Board Meeting Thursday June 26, 2025

001Vice President Bautista, before you begin today's meeting, I would like to read a few announcements. Good afternoon. and welcome to the June 26, 2025 board meeting. Before we start the meeting, I'd 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 afternoon. If you are leaving the room, please use this door. The restrooms are outside the boardroom doors to your left. During the meeting, we ask that you keep all aisles and exits clear. If you need any assistance during the meeting, please wave the attention of one of our security officers. Please mark your calendars for the upcoming meeting. The next ARK meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 9th, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. and will

002be 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, cpsb.org. If you have any questions about registration or public participation, please contact the board office for assistance. Thank you for joining us today. Vice President Bautista, we are now ready for you to begin the meeting. Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the Chicago Board of Education meeting. Today is June 26, 2025. We are holding today's board meeting in the boardroom at the CPS Loop office, 42 West Madison Street, Garden Level. I would like to note that the board members, honorary student board member and senior leadership are physically present in the board reg in the boardroom. Registered speakers

003may join us in person or virtually if they opted to do so. I am vice president Olga Bautista. On behalf of my fellow board members, thank you for joining us today. The regular meeting of Thursday, June 26, 2025 is hereby called to order. Board secretary, please call the role. Thank you. Member Loausano, here. Member Smith, who is joining us virtually via Zoom here. Member Lopez, present. Member Bole here. Member Wallace, present. Member Kuster, present. Member Pope here. Member Rosenfeld here. Member Rivas here. Member Rio Sierra present. Member Bannon. I'm sorry. Member Brown. Soyaki. Sorry about that. Member Bannon present. Member Gutierrez present. Member Biggs present. Member Thodakura present. Member Blae present. Member Zachor here. Vice President Bautista present. We have 18 members present. We do have a quorum. I'd als I would also like to

004recognize Dr. Meline King, interim superintendent, uh CEO, Ruchi Verma, general counsel, Charles Mayfield, chief operating officer, who is joining us virtually via Zoom, and Destiny Singleton, our honorary student board member. All right, good afternoon everyone. As we begin today's meeting, I want to extend a warm welcome to our interim CEO, Dr. Meline King. Dr. King brings decades of experience, a deep commitment to equity, and a clear dedication to our students and families. We're grateful for her leadership during this moment of transition and look forward to the work ahead together. June is also Pride Month and we take this time to honor and uplift our LGBTQ plus students, educators, staff, and families. Our schools must be places of safety, affirmation, and joy for every young person, no matter their gender identity or who they love. As

005we continue to hear renewed and dangerous rhetoric targeting immigrant communities, I want to affirm our values loud and clear. CPS stands with immigrant families. We are proud that our district has a long has had long pro has long had protocols in place to keep ICE out of schools and ensure that every child feels safe and protected. Now, thanks to the leadership of state rep. Lillian Jimenez. That same commitment to dignity and safety will be extended statewide. The Safe Schools for All Act recently passed in Springfield and it will require every school district in Illinois to adopt the kind of protections that CPS has championed for years. It's a powerful step toward ensuring that no student anywhere in our state is made to fear made to fear showing up to learn. We are proud to be

006part of a district in a city that leads with values and puts students first. Today is also a very special day. I have some very exciting news to share. On behalf of the board, I am pleased to introduce our 2025 2026 honorary stu student board member, Destiny Singleton. Destiny is a rising senior at Ogden International High School where she serves as president of the National Art Honor Society and the Secretary of the Student Government. She is an exceptional leader with strong commitment to fostering inclusive, engaging school communities and advocating on behalf of her peers. Destiny was selected from a competitive pool of 102 rising juniors and seniors representing 43 Chicago public schools. We are so thrilled to welcome her to the board where she will help represent and elevate student voice across the district. Please

007join me in welcoming our honorary stu student board member, Destiny Singleton. Destiny, please take a moment to introduce yourself to us and let us know why you applied for the honorary student board member position. Okay. Um, I would like to first thank my family and my teachers, um, especially Miss Strait and all the adults in my life who have supported all of my ambitions and dreams and all that I accomplish is thanks to them. Um, my name is Destiny Singleton and I'm a 17-year-old rising senior at Ogden International High School. And I want to start off by saying that I'm completely honored to be even considered, let alone chosen for the honorary student board member position. After further research into the previous honorary student board member, Carlina Couchi, I am unbelievably appreciative and respectfully humbled

008to follow in her footsteps and the footsteps of all the previous honorary student board members before me. In this role, I hope to wear the title. Well, I but I want to note something much more important than a title, which is the students I represent. As an full international bachelor student, diploma student, shout out to all of my IB students out there. Um, I want to provide a small anecdote as a testament to my abilities. Recently I received my first IB profile award which is given to two students per grade that exude a particular trait character trait. I was awarded for risk taker for the being the first student at my school to organize a blood drive that helped saved over a 100 people's lives and two different states and over 60 hospitals in Indiana

009and Illinois. Um let's go. I see this accomplishment as an example of my ability to speak up and take necessary chances for the good of all people. In this role, I hope to continue to be a risk taker and enter all spaces with empathy and compassion. Now, I want to speak directly to the students in which I represent. To every student in the CPS school district, I hope that you allow me to be a projection of your hopes, ideas, and ambition are as you are mine. Allow me to stand up for you and tell your stories. Thank you. Thank you. Board members, any comments? I have my Kyle, uh, board member Blae and board member. Um, I just want to welcome you. It's really exciting. Um, and I think it's really important for us to

010have young energy around us all the time. that we are always in this room talking about students and families. Um, and to have a representative is critical and I hope you will feel comfortable in sharing whenever you feel you need to. Um, if this stage and that, you know, people watching at home on TV might be a little intimidating, but you can grab any of us. I I don't want to speak for everybody, but I think I do. Um, you can grab any of us, pull us aside, ask us questions, share, tell tell us. We love gossip, too. Like, what's going on in these streets, you know, share with us. And, um, please um, understand that we're we're grateful to have you. You said a lot of thank yous to start your speech, but we're

011very grateful that you're here. Next, I have board member Pope, followed by board member Brown. Yes. Uh, Destiny, you said in your remarks that Karolina was a hard act to follow, and I understand totally what you mean. She was a fabulous representative of uh student voice around the city. But I'll remind you, you're not going to be following Karolina. You're going to be forging your own path. You're going to be developing your own voice and you're going to be listening to a new generation of students as she goes off and does her wonderful thing at Northwestern. You're going to be here helping us to understand better the concerns and needs of students around the city. And we just as you were grateful for the adults in your life, we are grateful for the young people

012in our lives. And thank you for being here with us. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. So, uh, Destin, we want to welcome you to this board. Um, I I want to say that your voice is not a token voice. So, when you are here, cuz you are directly impacted by the policies that we set and so if we wrong, get us right and and and speak that power, right? Because you're not you're not the future, you're now. That's right. This is your time now. And so, uh, it's moving me to see that you're humbled. It's moving me to see that this means something to you. So, your voice is critical, little sister, and and know that you have support here, um, to to lift the voices of young people up, and I'm just proud to have

013you here. All right. Wonderful. Thank you. I have board member Lopez followed by board member Smith. Thank you, Vice President Hosil. Congratulations. Um, I wish I at your age, when I was your age, I wish I would have been as brave. Uh, because stepping here in front having an audience, um, especially, you know, at your age, it could be a little bit overwhelming. But I think you being here showcases, you know, and what it means for the rest right now of students that you're representing and who you're representing, you know, that you're not afraid and you're going to speak up. you're going to be, you know, letting us know, like board member Brown said, keeping us, you know, uh, keeping it real with us. And thank you. Thank you for stepping up. Thank you, board

014member Smith. Yes. I would like to also echo board member Brown, and welcoming you, uh, board member Singleton, and get used to being called board member because you should think of yourself as that because you are that. I look forward to you being our guiding light. Not only are you our guiding light, you're our number one stakeholder which is the student. And there are so many uh departments within CPS where with student voice and I look forward and I think I can speak for uh all of the board when I can say we look forward to you working within student voice and CPS to bringing to us how to design better policy, equitable policy and what equity actually looks like in practice. This is an honorary position, but it's real work. And I want to

015welcome you to the service, to the work, and to the love of Chicago public schools. Thank you for being here. Thank you. And I'm going to pass to board member Rosenfeld to close us out. Destiny, welcome. We're so happy to have you here. I can't help but look out there and see your parents videoing you. And um to to the parents, good job. It's no easy thing raising kids right now and raising them in a way that they want to step up and be part of part of the problem and part of the solution. So, thank you for being here. Thank you for being the parents that you've obviously been and welcome. If you need anything, let me know. Thank you. So, uh we're going to move on. Um, beginning at today's board meeting and

016at future regular board meetings, uh, the Chicago Board of Education will launch a monthly honorable mention school recognition program to publicly acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of CPS schools during regular board meetings. This initiative underscores the board's commitment to student centered excellence, equity, and community partnership by shining a spotlight on schools that are driving positive outcomes, fostering innovation, and building inclusive school communities. I'd like to hand it over to board members Kuster and Bannon to recognize two schools in District 1. Thank you, Vice President Bautista. I mean, have we ever had so much positivity and smiles on the Chicago School Board before? How great is this? I love it. I love it. Kicking off the summer. Um, well, it is my distinct honor this afternoon to recognize Gray Elementary School on the northwest side led

017by Principal Cotus. Uh, Principal Cot Oh, yep. Please, please. Principal Cotus and his team uh came to Gray and they saw it really as an opportunity to change the culture to change the climate and to change the outcomes in that building. Um as a former history teacher uh principal Kota sees the idea of the Renaissance to rebuild the idea uh excuse me to rebuild Gray using student centered and student focused initiatives. This serves as a shining example to all of our schools around the district of what can be accomplished when we truly put our kids first and focus our efforts around what they need to succeed. Principal Cotus is here today with a shining student example and I will give him the floor to brag about his school, all of their accomplishments. Well done, Stallions

018and continue to remain stallion strong. Thank you everyone. These microphones are never built for the vertically gifted. So I will be crouching over. But uh just want want to say thank you to everyone uh for honoring us today. And also a special thank you to uh board members Kuster and Bannon for honoring us. We really appreciate it. This is an honor. Uh we're we're representatives here. I have my uh student LSC representative Dariel Ariza here who is an amazing student and also an excellent soccer player too. as I get to witness every day during recess. Great job. What um I started at Gray two and a half years ago and as as the principal and I was struck immediately by the well the generosity and the caring and the inquisitive nature of the students. They

019they definitely drive us and inspire us every single day to always do what we can do to give students an engaging uh school day, a fun school day, and one that helps build a solid foundation for their bright futures. Parents at Gray are absolutely amazing and they're great partners in the educational process and the teachers and staff take teamwork to the next level. And that's really the foundation. If you read all the literature and you go through it on what makes a great school and also uh people's experiences, you're going to come to the conclusion that it is teamwork that we're constantly sharing and discussing and disseminate information. So that that allows us when you do that enough, it's so interesting the the right path forward emerges to you during those connections because it's all

020about connections, connections, connections, connections. And that um and then that also helps build a vision which a vision of course is building next steps on knowledge and wisdom. And that's where we came up with the educational renaissance two years ago much like the historical renaissance. It is about uh a rebirth after a dark age. The dark age of uh today would have been the pandemic. And so now we're very excited. in the educa the educational renaissance has come to a conlo come to a conclusion uh at the end of this past school year and so now we look forward to the the vision forward and what's at the center of this as well is elevating student voice and agency and I just have a little list here that I want to read off of some

021of the exciting activities that we've done to to elevate voice and agency because we want students to engage in their in planning their own futures, developing that vision themselves and they have to have voice and agency do it and the voice helps us construct an environment that benefits them during this process. So some of the things that we did were very exciting. Our students actually got to go to the Google headquarters and present uh on AI artificial intelligence uh a focus on discourse and speaking and listening. that same that same um uh speaking and listening that helps us as adults provide an environment for our students because they're always first. Uh that's the same way students learn and construct knowledge in their minds. And so that's very important to set up um an instructional environment

022that's engaging, allows them to do that. Uh our we have a partnership with facing history. We even had a targeted partnership this year uh with the with Network One and big shout out to Network One and Chief Mclade who's amazing. Uh and that allowed us to listen to the student voice and make adjustments based on what they told us and we could actually see both uh verbally and through surveys that they actually their middle school experience improved. And so we're and then just also helping students and guiding them and walking them through structured steps to build actionable plans for their futures. And speaking of those amazing students, uh I'll let Dario, the floor is yours. Hello, I'm Dariela. Um I'm the student representative at William P. Gray and I'm truly honored to be here and

023to represent our amazing student, our amazing students. Gray is a place where students can truly express themselves freely and we're especially excited for the new turf installation. It will give us a a safer space to play and build school spirit. So, thank you to everybody helping our school our school better every day. Go Stallions. Thank you everyone. We look forward to working together to take Gray into uh the future in a positive direction. Thank you. And now, uh, board member Bannon. Uh, yeah, like board member Kuster, I'm very happy that we're centering students at the start of these meetings and looking forward to hearing about all the different schools in my fellow board members districts. Uh, but today I'm happy to recognize Taft High School for their hard work in district 1A where well over

024a hundred students there this year earned the nationally recognized seal of biiteracy. One of the goals of CPS's we rise plan is to increase by 15% the number of students earning a seal of bio literacy and here to tell us more about that is um from Taft and about Taft is and their receiver accomplishments is Taft principal and Taft alumni Brian Glowitch and two students uh Ree and Anna. Thank you. If if this mic setup was a issue for principal Cotus, it's definitely going to be an issue for Ree here. So, good afternoon board members. It's an honor to stand before you today as we celebrate a remarkable achievement by so many of our Taft Eagles to tell you a little bit about the CPS literacy. It recognizes students who have demonstrated a high level

025of proficiency in at least two languages. So it would be English and then at least one other language. It's a significant accomplishment and it signifies not only linguistic mastery but also cultural understanding. At Taft we're very proud to be an international bal laora school. So board members member singleton we have some synergy there. Um in fact we are the the fourth largest IB school on the planet at Taft High School. Our mission and vision at Taft is simple. educate global citizens to create a better world. The seal of bi literacy embodies our vision and mission through the power of language to connect diverse communities both locally and globally. So as board member Bannon mentioned this year over a hundred of our students have earned the CPS seal of biiteracy and among them we have one

026exceptional student who earned the seal in at least two languages or two additional languages. So the languages students at Taft received the seal uh of biiteracy in this year are Arabic, Bosnian, Czech, German, Mandarin, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese, which really highlights the diversity at Taft High School. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to our incredible staff at Taft who make achievements like the this possible. A special thank you to assistant principal Dr. uh Hess, our ELP coordinators, Miss Mareno and Miss Adame, and then our language acquisition chair, Miss Alanis. And to our students, congratulations on this truly remarkable accomplishment. I'm joined by two students today, uh Anna Cutnik, who earned the seal in Ukrainian accommodation in Spanish. She'll be heading to University Illinois at Urbana Champagne next year. And Yep. and

027then Reese Villa who uh received the seal in Spanish in a commenation in German. And Reese will be heading to UIC next year. So, let's put our hands together. Reys is going to say a few words. I've been invited to give a speech on what the seal of literacy means to me. So now we'll take that opportunity. To me, it is a medal and a line on my resume, but truly it's actually so much more. Representing a love of language that I've discovered and had for years. This year, I received my seal in Spanish and a condemnation in German. And one day, I hope to receive a certification in other languages. However, those are future endeavor. German was my first language that I began studying during the pandemic. And I started learning Spanish almost three

028years ago. And since then a doors opened that could not be closed. I started learning spa I started learning Chinese in high school. I started learning Hindustani last year. Hindustani being Hindustani being Hindi and Erdu. And even more recently I started learning Persian and Arabic. I'm eternally grateful to have been able to learn these languages so quickly and to have the resources to learn them. Also during my time studying I found many commonplace words with very specific meanings like viaband in German in Spanish and naiman in Arabic and such words with these meanings only exist in one language which I believe is fascinating and it's even more fascinating to see how these people live. Language and culture is something that every human needs and we spin it in the same way and as naturally as

029a spider would spin a web wherever it's needed. And I would like to thank my parents, teachers and other figures who've brought me to where I am today. Graciasad Shakria Shakran and thank you all for listening. Thank you. All right. Um the order of the meeting will be as follows. interim superintendent CEO remarks, committee updates, public participation. We'll then take a recess. We'll reconvene from the recess, have a presentation, an overview of community, the community engagement efforts in CEO superintendent search, discuss discussion of public agenda items, vote on public agenda items, and then we'll adjourn. Interim uh superintendent CEO Dr. King, we're ready for your remarks. Good afternoon, Vice President Bautista, members of the board, and members of the CPS community. It is an honor to join you today in my first official meeting as

030interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools. As we celebrate Pride Month, as we accel as we celebrate Pride Month, we acknowledge the contributions of our LGBTQ plus students, educators, families, and community members. Pride Month reminds us of the progress made and the continued work necessary to ensure that every school is a safe, welcoming, and affirming space for all. At Chicago Public Schools, we are committed to fostering an environment where every student can the see themselves reflected, valued, and supported. This month and every month, we stand firm in our commitment to equity, inclusion, and dignity for all. I step into this role with a deep sense of responsibility and an unwavering commitment to the students, families, and the educators who make this district extraordinary. My journey in CPS began in the classroom. First as a student, then

031as a teacher, I spent I spent time in the classroom over a decade teaching and learning alongside students whose brilliance inspired me daily. Since then, I've had the privilege of serving as a principal 15 years on both the south and the north sides of Chicago. And most recently, I've held a citywide leadership role. I have always f focused on one goal, ensuring that every child in every neighborhood has access to education and the resources they deserve. As I begin this chapter, I am also cleareyed about the two most immediate priorities for the district. First, finalizing and passing the CPS budget in a way that is transparent, equitable, and responsive to the needs of our schools and communities. I have been briefed on the budget in detail with our team, and the total funding required to

032cover all CPS expenses is $730 million. In the coming weeks, I'll lead an engagement process to align a path forward. This will include discussions with key stakeholders around both expend expenditures and revenue opportunities. Second, opening schools August 18th and ensuring that students return to welcoming, safe and familiar environments where teaching and learning and growth can thrive from day one. And this must be done reinforcing three things. First, stability and continuity. Families, principals, and teachers are counting on us to open schools in con in August with confidence and clarity. That means honoring the hard work already underway from school budgets and staffing to student supports and academic recovery. I am committed to maintaining momentum and ensuring a smooth start to the school year. Second, partnership and transparency. Strong leadership begins with listening. I intend to meet

033with school communities, union partners, central office teams, and civic stakeholders to understand what's working and where we must do better. This work is is too important to do in isolation. and I welcome the partnership of everyone who is invested in the success of CPS students. Third, student centered action. At the end of the day, every decision we make must center our young people. From early literacy to post-secary success, from safe school environments to culturally responsive teaching, we must keep students at the heart of all that we do and every decision that we make. I will lead that focus and I invite this board in our city to hold me accountable. I want to close with this. Transitions bring change, but they also bring opportunity. I am ready and eager to work with all of you,

034with our dedicated staff, families, labor partners, community members, and I will lead with steadiness and urgency to meet the challenge of this moment and deliver for our students. Thank you, and I look forward to working with all of you to move our district forward. Thank you. Board members, any comments or questions for Dr. King. Okay. I have board member Blaze followed by board member Brown. Beauty before Brun. Okay. Um I'll take it. Thank you so much. Well, welcome Dr. King. I'm so happy to have you. Um I just was trying to think of um what to say um to welcome you here. This is obviously a big job that you're jumping into. Um when I first ran for this office um after years of working on other people's campaigns, um I ran for the seat

035because I believe that this is a very special time in CPS history. We have um an educator on the fifth floor. Our labor partners are um really active and accustomed to being invested in the education process. CPS um leadership. We've got this amazing elected board that is representing all the people um and all the communities in in particular. Um we've got schools with strategic partnerships. We've got innovative principles. We've got so many of the pieces. We I I know for a fact that we're on the precipice of greatness. Um but I also just want to let you know when I got here they um CPS said no to me a lot. All the people over there who I love and who work hard and care about everything that is happening said no a lot. Um

036there's u there's a certain way they do things that they're accustomed to doing things. Um and I want you to really be fearless in your job to be radically different. Think outside the box. Think in ways um that will bring us to a better place and understand that we're here to support you. Um it's it leadership is so crucial. We we um are in a desperate need for Springfield to really come to the table and we've got to repair some of those relationships there and I'm hoping that you'll have the opportunity to do that. Um and I just want to say one more time, a lot of folks here have heard me say it. If we get the CPS piece right, it is an economic engine for Chicago. So many people are here are they

037they they um come here for school, they stay in their 20s, they have a great time and then soon as they have children they leave, they go to the suburbs and a lot of it is because of the educational system here. People fear it. Um, so a we have some work to do just rebuilding that trust because I what I see in CPS is is actually pretty magical and wonderful, but also we've got some work to make sure that um our budget is sound and that we are getting the resources we need to continue doing the good work. Over COVID, we had an extra influx of money and their grades went up. So, when the times are getting hard at in the on the budget end, it's not time to talk about cuts. It's not

038time to talk about layoffs. It's time to talk about revenue strategies. How do we get more resources? Um, and Springfield has admitted the the president of the Senate of Springfield has admitted that CPS is shorted $1 billion. So, we got to go find that. And I know New Energy, all these organizers, all of these folks on the board, we can um be really, you will feel supported and you will be supported in those efforts to not just have every conversation be what it used to be. As soon as things got rough, they were willing to cut money from CPS. there. If things got rough in other departments, other mayors have cut money from CPS and taken it. But we're going to I hope that you are ushering in an era um even as interim uh

039ushering in an era where we put the kids first, where we prioritize them, where we fight for them, where we take where we accept zero um uh deductions from what they they they deserve. So um welcome and thank you so much. I uh I am looking really looking forward to working with you. But two just housekeeping things. Sorry, this is this really will end. I promise you. Um we need to talk just nuts and bolts how we can reduce the time it takes CPS to pay vendors. Um, and I want to re respectfully request a full accounting of all the state money we could get, we could have gotten um, and how much we actually received because the word on the street is that we've left money on the table time and time again. So,

040if we can make certain we've collected all the money we're owed and then let's work together to get our friends in Springfield to be inspired to um and we'll get them to act boldly and and we'll we'll make sure that we're set up to have the best CPS we can have. So, Thank you. Um board member Brown. So, Dr. King, want to welcome you. Um, and just I'm reminded of a quote that a mentor of mine shared with me. He said, um, he asked me, "So, you want to be a change agent?" I said, "Yes, sir." And he gave me this quote. He said, "Be bold and daring. Push possibilities to the limit, for our only limitations are the ones that we accept." And I'm used to in my life people telling our people no,

041and organized people making the un the impossible possible. I've seen it. I felt it. It's going to be necessary in this moment because you were just 100% honest about the budget deficit. And I want to say this that we haven't had honesty up to this moment. Um we have been left with this huge deficit without and then we have to communicate with families whether they're going to be massive budget cuts or not, whether they're going to be slashes to the classroom. and we're accountable to those communities. And so in this moment, Dr. King, we need leadership. We don't need sound bites. We don't need people using equity words while practicing privatization practices. We need leadership, which means you see a problem and you solve a problem. And no group of people are considered less valuable

042in that process. We use language here like heal the harms. What that language is really saying is like we've destroyed communities. There are neighborhoods that you drive past that they were once children swinging in the front and they weren't failing schools and those communities are barren now. And this institution has had a hand in doing that. There are people that used to live in this city who now live in Iowa and they live there because they lost housing and they lost their schools. So this place must be a place of courage and disinvesting in any child. I'm going just make this point because that thing I just said to you keeps me awake at night. I can't reconcile the disinvesting in any child whether they are black, brown, white, or blue. But the history has

043been otherwise. It's been okay to shut down masses of schools in black neighborhoods. It's been okay to target black teachers and push them out of the system. It's been okay to target black legislators and particularly I mean black administrators, particularly black male ones. It's been okay. No, it's not. And I ain't afraid of no corporate interest or nobody in this room for me to say that. We are you are you are if you are not willing to look a child in the face and feel the possibilities of that baby, then you are incompetent for leadership. I don't care how many names you have after your name. Every child deserves the right to stand on their parents' shoulders. And what I would say to you, sister, is you have a partner in me. You have a

044partner in this board. We got a lot of work to do. We there there's somebody who's gallivanted off to somewhere else who did not show leadership. He could sue me if he want to. He did not show leadership and he left this and we're not courageous enough to say it. So, I'mma say it. And we need to make sure that we are doing a lot better by our young people. and I have full confidence that you will help us set this uh ship straight. Thank you very much. Thank you. Uh board secretary had an announcement. Thank you. Uh for the record, I'd like to note that board member DB Barry has joined the meeting at 3:25 p.m. Thanks. Thank you. Uh next, uh we have uh board member Zachor followed by board member Lozano. Vice

045President Bautista, Dr. King, it's such a pleasure to Yaman to welcome you to your first board meeting as interim superintendent. Thank you for your inspiring remarks. Um I think that a lot of us here and out there have um great hopes um in what your leadership will bring. Um my fellow board members spoke about many of the challenges that you face, the very daunting challenges, but um I want us to not forget the tremendous potential for transformation that this moment brings us to as well. And that's what I want to focus on for a moment. Um an area that um I'm antip anticipating will move forward uh with your experience and leadership is the expansion of sustainable community schools. Um, I retired from a sustainable community school and served on a number of committees um,

046related to SCES. So, I know the potential um, that those schools bring in terms of making the goals of the five-year strategic plan come alive for schools and communities that historically have been underresourced. Um students having a rigorous, equitable and joyful daily experience can be seen in SCES initiatives like curriculum circles where students and parent voices um are brought into the design of culturally relevant units of instruction. Um the strategic plan goal of in of inclusive and collaborative community partnerships is embedded into the structure of SCES with its lead partner agencies. SCES really is the best model for what equity should look like in our schools. And I know that the 20 current SCES school communities as well as many that hope to be SCES schools in the future have great expectations for the attention

047and support to this model. We know you can bring to this role. Um it is one of many areas that I am looking forward to partnering with you on. Thank you. Um, border lozano Benita welcome Dr. King. And uh there is a saying in uh our community, our Latino barios that pubes, which means uh we want the best for all of the students, but we have to go and resource those that are the most needy first. Uh so I know we have tremendous challenges with uh the budget. Uh but we also have the tremendous challenges with those schools that were always underresourced that we just heard about. So we need to put the focus there. We need to have the energy and the courage to do so no matter how loud uh the voices are

048uh against us. But we also are living in a time where the white supremist movement is really targeting the Latino community. and they don't care if you're an adult uh working at a factory or a child that is in a Chicago public school. So, we need to be very very um strong uh in the defense of all of the students regardless of who they are and I look so forward to working with you. Thank you, board members. Uh we're going to move on. Um, we have no committee updates this month. Um, so let's now proceed with today's public participation session. 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

049hearing that grants district stakeholders the opportunity to address the board with their concerns and comments. Note that the public participation Note that public participation is the time for the board and CPS senior leadership to listen and hear from you rather than a time for dialogue with board members during or after your remarks. While we can't discuss personnel matters, public participation is a key component of transparent governance and it provides us as board members as well as senior leadership an opportunity to listen to everyone who has signed up to speak. This board takes equity of voice seriously. While we may not address your comments directly during public participation, CPS leadership is always present at our meetings and are able to address your concerns as follow-ups after the meeting. As a district and as a board, we

050also have many other spaces for authentic dialogue. For example, each and every one of our board members hosts board office hours so that we can have a conversation. Please use our website cpsbboe.org if you want to meet with the board member during office hours. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with board members outside of board meetings. Thank you very much for your attention and consideration. As a reminder, union representatives will be allotted five 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, Vice President Bautista. Members of the public who registered to speak register to speak were given the option to attend in person or via

051an electronic format. For those who prefer to attend by an electronic format, they were given information to access this meeting by dialing a number and using their phone. We did this so that speakers with limited or no access to the internet or who may have weak internet connection could still participate using their phones. Also, members of the public may submit written comments for board of education meetings via the written comments form on the board's website at cpsb.org or mailed to 42 Westmadison Street, Garden Level. Written comments received between the day the public agenda was posted through 5:00 p. 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 cpsb.org. Speakers, please listen when I provide directions for public participation. I

052will call your name and number when it is your turn to speak. For speakers joining us virtually, as a reminder to unmute, please enter star six. Once you hear your name, please state your name for the record. I will then start the two-minute timer. When there are 30 seconds remaining, I will inform you so that you can proceed to conclude your remarks to allow for the next speaker to begin. For anyone standing with the speaker, note that in order to comply with the city's fire code, please stand along the glass partitions on the marked spots to keep the aisles clear. Thank you. and Vice President Bautista. Before we begin calling speakers from the speakers list, we do have union reps who would like to address the board. We'll begin with Stacy Davis Gates, CTU president,

053who is here in person. Good afternoon. Um, I want to say welcome to Dr. King. Um, Dr. King had the unenviable task of sitting at the negotiating table um with the Chicago Teachers Union and the Chicago Public Schools for a year. And um our experience with Dr. King um was um very positive. Um there was curiosity, there was engagement, um there was um an evenness to the way in which Dr. King um comported herself during that entire year and we've appreciated that. We've also appreciated that since your appointment, you've reached out to clarify your intentions um to be a partner and to work towards the first day of school being the best first day of school our students have ever had um in the city of Chicago. So, I want to thank you for um

054already demonstrating um your capacity for inclusion. So, thank you for that. I also want to say, Miss Destiny Singleton, um congratulations um on being here and we look forward to hearing your voice and seeing your work. Um all of us, every last person employed by the Chicago public schools, engaged with the Chicago public schools are only here because you and your peers are here. You are the anchor. You are the reason. you are the point. Your voice is going to be important in helping to provide the leadership um the clarity and the point of all of our collaborations. So, you are welcome and I encourage you to amplify and to be seen and heard always. Um listen, this is not going to be easy and we're all going to have to do some real work.

055The first day of school is going to require us to have school communities that are fully staffed um for our young people. Um I've been talking to a lot of parents um about the beginning of the school year and the things that I keep hearing is why is my favorite teacher, why is the paraprofessional that takes care of us, why are they fearful of receiving a layoff notice? Um so I'll start with the macro. the macro is is because there is um an individual in Washington DC that is intent upon rolling our society back to a time in which um this school board would not have existed in the diversity and the equity that it presents here today. um compounded the state of Illinois. Every governor, every general assembly has failed to send the necessary

056amount of revenue to the Chicago public schools. I am saying this and I need this to be underscored. The Chicago public schools has never been funded at the rate in which it deserves to be. So this is not a new issue. In fact, the $1.2 2 billion that EBF does not have at this moment is a symbol of that. And here's the other symbol of that. Um, will we have a math teacher at Julian High School? Will we have a chemistry teacher at Clemente High School? I know you all have a lot of numbers and you have a whole budget department. And you know, some people believe that making hard choices is making young people suffer. I don't believe that those are hard choices. I think that those are cowardly choices. That said, um this

057board, our interim CEO, um all of us are going to have to figure out how we do a few things. Number one, how do we make our general assembly and our governor responsible for the Chicago public schools as they are responsible for public transit, as they are responsible for public health, as they are responsible for making sure that the state of Illinois works. We will need that as a we will need to meet that challenge as a united front. Number two, Mayor Johnson is the mayor of the city and also a high school um middle school teacher. Um he's going to have to help us out too with some tiff. And then finally, we're going to have to get together as um a united front and figure out how we make sure our school communities

058have exactly what they need on day one. Seconds remaining. We have a wonderful contract that codifies quite frankly everything that works. Um it is aligned with the needs of students. And so we are here to say that there is a choice to make. The choice to make is are we going to uh codify what our students need in a budget that represents um forward momentum for our school district or will we side with those who want to dismantle the public good. So that is a choice that my union has already made. We want forward movement and we want coalition. So we are here to welcome you Dr. King um to that coalition. We are also here to challenge the board of education to become um permanent members of that coalition. Um we do not expect

059to begin school without special education educators. We do not intend to begin school this year with vacancies all over the district. We do not intend to equivocate on any of the things that Chicago students deserve and we invite you to join us. Thank you. so very much. Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Kia Banks, CPAA, Presidentelect, who is here in person. Good afternoon. Before I make my official remarks, I want to thank my brother, board member Brown, for his passionate and honest remarks. I'm not really sure if I can follow that. I'm going to try. Uh to our board members Zakor Lozano and board member Bla1, I am too excited about this opportunity for transition and transformation. To Miss Destiny Singleton, we welcome you. We are proud of you and we

060welcome your voice. I stand here today acknowledging that we are in the midst of transition. From the search for an interim CEO to the search for a permanent CEO superintendent. From the close of one school year to the planning of the next. From the end of one CPAA presidency presidency to the beginning of another, my own. But I'm here to represent the school leaders, the principles and assistant principles who are preparing not only for the year ahead, but for our very first collective bargaining agreement in this season of transition. I want to share a message of hope. In the midst of all this change, we hope that the appointment of Dr. Mine King as the interim CEO marks a shift towards true student centered leadership. We applaud this board for making this decision and to

061you Dr. King, we want to speak to you directly. We are hopeful that your leadership s signals a new chapter where principal voice is not only respected but it is invited in where we are not an afterthought but as a necessary partner in every conversation that shapes the future of this district where our lived experiences and voices are sought out and not just tolerated. We're hopeful that your work will bring a sense of stability for the leaders who hold this system together every single day. And that stability has to be with fully staffed, fully resourced, fully supported schools in less than two short months. But your background tells us a lot. It tells us that you understand what it means to lead with clear, consistent, and timely communication. You understand and care about what it

062takes to run a school. You value relationships and transparency. and you don't give up, not on students or the people who are entrusted to serve them. So all of this gives us hope. Hope for a different way forward. Hope R rooted in real partnership. Hope that students needs will be prioritized over all else like posturing and politics. As the incoming president of this union, representing Chicago's principles and assistant principles, I stand here with hope and we stand ready. We stand ready to stand by you as we collectively advocate for the finances our students, teachers, and school leaders need to welcome our families into a safe, nurturing environment where everyone thrives. Because the truth is when principal voice is authentically included from the very beginning all of the outcomes are improved for everyone for our city

063for our families but most importantly for our students. So please know Dr. King principles and assistant principles are rooting for you and we stand ready for bold, radical, truthful, and transformative leadership. And we hope that together we can build a stronger, stable, safer district for all of our students and their families in the Chicago public schools. And that not just for the students, but for the principles and assistant principles who serve them. As I have done many times before, I stand here extending you another genuine offer to partner and to be supportive in the mission and the vision of the this district, the district where I was a student, a teacher, a principal, and a parent. We look forward to working with you. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is

064Diane Palmer, SEIU Local 73 president, who is here in person. Good afternoon, Vice President Batista, um, President Harden in his absence, and members of the board. Also, a special welcome to you, Intram CEO, Maline King, and Miss Destiny Singleton. I'm proud of you as if you were my own daughter. So, welcome and thank you. Every day, more than 11,000 school support staff rep represented by SEIU Local 73 work tirelessly to ensure that students have clean, safe, and supportive schools. From the bus aids and crossing guards that help the students get to and from schools to the special education classroom assistants who serve more than 60,000 special needs students. Our members are there working to promote a quality education for the children of Chicago. The threat of laying off any of these essential workers will be

065a significant blow to our education system. Chicago Chicago's children's cannot afford to lose the care and resources union members have fought so hard to obtain since the pandemic. It's time the Chicago Board of Education stop repeating the same mistakes with these mass layoffs and fight to protect the well-being of all children at CPS. 10 years ago, Mayor Rammy Lmanuel laid off 1,400 CPS staff, disproportionately affecting under underserved communities in Chicago's south and west sides and added to the financial burden of the district's pension fund. If you choose to repeat that mistake once again, Chicago's children will suffer the consequences. We call on the city of Chicago and the board of education to urgently explore other alternatives that will not directly harm these students education. Combining additional state funding and using TIFF funds from Chicago could

066easily bridge this gap. Mayor Brandon Johnson has the power to declare a surplus of those funds, which would go a long ways toward honoring his promise to equitably fund and staff our schools. We are looking for solutions, leadership, and a plan to prevent the loss of critical support staff and resources that are so desperately needed for our most vulnerable children and communities. The children of Chicago cannot afford more layoffs. It is time for Mayor Johnson, the city council, and the CPS board of education, and the state of Illinois to put the students first. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for your comments. Vice President Bautista, we are now ready to call speakers from the speakers list. And we will start with a um speakers regarding green schools. Speaker number one, Dorothy Neil. Good

067afternoon, board members. Please forgive me. This is my first time public speaking. My name is Dorothy Neil. I'm a parent mentor coordinator at Gail in Rogers Park. I'm a volunteer with one north side. This was my first year at Gail. I've already noticed issues in the school. Imagine your work environment where you spend eight hours every weekday was not healthy or safe. The children at Gail spend seven to eight hours in their 100-year-old school building where they are surrounded by toxins, peeling paint, improper ventilation, and cooling and inadequate drinking water. As a parent and mentor at Gail, when students show up to the classroom thirsty, I myself have had to take them to another floor because the water fountain on that floor was not undrink it was inrinkable. This is a major distraction that I

068obser observed in the classroom every day. At your workplace, you get paid in salary. And in our school, our children get paid in education. Every minute t extra minute taken to get clean drinking water is another minute taken away from valuable class time. Children, our staff are children and staff are very interested in Gail being part of the green school campaign. Seconds remaining. The teacher I work with in the classroom, Miss Lucy was a first year CPS teacher, was shocked at the lack of resources. Mr. Paul, a special education teacher, says Green School would be amazing revenue solution considering the Gail 100-year-old building is in need of many repairs. Studies show these improvement boost learning and academic success with green school campaign. They will have money for clean, green school places, spaces and playground, clean

069air and water. Don't they deserve it? Thank you for your comments. The next speaker for Green Schools is Miguel Bernell, speaker number five. Good afternoon CPS board members. My name is Miguel Bernal. I am a recent graduate of Gonzalez Scholastic Academy and I live in the Burden Park area which where my school is also located in. I'm here today to advocate the comfort learning and teaching of everyone at CPS. I'm here as well to urge the board of education to pass the healthy green school resolution. GSA struggles with the climate of classrooms either being too hot or too cold. I have recess before my science class and I'm already very overheated, but I have to deal with the 80 to 90° temperature classroom for an hour and 30 minutes, which causes a struggle for me

070and for everyone else to learn. Opening windows is not an option due to them being broken. And the cause of the heat is is because we are located very close to our school's boiler room. That's why CPS should invest in clean energy projects like solar panels and heat pumps. They can reduce pollution and save the district money. That money can be used for for other school improvements. This resolution will help my school because replacing a very hot boiler room with solar panels bought with saved money can improve teaching and learning environments for everyone. Money can also be used to remodel, add on, or repair my 100-year-old middle school for future learners and educators. I call on all board of education members to support the healthy green school resolution. Thank you. Thank you for your comments.

071The next speaker is Rasha Farmer, speaker number six. Good afternoon CPS board members. First, thank you for what you have done so far for CPS students and staff. I am a teacher at Chicago Vocational High School where we are changing the narrative through CTE programs and dual credit classes. But I am not coming to you today just to speak as a teacher asking for fully funded schools. I am coming to you today as a teacher who participated in the environmental justice freedom school that is set up to educate students such as the ones I teach to understand about the root causes of environmental racism and make them advocates for bettering their school environments. In this program, I met Morgan who got sick from using the so-called filter water at her school. I also met Enoch

072who learned that his school was scheduled to share the same airspace as the proposed Southside location for General Iron. Both of these schools are in the same network as the students I love and teach. When I learned their stories, I saw what my students are facing because the green school's resolution has not passed. A school such as Chicago Vocational is a model school to implement the changes cause for called for by this resolution. My school is a CTE school that will be able to show students green methods in order to ultimately the CPS vision for cleaner, healthier, and more energyefficient school buildings. Again, thank you for your time and by choosing to pass the green schools resolution, we can change the narrative for all CPS students. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is

073Shamim Zafar, speaker number 22, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Good afternoon. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to speak this board. My name is Shamim Zafur. I am a parent of CPS and high school student as well as a parental coordinator at Kilmer Elementary School. My three children graduated from Kilmer Elementary School. I was also involved in this school over a decade. first serving on LSC for six years followed by being a parent mentor and resess coach. Now I am working as a parent coordinator for three years. At Kilmer we have seen a need for better water filtration system, cleaner aid and better playground in the schools and the lockers are also in need for of improvement. they are extremely rushed by um which is a

074large health concern. In the time I served on the LSC, there was a lack of money for the resources that will be needed to make the school in environment better. At SAN, my daughter mentioned that many there is many problems can be distracted at the school. for example, the heating and cooling is outdated and it makes it hard to focus when it's way too hot or too cold. She told me that they need better air filter in the classroom and hallways and sometime the smells from the bathroom can you have 30 seconds the schools. She also said that she and her classmates avoid water fountain because it can be dirty and discolored. As a parent, it is concerning to hear this and seeing the school clean and taken care of would be great for student

075learning environment. Student deserve better resources at their school with the green school resolution on section that the most important important part for me if a parent is using energy saving to have healthy school improvement that can be improved the safety and security of students. Please vote yes for the green school resolution to support schoolies like Kilmer and Sen in Rogers Park. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Ashley Q, speaker number 24. Good afternoon CPS board members. My name is Ashley Q. Currently, I'm a student at Lincoln Park, but I am here today as a former student of Suda Monastery. All the way from preK through 6th grade, I had the opportunity to revisit through the Environmental Justice Freedom School recently, and what I found shocked me. That's what brings me

076here today, to urge this board of education to pass the Healthy Green Schools resolution. Through a facilities tour, I got to see the painted cartoonish fruit on this lunchroom walls once again. the cheesy phrases plastered along the hallways and the old mosaics that I saw slowly get built up day after day. It would have been a lovely sight if the building wasn't visibly older and cracked and I didn't hear that the lunchroom likely had asbestos everywhere. I think of all the years I spent there. How my sisters, my cousins, my friends grew up there. How we all could have been exposed to asbestos. That's why this resolution is necessary. It's not just solar panels for energy effic energy efficiency just for savings sake, but to reinvest those savings into children's health so no kid has

077to worry about asbestos. That's why I call on all board members to support the healthy greens school resolutions. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Emily Ayala, speaker number 25. Hi, good afternoon to everyone behind me and to the board in front of me. My name is Emilia Yala. I am a mother of a very sweet little guy who is a special needs prek student at Sedlowski Elementary School in the far southeast side. With the 2024 2025 school year coming to an end, having just ended, I want to share a recent experience I had back in March of this year. I attempted to enroll my son in two OST programs and was given the response of word for word, OST is not taking students from cluster classrooms at

078this time. due to staffing and budget, we will not have someone to work with him one-on-one. Sorry about that. My first reaction was very much like, "Excuse you." Um, and my second line of action was to speak with the principal about this. To which he gave me some deeper context and to paraphrase, he said along the lines of, "I am so sorry that you had to experience this. Unfortunately, the budget that we have to work with this year that would have allowed for a Sika to support OST went from around 80,000 to about 12,000. And that was very frustrating and shocking for me to hear. At that time, I knew it was not worth arguing with the principal. His hands were tied. I know that this is a higher up in the education chain problem

079to address many. So with this, as an advocate of healthy green schools, I am fully advocating and urging the board to take into consideration green alternatives as a means of saving money to then reinvest the saved money into the health and wellness of our students. They are deserving of investment not just for statistics and quantity, but for quality of life as well. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. And the last speaker from this group is Amy Selenas, speaker number 28. Hello CPS board and friends. My name is Amy Selenas. I am a rising sophomore at Lincoln Park High School and I am with Sunrise Chicago. Everyone in this room know how south and westside CPS schools are treated far different from how northside schools are. I have graduated from a small middle school in

080the southside where issues are found much easier than in the north side. Within my experience, Southside schools lack a a clean and safe environment. For example, the HVAC system at my former school was poor. We didn't have AC in our gym. Ceilings were crumbling on student desk. Overcrowding was present. Overall, the infrastructure I experienced at my former southside school was poor, which could not compare to my now north side school. Students need ACs in schools. We need clean water. We need a functional school building in order to learn. Everyone in this room has experience in seeing the heat waves. this week in Chicago. Now imagine sitting in a classroom trying to learn or attending gym without AC during a heat wave. This is a reason why the healthy green schools re resolution is important to

081both me and students. By investing in clean energy projects like rooftop solar CPS can reduce pollution while saving money on energy cost. These savings can can go to making our schools greener, safer, and more comfortable for students to learn in. Through these projects, students can also learn about clean energy which can prepare themselves for future careers in environmental sustainability. This resolution is necessary in order in order for in order for students to have high quality education. 30 seconds remaining. Have a bright future, be successful in their careers. They they need an environment with clean water and good temperature. With this program, brown, black, and low-income students will be impacted for the better. As the board of CPS, it is your responsibility that all students, teachers, and staff have this change. Thank you for your time.

082Thank you for your comments. The next group of speakers are regarding SECAS. Uh we'll start with Terresa Powers, speaker number two. Hi everyone. Thanks for having me today. My name is Teresa Powers and I'm a cluster teacher. I teach third, fourth, and fifth grade. Being a cluster teacher means that I have 13 students with a range of disabilities and specific needs in my classroom. Everything I do is tailored to individual students from curriculum to behavior plans to collaboration with other teachers and service providers in the building. And in general, what my main goal is, I work extremely hard to create a safe, loving, and caring environment for all of my students. and I rely on my team of special education classroom assistants or seekas to ensure this environment. Most of my students are autistic and

083autistic children are incredible, typically very schedule oriented, can be very particular and have certain triggers that can cause challenging and unsafe behavior. Basically, my team's head is always on a swivel, ensuring that all students are staying as safe and as regulated as possible. My main concern about the SECA cuts is safety. I would invite everyone on this board, leaders in CPS and OSD to spend one hour inside a cluster classroom and then I want you to tell me that it is appropriate to cut our support and give us just one programmatic SEA. When students have meltdowns that cannot be controlled and chairs are flying across the room and I don't have enough adults to complete your room clear safely, this is a safety issue. The staff in my classroom can spot a trigger and meltdown

084before it happens, mitigating the final blowup by sitting next to a student, taking them for a walk, or simply redirecting the situation. Taking away support from the classrooms that need it the most is a recipe for disaster. People are going to get hurt, adults and students. And teachers and SECAs in cluster are going to get burned out. And I know that these cuts are coming from the state, but CPS and OSD have allowed for programmatic for two programmatic SEAS in cluster classrooms. And I would really implore you all to keep it this way. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Teresa Nestro, speaker number 21. My name is Teresa Nestro. Thank you for having me. I'm the mother of two autistic CPS students. They're amazing teachers to my right.

085My youngest son, Con Cooper, is in a cluster program due to significant support needs and he is assigned to a classroom with four amazing SECAS. He also has a severe peanut allergy which makes makes things just as lunchtime support essential for his safety. My elder son is in the general education setting supported by a seea to help him learn and communicate with his neurotypical peers. He was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 2023 and therefore also requires a trained in diabetes care assistance, also known as a DCA. To say the diverse learner classroom is complex would be a gross understatement. These students require close consistent supervision to facilitate learning in an often tenuous environment. SECAS provide the foundation of that support. On good days, the support that they provide will ensure lesson plans are implemented

086and IEPs are followed. But on challenging days when students are overstimulated, experiencing meltdowns, unable to to describe symptoms of illness or suffering from insomnia, seeks are the frontline responders. When my son's blood sugar drops to dangerously low levels, it is his seea who communicates with the nurse. When my son is struggling to self-regulate, it is the SECA who helps deescalate and guide him back to learning with his peers. These are mo daily occurrences for most autistic students and without adequate seca support are not only going to struggle to learn they are at risk. Thanks to their amazing teams my sons are not only learning they are thriving but that stability is at a fragile crossroads. A reduction in Sika staffing would be devastating. It would stall progress compromise safety and disrupt the carefully built support

087systems that allow students like my sons to grow. If a proposal to cut SEA positions is with upheld, I foresee a wave of IEP updates, increase behavioral concern safety incidents, and a request for a more restrictive environments under IDA. Please conclude your remarks. EPS is legally obligated to provide a free and appropriate education to students with disabilities. What does appropriate mean to all of us? Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Alma Rosario, speaker number 15. Good afternoon, members of the board. My name is Alma Rosario and I'm a school psychologist. I'm here today with my friend and colleague, Yasmin Vasquez, a special education teacher. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak. We are here to strongly oppose the proposed cuts to special education services, including teacher and SECA

088positions. These cuts directly threaten the well-being and learning of our most vulnerable students. Our students rely on special education teachers and seeks to access their classrooms safely and meaningfully. When these positions are cut, the students students with disabilities lose the services outlined in their IEPs and schools are left struggling to meet legal and ethical obligations. Because of our dedicated educators and support staff, our students make real progress. That progress is only possible through strong collaborative teams that understand and responds to each child's unique needs. Every student has the right to a free and appropriate public education under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Cutting special education funding puts that right and our students at risk. We urge this board to reject any reductions in special education staffing and instead fund the the supports that allow

089our students to succeed. Support our educators, support our seeks, and above all support our students with disabilities. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The last speaker regarding seekas is Nelly Ramirez, speaker number 30. Good afternoon. Um, good afternoon. My name is uh Nelly Ramirez and I am a special education uh teacher in uh CPS and I'm here to discuss the special education uh cuts across the city. At my school at George Washington High School, we're facing uh cuts up to three uh special education teachers and two Sikas. And um I just want to explain that special education teachers are not just teachers. We're service providers. We're the ones that reach out to make sure that the kids um that our kids IEPs are followed. Um we're the ones that uh do the check-ins with

090our kids to make sure that they're passing their classes, talking to parents and saying, "Hey, how come they didn't come to school today?" Special um we are the ones that um make sure that every child with IEPs and 504 plans um receive the support they need in each of their classes. And um we are also children's and families advocates. And most of all, we make sure that our students have access to quality education in the classroom. Without special education teachers, children are uh children with disabilities. Our our students don't have access to their education. general education teacher at times don't um have the strategies um or who need more support because a lot of our classrooms are overpacked. So um in saying that um I just want to um I just want to also 30

091seconds remaining talk about the um the seeks. The seeks are most important. They build relationships with the students that I can't build in 50 minutes. Um we need our seeks in order to support our kids. um they know how uh their ch their students access the information and they also are able to deescalate behaviors and I'm asking the board to please talk to um go to Springfield and tell them that the uh budget is not equitable. I heard that in the beginning um from Dr. um King that said uh we want an equitable uh budget and our special education kids are act um supports are being cut and that is not equitable. They are the most marginalized kids in our schools. So I am asking uh vice pres uh president Baltista you're from our community

092you know how much uh kids from across cities need our support. So I ask you I urge you to please help our um children get what they they need and it's part of the law. So I thank you for your comments. Thank you so much. Our next few speakers are from Corless STEM High School. Speaker number three, Quintella Bounds. Good afternoon, distinguished board members and superintendent uh Dr. King. Um I want to thank you all for granting me this opportunity to speak briefly. As a member of the Chicago's teachers union uh big bargaining team, we fought for an additional 215 additional case managers to be full-time in our classrooms. I am one who stood on the line day in for that full year because at that time I was shared with two buildings. I had

093a case load of 189 students with IEPs and 60 students with 504s. So grassroots fighting, we won a contract and in that contract we were told we were going to get full-time case managers at schools, one Corless, the other one King, and I wanted to reside at Corless. Unfortunately, on May 30th, our assistant principal was up for the principal ship. And as an LSC member, I voted no. I opposed it. That was May 20th. 11 days later, on September, I'm sorry, on Saturday, May 31st, I received a notification that I was being reassigned. The same individual who fought to get a full-time case manager in every school is now being reassigned or displaced. And in that contract, we won 30 seconds remaining. We won the right that if you have if you were a case

094manager, you will not be displaced. Again, I have been displaced. So, I'm asking you uh as I stand before you to resolve this matter collectively and swiftly. I've gone to the assistant principal. I've gone to the the AIC's in the building. I've gone to the network chief. I'm coming to you now. I'm asking you to resolve this. I'm asking you to continue to keep me at coreless in that space. And it's not just me. It's other case managers who were part-time in districts that this is happening to across CPS. So, please conclude your Thank you for your time. Um, and I hope you hear us. Have a good day. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Kimberly Weston Dodd, speaker number eight, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Good

095afternoon, Dr. King and the Chicago public school board members. My name is Kimberly Westend a seeka at Corless High School for the past 25 years. I've been subjected to harassment, retaliation, and determination at my workplace during the past school year. These actions are due to my role as junior steward for SEIU. I represent seekers, security officers, and CPS custodians. I've been verbally attacked and defamed in a mass email by a coworker. I reported these actions and nothing was done. I'm speaking to you today in regards to the continued violation of SEIU collective bargaining agreement with Chicago public schools. Article two, fair practices. Article 15, safe and healthy work environment. Article 622, claims of harassment and discrimination. Corus administration also violates CPS comprehensive nondiscrimination, harassment, and retaliation policy. Just recently, I was denied some employment due

096to my protective category status. The administration refused to address my hostile work environment. I requested a safety pan meeting with the person in question and administration. And during the meeting, I was verbally attacked again. I asked court administration for support and was told I had to refrain from any union representation duties. I filed grievances and sent emails and nothing has changed. I'm asking the board seconds remaining to please investigate my current working condition before the upcoming school year. I'm afraid of what could happen and my safety. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker from um Coralus is Esmeralda Gutier, speaker number Seven. Okay. Chicago. Uh, Chicago Determinenc techn CEO. indefin. The programs. Now we will have our Spanish translator to the CP to the CPS CPO CEO search committee

097board of education and relevant stakeholders. We the mothers, fathers, and caregivers of students receiving special education services in Chicago public schools write to you with urgency, determination, and the weight of our lived experiences. As CPS searches for new leadership, our voices must not only be heard, they must shape the priorities of this district's future. Our children have endured years of systemic neglect and broken promises, many of which are documented in the document HPCPS settlement agreement, redacted. This agreement is not a procedural box to check. It represents real harm, legal responsibility, and a moral imperative to change course. Any incoming CEO must be fully committed to both the spirit and substance of this agreement and must take bold, transparent action to correct the persistent failures in special education services. We demand that the following commitments be

098publicly adopted and built into the selection, on boarding, and accountability process for the new CPS CEO. One, accountability and timelines. CPS must set and publish clear timelines for addressing special education concerns, including delays in services, IEP implementation gaps, and inadequate placements. Our families can no longer afford indefinite waiting. Two, classroom audits and policy compliance. Cluster classrooms must be regularly audited for quality and compliance. Policies protecting students with disabilities and bilingual learners must be actively enforced, not ignored. CPS must establish preventative systems that stop repeated legal violations from occurring. Thank you. The next speakers are from Gley Elementary School. Speaker number four, Samantha Galichia Belchure, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Samantha Belchure, speaker number four, please enter star six to unmute. Samantha Belchure, speaker number four, please enter star six

099to unmute. Hi, my name is Samantha Galishia Belchure. I am a parent LSC member, SECA, and SEI Steward at Gley Elementary School. In the SY26 budget, CPS has made significant cuts. Holistic positions were reduced from four to three. One of our Spanish teachers was eliminated. Now only one Spanish, one music, and one PE teacher remain with music and PE being mandated. The only bilingual teacher supporting grades four through eight was cut along with ESL support that relied on the Spanish teacher. And preK students, they no longer receive any Spanish language instructions. This means that legally we are not compliant in our bilingual support in grades four through eight. We have no endorsed bilingual Spanish education teacher that exists in our school. Our student population though being centered in an affluent neighborhood. 85% of our student

100population is low income. It's also racially diverse including uh Latino, black, Asian, and white families. We have one of the largest shelter student populations in the city. We've had an influx of 150 newcomers in our last year, meaning that 40% of our population is now STLS, newcomer, and English learner. As a parent, my children used to receive three hours a week of Spanish instruction, now nothing. CPS promised that every student would graduate multilingual. You've now made that impossible at Gley. The FILA by literacy passage rate doubled last year at Gley, and that happened because our students were supported early and consistently. You have accelerate growth for black students, but then you cut the exact thing that helps black students thrive. As an LSC member, we had to vote no on the budget because it was

101unworkable, inequitable, and violates your own strategic plan. You cannot create a legal teacher schedule with the current allocation. You're inviting uh contract violations as well as mis prep periods. Gley has sustained three hours a week of Spanish for decades even under Carlos esca uh our Gley administrator 20 years ago and the history matters in our school. You cut bilingual support while increasing newcomer enrollment that's we're not asking for luxury. We're asking for what was promised and what's required by law. Really kids don't deserve less just because they're invisible on your spreadsheets. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker from Gley is Carolyn Winnhe, speaker number 20, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Carolyn Winnie, speaker number 20. Please enter star six to unmute. I'm Carolyn Lindy and I'm

102speaking on behalf of Gley Elementary School in Lake View. CPS's budget cuts to GRE's 2026 budget resulted in the reduction of holistic positions from four to three. This means that CPS eliminated one of two Spanish speakers at Gley. Now, over 85% of Gley students are lowincome and racially diverse, as Samantha previously mentioned. And last year, GREley had an influx of more than 150 newcomers, which means that 40% of our students are now or English learners, newcomers, or students living in transitional housing situations. And as she noted before, Gley has one of the largest shelter student populations in the city. really LSC voted no on the budget as Samantha mentioned and it because it it undermines the equity and multilingualism that's so important to CPS. CPS's 2026 budget undermines Gley's progress on the seal of biiteracy

103and English learner student growth. CPS's 2026 budget cut bilingual support at GRE but increased newcomer enrollment which is neglectful at best. By cutting Spanish for our black students, you are ensuring that antilackness and opportunity gaps remain deeply entrenched in CPS schools and policies. The elimination of a Spanish teacher isn't just a cut at Gley. It's one more thing to separate poor black and brown students from the privilege that lives next door. You see, Gley zip code 30 seconds remaining. While the zip code might show affluence, many of families are poor and live in shelters. You're you don't see that unless you come into our school. Really is unique in its diverse and integrated system. It works well for all of our students, but with this new budget, you're undermining all the efforts that staff and

104families have put into Gley. The budget CTS created will ensure structural inequity for Gley students well into the future. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Lorenzo Aronda, speaker number seven. Hello. Good afternoon, esteemed board members. Thank you for having me and listening to the concerns of Wells Community Academy High School. My name is Lorenzo Oranda and I speak as a staff member, an LSC member, and as a community member of Wells for all my life. Wells has a 100 years of history and throughout this century we have faced a number of challenges and this upcoming school year we face a unique challenge. The Wells LSC has not seen their budget. The Illinois school code requires principles present the budget to the public twice and the LSC and

105IoT and then leave it open for public comment and recommendations. The principal has not presented the budget to the LSC, IOT, the public, or has held meetings to ask for input. Yet, he submitted the budget without LSC input, without vote, and without the chair signing it. In fact, he has not attended a single LSC meeting since the decision to not renew his contract. I want to be clear that he was not fired. He is still our contract p principal and he must follow the Illinois school code and prepare us for the upcoming school year. We are aware of the constraints the district has regards to the budget and it will likely change. What wells if is asking is for the process and the law to be followed. What Wells wants is to see if the

106budget aligns with our CIWP. What Wells wants is to see if the budget sets us up for success. And ultimately, what Wells wants is a say in our future. Got 15 seconds. All right. Well, I'll use it. So, one thing I heard consistently is this sport is all about transparency, equity, and the success of students. This is a slam dunk if you just help us. So, don't just talk to talk. walk it and take action to help us. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Our next four speakers are from Interamerican. Speaker number nine, Marilu Ugarte. Dr. Marine Leadership Academy. Control director. Foreign speech. Foreign speech. Fore Daily. noise. Fore director science. I have it in English. Can I say it in English? Yes. Thank you. Good afternoon board members and superintendent Dr. King. My

107name is Mariel Garte. I am a former local school council member at Interamerican where I served for more than seven years. a current community member on the Marine Leadership Academy Board of Governors and an LSC certified trainer. I'm deeply invested in our school communities. Today, I feel like I I need to play the lottery because after months of trying, I finally have the chance to speak at one of these meetings. But I believe everything happens for a reason. And maybe that reason is so I can speak directly to Dr. King today. On August 23rd, 2024, the Interamerican LLC held a vote of non-confidence in principal Juan Saias. Then on October 9th, 2024, the LSC formally brought charges for removal. It has been 261 days and we still have not received a respond from the district

108regarding those charges. This delay has deeply harmed our school community and severely broken trust. On numerous occasions, LSC members, parents, and community have shared with CPS leadership and board that principal SAS has repeatedly violated his contract, submitted a budget to the district without LSC approval, made budget transfer without LSC approval approval, violated standards established in the Illinois student code, attempted to block parents from running for the LSC by submitting false statements claims that CPS legal found to be baseless. is fail to follow protocol regarding title complaints. Completely disregarding for keeping our children safe, retaliate against parents, LSC members, teachers and staff who raise concerns about his leadership and most disturbingly is now retaliated against students whose parents have spoken up. This is unacceptable. Dr. Keane, I'm here today to ask you, please remove principal science

109immediately. Parents should not fear speaking up. Teachers should not fear doing what is right. You have the power to act while the investigation continues. We trust that under your leadership as the superintendent of the Chicago public school, we will finally have the voices of interamerican community heard and the students will have the opportunity to learn and in a safe toxic free environment. Lastly, I want to address a harmful narrative circulating that Interamerican is a difficult school. We're not difficult. We are committed. We are a community that protects each other and speak up when we see wrongdoing. That's what strong communities do. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Marina Marina Santino, speaker number 13, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Hi, my name

110is Marina Santino and I have two kids at Interame American Magnet School. Today I'm representing concern parents for IMS, a pron dual language magnet school which inspire all the dual language school in Chicago. For two years, principal ZAS has created a toxic environment and a pattern of growth mismanagement and lies. Last year, our LSC took a unanimous vote of no confidence in principal ZAS. For more charges were pressed in October and he has been under formal investigation from CPS in January. Despite our repeated players to have him removed, our voices have not been heard. We are outraged that CPS has failed to formally notify parents and staff that our principal has been under formal investigation. We have a right to know what is happening in our school where there is such a lack of transparency

111when the principal is a subject of an investigation. This is simply not consistent with best practice and undetermined trust. Mr. Zas mismanagement extend to our financial and the well-being of our student. He has refused to listen or address critical concern from teacher regarding student behavior. Yet has retaliated against staff who speak up. incident of bullying have been ignored. He has reduced language allocation at our school, putting in danger the beliteracy of our students without any notification to parents and determining the very foundation of our program and in opposition of what it seems today a CPS pride and priority. The last action is troubling. In the last two days of school, six dedicated teacher from prek to fourth grade have been verbally notified of forced reassignment to different grades. None requested these changes and no rational

112or plan was provided. This is not just disruptive. It appears to be in direct violation of the CTU collective agreement. Principal Zas is under investigation for mismanagement of phoneation of budget protocols and safety and security incident allowing him to remain in his position not only to jeopardize integrity of the investigation but continue to arm our students and staff. We ask you to remove him from his position immediately. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Lindseay Wood, speaker number 18. My name is Lindseay Woods. I'm a parent at Interamerican Magnet School. I'm here today to speak about our principal, Juan Carlos. He has done nothing but cause problems from day one. I'm not going to spend my time listing everything he's done because I simply wouldn't have the time. He's currently under

113investigation for violating his contract multiple times, including submitting his chosen budget without LSC approval, failing to follow protocol regarding Title 9 complaints with complete disregard for keeping our kids safe, attempting to block myself and other parents from running for LSC with claims deemed baseless by CPS legal, and so much more. You already have this info, so I won't continue the seemingly endless list. This man attempts to shut down communication amongst the IMS community every chance he gets. Why? Because that's what dictators do in order to try to hold on to the little power they have. He has done nothing positive for our school in the past two years he's been with us. When he doesn't get when he doesn't think he'll get his way, he just does what he wants anyways. He's retaliated against parents,

114teachers, staff, and even students of parents he doesn't like. This is unacceptable. In August 2024, our LSC held a vote of no confidence in Juan Carlo Carlos Ziz. In October 2024, our LSC formally brought charges for removal. It has been eight months and we have no answers. This delay has broken the trust of hundreds of families at IMS who didn't give up until this monstrous dictator of a man is removed from our school. So, let me ask you, what more do you need from us to conclude this investigation or at least get this man removed in the meantime? Our kids are miserable having to show up at school every day with such a toxic administration. You have 30 seconds. Until you remove our abusive principal, we will continue to show up, speak up, and request

115for his removal. It's exhausting, but believe me when I tell you, I will always find the time for calling out abusive dictators and holding them accountable for their egregious actions. Somebody eventually has to give up this fight, and I promise you, it won't be me. I'm requesting that Juan Carlos Zaz be removed and an AIC put in his place before the start of the new school year on August 18th. I hope you all think about the impact this horrible, incompetent human being is having on the future of the city of Chicago and make the right decision. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from the Interamerican group is L. Sarama, speaker number 29, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Department leadership academy. Christina, Amber, the MLA Leadership Academy

116Martinez. Leadership Academy. Now we will have our Spanish translator. Good afternoon board members. Welcome Dr. King. My name is L. Sarama. I come before you to ask once again for an in-depth investigation into the office of LLC relations and very specifically the head of the department Kasha Ford discrimination, harassment, lies and for collaborating with La Lemon to alter official documents in order to deny a position to a community representative at the parents council or BA at Marine Leadership Academy. I also call for an urgent investigation into La Lemon network 14 chief for discrimination collaborating with Christine Novi, Amber Gangaloo, and John Roseboom in the misuse of student funds to buy positions for his relatives and overtime pay for their friends who had to do no work in return. I also call for an investigation into

117a Falner, head of the counseling department at Marine Leadership Academy. In a case that occurred in 2019, she had knowledge that the music teacher at that time, Miss Rizzo, was having sexual relationships with two students, which was never reported. Additionally, due to her lack of empathy during her time at Marine Leadership Academy, two students committed suicide. They along with their parents had asked for help. I ask that you please don't do what Mr. Martinez and previous board members have done and allow my words to fall on deaf ears. I ask that you investigate how John Roseboom came to be hired in Chicago. Given that it was known that he went that when he worked in Florida, he took a student to his home during school hours when he himself should have been working and who

118obtained a job at at another school thanks to Lara Lemon because at Marine Leadership Academy, neither he nor Miss Novi or Miss Gangaloo were wanted. The sexual assault of a student at Sullivan could have been avoided if not for La Lemon and her program of employee recycling based solely on friendships and not student need. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Colleen Gats, speaker number 10. Olga, thank you for wanting to welcome students no matter who they love. Today, I want to advocate for the staff and students who love Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who came to destroy the works of the devil, who died, was buried, and rose again. I want to advocate for students and staff who declare Jesus Christ is Lord. Religion is a set of beliefs. We are all religious. Worship

119is what we exalt. We all worship all day long. Whether it is God or Beyonce. I would like to voice one example of the egregious inequality of the interpretation of the separation of church and state in our schools. This year, our after-school student led Bible study asked our administration permission to post two 8 by10 flyers inviting students to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ after school and were quickly denied under the separation of church and state. I wish I had time to address in depth all the different religions I have seen welcome at our schools over the 17 years since I started in Cabrina Green. witchcraft, astrology, Zen Buddhism and pride flourishing and welcome. If separation of church and state simply means those who love, believe, and declare Jesus as Lord are not

120given equal rights, believers in Jesus Christ are not welcome or safe in Chicago public schools. God bless you and peace be with you. Thank you for your comments. Our next two speakers are uh from Perspectives Charter Schools. Simone Hicks, speaker number 12. Good afternoon, Chicago Board of Education and thank you so much for the opportunity to speak with you all today. My name is Simone Hicks and I am a rising senior at Perspectives Leadership Campus. I am here today to tell you about Perspectives and my experience has been amazing as a Perspective student. I began attending Perspectives as a freshman and from the start I could tell it was a school that truly values student voice, leadership, and community. One of the things I really appreciate about perspectives is how inclusive and supportive the environment

121is. Students are encouraged to be themselves and step into leadership roles. I currently serve as the president of SGAA. I am also captain of my cheer team and I was honored to be inducted into the National Honor Society during my sophomore year. One of the things that is unique about perspectives is a disciplined life. A disciplined life is a set of 26 principles that we strive to live by when we are both in school and outside of school. They include things like demonstrate a a strong work ethic, show compassion, and listen actively. These are all skills that not only help us be successful students today, but will set us up for success after we graduate. Shout out to my principal, Mr. Pal, who works hard every day to make sure that we are all living

122ADL and living up to our fullest potential. I know that ADL will serve me well after I graduate. And I have been thinking about graduation a lot lately because in August I will start my senior year of high school at Perspectives. And even though it seems a long time away, I know I will be walking across the stage before I know it. I am very excited for what comes next after graduation. After graduation, my plan is to attend college and look forward to become a nurse practitioner. Thank you for listening to me and thank you for listening to all the voices of students across Chicago schools. On behalf of prospective students, we thank the board of education for the recent renewal vote and encourage you to keep in mind experiences like mine when you make

123decisions about our schools. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker from Perspectives is Nina Robinson, speaker 27. Good afternoon, board of education, and thank you for the opportunity for me to speak to you today. My name is Nina Robinson, and I'm a product of CPS. In addition, I am also the proud parent of a rising senior at Prospective Leadership Campus, and as well of this as as well as this morning, I'm an official board member of the Perspective Charter School Board of Directors. Today I want to take a moment to reflect on something deeply important and it starts with the simple truth. Though charter schools may look different just like our children, the goal is the same. When I first sought out to perspectives, I was looking for a school that would

124both challenge and support Simone in other ways that normal schools would not. I wanted a place where Simone could be seen, encouraged, and given tools to succeed. I can say without hesitation that Perspectives has done just that and more. Simone has thrived at Perspectives and has many accomplishments during her time as a student. Just to name a few, as she mentioned, she is the president of the student government association as well as the member of a na the national honor society. SP perspectives works just not for Simone but all of its students. We have been a proven model for success, blending rigorous academics with a focus on character and leadership. The results speak for themselves. Numerous members of the class of 2025 across our campuses earned full ride scholarships, including the prestigious Posi and Gates

125Millennium Scholarship. And all of our students graduated with post-secondary plans that will put them on path to realizing their hopes and dreams. We are grateful that you also see the potential in our mission and our students and thank you for your vote of confidence in Perspectives and our recent renewal. Perspectives looks forward to working with CPS staff and board members as we continue to work together to educate our city's amazing students. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Jamila Shello, speaker number 14, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Jimmy Los Shello, speaker number 14, please enter star six to unmute. Jamila Shello, speaker number 14, please enter star six to unmute. It seems like we're having some um technical problems. We're going to go on to

126the next speaker, two speakers from CARE, and we'll try going back to speaker 14. Maggie Slavven, speaker number 16. Good afternoon, board. My name is Maggie Slavven um and I'm the school support coordinator for the Council on American Islamic Relations or CARE Chicago. Uh we are the large the nation's largest Muslim civil rights organization in the United States. Um and I'm also a former CPS teacher. Um it was an honor of my lifetime to serve and teach over 300 um of this city's children. Um I'm here today in my capacity at CARE to address issues of censorship and discrimination of Palestinian expression within CPS. Um this past April, a library worker at Pierce Elementary School, which is on the north uh side, uh displayed an ArabAmerican Heritage Bulletin board um that included facts about Arab-Americans,

127the demographics of Arab-Americans, which are the largest per capita in Chicago. Um yes, and yeah, there's the largest per capita in the country. Um and this was for the students on learning enhancement and also um to be a culturally responsive thing for the Palestinian and Muslim students that attend Pierce Elementary School. Um to support the students learning further, the library worker had put up information and facts about Gaza and the genocide that is currently unfolding there. Um particularly as it relates to academic scholarship and it was uh showing the students that there are no more libraries left in Gaza, which is important for their own worldly understanding as global citizens as is CPS standard to be a global citizen. Uh within a few days though, the principal of Pierce um had received um uh hundreds

128of emails from community members, most of them who do not even have a connection to CPS complaining that they were offended by the word genocide. Um and then I'd like to add that each month prior to April, the library bulletin board at Pierce featured a different demographic group and and received zero complaints. Um, so the question here is the fact that the library worker and the principal had to field this backlash on their own. They did not feel supported by CPS. They felt that OSP and the EOC kept ping ponging back and forth. Um, and there was no clear directive to how to solve this issue. Um, we're also concerned about the discrimination in CPS's response. It was not given the attention or accountability that it deserved. Um, and we just expect more. We expect

129clear communication um so that Palestinian Muslim students can be supported at their school. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker from Steinments is Ham Linda Flores, speaker 26. Oh, I am sorry. The next speaker from care is uh Jordan Esparza Kelly, speaker 17. I apologize. Hello board. My name is Jordan Esparza Kelly. I am the communications coordinator at Care Chicago and I'm here today to speak against the censorship, discrimination, and dehumanization of the Palestinian identity at Pierce Elementary via the backlash that was brought forth after a ArabAmerican Heritage bulletin board was created by a library worker to display info to the children at the school. In this billboard, I mean bulletin board, sorry. They also included a lot of factual information specifically about scholasticide in Gaza that is happening alongside a genocide

130in Gaza that has left the area of Gaza having no libraries or universities whatsoever. due to CPS um not having any specific policy guidelines for schools uh and libraries to follow for these bulletin boards. The Pierce Elementary then underwent pretty much a email and letter attack campaign by outsiders that generated way more letters than there is even parents to have at the school. Right. And this left admin, faculty, including the library worker who created the billboard in limbo about what to do. The school was faced with the harsh decision of ignoring some of the actual concerned community members and or erasing a part of the student body essentially. So we are calling on CPS to use their own equity framework specifically the targeted universalism uh strategy goal in their equity framework to create a policy

131to stop these events from happening as as we as an organization have noted them popping up all across Chicago and many schools are facing these difficulties and essentially cyber attacks. Please join us. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. We'll try going back to the um caller that was joining virtually, Jamila Sheilo, speaker number 14. Please enter star six to unmute. Hello. Yay. Um, my name is Jamil Lillo and I was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois where I attended Stevenson Elementary School and then subsequently Boen High School on the southside. Despite several tardies on my record, I was an AP student and went on to excel in college. My CPS education provides me the foundation for me to become a published writer and an Emmy award-winning filmmaker. I am now a mother and two

132of my children are CPS students and I am the product of a CPS education. I'm also Palestinian American who has family in the Gaza Strip. And I am in shock that the same educational institution that taught me math, reading, and tolerance has now become a place where teachers and educators can no longer stand for truth, justice, and equity without swift and harsh retaliation. I am afraid that my children will be silenced and erased. I am afraid that CPS will not afford them protection or safety. And the incident at Pierce over a bulletin board is just another example of the eraser of Palestinian people and their culture. Another facet to the genocide that we are dealing with daily. The bulletin board in question was put up as part of a display of ArabAmerican heritage month. Palestinians

133are Arab. That is a fact. We have a rich history and heritage that predates the current genocide. That is a fact. Palestinians are currently in the midst of a genocide perpetuated by the state of Israel. That is also a fact. The Bulletin board stated objective facts. And yet, Palestinians have been dehumanized to the point that even the mention of our existence makes some people feel unsafe. A racist rhetoric designed to ensure that Palestinians and those who support truth and equity in education are never safe. DPS allowed an outside organization to bully and harass a decorated CPS employee. They created an unsafe environment antithetical to learning and simply so they could erase Palestinian and Palestinian culture. Feeling unsafe uh is different than being unsafe. And CPS chose to prior prioritize the feelings of an outside organization

134comprised of adults who are unwilling to recognize international law and the rights of fellow human beings over the safety of my child, the safety of their staff, and the obligation to objectively state the truth. BPS allowed their principal to be bullied and harassed in which she asked for clarification. Um, her the answers were vague and ambiguous because defining her alleged crime would simply reveal CPS's unofficial policy that Palestinians need to be silenced and erased. This policy has never been more evident. Your remarks. However, I'm a product of a CPS education. I exist. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments. The next two speakers are from Steinmets. Uh, Vanessa Valentine, speaker number 19. Good afternoon CPS board members. My name is Vanessa Valentine, community representative at Simon's College Prep. I'm here with fellow

135future LSC members and community. We are deeply committed to the and education of our students who should always be the priority of every educational institution. We want to express our concern about a series of events that have occurred within our school council which have affected trust, respect, harmony that should prevail in these spaces. A video of a close session meeting that was subject to a confidentiality agreement signed by all participants was leaked to social networks which represents a direct violation of the established rules and commitment. This act is not only jeopardizing the integrity and decisionmaking process but also creates ani an environment of mistrust amongst council members making this an illegal act. This council for nearly four years has constantly called on CPS for leadership. and staff. We have allowed a small group of teachers

136to engage in a sustained campaign of bullying, intimidation aimed to undermining the current principle and anyone who supports schools leadership. Their actions have gone far beyond professional disagreements. More troubling. More troubling. We have received feedback from our students who have been emotionally impacted by incorrect and distorted information constelling division and this is not acceptable. We ask CPS for an immediate investigation and removal of those LSD members that are breaking the rules. This council is not strange to this board. We have fought with CPA with CPS. We have fought with this board the 2020 campaign. We have fought for the resources at stimons. So I challenge the board members that represent us at Bannon Simons is also in your district. Thank you Jennifer Kuster. Thank you Carlos Rivas. Thank you to FaZe. Thank you to Pen

137Price for bringing Per University and putting Simons in the map. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Neolinda Flores speaker 26. Melinda Flores. [Music] Fore! Foreign! Foreign! particip. address. Lucha Dr. Now we will have um the Spanish translator. Good afternoon. My name is Melinda Flores and I'm the mother of a student at Steinmets. I am here because I am worried about all students because a teacher who is also a member of the LSC does not use class time to teach and instead uses it to stir up hate against the principal and members of the LLC. I like participating in my children's schools. And when I told my daughter, my son I was going to try and fill an empty seat, the first thing he said was not to do it. The

138LSC is bad. according to the teacher and I don't want something to happen to me if you're not if you're there. So I call on you to help us and if possible that you watch a video of a close session that was made public where they speak very badly of the principal. I spent more than 25 years participating in LSC's at the school and at the elementary school Luther Burbank the community and parents of the schools at Simmits have benefited a lot from programs and the community and parents university. We have a very good principle and this see and this is reflected on the data where scores have been increasing. Members of the board of education I first start a Um what's the word here? Oh, I I know Emma Losano, a leader who 40

139year 25 years ago have inspired me to fight for the rights of bilingual children. Additionally, as mother of a child who has special who has enrolled in bilingual education, I ask that you support e education educ education equity. Don't allow children, Hispanic children and afroamerican children to become stuck in their education. Additionally, Dr. King welcome and I would like to have a plant for you talk a to work as a consult a in along with parents. Thank you. And our last speaker from the speakers list is Michael Dubins Dubensky speaker 23. Hi. Hey. Uh, this is uh this is Michael Dubenski and uh I filed a employment discrimination case. Um 200 South Dearborn 20 Dubensky versus Chicago Public Schools, Illinois State Board of Education, Dominican University, uh Pearson and Practis. And I just uh wanted

140to announce quickly that um the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has uh scheduled an appointment on uh Monday, July 28, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. Uh thank you very much. Thank you for your comments, Vice President Bautista. Um this concludes the registered speakers. We do have some elected officials who are asking to address the board and we will begin with vice mayor of the city of Chicago, Alderman Walter Bernett from the 27th ward joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Alderman Bernett, please enter star six to unmute. Hello. Hello. Hello. Hi. Please proceed. Yeah, this is Alderman Bernette. Um, thank you all for allowing me to come on. Um, you know, I've um been knowing Dr. King for a long time. He actually lives in my ward. Uh she's a lifelong Chicagoan whose journey

141through CPS from a student to a teacher to assistant system leader shows her deep rooted commitment to our city and its children. With over 32 years of experience in public education, Dr. King brings not just expertise but lived experience. comp compassion and a deep understanding of our community. As a former teacher, principal, and city education policy leader, Dr. King understands the needs of students, educators, and families at every level. Her leadership has always been student centered from creating inclusive learning spaces to navigating schools closures with care and resilience. She has a proven track record of building strong, equitable schools, expanding gifted programs, and securing resources for innovation and access, including millions in funding for schools on the west side. Dr. King's work in the mayor's office shows she also understands the fiscal and policy complexity

142of running a district as as large as as CPS. I have full faith that she will lead CPS with integrity, transparency, and stability during this crucial critical transition. I look forward to working with Dr. As we move forward for as we move toward a balanced budget that protects our classrooms, center our equity, and supports long-term stability, DPS is in strong hands, and I'm confident Dr. King will ensure our schools remain a place of hope, opportunity, and excellence for every child in every neighborhood. Let me tell you, she lives in my ward. She lives on the west side. She lives in the same area as her kids live. She understands them. She identifies with them. She is one of them. Uh she would be great for our public schools. Just just as good if not better

143than uh Dr. Jackson who was in the same line of her u tenure as a educator. Uh, I think we is is I think Dr. King is a benefit and a blessing for us here in the city of Chicago. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is State Representative Lillian Jimenez from the fourth district who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Representative Lillian Jimenez, please enter star six to unmute. Hello, this is Lillian Himenez, state representative for the fourth district. I'm hoping everyone can hear me. Okay. Yes, please proceed. All right. Uh so I'm the representative of the fourth district. I am um a state legislator and I just wanted to come in um welcome Dr. King, the new interim CEO of Chicago public schools.

144Um I was very happy to hear that you have spent u many years teaching in classrooms and also serving as a principal. um and then also your policy experience and background and uh all the wonderful words we we just heard from the alderman as well. Um I look forward to meeting with you and meeting you and and partnering with you really um to do what we all want to do which is to create a wonderful learning environment for our children. Um I wanted to share that as a community member and also as a parent um I have a lot of um interest in the Chicago public school system. I'm the mother of a first grader um at a local elementary school. He does go to his neighborhood school in the West Humble Park area. Um

145I'm also um very happy that he is at a sustainable community school that has some support uh because the children in the neighborhood have um a lot of needs and they have also a lot of assets and we want to make sure that that um sustainable community school model continues under your leadership and has your support. um I trust that it does and I'm um excited to to try to pro provide more support and partnership on making sure um those goals um are met. The other interest that I have as a community member, as a as a mother, just to share with you um our community, especially the Hermosa Belmont Crean and West Humble Park area has really been ravaged over the last few months, especially the last few weeks. Um I'm not sure if

146everybody knows, I'm sure some of you all have these experiences as well. Um but I've had just personal experiences of a lot of um tormenting by ICE and federal officials coming into our community. We have arrests in our neighborhoods on a daily basis. I'm part of a rapid response network, so I know and I feel every time that it happens. I also had to uh walk a mom through um a a really serious um concern because she was afraid that she would be detained if she went to her reg regularly scheduled immigration appointment. It was a mother at my son's school. Um and I'm still working with her on these issues. So, just wanted to share with you that it's very real and very scary for lots of many parents. I and that is part

147of the reason that I passed the safe schools bill HB 3247 just a few weeks ago at the end of May. We passed a bill that actually builds on the sanctuary policies that CPS already has uh in place. And so I want to thank everybody who worked has worked on on that policy and um has allowed me to take it to the next level. um you know, we were able to pass it at the state level so that we could protect students in the state of Illinois and it really was based on what the work that was done in Chicago, all the the community work that was done in Chicago to create that sanctuary policy. Um, and so again, I just want to um ask you to continue those policies. And I would love to

148partner with you um uh and you know, talk to you about any any questions you have or any um you know, just share my experiences with you um on on why this is so important. The same goes with the students in temporary living situations. Those positions have been so crucial to so many students uh in our communities. you have uh students that are um have been in this community for generations and who are still um having a lot of barriers and a lot of difficulties um in the West Humble Park area and there's a lot of homelessness is a one of the I believe the largest number of homelessness um and houseless community members live in in this area um and throughout Chicago. And so the students in temporary laboring situations coordinators are really crucial

149and vital to making sure that we support our most vulnerable students. Um the other piece that uh I want to just let you know that I support and would love to partner on you with is uh the expansion of dual language programs and bilingual education. The state uh uh colleague of mine um Re Brasheed has passed a bill that supports the the expansion of the dual language program. And so again, I'd love to partner with you on that and uh and provide any support that I can. Uh and finally, I just want to share that I I understand and I know that there is a big funding gap. I'm looking you are looking at this budget. It's a very difficult situation and I'm here to partner with you. Um as a state representative, my goal

150is to find progressive revenue sources to support things like transportation, education, and social services. and education of course rises to the top because it is the the very lifeblood of our community and our children. So, thank you so much Dr. Kang. Uh very excited about um welcoming you and and and hoping to partner with you and meet you as soon as possible. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is Alderman William Hall from the sixth ward. Good afternoon, early evening to uh this illustrious board. I came here to first of all say congratulations um for this next chapter in public school history. Dr. King, in my opinion, offers the first thing that we need in education, which is empathy. And as a son of a former principal and teacher,

151uh empathy is what makes classrooms warm for students to learn. and your record of empathy in some of Chicago's hardest times uh not only touched the lives of children but those who you worked alongside on your left and your right and in the forecast to the future. We know that the climate of this world is vastly changing and children going to warm classrooms uh where they know that they are cared for as they seek career options and learning experiences is important and knowing that you are leading the temperature change of public schools here in Chicago is amazing. uh coupled with the fact that not only do we need empathy but innovation and the work that you have done uh and again keeping imagination stirred in classroom as well as with colleagues is what we need

152now. Uh insanity is the same thing expecting different output and so what we do know is that with not only your record but with the work you've been doing and doing now uh you have showed options that secure a future for our city as well as our young people. And so congratulations and I'm grateful that now empathy and innovation will come to new heights in Chicago having stood on the shoulders of great uh superintendent in the past some questionable but we have no question about your innovation and your empathy and so we're grateful for you and looking forward to the future. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is Alderman David Moore from the 17th ward who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. This is Alden Mcmore.

153Can you hear me? Yes, please proceed. Thank you so much uh for giving the opportunity to speak. Um, as you know, CPS is facing um some major challenges and and for me um as we u deal with and having a an expanded um elected school board, it's going to be important that we have a leader um who's there that is not a bureaucrat. Um I think we've been on track u for the past couple of years of having somebody like Dr. Jennis Jackson um somebody like A Pedro Martinez and now um right now who's leading us as we also going to be searching for um a permanent um CEO of schools but we want someone like a Mulan um King who Dr. Martin King who is doing um the great work who has come from

154the schools um who have worked her way up from the ranks and and and and and is a Chicago and so we don't have to look really far when we're making the decision but we also can look at the type of person she is and there are others out there um of course like Dr. Kenner and others but I appreciate what I appreciate most uh about uh Dr. Immaculate King is her um compassion um for our young people, but more or less her ability to uh be inclusive. Um one body of government can't um just run our public schools. We need to help in a partnership of everyone and um she's very inclusive with people who are on the ground um with the residents. And so, um, she g she what I'm a big believer

155in as a, um, um, elected official as I talk is making sure that my principles have autonomy. And when you give principles their autonomy and she understands that as a principal, um, she can work with them and we can do the things that we need to do in our schools for our kids. We have to keep the focus on them and never go back to the days where we have bureaucrats running um, um, CPS. And so I'm I'm glad for the past years with like I said with Dr. Jennice Jackson with um Pedro Martinez and now Dr. American clean that we stand on track and having educators um over educating our children. And I and I and I I just um if I can say caution um the board um yes give your input but

156let leaders who are experts in their areas um lead and and and follow um her leadership um during this time. So um I appreciate you Dr. King and uh we're here um on behalf of the 17th order but also the city council to be supportive of any way that we can and so much success as we do what we have to do for the best of our youth. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is Alderman Byron Siko Lopez from the 25th ward who is here in person. Good afternoon um esteemed members of the board and um welcome um Dr. King I think is a welcoming change in the direction of the Chicago public schools and um wanted to come in person uh to offer my sincere and um

157com my sincere commitment to collaborate and work with you in this new chapter in a time with um dire urgency of finding new resources um more revenue for public schools and to bring our all the stakeholders together. um for the common good which is to advocate for every single child in the city of Chicago. So you have a committed partner uh to work with you in this very difficult task and I want to u welcome you in this new role and looking forward to working together. Um I'll be remiss if I don't also welcome um our young people or youth to the board. I want to also um welcome and I was very proud to hear her testimony this um earlier today. Destiny as a representative of our young students oftent times and very rarely

158I'm afraid elected officials listen and hear from our young people and our young leaders. your brilliance and your humbleness is really something that uh reflects the reflect the values, principles and talent of many of our Chicago public schools uh school students and I am very proud to see you in this role. Um as we celebrate and we remember also uh pride month. I think the city of Chicago uh has a lot a lot a lot um to reflect on and I think our values and principles uh that are being tested today I think reflect also uh a city that continues to struggle to make sure that every child and every resident in the city of Chicago is welcome, embraced and celebrated no matter where they come from, what is the ethnic background. Um all people

159in our city of Chicago are people that have so much to offer. Um I would like to refer to a few items in the agenda. Um especially when we see cross um cross collaboration among teachers, parents, students. I think uh it is great to see initiatives like the health the healthy schools resolution to make sure especially in a time of climate change in a time um of financial needs. I think is important that we see the collaboration and the brilliance in our stakeholders that are bringing forward important resolutions so that we have solar panels that we have uh we don't have contaminated polluted lead pipes in our schools and many other urgent needs. I urged the board to support this important resolution. I also wanted to refer to some comments by the representative of care

160when it talk about the discrimination uh when we talk about um dehumanization of anybody in the city of Chicago is unacceptable that Palestinian uh students or Palestinian families do not feel welcome and that their history is not celebrated and uplifted in our Chicago public schools. So I urge uh Dr. Um um I I urge um Dr. King and all the members of the board to look into these issues to make sure that every child and all identities and all history is celebrated and uplifted in our curriculum. Finally, and with urgency, and I think um board members um have said this, especially board member Brown, we cannot go back to the past with our communities being pitched against each other when black students are neglected, schools closed and new charter schools, uh elevating promises that are

161never fulfilled, are built as other close, and our communities effectively pitch against each other. This is a new chapter where all our communities deserve the same investment and the same dignity in the classroom. And for that, we need to look for that revenue to make sure that we have fully funded schools. It's about time that the state of Illinois look at our public school district with the same dignity and respect that any other district. We are not being funded. 30 seconds remaining. We're not being funded at the level that we need. And this is something that pertains all of us. I know that we all have differences when it comes to advocating for our children. I do I do think that we all have a responsibility to make sure that every child has the same

162opportunity no matter if this will matter to the Chicago in the state of Illinois. I think Governor Pritsker today in his launch of campaign was missing what we need to do to protect from the cruelty and the disinvestment of the Trump administration and that is invest in our schools, invest in our children, invest in Chicago like any other municipality. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comments. Vice President Bautista, this concludes public participation. Thank you. Um, we will now move into a short recess. One, I'm sorry. Oh, sorry. My my apologies. Uh, yes. Questions and comments. Um, so we heard a lot uh of comments during the public uh input session about uh cuts to SECAS, cuts to janitorial services, cuts to language instruction. Um, there's a lot of people and civic organizations as

163we move through this next budget. We'll be talking a lot about cuts, cuts and cuts. We can't cut our way to providing a a joyful, equitable, and rigorous experience for our students. Um, Dr. King, I welcome you to your new position. Uh, and I myself and I'm sure other board members are going to support you in what we really should be talking about uh, when it comes to the next budget, which is the proper funding of education, which many people have have brought up today. Uh, instead of resigning ourselves to cuts, we should be talking about generating revenue. There are billionaires out there who oppose the fair tax and now they're they're shocked shocked to find out that CPS doesn't have enough money to to fund itself. Um, there's people out there who are saying,

164"Forget about the elected school board. Now we should move back to the school finance authority as if that will solve you know another group of people will solve the problem. Um we we closed 50 schools back in the 90s or the 2000s and uh how'd that work out for us? So really the the solution is we need to properly fund education. Anyone who's not talking who's who's only talking about cuts or not talking about generating more revenue uh in my opinion is not being serious about solving our budget problem or long-term structural deficit. Um and so again uh Dr. King. Um, I I welcome you to the board in and uh uh to say that uh we want to support you in in solving this problem and we're all here for you to do that.

165So, um thank you. Thank you, board member. Uh next, I have uh board member Rosenfield followed by board member Brown. Um welcome, Dr. King. I um I want to speak to the members of care that spoke and to those that advocated on behalf of care. I wrote some ideas down so I wouldn't lose my place because it's kind of upsetting. Um I appreciate your advocacy. I believe in your advocacy and I 100% believe that there is no place for Islamophobia. In addition to that, there is no place for anti-semitism. As the only Jewish elected member of this board, I know that I must ensure that no child feels unsafe in our schools. And unfortunately, across the country, Jewish people, Jewish students are in fact under attack, being murdered in plain sight on our streets. Um,

166at CPS we will never operate under the belief that any form of hate or resistance is justified. I was elected to ensure we provide a worldclass education in a safe environment and that is what I intend to do. Words like scholasticide and genocide do not belong on a board outside of a library in front of a second grade classroom. They just don't belong there. That bulletin board did not highlight the extraordinary gifts from ArabAmericans. There were no musicians. There were no poets. There were no artists on that board. Just hateful words. I am happy to share images of that board with any board member that would like because those images were shared with me. Students felt scared. Teachers felt unsafe. It absolutely will not be tolerated. and I will do everything I can to ensure

167that every single child in Chicago public schools feels safe. Board member Brown. Um yeah, there's a u a quote that is uh been ringing out to me and Alice Walker said it. She said, "No one is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow." I want to commend you, Dr. King, for accepting this immense challenge. I want to say to everyone in the audience that when we are not told the truth, you are demanding our silence. When we are given spin instead of what's really happening with our schools, you are demanding our silence. We are confronted with a moment where everybody up here, despite our political connections or whatever, are going to have to look children and families in the face. Like I had to look children from Overton when they

168shut Overton down. And we were out there trying to save at school and kindergartens and first graders are tugging on my pants leg cuz they were stuffed into a mile elementary school with 52 kindergarteners in one class. And they say, "Mr. G2, where they open my school? How they going to reopen my school? I hate it here." And I had to look at those babies and realize as a man, I didn't protect them. I've had a lot of experience with people who left the district and saw me on the street and came up to me and was like, "Man, y'all was right. Y'all were right." I'm talking David I'm talking Michael Scott regime, David Vitali regime, uh, Rufus Williams regime. And so, I'm going say this. I don't want to play with none of y'all

169no more. If you dealing with us, you come and you give us real information or you going to get resistance from me. You're going to get resistance because what we've been receiving is spin from a hustler. And I I I'm I'm just it's a waste of time and it's profoundly disrespectful to people's time, to the work that people put into this, to this to the reality that many people in this room weren't prepared to fight for, but many of us up here were. We believed in this moment when no most of the people did not. And we shook reality when most people just said, "I'm comfortable being a spoke in the wheel." And we shook reality. And we sit here today. There are many people that are elected. And I'm going to say to to

170this board, you're welcome. You're welcome. We sat up here for months and were played with. And so when I hear the denial. I I can't I would just say this. If people are oppressed, if people are experiencing something, they have the right to express what that that that frust that that that what that oppression does to them. When I'm talking to you, when we're up here and you hear sort of the tone in my voice is because my community has been impacted a certain way. I've gone to funerals of young men murdered on 51st and Vincens because they used to go to Inglewood. They closed Inglewood and made them go to diet. I touched the body of young people who I know the only reason they died is cuz they were in the wrong neighborhood.

171I don't care if you think it's professional or not. So, if I understand thing correctly, at least from this seat right here, I'm not playing no more games with with with anybody in this room about what's happening with our schools, what our current situation is. So, either come real or come correct or or press eject, one or the other. And I I don't really care about nobody's opinion about it cuz all of our time is valuable and our children deserve better than to be played with. I'm accountable to them. It matters to me. And welcome. Thank you very much, board member Brown. U next I have board member Pope. And then um I think that is all of the comments. Yeah, I was originally uh planning to speak about the importance of funding special education

172at the level that it is required to meet the needs of our children in Chicago. It's very distressing that we are facing the possibility of such significant cuts which will hurt cuts by a thousand deaths. The children in our most vulnerable classrooms, in our cluster programs, in our programs where students who are struggling to find a way to learn are being educated daily by teachers and seekers and paraprofessionals who are so dedicated and show so much love to the students. That's really what I wanted to be able to talk about and it is something that I hope that everybody is listening to. We are not a society that can help our children of the next generation by speech making. We have to help them in action. We have to help them concretely. We have to

173put the bodies in the classrooms. Speeching which many of us do frequently is not going to do it. Our society has to put the values of children in front of all other values because otherwise our society is not going to continue to exist. The earth that we live on is going to fry and burn because of global warming. If we do not give the tools to our children to build a better future, we are pretty much doomed as a civilization. The other thing I feel a need to talk about today as a Jewish woman and also as the uh district 2 representative uh from Pierce school and I've heard from many parents in Pierce schools district I live in Pierce schools district in fact and that is this is not a simple matter. Palestine, Gaza,

174we are not going to solve those problems. But we must educate our children with the tools to see when hatred is spewing. We must acknowledge the fact that 60,000 people have been murdered in Gaza since October 7th. I condemn Hamas. I condemn what was done in Israel. But I condemn the genocide that I see going on in Gaza. I think our children need to be educated about this. We cannot hide these things from our children or we are not preparing our children to deal with the world that they live in. I do not think that those are words that should be banned in our classrooms or in our schools. I think they are words that have to be explored. I did a major genocide project with my students in contemporary American history at Gage Park

175High School and I think it was one of the most valuable projects we did. It was about the Holocaust in Europe, but it was also about the genocide in Cambodia, the genocide uh that has taken place in a variety of places around the world for generations and centuries. And I urge us to bravely face the fact that we must educate our children about it. I deplore anti-semitism. I want all children to be safe. I dislore I deplore Islamophobia. I want all children to be safe. And I think we all have to unite to protect our children as we go forward. Thank you, board member Pope. Uh I do have one more uh speaker, board member Wallace. I agree that CPS must be committed to our mission to protect every student of every background. As a

176former CPS student, as a parent of current CPS students, as a black woman, and as a Jewish woman, I'm extremely pleased with our dedication to not allow the discomfort of our societies and our world's history that our impacted children must know and suffer through the effects of on a daily basis to jeopardize education of our children so that the history of that oppression isn't repeated in our present or in our future. It is important that we make space for all of our students and that all of our students are held and that we do a a healing of a of a trauma centered focus when dealing with impacts that are from a 100 years ago, 500 years ago, or 24 months ago. This is something that I feel very strongly about. That is very I'm

177I'm having a hard time keeping my voice centered. It is important to me that my children are safe. And when I say my children, I don't just mean the Wallace children. I mean the children that are in the city of Chicago. Every single child must be safe. And if that safety is wrapped in making sure we don't make other people uncomfortable with age appropriate information that we make other people feel that their their ethnic ethnicity and their backgrounds are being challenged or are being demonized, we must take a look at the ways in which throughout history whenever there was oppressions, whenever there were oppressors, even as members of that oppressing party, there were still people that were dedicated to making a safe world for everyone and maybe we should be identifying with those people instead

178of the oppressors. Thank you. Um, this now concludes our public participation. We will now move into a short recess. Board member Rosenfield, do you have a motion? M01. I move I move that the board take a 30 minute recess. Is there a second? I second the motion. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. Yes. Yes. Member Lopez. Yes. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. Hi. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Member Bannon. Yes. Member Gutierrez. I. Member BGS. I. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Dberry. I. 18 eyes zero nays. This motion is adopted by the board. This meeting will now go into a 30 minute recess. [Music] The meeting of the board of

179education is reconvened. We will now proceed with the business portion of the meeting. Board member Biggs, we are ready for the presentation. Uh, thank you, Vice President Bautista. Uh, this is a historic moment for Chicago public schools and our board of education. Following a unanimous vote, uh, in April, we chose via resolution to codify our priority to center community voice and experience in our process of identifying our district's next leader. The past eight weeks have been consumed with community gatherings and robust dialogue. Each member of our board hosted an in district session where community convened and talked with one another in small groups to lift up the things they hold most dear about our schools and to make sure that their experiences were heard and to share the challenges they would like to see our

180next leaders solve. 11 such gatherings were held followed by more than 70 interviews and focus groups of various stakeholders of our system. More than,400 stakeholders were engaged through this process. All of these convenings occurred as a survey went out to communities across our city. Today, we're eager to share our learnings and put your feedback uh to work to shape our search. We'll open with a brief slideshow and then we have uh Zen City present a summary of results of our community survey followed by our exceptional partners at Alma Advisory who will present on the findings from all of our community and stakeholder gatherings. So we can go ahead with the slideshow [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] That's all I see you. [Music] Amen. [Music] Heat [Music] [Applause] up here. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music]

181Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Uh before we get started, I'd like extend a sincere thank you uh to board staff, to the FACE team, and certainly to all of my colleagues uh for your tireless work in bringing our values to life throughout this process and specifically to board members Pope, Rio, Sierra, and Smith for your tireless work in leading this as a part of our transition committee. So, Zen City team, I'll hand it over to you. Thank you everybody. Uh my name is Aal and I'm the CEO and co-founder of a company called Zen City who specializes in community engagement and community research. Uh I just want to start by thanking uh the CEO transition committee and all members of this board for the opportunity to support your

182incredibly important and meaningful work uh by bringing voices of the community. I'd also like to thank uh Mr. Ben Ben Felton and uh Miss Monica Rosen and the Alma Group for their collaboration and professionalism in this entire process. Um thank you. Could we click one more slide in please? Thank you. By short background, um Zen City is proud to partner with over 400 uh public sector organizations across the country, including many of the largest cities uh and agencies across the country in order to provide inclusive voices of the community uh to help organizations like this build trust through their decisions. Um if we can click one more side in um uh we uh in our work we put forward a lot of our experience in serving communities like the community in Chicago which we do

183on a regular basis. We've used robust methodology that helped us reach a representative sample of the entire uh population here in Chicago and we also brought to the table extensive experience from here in Chicago where we've been collaborating with organizations like the Chicago PD and others in serving over the last few years. Lastly, I'll say um this research was overseen by Dr. Rachel Levenstein who's an expert in survey research with a PhD uh from the University of Michigan who was part of the University of Chicago consortium that and led the methods for uh programs like my voice my school surveys in the past. Um let's dive into the results themselves. Before I hand it over to Dr. Dr. Levenstein to walk us through all of the findings. I just want to say in a nutshell

184that we have completed a representative scientific survey uh that included 2,700 members of the community uh who make up the diverse community that this uh uh school board represents. Uh and the goal was to really assess their perception of performance of CPS and expectations from the CEO. In our findings, you'll see that we saw a majority of Chicagoans were satisfied with CPS performance on a variety of metrics. And when comparing the expectations of Chicagoans who have a connection to CPS to those who don't, we saw a meaningful difference in their perception of the performance of CPS. But we saw similarities in the expectation from a CEO. We will see the results of this survey uh in the following slides. But the expectations included uh from the CEO in terms of issues that they need to

185address high quality instruction, preparing students for careers, ensuring school safety and supporting teachers. And in terms of skills, uh, strong communication skills, innovation, and seeking and responding to feedback, I'd like to hand it over to Dr. Levenstein to walk us through all the findings. Thank you. Uh, thank you, Ael, and thank you board members for the opportunity. Um, I wanted to highlight that this is um a very brief overview of the findings. Um, there's a lot more information in the full report which you all should have uh received. Um, but I'm looking forward to kind of talking through the high level results here. Um, is there a way for me to proceed with the slides or should I um just kind of ask you to drive? Okay. All right. Thank you. Uh, so uh we

186surveyed almost 2,700 uh residents of Chicago between May 12th and June 9th of this year. And the way that we reached uh these folks was uh entirely online. We used a combination of uh social media ads, mobile app ads, and survey panels um to reach residents of Chicago. Um we used multiple methods of recruitment because different methods are better at reaching different segments of the population and we wanted to make sure as many people had their voice heard as possible to ensure representation of Chicagoans. Uh we used a kind of a two-step process here. So as the results came in, we ensured that uh we were meeting goals uh in terms of race and ethnicity, age and gender. We were trying to reach uh people who kind of looked like parents uh and caregivers of

187uh CPS students. So we started with those demographics. Uh this was not a parent survey, but we wanted to kind of see that population. Um so after the data came in and after we got close to a representative sample using quota sampling uh we used a process called rake waiting that further adjusts the estimate so that no demographic group is over represented or under reppresented in the data. Uh we surveyed in English, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese and Polish. Uh but 97% of respondents did take the survey in English. Um we take data quality very seriously at Zen City. Um and we have uh several safeguards in place. One of which is to ensure that um we that residents can't battle um ballot stuff. Uh so we use digital fingerprinting to make sure that um each device

188can only complete the survey exactly once. Um in addition, the ads that we used were designed to be uh fairly generic so that we were not kind of seeking out people who have very strong views one way or the other about about education in Chicago. Uh next slide please. We did reach a uh representative sample across the city. Uh so um across all of the board districts, we reached um between 100 and about 250 residents. Um next slide. And in addition to our representative sample, we did provide a link so that board members could reach out to uh to parents um and families. Um, in addition, the ALMA group uh distributed the survey link uh in the gatherings in the focus groups that she'll talk about momentarily. Um, and those responses are kept separate in

189this analysis. Um, uh, and they're not weighted. So, we wanted to make sure that we were kind of treating them separately because it's a very different population than what we were what we were trying to reach. Next slide. Okay. And again, I wanted to reiterate that these are very top level findings from the data. Um the survey was fairly long um and we were able to get a lot of really interesting insights here. Uh next slide please. Uh so the way the survey was structured was we asked about performance of uh CPS on various metrics. We asked about student support and instructional related areas like highquality instruction for every student, culturally responsive instruction for every student and so forth. In addition, we asked about uh CPS performance on uh systemwide issues like maintaining financial health,

190supporting and developing strong executive leadership for the district and student attendance. And so while perception of performance uh varied a lot, um the pri the priorities did not differ between respondents who were affiliated with CPS like parents and and staff uh and those who were not. So perception uh varied across these different groups but in terms of what people are looking for in the new superintendent that was very consistent. Next slide. Okay, let's start with the student support metrics. Uh next slide. Uh so here are the ratings um of all of our respondents across all of the um student support metrics. And you can see here that about, you know, 50 to 65% of residents are satisfied with just about all of these metrics. I don't want to spend a ton of time on this

191because the goal of this is really about the C about the CEO search. Um, but I did want to flag that these are these are fairly consistent and we see similar patterns with the system operations metrics. Uh, next slide. Uh so we asked what what do you see as the top three instructional or student- centered areas that the next CEO should focus on improving? Uh and we found um that highquality instruction for every student was most important for residents with 31% of respondents saying that that should be a priority for the superintendent. Uh preparing students for careers came in second and support of students from diverse backgrounds came in third. I also want to highlight that the next couple of metrics that are listed here are very heavily in um related to uh equity issues.

192Um so it's it's fairly consistent around 21 or 22%. Next slide please. So diving into high quality instruction for every student. So 32% of residents said that that should be a priority. Uh but we also wanted to look at how people were viewing performance at the same time. And what we're seeing here is that uh CPS employees, so that's including teachers, staff, principles, um Ed, Paris support, um 77% of them rated rated current performance positively in terms of high quality instruction for every student. Parents as well, uh 71% rated current CPS performance as positive. Um and you know, we can compare that to those who are not connected to the CPS community. only 52% um rated this um rated uh high quality instruction for every student positively. So what we're seeing here is a pattern

193where those who are connected to the district, parents, parents whose children all attend their neighborhood school um and CPS employees are rating performance positively relative to those who are not connected. Uh next slide please. Uh in terms of preparing students for careers, we see a similar pattern. uh 78% of CPS employees rated this positively, 60% of parents um and uh 60% of uh parents who whose children all attend neighborhood schools. Um so again, people are who are connected to the district are seeing uh current performance as positive. Next slide. Uh, in terms of improved academic outcomes for all students, again, CPS employees were very positive, as were parents and parents, specifically parents whose children all attend neighborhood schools relative to those who are not connected to CPS. Um, next slide. When we look at these

194at the top priorities for the new CEO by board district, we do see some differences. high quality instruction for every student comes up fairly frequently in about half of the board districts. Um and then we can also see um addressing inequities and support of students for diverse backgrounds coming in. So again, we can see here that uh high quality instruction and a focus on equity are really important for the community. Next slide. Now let's turn to system operations. Uh next slide, please. Uh we asked a a similar question with different options um about operational or systemwide areas that the CEO should focus on improving. Um at the top of the list was ensuring school safety at 34% followed by supporting teachers and maintaining CPS's financial health. Um so we can see here that these priorities

195are very important to the community. Uh next slide. When we look at ensuring school safety, um we are seeing again the same patterns we saw before where those who are connected to CPS, parents, employees and especially parents of children attending neighborhood school um their ratings of performance in CPS are are much more positive than those who are not connected to the CPS community. And I want to address this pattern as well um just in this moment. Um it's, you know, it's possible this is kind of a a chicken and egg, um situation, as uh board member Pope put it in a previous meeting. Um it could be that, you know, people who um are not connected to CPS are not connected because they think that the performance is low. Um or it could be that

196they they just don't know um and they because they're not connected to uh CPS. Next slide, please. When we look at ensuring school safety, the percent of of respondents who said that ensuring school safety should be a priority by board district, we do see some differences across across these areas. Only about one in five respondents in district 2B said ensuring school safety is something this the next CEO should focus on. Um, but about half of the respondents in districts 3A and 3B placed an emphasis on student safety. So we are seeing some differences across the district and how people are prioritizing safety. Next slide. In terms of supporting teachers, uh that was our second highest priority from uh from our respondents. Uh we see here interestingly CPS employees rated this very positively. Um a a

197lot of teachers are feeling that um CPS is doing a great job supporting teachers. Um same with parents and parents of again children who are attending neighborhood schools. Next slide. Uh maintaining CPS's financial health was the third highest priority in in the in the system operations section. Um we see here that uh in terms of performance it's a little bit lower than some of the other uh metrics that we've discussed but still a majority of uh employees, parents and parents of children in uh neighborhood schools are rating this positively. Next slide. And then finally uh supporting and developing strong executive leadership for the district. This was uh this was next on the list in terms of priorities. And we see here that CPS employees, there's a very big difference here between CPS employees and those

198who are not connected to the district. Uh 77% compared to 49% um rated current performance positively. Next slide. When we look at the top system priorities for the new CEO by board district, we do see some differences here. About half of the board district's top priority was uh ensuring school safety. uh 4A and 7B uh flagged maintaining financial health. Um and then supporting and developing strong executive leadership for the district uh was most important for 5A, 8B and 9A. Next slide. Uh and so next we asked about success attributes. So what do what kind of uh what kind of person should fill this role? Next slide. Um so the things that really came out on top were strong and clear communication, uh innovation, strategic thinking and problem solving and seeking and responding to student, parent

199and staff feedback. So communication is really key here um for a lot of the residents. Uh next slide. Um and then we asked an open-ended question. Is there anything else you want to share about the search and selection of the next superintendent? And the we analyzed these open-ended responses and we found that uh two categories uh really kind of addressed most of the responses and that's uh CPS system knowledge. So having a knowledge of how this district works um and also having leadership qualities. Uh these were the two that were really flagged by respondents. Next slide. And then a final open-ended question just asked about any additional comments that you ma that you have about what the Chicago public schools district can do to improve and communication came out on top. So this is a

200very consistent theme. Uh people want to feel like their voices are being heard. People want to feel like the new superintendent will listen to them. Um and then financial management came in second. Um as well as uh as as well as being part of the community. Next slide. So just to kind of wrap things up um and summarize what we've learned um first um a very consistent finding across all of the metrics is that CPS stakeholders whether they're parents um whether they're teachers um and whether they have uh children in neighborhood schools um really differed uh from those who were not affiliated the views on performance in terms of priorities though that did not differ across uh these two different groups. But we did see that highquality instruction, preparing students for careers and ensuring the

201equity and support of all students were really critical uh for our residents. Um and then on the systems operations side uh ensuring school safety, teacher support and um ensuring fiscal health um were also very very important for uh for the respondents we heard from. And then in terms of uh skills and attributes, what what respondents were telling us was that they want somebody who has strong communication skills, who's a good innovator and who can who's a strategic thinker who can problem solve and somebody who's um you know, again related to the strong communication skills, seeking and responding to student, parent, and staff feedback. Um they want somebody who's going to support and develop uh senior leadership. And then finally, somebody who knows the CPS system um and has leadership qualities. Okay, I think that is

202um all I have to present. Um I think I'm going to turn it over to board better board member Biggs. Thank you. We're actually going to turn it over to Thank you so much then city. We're going to turn it to Monica Rosen and Alma Advisory. Good evening everyone. It is an absolute honor to be with each of you tonight. Um, thank you for putting up the slides. Thank you to the Zen City team for your uh, tremendous analysis and the insights from the community survey. I'm going to start by quoting board member G2 Brown. Yes. who said as he started and kicked off his community gathering with board member Blae, "We dreamed this." And I come to you today as a resident of Chicago, as a current CPS parent, as the proud mom of

203a 21-year-old man who has high functioning autism, and it means a great deal to me that I get this right tonight. Um, all my advisory group is a firm that leads superintendent searches around the country. And one of the things we take so seriously is that the people with the most at stake in this decision shouldn't just have the opportunity to give you their input. Their voices should center your process. They should drive the decisions that you make. So, it's an honor for me to meet with you this evening to share the process with the community and with you that we took part in together and what we learned along the way. You can move to the next slide, please. So, this evening I'm going to talk a little bit about the search process itself.

204uh we'll share the work that took place with our community engagement efforts and then I'll talk uh uh and share with you what we learned in this process and what comes next as a result. I want to echo board member Biggs's statements of gratitude for this process. You are about to hear of a significant effort. And although the meetings took place over eight weeks, there are many people here in this room and not in this room who can tell you the planning was intense. Um, and while we could have used a whole year to do this, we really only had a matter of weeks. So, first of all, I want to thank you as board members. You took this process so seriously. You gave us the charge to meaningfully engage the community. We took that

205seriously. But we've never led a process before where every single board member hosted their own community gathering. and we we are so grateful for the effort that you took to reach out to your own constituents to make sure the word had gone out and that people were able to participate and you were present and listened to each of these conversations. Thank you for that. We want to thank the board staff who are in this room today. Vincentia to name one, Sheila uh with uh who supports the board staff as well and a number of others all in this room who supported the execution of each of the community gatherings to the face team um led by Fanny I'm sorry I I don't have the last names but I want to name I want to bring

206their names into the room Alvarez who um who brought anywhere from six to nine facilitators to every single conversation for the interpreters uh who are here. I don't know where they're sitting, but I see them on the screen. And our translators who make sure that the community could fully participate. um to the principles and the schools who hosted these events, to the IT team supporting up until just moments ago and during this meeting, safety and security, facilities and operations, the communications team, the talent team, um all of the organizations who helped offer support and outreach to the all Chicago team and the philanthropy community and business community who all lended a hand to help us make this a success. We are so grateful for the support and as you can see this has been a

207a significant push uh by the city of Chicago coming together um to support this effort. We can move to the next slide please. So we always start our conversations with our shared purpose. The board has established that their goal is to recruit, screen, and select the next superintendent CEO of Chicago public schools. And what the board shared with us is that they wanted to lead a transparent search process guided by the input of the Chicago public schools community and designed to mitigate bias every step of the way. The way that we accomplish that is by sitting down with the people who work in our schools every day, the parents who trust their children with their schools every day, the leaders that support and the administrators, all of the people that are a part of this

208system to tell us what matters most to them. And then we build a si a search process that honors that and that enables the board to really understand what our candidates bring to the table aligned with what the community has shared. If we can move to the next slide. So as a brief check-in on where we are and where we're going, we have completed this first phase of community engagement. Um, we have engaged Zen City to launch and to analyze and report on our community survey. From here, we want to take the perspectives that we heard from the community to develop what we're calling a prospectus for the superintendent CEO role that infuses community input into the job description and informs the recruitment strategy as well. And I'll talk a little bit more about that

209in a moment. And we will be working with the board to design the stages of the screening process, the interview questions themselves and those activities. We can move to the next slide please. So our process has four key phases in it. We begin with community voice. The Alma team is ready to move to the next phase after this evening where we are actively recruiting candidates and building a strong applicant pool for the district. In addition, we will at some point when we're ready interview candidates. The board will have the opportunity to interview candidates and ultimately make their final selection and offer. our timeline. Um, you know, at this point, the hope is that and we expect that you as board members will be able to begin interviewing candidates by August and September, but we don't

210know the timing for when your candidate will begin. Uh, depending on the candidates, they may need to start in the spring or the or July one of next year. So, this is uh the timeline for us. we have to kind of take one step at a time. But all that to say that at every stage here, we want to be in regular communication with the community. We want to provide updates. Um we worked with the board staff to create a special page on the board of education website where the updates will be there on a regular basis throughout the process. If we can move to the next slide. So now I want to share a little bit about the community engagement efforts that have taken place. We can move to the next slide please. So

211when we sat down with people oftentimes we received the question well so how is this going to work? Where what did you do with the information I provide with you with the time that I'm spending with you now? And uh there are three important ways that we utilize community input in this process. The first is to inform and strengthen the job description itself and the competencies that the board will use in recruiting and screening candidates. The second is in leveraging the examples, the lived experiences shared by stakeholders to inform the screening activities themselves. And then finally, community input will be with the board at all the way to the end and imp in informing their final selection decision. We can move to the next slide. So over the course of eight weeks, we had four

212primary ways that individuals had the opportunity to participate. One was the community gatherings. So in all we had 11 community gatherings uh covering every part of the city and every single board district. Uh we also had over 70 interviews and focus groups and these were groups with individuals by the hat that they wear in our community. Teachers, principals, education support personnel, central office staff, but also our labor unions. um parent education institute um uh Chinese-American community organizations, our charter uh staff and community had their own opportunity to sit down with us um count many many organizations who invited us who opened up their doors to us and who came to our meetings to share their perspectives. We also had the staff and community survey led by Zen City and we had partner and community sessions.

213These were meetings that were already scheduled where we or board members were invited to come and join and speak with members of the community about their perspectives. I want to take a moment and just share that, you know, um, as a resident of the city of Chicago, this is the first time in recent memory where a CEO or superintendent search process began by talking to the residents of the city of Chicago. And it was very important that we understand what's coming up for people right now that has implications for this search. And so in the coming slides, I'll be sharing what we heard. And I want you to know overall, I think if we'd move to the next slide, you'll see we actually talked with over 1,400 individuals. So, we're trying to do justice in

214a few short slides like my colleagues at Zen City to synthesize for you what came up as the largest themes in this in these different conversations. Um though it's impossible to capture everything, there were certain things that we kept hearing over and over again and we want to raise those for you this evening and um share with you from our perspective at Alma Advisory Group what we think it means for the search process. So if we can move to the next slide. Thank you. I mean bless you. Sorry. You're welcome. I don't know. Um all right. So what I wanted to say is that of course no community is a monolith and this board is not a monolith and um and yet there were certain things that came up as real points of pride for

215many members of the community that we spoke with and a desire for very real change in important areas. So first the places of points of pride for CPS. We received a shared sentiment across many individuals uh parents, teachers, um lots of different members of the community, that instruction and student achievement were on the rise, that people could see in very real and meaningful ways growing graduation rates. um having some of the best uh schools in our entire country. Lots to be proud of when it comes to instruction and student achievement. And I'll talk about our students in a moment, but we heard a real appreciation for the dedicated teachers, principles, and staff that individuals said felt they gave their all to their students and were deeply devoted to ensuring their students could be successful. We

216heard a lot about strengthening student voice and student leadership as a real development that came across stakeholder groups that students have been encouraged and lifted up and given the opportunity to participate uh in the schools and in leadership of the schools. Many staff, many parents, uh many leaders in the district appreciate the district's continued progressive stance on equity and inclusion and called out particularly the importance of that in this moment in time. And then uh we heard a lot about autonomy for schools as something that individuals want the leader the next leader of the school system to protect and sustain. And here I would be remiss if I didn't say there weren't some disagreement on whether or not schools and school leaders in particular ha feel the full sense of autonomy. But it was definitely

217a strong theme for us that that the district has established many ways for schools to really own the decision-making in in their buildings and that that's something that people wanted to sustain. In addition, individuals called out the accessibility of leadership, the current district staff, current district leaders. So when we talk about the things people see as top areas for improvement, there are a few important points that came up. The first was around expanding postsecary offerings. So we heard from many people that everyone appreciates the growth in the graduation rates and college enrollment rates and they want to see more in terms of post-secary options for students. Um they talked about expanding uh career and technical education and enabling every student to be able to graduate with professional options, well-paying jobs if that's what they desire,

218as well as college. Now, there was a palpable concern among many stakeholders around the district's finances. the need to stabilize finances came up in just about every group that we met. And with that, a concern about enrollment decline and a feeling that some buildings are um well below capacity in terms of having lower number of students and huge facilities that seem to be uh a big expense for the district. And what the community members that we spoke with had to say about this is that they understand that these are real issues and they're looking for a CEO or superintendent who can be transparent about the actual data and the information and to be inclusive of the community as the district works through some of these issues. They also said to us they would like innovation,

219new ideas. What are the ways in which we can work as a district in new ways to draw families back to our schools and also to use our facilities in ways that can serve as resources for the community. We heard a lot about sustainable community schools as an example of that. this idea that some of our school buildings provide training for parents, provide additional community wraparound services that become anchors in the community as well as resources for students. The other thing that's critical to talk about is that many members of the community um shared lived experience and a feeling of historic harm that has taken place across different communities in the city of Chicago, in particular in black communities in the city of Chicago. And it was important to those stakeholders that the next leader

220is able to speak openly about those things to engage in open conversation to understand the historic experiences and the structures and systems that haven't always worked in favor of all CPS students and to work to address those. And finally, there were concerns about the ways in which the district meets the needs of its students with disabilities. Um, the way the district supports mental health and well-being for students and for staff, and the way the district is equitably uh distributing resources across schools and communities, how are we supporting early childhood? How are we ensuring that every school regardless of the neighborhood uh has access to the best programs, the all of the sports and the arts and the things that are so important for all students? There's a perception that um for some communities it's easier

221to either raise those resources or have those resources than others. And this is something that parents and community members would like to see the next leader work to communicate about and possibly to address as well. We'll move to the next slide. So I want to share student perspectives and I just want you to know we've done this in a few different districts and it has been consistent. Students are the smartest people in the room. Just listen to your students. They will tell you what's important. They will tell you what matters to them. And this was no exception. Your students were very vocal about the appreciation they have for supportive teachers, for their coaches, for their principles, um, for their aids. They felt empowered. They talked about They felt empowered. Sorry, I'm just letting Thank you.

222They felt empowered. They talked about studentrun activities, a feeling of respect in their buildings. They appreciate the afterchool options they have and although they would want to see more, they appreciate the mental health resources that are provided. And they also love the dual enrollment opportunities. And this was something that we heard from parents and teachers as well. The idea that you can earn college credit while you're in a CPS high school was very valued uh by the students. To my point about equity across schools, your students shared this too. They want access to all of the schools. They want access to the same level of resources and they shared a perception that not all schools have the same representation of students um as the city of Chicago and uh that there are ways in which

223they feel the district could improve and make it easier to access the best schools in the district by their uh point of view, but also that they want a great school, an excellent school in every single neighborhood. Um they also talked about increasing those post-secondary options which I spoke about earlier. Your students lifted up the need to strengthen diversity of staff and this came out louder among the students than it did relatively in other groups though we did hear that with other groups as well. And they talked about the use of technology. They said they felt their schools could be doing more to be innovative in the use of things like artificial intelligence. um they that they would like to engage with AI in new and interesting ways as students. Now, we weren't surprised to

224hear that students would like better lunches. We get that a lot. But what we haven't heard before was that students want more culturally relevant cultural like more cultural meal options um that reflect their backgrounds and and their ethnicity and that they would like to see more allergyfriendly meal options. And when it came to their bathrooms, the students talked about a feeling that their bathrooms sometimes lack basic supplies and that they feel their classmates sometimes mistreat their bathrooms. So that's what we heard from the students and we'll move on to the next slide. So I want to talk a little bit about the role itself. Um, I'm just checking my notes here and uh I have a couple more important points um to make. This was the current job profile and I'm going to talk about

225what we think are some of the shifts that we should address based on what we heard from the community and by and large the board was well aligned and tuned in with what their constituents would be asking for and we see that reflected here. Uh board members talked about ensuring that every student experiences high quality, joyful and culturally responsive learning that the next superintendent CEO can steward financial st I'm sorry financial stability and sustainability uh that the next CEO superintendent will work to support develop retain a strong leadership team uh to deliver on CPS's vision and mission partner with communities to guide and accelerate the work of the district, support a diverse system of excellent schools, which I will talk about in just a moment, in every neighborhood, and champion our schools by communicating transparently

226and changing the narrative about our schools, which I'll talk about in just a moment. when we asked uh oh I'm sorry I when the board articulated the skills and experiences that they want this person to bring in other words how do they deliver their job well they talked about strong and clear communication political acumen community and equity centered leadership innovation and systems perspective and capacity building uh and team champion and that was really focused on how do they build up their team to be able to deliver on the work of the district. So if we move to the next slide, what our conclusion is in terms of what we heard from the community, what they're seeking in their next leader is that the community is asking for a leader who can rebuild trust, change the

227narrative, and realize the strategic plan. And I'm going to explain a little bit more about this. So, you know, we heard various perspectives on many of the key issues that frankly have dominated the press in the last several months at least. Strong opinions about the CEO's termination, strong opinions about district labor negotiations, and other stories that have dominated our headlines. But I'll tell you the perspective that loomed larger in our discussions is that we heard and largely from parents this perspective that it just seems like the adults can't get along. parents shared with us that the public fighting they're seeing among the adults in the system have been a distraction and perhaps worse a bad model for their children. So what we heard from parents in particular is they're looking for a leader and I

228would say actually from your staff as well and your leaders a desire for a leader who can mend fences who can unite what feels like a divided community and reenter the focus on what matters most which is our students. So I want to say this speaks to a readiness and a desire in the community to chart the path forward and to find ways to align efforts across lines of difference to focus on what matters most. So what we're hearing from the community is a desire for someone who can inspire a shared vision for CPS moving forward. And what's important is that people love the strategic plan. like nobody's questioning the principles, the core values, everything that's in the strategic plan. And time and time and again, we heard we want to realize the strategic plan.

229We want someone who can execute, someone who can implement and make that a reality. That's that's what we want. And we have so many great resources in the city of Chicago. Let's build alliances, connections, coalitions, and partners with all of these amazing um organizations, leadership, every uh elected officials, everything that's already here at our disposal. Um so let's move to the next slide because I think I've addressed just about everything here. So, uh, what we see as we think about this job profile is a desire in the community for a leader who has a deep understanding of everything CPS has to offer. And we saw that in the survey results as well. And here people were a little split on we want somebody from Chicago, somebody who knows us, someone who's been here, as well

230as we want someone who's not part of the establishment. So you hear both sides of this of this issue, but the bottom line is everybody wants someone who really understands who we are, what we do well, and who has the experience to lead what is a very substantial, large, complex organization. And along those lines, strong political skill, as I mentioned before, someone who can build bridges, but someone who can operate with Springfield, with the mayor's office, with the philanthropy, with um business env um the the tremendous business environment with the arts community that we have here in the city and bring people together to accelerate success for our students. um a and as well as the financial skill set and of course the ability to lead this strong team. Move to the next slide please.

231So there's actually if you can move back to the previous slide, there's one last message that I want to talk about before I talk about next steps. And I would be remiss to say if I didn't share um that the shifting governing structure of the board is top of mind for many of your constituents. Um and you know frankly the influence of of the city and our mayor is a top area of focus for a number of groups. Um you know at for for anyone watching as we know the board of education is in the midst of a transition from what has been since the beginning of Chicago public schools history a mayorally appointed board to a fully elected board. So we have now moved to 21 more board members uh two members from each

232of our 10 school board districts and we as it stands now we have 10 members and the board president who are appointed by the mayor and 10 members who are elected by voters in November of 2024 and seated in January of 25. In November of next year, there will be another general election and all board members will be elected by the people of Chicago, including the board president who's at large. So, what I want to say about this is the board selecting this super this board right now that's selecting our superintendent and CEO represents both elected and appointed board members. We see that as an asset. We think this helps us ensure a balanced and collaborative governing body at this pivotal moment. And we see this as a great opportunity for a unifying superintendent who

233can build stability and partner with the current board, lay the foundation for leadership, and then hopefully lead us through this next transition, partnering with our fully elected board to ensure continuity and accountability and a clear vision guided by that five-year strategic plan. You know, it's it's an important moment of time and from the alma advisory group's perspective, we think that there's kind of this point of tension about how we talk about appointed versus elected board members. And we think it's important to know that you make better decisions because you're working together and that the partnership with the city to us is an is is a great resource right now and one that we should embrace. We should partner with because there's a unique perspective um and experiences there and th this is a great resource

234for our schools and for our communities. And so we want us to as we think about our process and how we move forward, we want to be thinking in partnership as a collective governing body. You already had these this resolution, two unanimous resolutions. Um and we think that the partnership of the full board will turn out to help us to make the best possible decision for the next leader for our school system. Um so that's what I wanted to share before I move on to our next steps and then we will open it up for comments, feedback and questions. So next steps, uh we are to complete this perspectus for the role. Uh we're working with the communications team here. So grateful for their support. We will be presenting um in the month of July

235uh you know a much more detailed view of the job that reflects what we heard from the community and we will be formally launching our recruitment strategy and sourcing of candidates. We will facilitate design decisions uh with the board for this selection process and we will prepare for interviews with prospective candidates. Um so with that I will say thank you very much. Um I did mention I I will say thank you very much and I just want to say um that I'm grateful for this opportunity, grateful for your partnership and all of the hard work you've already done and will be doing in support of this process. We're really still at the beginning. Um but I appreciate your uh your feedback and any questions. Happy to answer any questions you might have. And also the

236Zen City team is here if needed to answer questions about the survey. Okay, I have this the stack is open. Um I have board member Kuster first. I don't necessarily have a question on um Monica, but I just wanted to say thank you to you and your team for all your incredible hard work. Um and to the Zen City team as well for all their incredible hard work. You guys have been very communicative, very open. Anytime we have questions throughout this process, comments, thoughts, things that we want to, you know, give input into, you have been incredibly receptive and working incredibly hard to do this for us. So, before other board members and people have questions, I just want to say thank you so much. Um, because this has been an easier process, I think,

237for us because you and your team have been so amazing. So, thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thanks. Okay, I have the stack open. Board member Rivas. Oh, okay. Thank you. Um, so Alma, I I am just going to reiterate what Jenny was saying or Monica. It's okay. Sorry. You know, I answered them both. It's okay. Um, I'd also would be curious to know where you how you came up with the name, but we can talk about I'm happy to tell you. Um, just because it means so something so beautiful in Spanish, too. Yes. Um and uh so I just wanted to say thank you. I know this has been a really hard process um and it's no uh easy task to coordinate so many uh community engagement events and uh with with

238a board of of of 20 uh 21 people. So uh really thank you so much for all of that. And I do want to do uh one big shout out for Bridget Lee who's here uh from the Academy for Local Leadership All Chicago which I'm an an alum of um who helped us out with our community with a few of the different community engagement events. So, it's really beautiful to be able to bring in so many different partners and stakeholders. Um, you know, Norma and I, we held our event at the Herapin Arts Center, being able to bring it into community um as opposed to doing it uh at a school. Um, so it's really beautiful how we all came together for for all of this work. So, thanks board member Lopez. Thank you, Vice

239President. Um, similar thank you. Thank you to you and your team and also the board staff and the face department in the seven district. We had a great showing 60 plus individuals plus and then in addition there was the focus group virtual especially with the um Chinese American community that I appreciated that we were able to make make happen. Um and our event very similar to a board member um what board member weas mentioned in the third district in seven district it was in partnership with the city colleges that we hosted at Aruro Vera Velasquez. Uh what I noticed at least in my in the district seven district meeting was uh parents willingness to engage in conversations the youth excitement to you know to also share their their experiences their take. Um, I want to

240extend a thank you to the numerous nonprofits uh, community organizations that helped put this together and also for the elected officials that um, came. I know in the seventh district I had uh, hopefully I remember all them. Commissioner Almanaya, um, Alderwoman Nicole Lee, Alderwoman Ho Gutierrez, Alderman Byron Cinch Lopez that stopped by and stayed for the whole conversation. Um so thank you for making this happen and it took you know weeks of planning and all the work that um you guys just you know make it seem very simple on the surface but we know that it took a lot of work. Thank you. Thank you. Um, yeah, I want to echo. Thank you. But also, I'm going to take you up on that offer of making sure that we are kept up to date in

241a much more robust timeline, right? Eight weeks, eight weeks kind of went and it kind of felt like I was missing something, right? There was lot lot of data here today to sifer through but would have been great to have have had little pieces uh over the course of time um relative to the survey is the number of so I'm trying to understand get a good feel if the number that we landed on is that a good representative sample for a school district as big as Chicago. Uh the short answer is yes. Um it's giving us um enough information to have some reliable reliable data about how how uh residents of Chicago are feeling about um about the prospective uh CEO. So I would say yes, it is. And did we get enough um information

242from families that speak other languages? cuz I heard you say 97% still responded to the survey in English and I think that 53% of our school district is um Latino and or Latin X. So just trying to figure if that data is yeah if if we're missing uh people who don't speak English correct um and you know to be to be transparent it's possible um we offered the language and the way that we delivered the survey was if your device is set to a particular language that we have translated into it will automatically show up as that language. So, it would automatically show up in Spanish if the device is set to Spanish. Um, and so 97% of the devices were set to English. There's still an option to change to a different language, but

243people weren't taking that option. Thank you, board member Pope. Yes, as someone who's participated in the uh transition team and all the planning, I want to echo my thanks to all of you. And I'd like to say that I was a little bit more skeptical about can we actually reach out and engage people. And one thing that kind of fascinated me and we had 40ome people at our meeting in district 2. But one thing that fascinated me was the meeting was scheduled to end at 8 and we could hardly tear people out of there by 8:15. They were just talking and talking and they had so much feedback. And I want to thank the face team who are not here face to face with us tonight for the extremely good facilitation they did. And I

244know in one of the groups I sat in on was a Spanish-sp speakaking group and then I moved to another group and in that other group there was someone who was dominating the dialogue and they were so skillful in how they handled that and I think that's really a testimony to the value of community engagement and of having skilled people manage it. Board member Lopez. Thank you. This um the comments right now it made me think of two items. One of them following up with a board member Gutierrez. I will be curious to know if we can get a breakdown of by our districts of more of that information. Um because I'm thinking about the session seven district. I believe we were at the end five or six groups and majority of those groups were

245Spanish speaking. Um and also the other is what's next of engagement to the public. So if they're watching, they see this in the news, they're like, I missed the ME meeting or was not able to complete the survey in addition to reaching out to their, you know, board member, is there any other options that we are going to be presenting as a district? Thank you for that. Um, so we definitely can provide summaries by community gathering and synopsis by community gathering. many of our focus groups um we were not asking which particular districts people came from so those might be harder uh but certainly for the community gatherings we can give that information in terms of updates coming from after today we hope to come back with the perspectus um to the board and that

246that will be something that will be shared in July uh and then as we make key decisions about the timeline of interviews when different things are happening, we'll continue to update the website in those ways. So, as a board, we still have some decisions to make around um you know, how it community what community engagement looks like through the remainder of the process, but as we make those decisions, we'll be sure to share them with the community as well. Um, we will expect that tonight's presentation will be up on the board of education website and our our contact information is always available if anybody has any questions or further feedback or thoughts either for the team with the search or uh for um for the board themselves. Okay, it looks like those were all the

247questions and comments. I just want to also thank you on behalf of board president Harden and myself uh for all of your incredible work and to Ben and uh Zen City and everyone um and the board staff also for all of the the work that went into making sure that we had uh good representation across the entire district at our district meetings. Um kudos to all of you. Thank you very much. This is a very important process for the board of ed and I'm really I feel like we are in good hands. So, thank you Monica. Um well um we are going to move on with um the discussion of uh public agenda items. Um board members, we will now open up the floor for questions or comments on items um on the public agenda.

248And I just want to note that the following public agenda items um RS7 resolution recognizing healthy green schools, good jobs, bright futures protecting the health and economic security of the Chicago school community and eex2 amend report 25-0327-EX6 authorize renewal of the youth connection charter school agreement. ment with conditions will be separate votes taken after AR1. So you can provide your questions and comments for those items before we proceed with each separate vote. Board members, are there any comments or questions on any other public agenda items or are there any reports that you wish to be to be moved from the consent agenda as a separate vote? Looks like we're good. Oh, wait. I'm sorry. Oh, yes. I'm sorry. Board member Smith. Yes. Thank you so much, Vice President. And uh I am so This has

249been such an impactful meeting. Wow. What a what a first meeting for uh our new superintendent and honorary schoolboard member to be a part of this robust debate. Uh, one of the things I wanted to talk about that's on the agenda for today, uh, I want to begin by commending, uh, the Safe Haven, uh, faith leaders and vendors, uh, of the Safe Haven program. Uh, I want to commend the Office of Faith-based initiatives at CPS, including FACE, for their commitment to protecting our children. Uh this program safe haven provides critical afterchool, spring break and summer support for our youth especially in high need areas during high-risk hours. Its mission is vital and I wholeheartedly support its continuation. However, today I am uh voting with a deep concern that the equity of access to safe haven

250sites has not kept pace with the equity uh of need particularly in communities on the south side of Chicago. While the heat maps uh while the heat maps that we were provided uh in our data package uh clearly show elevated levels of need in areas like Inglewood, Rosland, Pullman, West Pullman, Chadam, Artgill Gardens, uh Riverdale, and South Daring. More many of these neighborhoods either have one safe haven site or none at all. uh in the uh in in near my district, only two safe haven sites currently have a broad swath of high need uh we only have two uh safe haven sites in my in and near my district. Meanwhile, the majority of safe haven sites remain clustered in other regions of the city with limited transparency around how outreach was conducted to ensure all

251faith leaders and community organizations had equitable opportunity to apply. While CPS responded uh to uh my inquiry and member Bole's inquiry uh by noting past crime index usage and how low vendor application rates uh came through. These explanations were appreciated but did not fully address the systematic inequities and access and awareness. We cannot rely on past on on past interests to determine our future investment. As a board member, I am offering my personal support and help to lead proactive outreach efforts on in Southside communities. I am ready to partner with our office of faith-based initiatives to host information sessions, identify qualified partners, and ensure that we are tapping the abundant assets in our southside faith communities. I also want to acknowledge the city of Chicago's financial commitment to Safe Haven and the fact that CPS

252is honoring its end. Uh we've been informed that we're still waiting on the city to follow through with their end of the payment for safe haven programs. If Chicago public schools is to truly be this word we've been talking about all day and now we're unpacking that word and that word is equity, we must be just as rigorous in building opportunity as we are in analyzing data. Let's reallocate not only funding but intentionality toward a future where all children, regardless of zip code, have a safe haven. Those are my comments. Thank you. Thank you very much, board member Smith. Uh, board member Bole, I just want to echo uh what board member Smith said. It it was kind of eyeopening to me when I looked at the map and I saw that the lack of

253safe haven sites on the south side, especially given that um so many of our communities are suffering from poverty and pretty significant poverty and crime. And the kids need a safe place to do activities in the summer and spring break. And the fact that there was nothing in Rosland or Washington Heights or Pullman or West Pullman, it Riverdale, it it surprised me. And the explanations that I was given um aren't really acceptable. And like board member Smith, I am willing to help with outreach. Um, if it's a matter of, you know, the the Southside vendors were not chosen because they did not complete the application and earn enough points. I'd be willing to host some sort of roundts for, you know, filling out the applications and providing support. Um, yeah. I I I I like

254the program, but I I'm upset that there's nothing in in my district. Thank you. Looks like those are all of our questions and comments. Uh, we will now proceed with the vote on the public agenda items. Board Secretary, can you please proceed? Thank you, Vice President Bautista. I'll proceed with the items on the public agenda. Read the board report numbers and brief titles. I believe board member Zachor has motion regarding record of proceedings. I move that the record of proceedings of the special board meeting of May 7th, 2025, agenda review committee meeting of May 14th, 2025, and board meeting of May 29th, 2025 prepared by the board secretary be approved and that such records of proceedings be posted on the Chicago Board of Education website in accordance with section 2.06b of the Open Meetings Act.

255Is there a second? I second the motion. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. Here. Is that an I or yes? I. Yes. Thank you. Member Lopez. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope. She's not. She stepped out. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. I. Member Cutas. I. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Dberry. I. 16 eyes, zero nays. This motion is adopted by the board. Vice President Bautista, I'll continue with items that do require a vote. As you noted earlier, a separate vote will be taken after the delegable reports ending with AR1. RS1, resolution authorizing expenditures at beginning of fiscal year 2026. RS2, resolution to authorize appointment of members to the ESSA

256title one. RS3 resolution to request the PBC to dedicate two alleys located on the former Lewis Armstrong School property. RS4 resolution authorize appointment of members to LLC's to fill vacancies. RS5 resolution authorized appointment of members to the local school advis council advisory board for for the term of office July 1, 2025 to June 30th, 2027. Vice President Bautista, for the record, I'd like to note an abstension for board member Biggs on RS5. RS6, resolution appointment of student representative members to LSC for the term July 1, 2025 to June 30th, 2026. PO1, authorize the public comment period for reporting of child abuse, neglect, and inappropriate relations between adults and students. PO2 authorize the commence authorize the public comment period for the title one every student succeeds acts as parent and family engagement. PO3 amend policy on

257commercial activity. EX1 transfer of funds. OP1 authorize the fourth renewal of the lease agreement with Highland Aenddale Properties LLC. OP2 authorized to accept title and possession of 3101 West Bmau Avenue and 3024 West Foster Avenue for athletic fields and additional open space at the North Side College Prep High School. OP3 author authorization to acquire property for the construction of a gymnasium annex for McCutchen Steam Elementary School. OP4 permanent dearmment of Peter Cologne. OP5 permanent dearmment of Jayla Cooper. OP6, Permanent Department of Eric Delgado. OP7, Permanent Department of Christian Demas. PR1, authorized the first renewal agreement with Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. PR2, authorized the first renewal agreement with various vendors for virtual learning online courses. PR3 authorized the first renewal agreement with Arbit Arbiter Sports LLC. PR4 authorized the first renewal agreements with various vendors to

258provide safe haven sites and services. Vice President Bautista, for the record, I would like to note an extension for board member Gutieras for the following vendor on PR4, New Life Centers of Chicagoland number 18. PR5, authorized the annual renewal agreement with Oracle America, Inc. PR6, authorize a new agreement with Mythics LLC. PR7 authorized the third final renewal agreement with Chicago Fire Protection LLC for fire alarm system maintenance and repair services. PR8 authorized the third final renewal agreement with Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP for fire suppression and exhaust system maintenance and repair services. PR9 authorized the third final renewal agreement with Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP for fire suppression systems maintenance and repair services. PR10 authorize the third final renewal agreement with various vendors for groundskeeping products and services. PR11 report on the award of construction

259contracts and changes to construction contracts for the capital improvement program. Vice President Bautista, these items do require a vote. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? I second. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call with the noted abstensions for board member Biggs on RS5 and board member Catias on the vendor on PR4. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Member Bannon. I. Member Gutierrez with a noted abstension on Bender on PR4. I member Biggs with a noted abstension on RS5. I member Thodakura. Yes. Member Blae. I member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. I. 16 eyes, zero nays. These matters are adopted by the board. Vice President Bautista, I'll continue with additional items

260on the public agenda that do not require a vote. PR12 chief procurement officer delegation of authority report for April 2025 and chief financial officer report for April 2025. EX3 report on principal contracts new. EX4 report on principal contracts renewals. AR1 report on board report reisions. Vice President Bautista these items just need to be accepted by the board. Uh please mark received and filed. Thank you Vice President Bautista. We will now proceed with the separate votes as noted earlier with a separate vote on RS7 resolution recognizing healthy green schools, good jobs, bright futures, protecting the health and economic security of Chicago's school communities. This item does require a vote. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? I second. We will now open this matter for discussion. Board members, any comments before proceeding with

261our roll call vote? Yes. Thank you. Today, I am so proud to join my colleagues in introducing the Healthy Green Schools, Good Jobs, and Bright Futures Resolution, a practical, equity-driven approach to improving the health of our school buildings while making responsible long-term investments in our facilities. Over the past several months at community forums and board meetings, we have heard directly from students and parents who worry about the safety of their drinking water or the quality of the air in their classrooms. These are conditions that impact learning attendance and ultimately our students abilities to thrive. This resolution includes a pilot that aims for at least 12 clean energy and building electrification projects this fis upcoming fiscal year, including things like solar panels and geothermal heat pumps. These are investments that can dramatically reduce energy and maintenance

262costs over time while creating healthier, safer environments for our students. I want to acknowledge that we are discussing this at a time when CPS is facing a significant deficit. That makes this work even more important, not less. Now is a time to make strategic investments that lower our long-term expenses and leverage funding opportunities. With both state and federal incentives available, thanks to the Illinois Climate Inquitable Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, we can reduce upfront costs and stretch our capital dollars even further. The resolution also creates a healthy green schools revolving fund to ensure that energy savings are reinvested into building upgrades that directly improve our students health, such as filtered water fountains to remove lead, repairs to address water damage, and remediation of mold and asbestous. Another core component of this pilot is

263education. These pilot projects will be implemented with labor partnerships for CTE, career and technical education programs, giving students exposure to bright careers in renewable energy and sustainability fields that are expanding and critical to our city's future. Finally, this resolution prioritizes environmental justice communities, areas where our kids and families are at a higher risk of exposure to environmental hazards that can cause long-term health issues. Recognizing that we have a responsibility to direct resources to the areas that have been historically harmed by environmental racism and disinvestment, I want to thank Chief Operating Officer Mayfield and the entire operations team for their partnership and thoughtful feedback as we develop this resolution. We are also proud to build on the national recognition that CPS received earlier this year as the first district in the entire country to earn gold

264certification from healthy green schools and colleges. Thank you as well to my fellow board members, board member Lopez, board member Deberry, board member Zachor for their leadership and collaboration to get the resolution to this point. And thank you to the many community partners who helped shape this resolution, including People for Community Recovery, One North Side, Southeast Environmental Task Force, Sunrise Chicago, Climate Jobs Illinois, Mid America Carpenters Regional Council, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150, Chicago Teachers Union Local 1, and IBW Local 134. This resolution reflects our belief that every child in our city, no matter their neighborhood, deserves access to an excellent public education. And a key part of that is excellent facilities that keep our kids safe, healthy, and able to thrive. Thank you. Thank you. Um, next I have board member Lopez.

265Thank you. Um, as a co-sponsor of the green schools resolution, I just want to make sure that that I shared what was, you know, why this is important and why I decided to become a co-sponsor for this. Uh, because it provides, you know, what our students deserve, safe, healthy schools and real opportunities for the future. It shows that we are ready to act as a board. You know, it charts a path forward especially for communities that historically has they have been disproportionately burdened by envir environmental justice. Uh many are known or categ categorized such as urban heat islands including Pilson and Brighton Park communities in the seven district. Too many of our children are learning in buildings that haven't seen major upgrades in decades. The average of CPS buildings is over 80 years old. We

266are in 2025 living in a great city. So a student shouldn't be worrying about if the air that in their classrooms if it's safe whether the water is drinkable if their classrooms are too hot or too cold like we hold we heard earlier today we need we cannot tackle 21st century challenges with a mentality of the 20th century our approach needs to evolve and I believe this resolution does that you know it's about creating a safe healthy schools environment and also career opportunities for our students Let's meet their passion. Let's move this resolution forward and let's continue working together. I'm going to say a brief remarks in Spanish. Brighton Park. Park. Gracias. Thank you. Thank you. Um I think I'm going to pass it back now to um Secretary. Thank you. Oh, I'm sorry. There's

267one more. [Laughter] I am so grateful for this uh resolution because part of it prepares our students for the future in terms of um providing a pathway to learn and what it will take to keep our energy costs down to um see ourselves represented in the future economy that environmentalism will bring. and um correct some of the environmental racism that's been perpetrated on our communities. I recently heard that um it's it can be up to 10 degrees warmer in red line districts. So, it's real. We don't have as many trees or as much grass in black and brown neighborhoods and we need to correct this. This is just a step toward correcting this. My elementary school has a garden and a greenhouse and I want that for all of our children in the city. Um,

268we need to prepare for times that um we may not be able to go to grocery stores, for times where we may not be able to uh go to the beach, for times that um we are not prepared for now. So, I'm just excited about thinking about the future, keeping our children healthy, and providing a new economy so that our neighbors can stay in our neighborhoods. Thank you. Thank you. I have board member Zachor, and then the stack's open. Okay. Um, this resolution is an exciting step forward for CPS in addressing climate change, environmental injustices, and the importance of ensuring our students have an on-ramp to jobs of the future in new energy technologies. I'm proud to be a co-sponsor and I want to congratulate board member Thodur for her leadership on this resolution and

269also to thank the community members who have supported this and the unions who wrote to us expressing their support as well. This resolution is a win-win for our district. It strategically invests in upgrades that are energy conscious, helping to move us in the direction of the CPS climate plan goal of carbon neutrality and saving us money over the long term. As a former science teacher who regularly taught about climate change and environmental injustice in my physics, chemistry, and environmental science classes, I am especially glad to see the inclusion of curriculum and career focused learning in environment and energy related fields and the opportunity for students to participate in programs and projects that lead to those careers. This resolution is really helping to build for our students futures. Thank you, Bober Zach Core. Any further questions

270or comments? Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call vote on RS7. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Boille. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Thank you. That was a yes for the court reporter. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Member Bannon. I. Member Gutierrez. I. 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. Vice President Bautista, we will now proceed with a separate vote on EX2. Amend report 25327EX6. Authorize the renewal of the Youth Connection Charter School Agreement with conditions. This amendment is necessary to change the address of the Progressive Leadership Academy campus and add conditions related to YCCCS's management of and communications regarding facilities. This item

271does require a vote. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? I second the motion. We will now open this matter for discussion. Board members, any comments before proceeding with the roll call vote? None seen. I'll proceed with a roll call vote on I'm sorry, Lopez. Thank you. Uh just be brief. I'm glad that um resolution or at least um you know has been confirmed. Uh, I just want to express that I just don't think this is fair for our school community that they were pretty much in limbo not knowing where they were going to be going next and that it's something that I know the district and um hearing from internally also the staff um it's something that we take seriously. I just wanted to express that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank

272you. U Vice President Bautista I will proceed with a roll call. I'm sorry there's one more comment. Um yeah, I just want to commend uh the district for putting strong accountability measures in place uh to hold uh youth connections accountable for um you know timely reporting and things like that. I think what it's making me feel is like the values um are beliefs that govern your behavior. And I think that the the sense of public schools, charter schools being accountable to the public, uh, is a value that we're going to have to reinforce as a district because historically there has not been a lot of accountability for how these different institutions have operated within CPS. So I think this is a major step forward. Um, and you know, I'm proud to vote on this. Pause

273it. Thank you, board member Brown. I'll proceed with a roll call vote on EX2. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes, member Bannon. Hi, member Gutierrez. I member Bigs. Yes. Member Thodura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. I. 17 eyes, zero nays. This matter is adopted by the board. Vice President Bautista, I will continue with items from the general counsel that do require a vote. AR2. Appoint Assistant General Counsel Allison R. Holly AR3 authorize continued retention of various outside council law firms. Vice President Bautista, for the record, I would like to note an extension for board member Gutierrez for the following law firms on AR3. Burke, Warren McKay,

274and Saratella PC and Mayor Brown LLP. I'll continue with AR4, workers compensation payment for lumpsum settlement for John Burn, administrator of the estate of Michelle Burn. AR5 workers compensation payment for lumpsum settlement for Hara Sarah Hannes further. AR6 approved payment of proposed settlement regarding JD. AR7 approved payment of proposed settlement regarding Christopher Christopher Taziki Inc. President Vice President Bautista. These items do require a vote. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? Second. I'll proceed with a roll call with the noted abstensions from board. Member Gutierrez and law firms on AR3. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. I member Gutierrez with a noted abstension on law

275forms on AR3. I member Biggs. Yes. Member Thodura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. I. 17 eyes's zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board. Vice President Bautista. I will continue with an item from the managing deputy general counsel that does require a vote. AR8. Authorize continue retention of the law firm Heimmes Petra Petra and Fester CHTD. Vice President Batist Bautista. These items do require a vote. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? I second the motion. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope, yes. Member Rosenfeld, yes. Member Rivas, yes. Member Rio Sierra, I. Member Brown, yes. Member Bannon, I. Member Gutierrez, I. Member Biggs, yes. Member Thorakura, yes. Member

276Blae, I. Member Zachor, yes. Member Deberry, I. 17 eyes, zero nays. These matters are this matter is adopted by the board. Vice President Bautist, I will continue with an item from the chief executive officer that does require a vote. EX5 report on principal contract renewals ALC. Vice President Bautista, this item does require a vote. Is there a motion? So move. Is there a second? I second the motion. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Thank you. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown, yes. Member Bannon, I. Member Gutierrez, I. Member Biggs, yes. Member Thodakura, yes. Member Blae, I. Member Zachor, yes. Member Deberry, I. 17 I zero nays. This matter is adopted by

277the board. Vice President Bautista, I'll continue with items from the board that do require a vote. RS8, resolution approving chief executive exe executive officer. I'm sorry, this should read. Resolution approving interim uh superintendent chief executive officer's recommendation dis to dismiss educational support personnel. Vice President Bautista, this item does require a vote. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? I second the motion. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope, yes. Member Rosenfeld, yes. Member Rivas, yes. Member Rio Sierra, I. Member Brown, yes. Member Bannon, I. Member Gutierrez, I. Member Biggs, yes. Member Thorakura, yes. Member Blae, I. Member Zachor, yes. Member Deberry. 17 eyes, zero nays. This matter is adopted by the board. Where are

278we? Vice President Bautisa, I'll continue with RS9, resolution approving interim superintendent chief executive officer's recommendation to dismiss probationary appointed teacher. Vice President Bautista, this resolution is being updated to remove Kevin Glenn and Charity Smith from the dismissal resolution. Kevin Glenn resigned effective June 17, 2020 2025 and Charity Smith resigned effective June 18, 2025. The final resolution will be included in the agenda of action. Vice President Bautista, this item does require a vote. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? I second. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith? Yes. Member Lopez? I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown, yes. Member Bannon, I. Member Gutierrez, I. Member Biggs, yes. Member Thorakura, yes. Member Blae, I.

279Member Zachor, yes. Member Deberry, I. 17 eyes, zero nays. This matter is adopted by the board. Vice President Bautista, I believe board member Smith has mo as Motion M3. I move that the board adopt the minutes of the closed session meetings of May 7th, 2025, May 14th, 2025, and May 29th, 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 close session meetings held May 7th, 2025, May 14, 2025, and May 29th, 2025 shall be maintained as confidential and not available for public inspection. Thank you, board member Biggs. Is there a second? I second. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith, yes. Member Lopez, I. Member Bole, yes. Member Wallace, I. Member Kuster, I.

280Member Pope, yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. I. Member Gutierrez. I. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zach. Yes. Member Deberry. I. 17. I zero Naz. This motion is adopted by the board. Vice President Bautista. For the record, I'd like to note that all reports except for MO1, MO2, AR1 through AR8, and MO3 were all draft on agenda. This was due to the transition and setting up of approvals in our systems. The finals of the reports will include approval signatures and will be posted in on the agenda of action. Thank you. I'm sorry, Vice President Bautista, there are no further items on the public agenda. Thank you for that update and thank you everyone. Is there a motion to adjurnn? So

281moved. Is there a second? All in favor? We are ajourned. Thanks everyone.