, teachers, and community members to be assured that intrinsic will not close its doors. Please continue saving historic schools. Let's not close this space. Let's work together so that this school can continue to be an engine for development in our community. Let's make our

170children's future be a bright one. Thank you. >> Thank you. And we'll call Zelda Madreal, I'm sorry, Madrical back. Speaker number 26 who is having technical difficulties. The next speaker is Nicholas Torres, speaker number 21. Hi, I'm Nicholas Torres. I come here today not just as an alumni of Shy Arts, but more importantly, as someone who knows what kind of impact that the arts education I received can have on children in Chicago. I know from experience that the pre-professional training kids receive at Shy Arts has the power to change lives and create pathways that people can't even dream of. I've been singing ever since I was small. Anything from the musical theater songs I would hear on TV to any song I would hear on the radio. This passion for singing grew and evolved until

171it was the only thing I wanted to do. But the reality of the situation was I had no idea where to even start. With no money to afford any private lessons and my middle school cutting our music class due to being underfunded, I had no real outlet or even idea of where to start in terms of pursuing and growing my talent until I heard of Shy Arts, a place where I could not only let my talent thrive under experienced and passionate teachers, but also not have to worry about the cost and struggle of trying to find a separate program outside of my high school just to have the same chance as people who were better off financially than me. Now out of high school, I am still pursuing my art, performing on brand new stages

172with hopes of going on to perform in Broadway shows and even making music of my own. It is my firm belief that every child has the right to follow these dreams. You will not find a community like the one at Shy Arts anywhere in Chicago. It's a place where people of all backgrounds coming from anywhere in the city can share their love for the arts and have the opportunity to strive towards a future built up by them with the help of teachers and faculty who genuinely care. I would not be the person I am today without the tools and experience Shy Arts gave me. And I think if you asked any of the student body, past or present, they would tell you the same. Chicago needs Shy Arts and it needs you to listen to

173the people who know it best. Not just for those of us who have graduated or even those who are currently attending, but for those kids who will attend Shy Arts. Give Chicago's future generations the artistic and academic tools they need to succeed by working with the Shy Arts community to maintain the conservatory program that has helped myself and so many others pursue their love for the arts. Thank you so much. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Marylu Ugarte, speaker number 17, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Okay, Maria. foreign land. Fore. Angel Woods. Okay. My name is Maria. I come before you today with deep concern on behalf of Interamerican School Committee which as of October 2025 is still waiting to hear back from CPS following

174the conclusion of an eight months legal department investigation. As a result, our school committee continues to suffer under a toxic environment. With each delay in addressing this leadership failure, these are students and families who pay the price. This leadership does not align with the value of our needs of our school. I want to share a recent example that occurred just this past Monday. Each year in October, our friends of Interamerican organizes an educational walk through Graham Cemetery, a long-standing tradition that brings families together and raises funds for the school. Barely designed a banner to promote this event which which was then hung on the school's fans. However, principal Juan Carlos Pay deliberately cut off a portion of the banner, the section containing a QR code leading to the uh ticket purchase page. Please, please see

175the pictures. He admitted to this action in an email response to a parenting inquiring about why the planet had been vandalized. There was no attempt to contact the parents organization beforehand. No explanation and no dialogue, only a decision that disrespected the work and resources of parent volunteers. This action directly contradicts CPS's stated commitment to fostering families and community engagement. This is only one example of brother pattern of harmful behavior that parents have repeatedly raised over the past year. The investigation is over. Every day is this remains unresolved and it's another day of harm endured by our students and candies. Retaliation also continues an interame parent of a sixth grader who has spoken out publicly against honayas at several pre previous board meetings has faced direct repercussions. her child Sika support services was removed by principal

176science. This action is not only retaliatory but also illegal as I directly harm the students educational access and emotional well-being. Furthermore, regarding our current emergency situation, Principal SAS has failed to implement or communicate CPS's immigration safety protocols which are meant to protect and inform our diverse school community. In the absence of leadership, parents have had to organize their own safety patrols to ensure student safety. Despite this effort, SAS has refused to include parents in any official school safety committees. We're asking you once again to do what is right for this school community. Please remove this principle from Interamerican Magnet School. Dr. King, we urge you to make the recommendation and the board members, we ask you to vote for no more harm. vote to rem remove Juan Carlos. This action demonstrate a troubling disregard for

177CPS policy, parental involvement in the rights of students. I sincerely hope Dr. Keen and the board recognize the harm being done to our community under this principal's leadership and take immediate action to ensure accountability and restore trust. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. We have one more speaker from the interamerican magnet school group. It's um Virginia Jimenez del Toro. Speaker number 25. Good afternoon. My name is Virginia Himenez del Toro and I have a first grader who attends Interamerican Magnet School. It's the oldest dual language program in the Midwest and we're celebrating 50 years this year. By now, we should be on firstname basis since myself and many parents have been attending these meetings for over a year since the official investigation of Principal Zas began. This investigation has been over for months

178and we still don't have any answers from the legal team. To be honest, we should be here collaborating and discussing how to support our families during the current situation in our city. But instead, we are here once again pleading for your support in the removal of Principal Zas. Since the last time I spoke, which was two months ago, many parents have come forth. Recently, a parent spoke at our LSC expressing concerns that Sika assigned to her son per his IEP was removed. The parent found out because a child came home and expressed his concerns for the changes. At no point was this parent called into a meeting, told about the changes, or given the opportunity to advocate on behalf of her child. In other words, the safeguards that are in place to ensure that parents

179have a voice are being ignored. Another example is the recent changes to a student's IEP from an inclusion model to a full resource model once again without the parents knowledge. Recently, a Title 9 investigator contacted a parent at Intramamean. She was following up on a letter that was written to the board and to the principal back in March of this year. The parent was under the impression that by submitting this concerns in writing, she would be contacted to further discuss the sexual misconduct that was happening between her sons and another student. She in fact thought she was filing a title N, but instead she was told that unfortunately the um they could not investigate. It took eight months for this parent to hear from anyone only to be told that due to technicalities they will

180not be able to complete the Title 9 investigation. To this day, no support has been provided for her or her child. Choosing to become a principal of Chicago public school is a privilege and an honor. I have seen firsthand examples of some amazing leaders, those who have the honor of doing everything in their power to protect our children and families with today's current situation. >> Remarks. >> While watching other schools demonstrate their commitment, we stand here with absolutely no plans. It is the parent community who has come forth to create a safe pes passage for students in the mornings, in the afternoons. We are the ones that are driving the kids to school to keep parents safe. We are doing all the jobs and we are to be honest exhausted. We need better. We don't

181need a leader that's going to wait for someone to make them do what needs to happen for our community. We need someone please conclude your show true leadership in our school. And we plead with you again to please remove from interamerican school. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Phyllis Herald, speaker number 18. Good afternoon, President Harden, CPS board of directors, Dr. King and Trump, and to all you distinguished guests in this building. My name is Reverend Phyllis Herel. I stand before you as CEO of Alliance for Community Peace, but also the representative of 18 agencies across the city of Chicago that are vendors for the safe passage program. We are grateful to the mayor. We have met with him and aldermans across this city to reinstate this program and

182to refund it and get it back to some type of capacity. We have been cut from 26 millions in 2009 as of now down to 12 million. 18 agencies is finding it very difficult to keep their doors open and to keep staff working uh with all of the cutbacks and the reduction. I understand it's not your problem you have inherited, but we come before you asking for your help. Because of the cuts, we've cut slots, we've cut people, we've cut administrative costs, and we've been asked to do the impossible with less. PTO time is now a state law. We have to cover. Also, administrative costs have been cut, and we still have people standing on the corner, not only watching children, but watching for ISIS to inform the principles of what's going on on the

183outside of your schools. We need you to reinstate this program. We thank you for not cutting it completely, but we need to be reinstated if not to the 26 million, but at least to the 20. >> We want to thank the mayor. We met with him and aldermans across this city. We want to thank them for the support. We are meeting with state legislators and policyh holders and some of them have met with you individually. We thank you for supporting this program and reinstating it to its full capacity. Those cards that's being distributed to you are from the 18 agencies that are a part of this coalition and this program. So when you meet and before you vote, please think about the boots on the ground that you already have at your disposal. We welcome

184you, Dr. King. We thank you for going out to the schools and doing your visits with some of the safe pass. >> So thank you for the support you have given, but we need more. So reinstate this program at least to a couple of million more dollars so we can get back to at least putting in the slots so we can forewarn the principles and the students about ISIS being our community. We love you. We bless you and we appreciate all your efforts. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Lauren Brown. Speaker number 20. Um, good afternoon um, President Harden, CEO, Dr. King, board members. Uh my name is Lauren Brown and uh I joined Chicago Collegiate Charter School's network team about a year ago uh in my first role

185in education. Um I stepped into this role realizing day one uh the impact that this small but mighty school had on its scholars and the community. Uh for many of our scholars um it's a second home, a safe haven uh and a promise that their dreams matter. Uh we serve a community where opportunities are far too often limited. Uh where families face real challenges and financial hardships and food insecurities. Uh so in partnership with the Live Your Dream Foundation, we were able to open a food pantry. Uh and this year we will have provided our community with over 150 pounds of food which is important obviously in this current climate. Uh inside our doors scholars find hope. Um they find people who believe in them who don't believe that this is a failure and who

186refuse to let their circumstances define their future. Um, at Chicago Collegiate, we don't just prepare students for college. We walk with them every step of the way. With an average >> seconds remaining >> with an average of almost three million in grants and merit-based scholarships per scholar for last year's graduating class, we help them apply, navigate financial aid, and once they're there, we make sure that they are able to stay um with the kind of encouragement that reminds them that they belong in those college classes. With majority of our scholars being the first generation to attend college, our renewal is about standing by those same scholars who are rewriting what's possible for themselves, for their families, and for their community. Our renewal isn't just about continuing a charter. It's about continuing and expanding a lifeline

187in the Rosland community. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Ellen Moyani, speaker number 23, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. >> Hello. Good morning, President Harden, CPS board members, and CEO King. My name is Ellen Moyani, the director of government and community affairs at Noble Schools. And today, I'm here to update you on two requests we brought to this board and to express my gratitude. At the last board meeting, we came before you to request changes to the GOC CPS process. Specifically, we asked for changes to the GOCPS platform so that all students applying to high schools in the city had equitable experiences when choosing a high school. While we still worked to do in order to meet our needs, the way this board responded

188was timely. Within a week of the board meeting, multiple emails were exchanged and meetings were scheduled to hear our concerns and where possible address. We value this partnership and we believe that if this response continues by the next gops season, we will have the updates needed to avoid disadvantaging charter school families. Additionally, we've asked the board to visit our campuses to see our schools in action and better understand the work of our students and staff. Many of you have done just that, engaged thoughtfully and shown up. I want to highlight two examples of that meaningful engagement that inspires continued hope for our partnership. Board member Lopez, our principal, Norah Lawrence at Manato High School, asked me to personally thank you for the way you showed up when ice activity caused fear and uncertainty in Brighton

189Park. You didn't just visit, you grabbed the walkie-talkie, stood alongside our team, and made our families feel supported. Our parents and staff noticed. This level of involvement from a board member is something we've not seen before, and we are truly grateful for your partnership. Board member Smith, you saw firsthand the immediate impact that cutting custodial staff has had across CPS. Without hesitation, you picked up a broom and helped clean a teacher's classroom. And that simple act spoke volumes. Your intentions with our students were equally powerful. You gave them a message of belonging and confidence that will stay with them. Thank you for leading with empathy, curiosity, and action. For board members who've not yet visited our schools, our doors remain open. These examples of responsiveness and partnership from board members matter. We know that your

190experience give you the context you need to make the best decisions possible for our students and schools. Thank you and we look forward to a continued partnership in service of our families. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from the speakers list is Katie Kunab, speaker number 27, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Hi, good afternoon. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak with you on behalf of Hogan School. My name is Katie Wheatley and I have been a preschool teacher at Hogan for 19 years. I was originally hired because there was a long waiting list for preschool. And in all of my years at Hogan, there has been a consistent and strong demand for preschool. Today, our program serves five classrooms that are fully enrolled

191with the majority of our students living within our attendance area. While preschool is a citywide program, at Hogan, it is truly an essential and integral part of our school community. In preschool, families build relationships with our teachers and staff and choose to continue their child's education with us. Augen has become a rapidly growing neighborhood school in part because of the positive experiences that they have had in preschool. This growth has come with challenges. Home room classes are at full capacity. Space for specialized services is tight, forcing service providers to work in hallways and converted storage closets. Having taught at Hogan for nearly 20 years, one thing is clear to me. We have run out of space. We are committed to helping our students learn and grow with the best resources available from preschool to 8th

192grade. We are asking for your support to colllocate our middle school students to the vacant third through floor of a nearby school building on Leland Avenue. Collocation is a solution that uses available space in a nearby building to solve space issues at the rapidly growing Hogan School. >> we are happy to collaborate with North River School and this solution would unite our neighborhood at a time that it is important for communities to come together. Collocation ensures that Hogan continues to grow as a neighborhood school that serves our families from the very start with preschool through middle school. Thank you for your time and comm continued commitment to our students and families. >> Thank you for your comments. President Harden, this concludes public participation. >> Board members, are there any questions or comments related to public

193participation? Member Wallace, >> I was surprised to find that Epic and Shy Arts were not on today's agenda given the urgency that we were told these decisions required and hope that the extra time we've been given means that CPS has taken the time to speak with the staff and parents of those communities. Last meeting, both myself and other parents I've spoken with were given what I am uh sure was the unintentional impression that CPS didn't feel parents were able to provide beneficial input into how our schools could best support our students. Of course, we know we all have wishes and desires that can't always be met. But the answer to every question will always be no if it is not asked. And if we're going to keep with the idea of our district embracing the

194beauty, culture, and knowledge of our communities, we have to proactively collect thoughts and ideas from our leadership, staff, parents, and students for our board to be able to make the best informed decisions. Let's dispel this notion that there is an adversarial relationship between our stakeholders by committing to working together to honor the experiences and knowledge of everyone involved. >> Member, >> thank you. Um, it really does break my heart when we have kids come here in the middle of the school day, you know, losing out on instructional time to do the important task of advocating for themselves and their schools. But kids should not have to be here begging for us to protect their education and care about their education. Um, when it comes to Shy Arts, I my understanding is that the conservatory model

195is incredibly resource inensive. And that is part of the reason though that Shy Arts is a gem. You can't have this program at every single school, which is why um students travel hours to get there. And they spend more time in school at Shy Arts than they would at at another um CPS school. given that there uh that model requires a lot of outside funding. I know it's it's subsidized by philanthropic support and outside dollars. Um I hope that the district is able to engage the Shy Arts community, the full Shy Arts community and understanding what the potential to have that continued outside investment is to maintain as much of the current conservatory model as possible. I don't think that it's easy to scale, but at least to maintain at Shy Arts um just given

196the immense value that that model provides the hundreds of kids that go there. That would be a priority for me. So, I hope that the district can do that engagement and see if you know maybe that current board can be converted into a friends of or a friends of could be started and how much support they realistically could give to that conservatory model. Um and then my my second thought is just on a serero. This is not the first time or the second time or the third time that we've received um these concerns from from staff about what's going on with the transition. So if there's a chance that we can get a response now about what's going on with Aero or um at least in writing for board members by the end of the

197week, that would be very appreciated. I I am going to ha ask uh Chief Carmona to respond after the board members respond to public participation. Member Lopez. >> Thank you board president. Um I want to thank everyone who welcome us for the visit over at Shai Arts. Heard directly from students um heard how some of the students go from the long commute and it's because they feel welcome at that school. So they want that school to where they are able to express themselves and also had the opportunity to talk to parents while doing that visit. Um so thank you again. I also uh and probably uh many of you noticed that I've been in and out of the meeting. Um so it because I've been getting calls and messages from community members um while sitting

198here and as we discussed earlier uh ICE continues attacking our communities in particular around our school in Pilson area. There were a lot of questions and uh families concerned and the information that's been sent I you know to my knowledge it has not yet been uh publicly confirmed but I know parents are worried because of the video circling online where it shows ICE detaining people in front of students as they're walking to school again showing the how they are escalating their enforcement disregarding the safety of our students. So while our schools can be as safe as they can be, if our students cannot make it to school, that's a problem. So I want to thank safe passage workers again for ensuring in those schools that we do have the program as we continue working to

199expand if possible with city support and other resources. But just sharing this because it sh again shows the fear, shows that the impact now it's having directly in our students. Thank you ever >> Brown. Um yeah, I I share uh board member uh Anushia Toakura's uh concern about uh just sitting here and and being okay with people pouring their hearts out begging for their academic institution. I don't I again I said earlier, you know, values are beliefs that govern your behavior. What you believe is what you do. And so I'm just concerned about the implosion of the charter industry not only in Chicago but around the country and how and this is not a reflection of the young people. This is not a reflection of the teachers. This is not a reflection of the parents

200who trust these institutions but that what we are going to be seeing is a lot more of these types of cases of over the next few years. And so, how do we insulate ourselves against that as a as uh a school board? How do we prepare ourselves so that people are not begging for their existence that they're not up here in tears and we're just saying two minutes conclude and then we're moving on? I'm not okay with that morally. I'm not okay with that. And I just think that we have to work together to figure out how do we build that's why I say yes it's the the money we get from the city but it's also how we address this structural deficit that was created through the amendatory act of 1995 uh when they

201actually did the pension holidays which created a debt for Chicago public schools. So, I mean, there's so much to unpack and we don't have time to do it now, but I I'm just not okay with this. And I just think and and and I'm asking our board not to ever take the notion of we have to make tough decisions because the people that usually make those tough decisions aren't the ones whose children are impacted. They aren't the ones who have to send their children to three schools in five years. we have to be categorically against that. And so we we have work to do to to build the infrastructure so that doesn't happen. I'm just I want to commend Superintendent King and I and I realize the weight that you carry and the amount of

202work that you have to do and the fact that you walked into a crisis situation. Um, and so I want to just say I want to commend you for the work that you've done to make sure we have a a productive opening of school and and and you're in this crisis situation. Now, what I would like to just uh put on the table is just to hear some something from you, if not now, just soon. How can we hire more uh safe passage workers? How can we hire more custodians? Um, I think these are cuts that were avoidable, but that we got them now. And I think, uh, especially with the situation that our young people are facing and our families are facing right now, as many caring eyes that we have on every corner

203is important. So, I'm just I'm concerned about the fact that I don't think we have enough safe passage workers. I don't think we have enough um uh support to insulate our young people and our families. So that that's a question, sister. We don't have to do it right now, but I I I would like to get some feedback on that. Okay. And I'm I am asking this I I said this in my first statement. I'm humbly asking for a directive from your office to just encourage CPS principles to allow Black Voter Project, Chicago Teachers Union, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Penke Logan Square Neighborhood Association, and groups like Coco to do know your rights, know your risk trainings with young people in the schools. Young people are not our future. They're our future and they they

204are our now. they are capable of handling the information to understand the risk that they are up against. But I do think at the local level, I don't know what's been done up to this point, but what I'm getting back from some folks is there's resistance in some schools to allowing that to happen. So, I'm asking if that's something that you could do. That's it. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yeah. Hi. I think we are a district that cares so much about kids. It's important to remember that on the board, we the board members are the district. I also do believe we have hard decisions to make, complicated decisions that will always hurt some and help some. And that's why we were put on this board to do just that. Um, Chief Carmona sent an incredible

205email last night with lots of information about the charter schools, what's happening, what happened as a result of the Hero vote, and what the future looks like. So I implore all board members to read that, ask questions because a lot of our answers are right there in that email. In addition to that, we formed a committee to to look at charters, to take the time to do the deep dive and to do better. As always, you know, our job as board members are to do no harm and protect the classroom. And that's exactly what committees like this will do. And I appreciate the information. I started the email. I had to take a break and come back because it's very dense. Um, and uh, we'll continue to make these hard decisions and do the right

206thing for the district. >> Member Rio, >> thank you. Um, I just want to thank all the students that came and and are advocating so fiercely for their for their spaces because it seems like every day is another charter school tragedy. every meeting we have parents here uh like G2 said crying over their safe spaces. Um and I just hope that as we are watching one charter school after another choosing to abandon our families, I want to make sure that we are actively engaging the community every step of the way. I want the solutions to be based on feedback from those that are being impacted. I want the options that we are chosen that we are given to vote on to be based on that feedback. Um, and I look forward to to robust conversations

207with the community to make sure that we are not creating more harm within our system. Um, I deeply value the visit that I took at Shy Arts. Um, as a working artist, I I I very deeply understand that that space is sacred for so many young people. Um they need they need to be in spaces where they can see themselves as professional artists. They need to be in spaces where they can excel at their craft. Um art is essential every single day. Everything that we are wearing, uh every device that we hold, every car that we drive, every building that we're in is created by an artist. We are surrounded by work that is done by artists. And it is essential that we continue to uphold those spaces for every single one of them. Um,

208and I do I hope that we can con continue to service that conservatory model. Um, and again, I look forward to us having robust community conversations with all of our charters families so that we can make sure that we are doing the best possible thing that we can for every single one of them. >> Thank you. This concludes public participation. We'll now move into a short recess. Board member Biggs, do you have a motion one? >> I move that the board take a 30-minut recess. >> Is there a second? Second. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bles. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member

209Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. Vice President Bautista. >> Yes. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 17 eyes zero Naz. This motion is adopted by the board. This meeting will now go into a 30-minut recess. That's perfect. No, I'm just The meeting of the board of education is reconvened. We'll now proceed with the business portion of the meeting. Dr. King will ready for your presentation. Uh prior to that may I ask uh Dr. Kimona to address the asero comments that were raised in public participation briefly please. Thank you. >> Uh absolutely and thank you for giving me the opportunity to respond to

210some of the comments and uh let me start by saying and thank you board member Tatakura for mentioning about report. We actually working on that and reporting give you an update on the incubation process of how we are processing uh the schools and how the schools are transitioning and how the process is going as it relates to that. But I can give you a quick summary right now. Uh number one, I'm not sure if you're aware we created five different advisory councils for each one of the schools. Uh as you know these schools can cannot at this point have local school councils but we are trying to simulate what the local school council could look like by having uh parents, community members and staff members being part of the process. And the first activity they're

211doing right now is selecting the school principal. They already have the slate of candidates. I believe they're doing interviews uh this week and next week and they should be making offers to uh principles at the schools very soon. Once that is done, then the process of hiring the rest of the staff will start. Uh I think there's there's a lot of misconceptions. Unfortunately, we want and I want to make sure this is clear and we said it and I mean on record several times saying this, we want to make sure that the schools when it comes to the staffing, we keep the schools as close as possible to what they look like today. But there are some limitations. There are issues with certifications. There are issues with residency. there are issue of staff members that

212do not want to work for Chicago schools. So we have to take all of those things into consideration because unfortunately the schools are not going to look exactly the same as some of the staff members will not be there next year. Um again we we speeding up the process trying to hire the principles as quickly as possible but again it's a process and there policies that we have to respect and protect uh when it comes to Azero. Um I know there was a comment in terms of you find it here about making every effort that is in the resolution to keep the schools whole. That's exactly what we're doing. We making every possible effort respecting the policies that currently exist and the state law that currently exists to make sure that we actually do this

213process in a way that doesn't create any issues uh for the for the district in the future. But as as as well as making sure that the students actually also are protected in this process. uh a few things about Chai Arts uh super quickly. Um we certainly value uh the uniqueness of Chai Arts and there's a reason why we make making a recommendation uh to um uh transition the school as a district managed school. Uh but I think some of you have mentioned the piece of and you heard it today of the conservatory. I think the conservatory is the most important piece in my opinion of chai arts. What truly make chai arts unique? In fact, it's so unique that it's the only school in the district that has a requirement of um um you

214see now I forgot of u auditions. Uh so it's the only one. This is something I approved personally two years ago because I understand the uniqueness of the program. So we want to protect as much as possible what exist. Um some of you have mentioned there are some constraints and there are some funding commitments that need to come with the conservatory. Uh right now the academic program it will be almost a cost uh a net zero cost to the district because it will be and will look pretty much exactly the same. There will be some additional cost because we're planning to have most of the art classes the certified teachers during the day so that the students can obtain the credits during the day. Now, our goal is to maintain the conservatory as close as

215possible to what the conservatory looks like because we want the enrollment to the at the school to continue to be as strong as it has been for the last 10 years. But again, there are contractual obligations there. There are also um uh some pieces in terms of funding that we have to secure to make sure that we don't find ourselves four or five years down the road in the same situation because we can no longer fund the conservatory. We had to be not only um uh respectful uh with the with the process, but we also had to be taking into consideration the fact that we don't want to find ourselves here again because we don't have enough funding uh for the conservatory. So I think again we're getting closer uh when it comes to getting

216the ASO uh commitment um going uh and very close also when it comes to the charts. you had a big decision to make next week uh not only about charters but also about Epic. You will be receiving another memo tomorrow with some more updates and some more uh thinking that we had regarding CHRs. Yeah, I see a board member smiling about this. But I think we have we have come together again. We have listened to some of the feedback we have received uh to see if we can actually find and get the conservatory to be as to be as close as possible to where it is today. I think the the more we protect the conservatory, the easier it will be to maintain uh not only the enrollment but also to continue giving the students

217the experience and the learning experiences that they had um today. Not sure you also want me to talk about Hogan. Um >> not at this time. No, not at this time. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Dr. Kaware for your presentation. Thank you, Chief Carmona. President Harden, we have uh Sarah Kempner, the executive director of Insights and Research to present the SY26 enrollment trends to the board. >> Good afternoon. Well, it is my honor to present this report to you today on the state of enrollment in the district. I want to begin by acknowledging the many contributions of staff on my team data site science insights and research as well as many other teams um including planning and data management. Before I dig in to the data with you this afternoon, I want

218to highlight that the data we're looking at is comparing the district's enrollment at the 20th day of the school year in each school year. We are looking at and comparing these snapshots in time to help us understand what is happening across the year in our schools. This year, the district's enrollment is 316,224 students. This represents a decrease of just over 9,000 students from last year and just under 6,000 students, fewer than the 2022 2023 school year, which was our previous lowest enrollment. Declines in enrollment were experienced in nearly every type of school, particularly in our preschool and in our charter elementary schools. Similarly, declines in enrollment were observed in nearly every grade level. Looking now to additional details on our student population, we did see a decrease in the number of English learners attending our

219schools. However, the number of students with individualized education plans, IEPs, increased two and a half% over last year, despite the overall decline in enrollment. Overall, our district's racial and ethnic makeup has not shifted significantly. The district did see a district decrease in the number of Latinx and black students, and there was a 1.4% increase in the number of white students enrolled in the district. Looking across the community areas in the city, this map illustrates where dis where we saw the shifts in enrollment. The darker shaded areas are where the district saw the largest increases in enrollment, whereas the lightest shades represent the largest enrollment decreases. I'll give you a minute to look at the map and you can see the five largest decreases and five largest increases on the slide as well. In understanding the

220overall decrease in enrollment this year, we see that it's primarily driven by a significant drop in the number of new students enrolling in our district this past year compared to prior years. The blue bars here represent the number of students um enrolled on the 20th day of each of the last five school years. The gold bars represent the number of students leaving the district, which has been relatively stable over these past few years. And the purple bars represent the number of students, new students joining the district. The prior two years had higher numbers of students new to the district, but we see that drop significantly over this last year, down to just over 38,000 new students. The next section of slides we're going to look at will look very similar to the ones we just

221saw, but these slides are focused just on the new students that have joined the district in the last year. So enrollment of new students declined in all grade levels, but most notably at the traditional entry and transition grade levels um in the district. So in preschool, kindergarten, and ninth grade. We also saw declines in the number of new students by all of our priority groups. And there was a sizable decrease in the number of new Latinx students enrolling in the district this year after a spike in new Latinx students in the prior two years. The number of new students in all groups did decline, but less so and more in line with our historical trends. This map shows the proportion of students residing in each community area that are new to the district. So again,

222the darker areas represent higher proportions of new students in in that community area and lighter shades represent smaller proportions of new students in that area. In helping us understand the declines in enrollment that we see, we need to zoom out and look at the city more broadly. What we see here on this slide is the number of youth in the city of Chicago over the last decade. And you can see that we are that the city has lost the population of youth over the last 10 years that that has declined. Looking at the blue bars in the middle of the stacked bars, you can see that you can follow the declining enrollment trend experienced by CPS over the last decade. I also want to call your attention to the orange on the bottom. This represents

223youth who are enrolled in private schools. That number has been relatively stable. It saw a slight increase in 2020 and has held steady there. But given the context of the overall decline of youth in the city, that does mean that students that youth electing to attend private schools are taking up a larger proportion of the youth in Chicago. But I do want to emphasize that the majority of our decline in enrollment is really driven more by the overall decrease in youth, not necessarily the private school selection. All right. And this last section of slides will shift to just focus on the students who left the district since the 20th day of the prior year. In most of these slides, we are going to focus on the students who left without graduating. So, we're not including

224those. In high school grades, we saw fewer students leave the district without graduating in the last year, particularly at 11th and 12th grade. And there were slight increases in students leaving at seventh and eighth grade. More English learners students left the district this year, similar to an increase last year. Um, but student departure in other priority groups decreased. Looking at race, the number of Latinx students leaving increased, but the number of black students leaving decreased, which is a trend that we have seen over the last few years. And again across the community areas in the city, the darker shaded areas represent where there were a higher proportion of students in that area leaving the district and the lighter shaded areas represent the smaller percentage of students residing in that area leaving the district. The last

225few slides that we are going to look at are looking at the um reasons students are leaving school. This is based solely on the exit code that is used when they are withdrawn. So our ability to truly understand what may be motivating or the the more in-depth nuanced reason for leaving is not something that we have the ability to see. So we can get some broader understanding of the trends by looking at leave codes. So while the majority of our students do leave by graduating, which is something we should be celebrating, um the next largest leaving of CPS is by transferring outside of Chicago. These students could be transferring to a suburban school. They could be st transferring out of state or even out of the country. What we've also seen over the last four

226years is a decrease in the number of students leaving because they have dropped out. This aligns with what we have seen in our district's official dropout rate metric that we will have out shortly. Looking at the use of leave codes by grade level also helps us understand aspects of students leaving the district. These transition grade levels again are showing the highest overall rates of departure and help us understand why. So you can see that preschool students are leaving and most of them are leaving by exiting an early childhood education program. Um that is a different unique leave code just for our preschoolers because that does not fall under K to2. Um, but all eighth graders are also leaving at a much higher rate. And if you look at why they are leaving, you see that

227a lot of these students are choosing to transfer to another non-public school within the city of Chicago. And that's unique to that eighth grade group. Then given some of the other trends that we have seen this year, we looked at specifically the Latinx and English learner population. We know that is a very diverse group of students. Um what this visual shows is that even though the transition out of CPS has been generally stable in the last few years overall, these two visuals show that the departure of Latinx and English learner students in the last few years has been increasing which is in line with what we saw earlier. English learner students though are leaving Chicago at higher rates um of by by leaving the city completely or being in a state of transition where we

228have expected them to arrive to school but they have not um or have indicated transfer but did not verify. That concludes my presentation. Happy to take any questions you may have. >> Member Bole. So, [sighs and gasps] you know, I'm I'm reading a lot and I'm seeing that all across the country we're [clears throat] having lower numbers of school age ch children like people are not having as large of families as they did in the past and it seems like the the population of school school age children is just down like in a lot of major cities and also in like rural areas and I'm wondering um if you are you looking at this data for last year, this year, but like do you use any of it to look predictively at a trend? So

229we've been seeing for 10 years the population has been going down every year and then when I look at the number of first graders I'm just wondering if you're if the district does any sort of looking forward with this data. >> Yes. Uh that is not MIT but planning and data management does look at um predicted enrollment into the future. member Smith. >> Yes. The students who are transferring out of >> Chicago public schools to choose other schools, do we have data on why they are electing not to go to Chicago public schools? >> Unfortunately, we don't have that more nuanced um understanding of what is motivating them to make these changes. we're we're pretty limited to knowing is this about leaving the Chicago area, is it about choosing a private school? Um, but that's

230that's the extent of the information. >> Would there be a way to do surveys of uh parents who are choosing to take their children out of Chicago public schools to try to understand because that may allow us to fix processes that Chicago public schools may need to deal with to retain students. Mhm. Um certainly we um have surveyed our our stakeholders and parent groups often. We do an annual survey of parents um and their their satisfaction with the schools in the spring around parent report card pickup. Um that is certainly something that we could look into. Um, we might in this particular situation, we might just get some extreme responses that, you know, if I'm leaving, I may not want to take the time to fill out the survey if I'm leaving because I just

231need to move or whatnot. But if I have really strong feelings, like I feel that there was some significant problem that's driving out, we are more likely to get responses from them. So I would while that is an option we just need to be careful in not overattributing some of the responses the extreme responses we may get. >> Yeah I I I guess and when I hear that I guess my my reaction is maybe we need to hear extreme responses be afraid of that. >> Absolutely. >> Thank you. >> Yes Pope. >> Yeah. So, uh, a lot of this data that you're presenting I've seen presented elsewhere and is very in line with what's happening in major metropolitan areas throughout the country. It's pretty obvious why the uh, decline in the Latinx population is occurring

232at this point and certainly those are factors well beyond the control of any of us sitting here today. Uh, but one thing I was curious about is how having worked in a high school and having been friends with several counselors and stuff, I did not find our exit codes to really be very meaningful and valid. And [snorts] there were a variety of reasons for that. Some of which is the kids sort of slipped away without a parent coming in and saying, "I am withdrawing, Johnny. We're moving to uh you know, Texas next week or something like that." And that was particularly true in the Gage Park community. Uh and uh I'm just wondering, do you really think that those are very meaningful? >> That is a great question. Um, you know, I I believe our

233our exit codes are in line with the state standards and and how how that works. Um, but I think your question gets more to the nuance of rarely do we fall into very clear lines of of what is going on. Um, and certainly with with leaving a school, schools are dependent on getting that information from families and that in some cases is more challenging to do and and there is no way to know for sure that the information you're getting is completely accurate. Um, but I would say in in looking at this data over many years, we see very similar trends that very much align with the broader context of what's happening in history. Um, and so I'm sure there are cases just as I was saying in parent survey responses where we may have

234some extreme examples and pockets where the data doesn't necessarily represent it the represent the facts as well as we would like. I think on the whole this is a pretty accurate picture of what is happening with our students though it certainly does not go into the detail and the nuance that we would love to see. Um, yeah. >> Right. And I'm thinking that now I, for example, I someone I knew who was a Venezuelan refugee, uh, who was seeking asylum here sort of vanished. And I found out that she had reestablished herself in Kentucky where her [clears throat] husband, who had, uh, documented status, was able to get a job. And I would be very surprised from the suddeness with which she vanished in the night that any exit code was filled out at her

2359-year-old school. >> Yes. And so that is why I think we have seen that slight increase in the dark purple shade which represents this in transition. So, for example, if a student um was enrolled in the district last year and over the summer the family moved and didn't notify the school, those students would be classified as our 99 students who did not arrive at the start of the school when we expected. Now, schools are responsible for following up and trying to confirm and get an an appropriate, but it takes time and it takes resources. Um, so I think that that story you gave is exactly what may be behind that increase for our English learners and our Latinx students of why we see some of these more intransition leave codes increasing right now. >> Thanks,

236>> Member Rosel. >> Yeah, the one thing that concerns me the most in all this data is that is enrollment decreases, special education increases. you know, as public educ education becomes a depository for all things student needs and I just want to make sure the district is thinking about this and you know, as we lose students, we you know, our students need more from us and that's the big red flag that concerns me in this data. >> Thank you for calling that out that out. I think that was certainly the message I was trying to get across in that slide is that the the diversity and the needs of our students do not shift as much as our overall number and particularly when we look at students um with IEPs. >> Member Brown, [clears throat]

237>> I'm curious. the the second highest cause of young people leaving the system is their families moving out of Chicago, right? >> Mhm. >> I'm wondering how long is there a way to find out how long has that been the case? Like is that is that data consistent over a number of years? Tell you why I'm asking. I was just in De Moine, Iowa for three days the other, you know, if I never go back, I'll be okay. But I was there for 3 days and there's a group there called Iowa CCI and they are they're confronted with vouchers. So there's this big thing around expanding vouchers throughout the state of Iowa and as I'm driving I'm in the vehicle I'm seeing black folk. Whoa. So I asked the person running so what's up with

238them? They said the se the largest population the largest new population in De Moines is the south side of Chicago. So I'm interested in just how long that data has been, you know, been the case. So is there a way to get that for us? >> Yes. Um we can certainly look at that. We have been um looking at our enrollment this way for several years. So we can go back and confirm. I will say if you looking back at this the the slide that I have up right now, it is a pretty significant difference in the number of students transferring out of Chicago relative to the other categories of leaving. >> So um and most of the other categories include multiple leave codes um that kind of fit together. But so I I would

239say that in my years of experience with our our data, I not having it in front of me, I'm pretty confident we would see something very similar if we looked back >> even 10 years. >> Yes, ma'am. Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> But to that sorry like but to that point I think where they are going is different and that is a very broad leave code, right? They are leaving Chicago but that could be anywhere. And so I think we may be seeing that um movement to different parts. Right. So right now it may be De Moine, it might have been um Indiana in the past. So >> Mr. President, I just want to say this. I appreciate your response. Um a great man once taught me I'm a quoting proverb guy. So

240everybody bear with me. He said the foundation of any nation are the institutions that laid the structure for the people's development. The way you build community is you invest in the basic quality of life institutions. The way you destroy a community is you kill those institutions. So whether it's housing, education, food production and delivery systems. So that's the consciousness that I walk into this space with a a commitment to actually build stability in black and brown communities where our institutions do what's right. That was my point earlier around the notion of tough decisions because too often in spaces like this, people who don't have to live through those decisions, they don't have to come to the board and beg and cry and fall on their knees begging for a school is there for them. The

241hospital is there. The grocery store is there. That's the that that's the two Chicago that we live in. And so I appreciate, you know, your your debt and I would really love to see that. Um, as we look at housing, as we look at expanding grocery stores and communities that don't have them, and as we look at stabilizing public education, you can't just look at one thing without looking at the complete quality of life equation. So, I appreciate you. Thank you. >> You're welcome. >> Thank you for your presentation. Thank am I on? Thank you for the presentation. I'm wondering if you can do something that is um similar to this but for over the last couple of months. I know that a lot of us are curious about kids not going to school every

242day and in which schools and in what neighborhoods and what we can do about that as individual leaders. And so I'm wondering could you make a mini report something like this just based on attendance? >> Um I will certainly look into that. I think what you're asking is are we seeing trends particularly in the last two months that are different than we have seen in in prior years especially when it comes to students attending school or even transferring out of our schools. Um, you know, we are information in CPS is always in flux and particularly within the school year, there are things that are changing. Um, and so we do do try to look very carefully at our data. Um, I know attendance of course is a primary focus right now as it should be.

243Um, and we will be providing the board with more updates on attendance soon. Um, in looking at attendance right for the start of the school year up until now, I can say that our attendance rates as a district are on par with what we saw last year. And there are some student groups that are seeing increases in attendance this year compared to last year. But if we look at our Latinx and English learner students, we do see some small decreases in attendance this year compared to last year of about 1 percentage point. Okay, thank you. That's helpful. I have one other point about early childhood learners. I'm just curious about, you know, who puts a kid in school and then pulls them out that young and and how, you know, how significant that time period

244is? I mean, I'm just curious about that. >> Yeah. And I think there are a lot of different reasons. Let me move to that slide. Um, so so the the to uh oh uh do I need to Okay. um she will transition to a C our CPS neighborhood school and so she will likely not show up in this graph unless the school decides to use a different leave code like the the 52 that represents ending your early childhood program because preschool is separate from kindergarten in many instances. So, I think what you're seeing there is is similar to some of these other transition grades in that um preschool is a pivotal time. Preschool and CPS is is different than K12 in some instances. And so, you're going to see some of that families moving out

245of the city, families electing to attend a private non-public school instead. Um, and so I think there's a lot more happening at preschool, not necessarily putting them in and taking them out. >> I'll just encourage the board to any further questions just to share them with our chief of staff uh to allow Miss Kemp to get the uh responses back to us. Thank you for your presentation. >> You're quite welcome. Thank you. We'll move on and open the floor for questions or comments on public agenda items. A resolution on the protection of school-based custodial workers will be a separate vote taken after RS5. So you can provide your questions and comments for that item before we proceed with the separate vote. No questions, comments. Beautiful. We'll now proceed with the vote on public agenda items.

246Board secretary, please proceed. >> Thank you, President Harden. I will I'll proceed with the items on the public agenda. Read the board report numbers and brief titles. I believe board member has motion MO2 regarding record of proceedings. I move that the record of proceedings of the agenda review committee meeting of September 10, 2025 and board meeting of September 25th, 2025 prepared by the board of secretary be approved and that such records of proceedings be posted on the Chicago School Board of Education website in accordance with section 2.06B of the Open Meeting Act. Is there a second? >> I second. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. >> Here. >> Is that an I or >> Thank you. Member BZ. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. Member Wallace. >> I. >>

247Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rias. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. I >> member Bannon. >> I >> vice president Baltista. >> Do you see Bautista? I'm sorry. I was switching over. I I'm a Yes. >> Thank you. Member Biggs. >> Yes. Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Vberry. I 16 I's zero nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. President Hard and I'll continue with items that do require a vote. RS2 resolution authorize appointment of members to LLC's to fill vacancies. P1 amend ownership of intellectual property policy. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to update to align with federal copyright act and to update language throughout the policy. I'll continue

248with PO2. Amend student acceptable use policy. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to update language and address new technology. I'll continue with PO3. Amend staff accept acceptable use policy. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to update language and processes. I'll continue with PO4. Rescend internet safety. President Horn in this policy was no longer necessary. The content is duplicative of the student acceptable use policy. I'll continue with ED1 approved application for school code waiver regarding physical education. EX1 transfer of funds. OP1 permanent dearmment of Brian Metaf and Kimberly Maddox. OP2 permanent dearment of nation's classroom. OP3 permanent dearmment of Leavon Leavon and Natasha Tims Mind Over Matter Foundation Inc. My Brothers and My Sisters Keeper, Inc. and Freedom Productions, Inc. OP4, Permanent Department of Joseph Samuels and Linda High Totower. PR1 authorized new agreements with BSN

249Sports LLC and School Health Corporation. PR2 authorized the second final renewal agreement with various vendors to provide out of school time and student health wellness products and services. President Harden, I'd also like to note an abstension for board member Gutierrez for the following vendor on PR2, Metropolitan Family Services number 32, and an extension for board member Lopez for the following vendor on PR2, SGA Youth and Family Services number 45. I'll continue with PR3. Amend new agreement with various vendors for furniture, accessories, and related design, recon, rec configuration, and repair services. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to add five additional vendors. I'll continue with PR4. Authorize the first and second final renewal agreement with Train US, Inc. PR5. Authorize the pre-qualification status of a new agreements with various vendors to provide design build contracting services.

250President Harden, I would like to know an abstension for board member Gutierrez for the following vendors on PR5. Berling Builders, Inc. number six, Toro Constructions Corp. number 15, and I'll continue with PR6. Authorize the second final renewal agreement with Sutton Ford, Inc. PR7 report on the award of construction contracts and changes to construction contracts for the board's capital improvement program. President Harden, these items do require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> I second the motion. >> I'll proceed with the roll calls and noted abstensions. Member Smith. >> I. >> Member. >> I. >> Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes.

251>> Member Rio. >> I. >> Me. Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President Bautista. >> Yes. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodura. >> Yes. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. 16 eyes, zero nays, and noted abstensions from the vendors uh for member Lopez and member Gutierrez. President Hard and I'll continue with additional items on the public agenda that do not require a vote. PR8, chief procurement officer delegation of authority report for August 2025 and chief financial officer report for August 2025. EX2 report on principal contracts new. EX3 report on principal contracts renewals. AR1 report on board report recision. Recisions President Harden these items just need to be accepted by the board. >> Please mark received and filed. Thank you. I'll continue with items from the acting general counsel that

252do require a vote. AR2 transfer and appoint senior assistant general counsel Carmen A. Suentes. AR3 amend continued retention of various outside council law firms. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to increase spending authority for one outside council law firm. And for the record, I'd like to note an abstension for board member for the following law firms on AR2. Burke Warren McKay and Saratella PC, Mayor Brown LLP, and Greenberg Targary LLP. I'll continue with AR4. Authorize the retention of the law firm, the Broomman Group, P LLC. President Harden, these items do require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lope. I'm sorry, she's not here. Member Bles. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes.

253>> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President Bautista. >> Yes. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. Member Thora. >> Yes. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 16 eyes. Zero. Naz. These matters are adopted by the board. President Harden will continue with items from the interim superintendent chief executive officer that do require a vote. EX4 warning resolution. Rashidita Preston tenure teacher Maner Elementary School. EX5. as noted in the public a on the public agenda is to appoint chief officer. So the action before the board for EX5 is transfer and appoint chief safety and security officer effective

254October 6, 2025 and ratify all lawful actions taken as chiefa safety and security officer since October 6, 2025 for Ronin Shablleski. EX5 as noted on the public agenda is to appoint chief officer. So the action before the board for EX6 is approve appointment of chief of staff to the CEO effect of se September 15, 2025 and ratify all lawful actions taken as chief of staff to CEO since September 15, 2025 for Julie Bernett. EX7 report on principal contract renewal ALSC President Harden. These items do require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> I second the motion. I'll proceed with a roll call in just a minute. For the record, I do want to note for the court reporter when I read EX6, it should have been

255noted as EX6. And EX6 as noted on the public agenda is to appoint chief officer. So the action before the board for EX6 is approve appointment of chief of staff to the CEO effective September 15, 2025 and ratify all lawful actions taken as chief of staff to CEO since September 15, 2025 for Julie Bernett. I'll proceed with a roll call on these items. Member Smith >> I. >> Member VeZ. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Hi. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President Bautista. >> Yes. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Zachor. >>

256Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 16 eyes, zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board. >> President Hard will continue with items from the board that do require a vote. RS3 resolution by the board of education of the city of Chicago regarding the dismissal of Rashidita Preston, tenure teacher assigned to George Maner Elementary School. President Harden, for the record, this resolution reflects that the board of education issues an opinion and order and accepts the hearing officer's recommendation to reinstate Rashidita Preston. This resolution also includes additional conditions and reflects that a written warning will be issued. Rashidita Preston is hereby reinstated. I'll continue with RS4 resolution by the board of education of the city of Chicago regarding the dismissal of Brian Dunn, tenure teacher assigned to James P. James B. McFersonson IB World School.

257President Harden, for the record, this resolution accepts the hearing officer's recommendation for dismissal. Brian Dunn is hereby dismissed. I'll continue with RS5 resolution approving interim superintendent chief executive officer's recommendation to dismiss educational support personnel. President Harden, these items do require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> A second. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Veles. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Abstain. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Are you abstaining? I'm sorry. Member Pope. Are you abstaining on all three items from the board? >> No, only on uh the Brian pain. >> Brian Dunn. >> Done. I'm so sorry. >> That's okay. RS. You are abstaining

258on RS4. Are you um what's your vote on the other two items? >> Yes. >> Okay. Member Rosenfeld? >> Yes. >> Member Rivas? >> Yes. Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. Member Bannon. >> I. Me. >> Vice President Bautista. >> Yes. With no on Brian Doug. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodura. >> Yes. Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I Thank you for your patience. RS3 and RS5 are 16 eyes, zero nay, zero abstensions. RS4 has 14 eyes, one abstension, one nay. These matters are adopted by the board. President Hard, we will now proceed with the separate votes as noted earlier with a separate vote on RS1 resolution on the protection of school-based custodial workers. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >>

259So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> We'll now open this matter up for brief discussion. Are there any comments from the board before proceeding with the roll call vote? There being none, we'll proceed. >> I'll proceed with a roll call vote on RS1. Member Smith, >> I. >> Member Belz, >> I. >> Member Bole, >> yes. Member Wallace, >> I. >> Member Kuster, >> I. >> Member Pope, >> I. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> yes. >> Member Rivas, >> yes. Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Hi. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President Bautista. >> Yes. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 17 eyes zero nays. This mo this

260matter is adopted by the board. President Hard, I believe board member Bannon has motion MO3. >> I move the board adopt the minute to the closed session meetings of September 10th, 2025 and September 25th, 2025 pursuant to section 2.06 of the Open Meetings Act. Board members reviewed these minutes and determined that the need for confidentiality exists. Therefore, the minutes of the closed session meetings held September 10th, 2025 and September 25th, 2025 shall be maintained as confidential and not available for public inspection. >> Is there a second? >> I second the motion. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. >> I. >> Member BZ. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. Member Wallace. >> I. Member Kuster. I >> member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfelo. >> Yes. >> Member Reebas. >> Yes.

261>> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Hi. >> Member Bannon. >> I >> vice president Bautista. >> Yes. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 17 eyes's zero nazs. This matter is adopted by the board. This motion is adopted by the board. President Harden. And there are no further items on the public agenda. >> Thank you. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> A second. >> Second. >> You all want to stay, huh? All in favor say I. >> I. We are journ. >> I