001President Harden, before you begin today's meeting, I would like to read a few announcements. Good afternoon. Welcome to the May 29th, 2025 board meeting. Before we start the meeting, I would like to share a few safety points and next meeting announcements. Please note that the primary exit and entrance to the boardroom is the door which you use to enter this afternoon. If you're 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 one of our security officers. Please mark your calendars for the upcoming meetings. The next agenda review committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 11th, 2025 at 10:30 a.m.
002The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. and will be held at 42 West Madison Street Garden level boardroom. For details on how to register to speak or observe at the meetings and to learn about the speaker lottery process, please visit the Chicago Board of Education website at cpsb.org. If you have any questions about registration or public participation, please contact the board office for assistance. Thank you for joining us today. President Harden, we are now for you to uh ready for you to begin the meeting. Good afternoon everyone. Welcome to the Chicago Board of Education meeting. Today is May 29th, 2025. We are holding today's board meeting in the boardroom at CPS Loop office, 42 West Madison Street, Garden Level. I'd like to note that board members, honorary student
003board member and senior leadership are physically present in the boardroom. Registered speakers may join us in person or virtually if they've opted to do so. I'm President Shan B. Harden on behalf of my fellow board members. Thank you for joining us. The regular meeting of Thursday, May 29th, 2025 is hereby called to order. Board secretary, please call the role. Member Loausano who's joining us virtually via Zoom present. Member Smith present. Member Thomas present. Member Bole present. Member Wallace present. Member Kuster who is joining us virtually via Zoom. Present. Member Pope present. Member Rosenfeld, present. Member Rivas, present. Member Rio Sierra, present. Member Brown, present. Vice President Bautista, present. Member Gutierz, present. Member Biggs, present. Member Thodicura, present. Member Blae, present. Member Zachor, present. President Harden, present. 18 members present. We do have a quorum. I'd
004also like to recognize Pedro Martinez, chief executive officer, Ruchi Verma, general counsel, Charles Mayfield, chief operating officer, and Cararolina Kchie, our honorary student board member. The order of the meeting will be as follows. CEO remarks, committee updates, public participation, recess. We'll reconvene from recess presentations including progress moni mon monitoring are we learning charter school renewals discussion of public agenda items vote on public agenda items coal session reconvene from coal session vote on executive session items then adjourn. So today is Carolina KC's last board day board meeting. As our honorary student board member, I want to commend you, Karolina, for your service to the board, Chicago public school student body. You've been incredible. You've represented yourself with grace and professionalism, a firm handshake. I believe she's done a marvelous job representing and elevating voices of all
005CPS students. We're for fortunate to have you. You set the bar very high. Uh and you've been an amazing student representative. To show you our appreciation, we have a resolution on the agenda and a copy of the resolution and a small gift. You've been fantastic. Let's give a round of applause. Thank you behalf of all the board members for all your work this school year. We wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors. I have no doubt that she will excel wherever she goes. We would like to say a few words. If you would like to say a few words about your experience and as I've already said, I'm going to send you my resume so I can work with you wherever you go. The floor is yours. Thank you so much, President
006Harden, for those wonderful, kind words. And it's been a tremendous honor to serve all of the students of Chicago as the honorary student board member this year. And in this bittersweet moment, I just want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of the board members across the three boards I've had the privilege to serve on this year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being part of my journey. Each of you has been an inspiration to me in your own way and I am grateful for the wisdom and encouragement you've shared as I prepare to graduate and begin a new chapter at Northwestern University this fall. I want to thank Chicago public schools for enriching my life. I want to thank Chicago public schools for enriching my life with
007a solid education and meaningful experiences that have truly shaped my character. Now, as I move forward, I will carry with me these lessons I've learned through this role and more importantly, the lessons I've gained from the personal conversations I've had with each and every one of you. Chicago. Gracias. [Music] Northwestern Chicago. Thank you for everything. It has been the honor of a lifetime. Thank you. I now want to thank everyone who has participated in the board's in-person community gatherings. These events were created to engage the public in shaping the future of CPS and selecting its next leader. An event was scheduled in each of the 10 CPS elected school board districts. These gatherings are among several opportunities for CPS stakeholders, including students, families, educators, and community members to provide input during the search process. There's
008still time to participate. And if you haven't done so already, or if you care to do so again, the next in-person event is scheduled for Monday, June 2nd at the Netor School. Our last in-person event is scheduled for Thursday, June 5th at Marshall Elementary. Each event will be held from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. Doors will open promptly at 6:00 p.m. For people who've been unable to attend an in-person event, the board will host a virtual community gathering and the details will be shared once they are finalized. to RSVP for any of these events and to take our community survey, please visit the board's website, cpsb.org, and select superintendent/ CEO search in the top navigation. You'll be directed to our search landing page. Once the search page, Once on the search page, scroll to the schedule
009of community gatherings and click the RSVP link for your preferred event. Attendees are welcome to attend any gathering that fits their schedule. The superintendent CO search page will be used to share news and updates throughout the search. So, please bookmark it and visit it regularly. At this time, I'd like to have board member Brown introduce Diet High School and Kinwood High School for their recent accomplishments. Member Brown. Thank you very much, President Harden. I want to see appreciate this moment. I think it's really important um that we celebrate our our young people when they make accomplishments that go above and beyond normal expectations. Um, so I want to share in full transparency that I have connection to both of these [Music] schools, but um, I'm committed to making sure that neighborhood schools, charter schools, when
010our young people in our neighborhoods accomplish great things, I think it's incumbent upon this board to recognize them. There are too many people telling our young people what they cannot do, what they cannot accomplish. For too many years in places like this, all we heard were our schools were failing. And this was a place that was trauma for people in our community. And I want to make sure that young people who come from our neighborhoods or as we know the hood that shine that we recognize them and we honor them. So is the Kinwood girls basketball team here, the Lady Broncos. Please come up to the podium. Please come up to the podium. All right. So, Kenwood Academy is located at 5015 South Blackstone Avenue. And I know because in the 1980s I used to
011catch the bus there every day. I am a Bronco. But the reason I really want to recognize Kenwood is because it has been a premier high school, a neighborhood school with a magnet component that has been a top high school for over 50 years. And I think it's really important that not only do we celebrate Kinwood Academy, but we start to figure out how can we do this in other parts of the city. How can we do this in other parts of the city? So, Lady Broncos, I was a graduate in 19. I just want to honor you all. I am so proud of you all. Can we get him another round of applause, please? Now, I'mma be quiet. Now, back in the day, coach, we used to say B R O N C O
012Broncos. And I know that's old school. I know y'all probably think that's lame, but thank you so much for being here, Lady Broncos. We are proud of you. And coach, the floor is yours. Well, first and foremost, uh, thank you for having us. My name is Andre Lewis. I'm the girls basketball head coach at Kinwood Academy. I'm proud to be say that I've been there 13 years and we've undergone drastic changes in athletics to accompany our academic uh, reputation. Um, and I have a few words that I want to say. Um, first and foremost, thank you board member Brown for having us. Um, it's truly an honor to be here and we are um truly uh excited about this opportunity to speak before you. Our team was successful this year because of four main principles.
013They were faith, family, communication, and accountability. Um, as a veteran coach, I've learned that the best way to lead is by allowing our uh team to have a voice and highly motivated individuals given opportunity to lead and uh express themselves. And so this team was successful this year because of their passion, their togetherness, their willing to be held accountable, and they're willing to trust in the process and trust each other. um it couldn't have been done without them, without their guidance and their compassion and their love for one another as well as their ability to be able to communicate what we do and why we do um uh for the betterment of the team. So, um it goes from, you know, countless things that we did before the season such as preseason dinners, um nights
014where they went out and they actually went to the movies together. It was just as important what they did off the court that their togetherness off the court showed on the court. And so, um, it is because of this that we were successful this year. They were accountable to each other. I learned this year to get out the way when they lead. That's right. And I communicate with them and uh, one of the things that I always guarantee them is that I'm not going to lie to them and I asked them not to lie to me and we have honesty and transparency. So, um, that resulted in a tremendous year this year and they are a wonderful group and I'm so proud of them because they were accountable to each other. They gave each other
015feedback. They held each other to a high standard. They understood that this year we were focused on the journey and not the destination. And because of that, we worked on getting better each day as individuals, as teammates, as coach, as player. and that resulted in the outcome this year. And this can be duplicated throughout the entire CPS. We are no different. We just had people that were dedicated to a mission and they wanted to see it through. It went it took a lot of pain. I won't lie to you. The city championship was not a good day. But I also think that without the the disappointment on the city championship day, um it placed a strong reason. Would you agree, Milly? It had a lot to do with our success down state. Um, we grew
016as a group and we got over our pain and we struggled for our ultimate goal. And so this group uh definitely can be a model for other groups. And I think if you talk to the coaches, staff, and the players from Diet, it's a similar thing. You go through some failures to reach your ultimate goal. And so we thank you for giving us this opportunity to come before you. Um, and hopefully we'll be a inspiration to other groups that come after us. Thank you so much for having us. Um, it was our pleasure. The 4A girls basketball champion, Kentwood Broncos. Hold on, little sister. Hold that trophy up. Hold that trophy up. Hold that trophy up. All right. Yeah. Thank you all so much. Could we please have Principal Butler and the 2A boys basketball
017champion, Diet Eagles, come to the front. So before they go, so Coach Gil, all right, before they go, I just want to say this. This time, 10 years ago, diet was closed this time 10 10 years ago and a group of parents on the south side of Chicago at the end of a four-year fight and no citizen that believes that believes and is invested in fixing their schools should have to go to these levels to be heard. But 10 years ago at this time, August 17th, 12 parents waged a hunger strike because we were so unheard, so ignored that it was believed that our children did not deserve a world class education. But I'm going to say to all of you brothers on the basketball team, we loved you before we knew you. We love
018the idea of you. We love We wanted you to go to a school where it was light in the building. We wanted you to go to a school where you can walk down the street and get what you needed. We wanted you to go to a wellresourced school. You deserve it. You deserve it. And it's no more complicated than that. If you pay taxes, you whether you got a you pay a mortgage or you buy a bag of potato chips, you got the right to walk down the street and have a school where you can stand on your parents' shoulders. And that's what we fought for. and Diet was reopened with $14 million in new investments and it is filled to the rim today. So it says we were right. The community was right. So
019PR principal Butler, I want to applaud you for being a light on 51st Street. To all you brothers, I'm going tell you me and Coach Gil go back. All right? And I want to tell you that watching you on TV, I know my brother Bennett was down there with y'all, but watching you all on TV and watching the grit and determination that you all played with brought tears to my eyes. You all would not be denied. They all they called you this little school on the south side of Chicago, but you all were, as we say in sports, a team full of dogs. And y'all went and y'all took it. So give them a round of applause. And I see you over there, brother Cinke. I see you, brother. Internationally known gospel artist over there.
020I see you, brother. Much love. All right. So, I'mma be quiet and the floor is yours. Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon, Board of Education. Um, on behalf Well, my name is Dory Butler and I am the proud principal of Diet Arts High School. On behalf of the entire diet community, I speak um just with a heartfelt gratitude for your recognition on today. Um not only does it honor our efforts, but it also inspires us to continue uh to serve this community and this group of students. To you young kings, I'm so proud of you. Uh our school year, our theme was the year to champion. And so from day one, from the beginning, they knew that they were champions. And so that positive affirmation to yourself on a daily basis about what you can do,
021you did it. You did that. And so we're truly proud of you. You're standing before young men, all of them headed off to college. And we're so proud of them. Yes, sir. Not only that, um, this school year, we they they have a record. I haven't even made it this announcement yet, though. But they coming from last school year, young people taking early college credit. This school year, this class has over 450 college credits. So, we're so proud of them and what they're walking through. Every single senior um that's up here have college credit. And so, I want to thank uh Kenwood Oakland Community Organization. I want to thank the hunger strikers because we're here because of you. You paved the way for us and you are always and forever um just be a true
022testament of what it means to fight for young people. This is the work. This is what this is our why. This is why I do the work along with my wonderful coaches, the wonder my wonderful APs and my teachers and staff and our whole community who champion these young men along the entire way, letting them know that we love them and we support them. I want to thank Coco because as my partner for sustainable community schools, when we pour into these young men, this shows that we'll be able to keep this community sustained and that's exactly the goal and the work that we're doing. So again, I'm so proud of you coaches. I know it's not easy. is never easy coaching teams but also coaching 10 seniors at the same time. And so just um
023with your leadership and also with the struggle and you fighting through and you pushing through on a daily basis and your own commitment outside of regular school hours and I hope young people that you know that these coaches, they love you. They invested their time in you because they believed in you and they wanted the best for you. your your school community, your teachers and staff, and all of your peers. They love you and they believed in you the entire time. So, again, to the board of education, thank you guys so much to our CEO. We appreciate you. We appreciate uh Coco and we all want to make sure that we continue to fight for diet. Thank you. All right. All right. Before y'all go, I want to I want to just I want to
024offer this and and and I'm I'm full right now, but I want to offer this to the brothers on the team. When I was 25 years old, I had some brothers mentoring me and they they they we started they taught us how to mentor young people in elementary schools. So we were at Fuller, we were at Revis, we're at Price, we're at Diet, we were at Jackie Robinson. And what happened for me is looking in the eyes of fourth graders and they actually believed in me at a time in my life when my credit score was like six. And these young people believed in me and they made me get myself together. I want to say to you brothers, please hear me. Make it your mission to grab a younger brother. Make it your mission
025to grab young people and care about them. Y'all understand? Care about them. The way we going to fix this thing is love. It's not numbers. It's love. And when you love, you can accomplish anything. People laughed at us when we said we were going to save Diet High School. They laughed at us. Who's laughing now? Who's laugh? The difficult we do right away, the impossible takes a little longer. So please, brothers, don't just be athletes. Be men. Be men. Take responsibility for those little boys in your neighborhood. Whether you hooping with them, whether you teaching them to read, whether you teaching them about girls, whatever you doing, whether you teaching them their history, make it your mission and don't be compromised on it. Cuz too often when people throw trinkets our way, we let our
026values go. Be firm. Be firm. You come from giants. Are y'all hearing me? You come from giants. You stand on the shoulders of giants. So be giant. You all proved it. Be giants. I appreciate you all and thank you all so much. Please give him another round of applause. Thank you so much. We appreciate you. Thank you, Mr. President. Yes, sir. President Harden, before uh we proceed, I do want to note for the record that board member Lopez joined the meeting at 3:07 p.m. and board member Bannon joined the meeting at 3:11 p.m. Thank you. See you Martinez. I don't know how you're going to follow that, but uh the floor is yours. We're ready for your remarks. Thank you, Mr. President. May is a month of celebration starting with the CPS class of 2025.
027All across Chicago, 12th graders are getting ready to walk across the stage to claim their high school diplomas. And many will be exiting with much more. More than 6600 students of the members of the class of 2025 are leaving CPS having already earned college credit. And I'm sorry, you know, I know everybody's a sports fan, but if I'm a if I'm geeky about something, it's about college credit. And you heard those diet boys, they also earned college credit. So again, I want to put that exclamation point on that. They're part of the 6600. Over a thousand of these students have earned at least 15 credits, which translates into a full semester of college. That's up 21% 21.4% from last year. Another 320 earned a full year college credit, which represents an increase of almost 50%.
028And the number of students graduating with a two-year degree, associates degree is at 211, up almost 47% from last school year. As a whole, this class has earned more than 66,000 college credits. Again, this class has earned more than 66,000 college credits while in high school. This translates conservatively using even community college tuition rates, which are very low, to over $10 million in tuition savings. I am so proud of this graduating class and their academic success. I want to specifically commend also our graduates who are on the call to who are answering the call for service upon their graduation, which is another 95 graduates of the Chicago Police and Fire Training Academy. Thanks to leadership training and work learning opportunities, these students have a great head start on their plans to pursue careers in public
029safety, law enforcement, criminal justice, and fire science. Next week, I look forward to addressing 98 graduates who successfully completed the Chicago Builds program, the greatest uh the highest number of graduates in this program's history. Each of these students will be leaving with a leaving school with a industry recognized certifications in construction in areas such as electrical, carpentry, HBAC, and welding. These graduates represent more than 14,000 CPS students currently enrolled in a recently expanded suite of career and career and technical education classes. Finally, I want to highlight the 110 students uh graduating that enter the fifth cohort of our teach Chicago tomorrow. These aspiring teachers will receive academic support while in college along with career counseling and financial support to help them complete a bachelor's degree in education and ultimately receive a teaching position through the
030district early offer program. This innovative program was launched uh by our talent department in 2020 and has enrolled 200 CP CPS graduates so far. 90% of these students that identify as black or latinext, 66% are low-income students, and more than twothirds are first generation students. So, we're not just providing a pathway to success for current students. We're ensuring that future students will have more instructors and role models who share their lived experience and understand where they're coming from. Teach Chicago tomorrow reached an important milestone while with this year with students from the very first cohort currently completing their first student teaching in CPS. So, think about that. They're right now being student teachers, almost ready to become teachers in CPS. That means by the start of the next school year, they will be hopefully taking
031charge of their own classrooms and shaping the lives shaping the lives the same way their CPS teachers shaped them. Speaking of these CPS teachers, we're proud to celebrate all of them earlier this month during teacher appreciation week. More than a hundred of of these teachers recently named recently earned or renewed their national board certification which is widely considered the most prestigious teaching credential in our field of education. They joined 2500 plus uh CPS teachers who've earned this certification since 1997 putting CPS among the top three school districts in the country for educators holding this elite credential. We're so proud to have another three educators join the ranks of CPS teachers to receive the highly soughtafter golden apple award for excellence in teaching. I want to congratulate Nicolas Anaya of Limblum Limbble Math and Science Academy,
032Victor Ortardo Ortardo of Shur High School and Kathleen Mahoney of Lake View High School on this outstanding achievement. Our National Board Certified Teachers and Golden Apple winners represent just a fraction of the talent and dedication I've seen during my many visits uh to our schools over the past several years. I know firsthand the power of our teachers and I have and that to shape the trajectory of students lives and I'm so happy that Chicago's children are the recipients of this extraordinary commitment. I'll now move to some exciting recognition in our district recently received uh our district recently received four for our effort for making our schools more green. CPS is the first K12 school district in the country to earn gold certifications from healthy green schools and college programs citing CPS as a model for
033the nation. This top tier distinction recognizes the work we've done to create clean, safe, and environmentally sound learning spaces for all students and staff. It reflects our broader goal of expanding green infrastructure and innovation that will improve sustainability in our schools and will protect the health of our students and staff. Now, I want to talk about some important strides we made in the past month to advance high quality well a well-rounded education for our students. Beginning with an updated arts education plan. CPS was the first major urban school district in the country to declare arts as a core subject. And we've worked hard to ensure that it's prioritized in our schools. At CPS, we believe in allowing all students from preK to 12 to engage in deeply with the arts, not just as an extra,
034but as a vital part of well-rounded education. Now, we're going beyond access and we're bringing a renewed focus to the quality of arts education in our schools, ensuring that our students are getting the most out of their time in the classroom. I also want to discuss a critical update to our student literacy curriculum. In May, CPA CPS launched an updated pre-K12 vision for advanced literacy. This is the next chapter of our district's decadesl long commitment to improving reading and writing proficiency at every grade level. It is carefully aligned to our district's five-year strategic plan and build on significant gains we made in literacy proficiency over the last few years. These include CPS leading large urban districts in reading recovery after the COVID 19 pandemic and recent test data showing that CPS GPS is increasing the
035number of students meeting or exceeding expectations in ELA and English language arts across all grade levels and racial groups. In fact, today CPS's eighth graders are just two points off the national average when it comes to reading scores. a remarkable achievement when you factor in the barriers that many of our students face every day compared to their peers. We will continue to ensure that our students have access to high quality culturally relevant curriculum, doubling down on key practices and providing our students with the support and interventions they need to be successful. Finally, I want to give a brief update on preK. We know that every ch that in early childhood education, it's so important that our students uh have an have a head start to learn to the learning foundation and that's why we've been
036working hard to expand pre-k to every neighborhood in Chicago. I am proud to report that current enrollment is over 19,000 students, the highest number of full day enrollies in our district's history. This is more than a 53% increase since 2020. Families have recently received offers and we still have thousands of slots available for families that are looking to enroll their students for the next school year. So, I encourage all of our families to visit chicago.org. Again, Chicago early learning.org to learn more. We're also getting encouraging data from our diagnostic screener showing that our K2 students are meeting exceeding expectations, especially in reading, giving them a strong foundation on literacy throughout their time at CPS. You'll hear more about this uh from our early childhood education team later in the meeting. I want to thank all
037educators, partners, families who work together to increase both our updated arts and literacy plans and contribute to our citywide expansion of prek. I have no doubt that these initiatives will build will build on the incredible men momentum our students have achieved and they will move us closer to overall goal providing all students with a rigorous, joyful, and equitable daily learning experience. Next, I want to provide an update on an important clarification of our district's vaccine rate in regard to misos. Cases of measles have been on the rise in the country with two cases so far in Cook County, which I know has many families concerned. I also know that the Illinois State Board of Education recently reported vaccination rates for school districts. However, the CPS vaccination rate reported by the state did not reflect our
038most updated data. So, in order to provide clarity and comfort to parents and staff, I want to correct the record. As of the end of April 2025, more than 95% of CPS students are fully protected against measles. Again, everybody, as of the end of April uh 2025, more than 95% of CPS students are fully protected against measles. This vaccination rate is much higher than what was reported by the state. So, let me explain the discrepancy. The state of Illinois collects immination immunization compliance data on November 15th of each school year, but it did not report our most recent current year data, which was updated through April 25. Because of this time lag, the data reported by the state does not reflect the work we've done so far over the past six months to bring up
039our vaccination rate. Many children come to school in need of vaccinations, including newly arriving families who are still trying to navigate their first weeks and months in a new place. To meet our students need over the past year, CPS have provided many opportunities to obtain me the measles vaccine and other critical vaccines. These have included regular hours and specialized vaccination events at our schoolbates health centers and mobile vaccination clinics. Between July 1, 2024 and May 1, 2025, CPS hosted nearly 550 vaccination schoolbates health centers and mobile vaccination clinics providing uh 1,800 doses of the measles vaccine. Furthermore, over the course of the past year, CPS has continuously improved our internal data systems. We've also secured an agreement with the state access uh to to the with the state to access IARE, the state's immunization registry
040to supplement our internal records. This is a muchneeded step after years of COVID chaos and after last year's high point of enrolling new new enrolling new arriving families. We know we still have work to do, especially in the envir in in the environment where misinformation about vaccines is vaccines is spreading. But I want families to know that we're at more than 95% coverage districtwide, which meets the scientific threshold of herd immunity. Our office of student health and wellness will continue to work with families, school leaders, and the Chicago healthcare providers to increase vaccination rates for our schools to ensure health and health and safety to ensure the health and safety of our school communities. I now want to move in an update to our budget process for fiscal year 2026. Our principles were presented with
041school budgets on May 15th and are now working with their local school councils and school communities to complete those budgets and return them to the district by Friday, June 6. These budgets reflect the funding model we introduced this year where all schools are provided a minimum number of positions and resources no matter their size, location, and their school type. Additional resources are then allocated based prim primarily on student need. As they always do, individual school budgets will shift year to year due to changes in enrollment and programming. But the school budgets released to our principles do not reduce the overall amount of funding provided to schools next year. Again, even though school budgets can vary, uh the the school budgets released to our principles do not reduce the overall amount of funding being provided to
042schools for next year. I've been transparent about the serious financial challenges facing our district and about the fact that our school budgets re will require additional revenue. CPS is facing a structural deficit of $529 million going to next school year. I'm grateful that there's broad agreement between CPS leadership, the mayor, our board of education, and our stakeholders that's cut that cuts to schools should be avoided. We have a plan to make sure that we protect our school funding without raising taxes and without driving the district into further debt. It starts with CPS leaders making hard decisions at the district level. We've identified $229 million in cost savings next year within our central office operations, administrative functions, and vendor contracts. This is in addition to the $500 million in reductions our team already made to spare
043this school this year school budgets from cuts. While every cut will be felt somewhere in our system, we're working to minimize the impact on students. The next step is to come together around a plan for $300 million in additional revenue. We have been pushing Illinois lawmakers to provide CPS students with the additional funding they deserve and we will continue to do so. I thank all of the CPS students, educators, and community partners who traveled to Springfield late last month to join with other Illinois school districts to advocate for this funding. However, if this funding does not come through, there's another realistic and sustainable option. It is using existing revenue that is sitting in our city's bank accounts right now. I have long advocated for the use of tax increment financing or tiff funds as a
044solution to close our district's budget gap. These funds uh these funds that would have been available to CPS and other taxing bodies if the tip program had not existed. I know that tiffs are are go to fund economic development which is important for our city but there's more economic develop there's more to economic development than tax breaks and subsidies for private projects. In my view, the cornerstone of any tr truly equitable and sustainable economic development strategy is a fully funded public education system to nurture our homegrown talent and to attract new families to our city. So, I'm encouraging the mayor, the city council, our board, our partners, and everyone who invested in fully who's invested in fully funding our schools to unite around a two-part plan. First, to return enough TIFF funding to the city
045schools so we can close our budget gap this year. And second, to reform the TIFF system to provide our schools with sustainable revenue over the next school year and beyond. The city has more than $3 billion of available revenue right now in TIFF coffers that is being replenished at an accelerating rate. The share of property taxes diverted to tiff coffers has increased by 47% in the last 5 years. It is now well over $1.2 billion dollars in new annual revenue. So we know there's we know that there's room for reform and we know that we have a severe funding challenge. I am counting on all of us to come together around this solution because at the end of the day we all want the same things for CPS and our students. We want to fully
046fund our schools and we want to protect the progress that our students have made and and we want to keep the momentum going going into the future. It is a sacred responsibility that we all have as leaders to take the baton from those who came before, build on their progress, and carry it forward to the next generation of leaders, always striving to do better for our students and staff. I want to also just acknowledge I know she's she's not here right now, but I want to acknowledge our chief education officer. Marcoin chief education officer Bdana Chukumuba exemplifies this sacred responsibility from one of the strongest postpandemic recoveries among large urban school districts to record high literacy gains, graduation rates, college credits, and scholarships earned. CPS has made remarkable academic progress over the last several years.
047Much of this thanks to the academic vision put in place by our district's academic leadership. And the one person at the center of the work was always Bdana Chukuma, our chief education officer. After more than 24 years of service, Bugdana has now concluded her time with CPS. From her time as a special education teacher to a principal to a network chief to a chief to a chief school officer and finally to her role as a chief education officer, Mcdana always maintained a clear and encompassing vision that that put students first. She was widely regarded as a tremendous advocate for our principles, network leaders, and was instrumental in accelerating much of our of our district's most e critical academic work. This included a trans transformative shift in how we evaluate school quality, a funding formula that
048provides more resource to schools based on need rather than enrollment, and our five-year strategic plan. Bugdana will be profoundly missed by all from the principles she's so passionately championed to the network and district leaders who were her partners in advancing positive change at CPS. I wish her well in her next chapter and I know wherever she goes next in in the education space, she will continue to be a tireless advocate for both students and educators. Finally, today, as I prepare to conclude my time leading this incredible district and hand the baton to another to continue the work, there are a few things I'd like to say. Getting the chance to lead the school district that shape who I am has been the the experience of a lifetime. This district welcomed me with welcomed me with
049open arms when I came to the United States of Mexico at age five. I was at Wash Elementary where I learned how to speak English where teachers began to see the potential in me that I did not see in myself. That trend continued at Bonito Huarees where teachers and counselors encouraged me to challenge myself and guide me towards towards being the first in my family to go to college at the University of Illinois. It was truly a world that opened up and my and I I would have never had that opportunity uh if it wasn't for the influence of those teachers. I returned to CPS in the fall of 2021, which is a challenging time in our district. Sorry everybody. Um thank you. Um students were just returning from the pandemic and some of them
050hadn't seen the inside of a classroom for more than 18 months. My priorities were keeping everyone healthy and safe and getting students started in a long road to academic and emotional recovery. We wrote the road began with the careful investment of relief funds provided to us by the federal government. And I'm proud I'm proud of the way we managed those funds over multiple years to sustain progress. I'm proud of the decision we made to invest largely in our in our people to meet the challenge of the moment. We hired lead coaches. We grew the capacity of our teachers. We created interventionists to support those students who were struggling. We also recruited adults to provide high dosage tutoring while hiring more teachers, counselors, nurses, and support staff to help our children regain their confidence and skills.
051Also, because we knew what an emotional toll the pandemic had taken on our students, CPS invested in a universal social and emotional learning curriculum as well as more behavioral health teams in our schools. As a result of these investments and our hard work for our students and educators, CPS is in a very different place today than than when I arrived nearly four years ago. Our graduation rate has never been higher, over 84%. Nearly seven out of 10 CPS graduates are enrolling in college. More than half of our CPS students are earning college credit, an industry certification, or another career credential while still in high school. at least in our last two graduating classes have earned more than $2 billion in scholarships support to pursue a college degree. I'm proud of the steps we took to
052get there. I'm proud that we're able to complete the work of bringing free full day prek to every community in Chicago. I'm proud that we prioritize the needs of our special education students, our students facing homelessness, and our English learners, which have grown by more than 10,000 students over the past two years. I'm proud that we were able to successfully negotiate a fair and financially responsible labor contract that rewards the hard work of our teachers while protecting the investments that our students need to thrive. I'm also proud of how laser focused our team has been in improving equity in our schools. We see this equity in the new budget model that allocates funds based on primarily based on need instead of enrollment. We see it in our expansion of dual language, early college and career
053techno educational programs throughout the city. and we see it at the center of our new 5-year strategic plan, which prioritizes equity along the fundamental elements of rigor and joy in each child's daily learning experience. What began as a blueprint when I arrived has grown has grown into an ambitious student- centered roadmap for the future of our city's public schools. I can honestly say that seeing our strategic plan approved this last fall was one of my proudest moments as a leader of the of this district. As I prepare to close this chapter in my career, I'm overwhelmed with feelings of gratitude. first to my amazing team who worked so hard in uh in and day out to execute my vision for our district. I'm also grateful to the school leaders who served as anchors for our
054CPS communities and the teachers and support staff who are their daily drivers of our success. I'm grateful to our families for their partnership and their trust as we work to improve the daily experience at CPS, putting every student on a path to success. Most of all, I'm grateful to our students who have always inspired me from prek all the way through high school. I've always said the best part of this job is visiting schools and the reason and that reason is always always our students. Their smiles, their excitement, enthusi and enthusiasm for learning always warms my heart and never fails to remind me why I do the work I do. I will soon begin a new opportunity to improve public education in the state of Massachusetts. I'm excited by this opportunity, but I want everybody
055to know that Chicago and CPS will always be in my heart. I will never stop advocating for our CPS students, and I thank the entire CPS community for the gift of the past four years. It's truly been an honor of a lifetime. Mr. President, this concludes my remarks. Thank you, CEO Martinez, and your contributions to Chicago Public Schools. We appreciate it. Board members, do we have any comments or questions? Yeah, Pedro, thank you. I'm going to miss you. I think you'll be remembered for your integrity, for doing what was right, no matter what other people said. I you will always be on my bench. If I have a question, it's you I'll reach out to for everything you did for all of us. I am so grateful. Uh you're going to be missed. Massachusetts gain
056is no doubt Chicago public schools loss. Thank you. Thank you. CEO Martinez, when I was first elected to the seat, you were the first person to reach out to me to have lunch. And when we had lunch, you didn't tell me what to do. You didn't tell me how to do it. What the advice you gave me was to lean into the complexity. Lean into the complexity. Peel the layers of the onion until you get to evidence-based solutions and use the evidence to center children and help children. That has been the best advice that I've gotten since I've been in this position. I want to thank you for that advice and that is the center that I use to make decisions, evidence-based decisions that lead to helping children. Thank you so much for your reach
057out to me and for that advice. Member Rivas, of course, I get to go after member Smith. Um, Pedra, I I want to say um thank you for everything you've done for this district. Uh, you came in at an incredibly difficult time right at the uh tail end of the of the CO 19 pandemic. And as someone who was in the classroom uh during the pandemic, I understand the complexities and the difficulties that we faced as a district. Um, and so I I really applaud uh your steadfast support. Um we've had lots of challenges uh over the last few years uh including um as you mentioned, you know, now that we have an an additional 10,000 students in our EL program. Um so I'm really um grateful for the the work that uh our teams
058are doing and have done under your leadership to support uh that new population. Um one of the questions that I got a lot last year during the campaign trail was whether I supported Pedro Martinez and I always said yes. Uh there was no doubt about that. To me, it's incredibly important that we have representation. And you are a son of Chicago. You are a Latino who's representing our communities. And uh something that I talk about so often is that we Latinos are over 50% of our school district. And it's so incredibly important to me um and to our communities that we have leadership at every single level of the Chicago public schools that reflects our community and our community's values. Um, so it's a really great loss to our district. Um, but I'm really happy
059for you and um, I really applaud your integrity. Um, and I pray to God that I'm never attacked as badly as you had been attacked by people on this board, by people in this room. Um, because I I don't know how how you did it. So, I'm really proud of you. Um, and I wish you the best. Seio Martinez, uh, I've known you for a long time. We've worked side by side back in our days at Catholic Charities. And the one thing that I I think that I always take from Pedro is he has that ability of building teams. And so you'll see that in the infrastructure that you've built, right? Um so know that a lot of the work that you've done uh and the foundation that you've laid um is really seen in
060those schools in the administrative staff in the people that you've picked. So I too want to thank you for all you've done for the city of Chicago as its native son. So thank you. Um CEO, thank you for your remarks um and for your service. I had a question um regarding the budgets that were released to schools and principles. I think there's some confusion um about the budgets that were released and if the plan that you outline is a guarantee that there will be no cuts to the budgets that were released or what the process is for making sure that schools have the funding that they need um and that principles have the the stability that they need based on the guidance that was outlined in the budgets that were released. Again, we've been very
061transparent about our structural deficit. This has been really for a year. And we also been very transparent. There are solutions. There's been solutions in existence for more than a decade. Um, we have never seen TIFF balances in the bank accounts of the city to go below a billion dollars ever. So, that's going back 10 years. Uh, if we would have received if TIFs hadn't existed in the last two years, we'd have $1.2 2 billion in the bank today, we wouldn't be borrowing for payroll. And so I think for us to just uh request what our students deserve, what our district deserves, which is the appropriative funding is the responsible thing to do. It's what I urge all board members to do. That is your fiduciary duty. Look, I get it. I was I'm I'm a
062Chicago kid. I know what downtown looked like in the 70s and 80s. I get it. It doesn't look like that anymore. We don't need another Millennium Park. We don't need to be giving million-dollar subsidies for affordable housing. I don't even know how you call that affordable housing. So again, the best economic investment always is our schools. Where families buy their homes is where schools are the strongest. So there is a solution there. Again, I urge this board to come together. The good news is everybody agrees. Mayor said it, board has said it, we have said it. We don't want to cut our schools. There's a solution there. Um, of course, we cannot leave Springfield off the hook. And that also that conversation has to continue especially as Springfield's looking at longer term but again there's
063solutions that exist today. Thank you. And you know legislators are wrapping up legislative session in Springfield this week. Um you know board members have gone down advocating for revenue whether it's going down to Springfield or having in district meetings. And I think if um the solutions lied with the power that we have in this room then we could close our own budget gap or make the decisions that we need to make to fully fund our schools. But unfortunately, we don't have that decision-making authority, and even the mayor alone doesn't have that decision-making authority. Um, and it sounds like there has been no uh plan for engaging the people that do have that authority in city council to make sure that we can have the funds that we need to not make those cuts to schools
064um or make any cuts um to schools that affect students for the upcoming year. Um and time is really running out and I think that um that needs to be a priority for us or how we're going to engage people because we can't keep talking about Springfield legislators will be leaving Springfield um this week. So uh look forward to working with members of the board and um the district to talking about what actual plans for closing this budget gap will be um in the coming months. We have any further comments? Member Lopez. Thank you, president. Um, I think uh going back acknowledgement uh what some of my board fellow board members said. Um I'll say uh as probably is referred to in the community elon Pedro uh thank you for your service. Uh your story
065you know aligns very with story also Benito Huarees community grad also grew up you know in Pilson. Um, I think your story is a great reflection of what many families come into the city and to CPS, right? The embodiment of what's possible. Um, you have shown grit, resistance. Um, I will say not necessarily even myself, we might not always align and everything, but we always had an open com conversation and I appreciate that. Um I have had the opportunity of also working with uh another family of yours uh a family member your sister uh in a whole different role and when you always talk about your family whether it be your kids your sisters I can see it in your eyes when you write up talk about their stories you know many of them whether
066it be in education or different fields and for me it was something definitely you know connected in a good representation of our community and what is possible right um I've shared this for the first day when I was here first in um after I saw my dad, the first thing he said is like I just saw Pedro Gro like right away he recognized you right and that is not always something in our communities where our families get to um acknowledge and respect and someone that looks like them. So thank you again. Um best of luck. I'm sure many of us were still going to be bothering you. Uh we might you might send us to the do not call list, but we are going to try. Thank you. Thank you, board members. Moving along, we
067don't have any committee updates this month, so we'll 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. Poke participation, sometimes referred to as public comment, is a portion of the board meeting or hearing that grants district stakeholders the opportunity to address the board with their concerns and comments. Note that public participation is a time for the board and CPS senior leadership to listen and hear from you rather than a time for dialogue with board members during or after your remarks. While we can't discuss personnel matters, Poke participation is a key component of transparent governance and it provides us as board members as well as senior leadership an opportunity to listen to everyone who has signed to speak. This board
068takes 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 concerns as follow-ups after the meeting. As a district and as a board, we also have many other spaces for authentic dialogue. For example, each and every one of our board members hosts board office hours so that we can have a conversation. Please use our website cpsb.org. If you want to meet with the board member during office hours, we encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with board members outside of a board meeting. Thank you for your attention and consideration. As a reminder, union representatives will be allotted 5 minutes to speak before public participation and elected officials will be allowed at 5 minutes to
069speak after the conclusion of public participation. Board Secretary, please share the rules of public participation. Thank you, President Harden. Members of the public who registered to speak were given the option to attend in person or via an electronic format. For those who preferred to attend by an electronic format, they were given information to access this meeting by dialing a number and using their phone. Excuse me. 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 P board of education meetings via the written comments form on the board's website at cpsboe.org or or mailed to 1 North Dearbornne sweet 950. Written comments received between the day the public agenda
070was posted through 5:00 p.m. the day after the board of education meeting will be submitted to the board and published within five business days on our website at cpsb.org. Speakers, please listen while I provide directions for public participation. I will call your name and number when it is your turn to speak. For speakers joining us virtually, as a reminder to unmute, please enter star six. Once you hear your name, please state your name for the record. I will then start the 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, please stand along the glass partitions to keep the aisles clear. Thank you, President Harden. Before we begin calling registered
071speakers 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, who is here in person. Good afternoon. Yeah, I don't I am a teacher. Good afternoon. It was good to see you all. Um, so I've just been captivated by this quote. Understand that you're not just representing yourself. You are carrying the multiple stories and experiences of people who may never get the chance to speak in a room full of power with influence or in any setting that holds the power to shape the futures of upcoming generations. Thank you for your service to us. My only regret is that you did not get to cast a vote and I would say that that is a board policy that I support changing. Your
072vote perhaps means more than any vote in this room. So Iness in service I appreciate your ability to stand in the gap for your fellow students both in this space and at your high school where there wasn't a science teacher. Thank you and I wish you all of God's blessings. Um, so today it's CTU who's going to talk to you all about how we stabilize a charter industry that is quickly coming off the rails. And the irony in that is just way too much to like count if we're honest. Because what is interesting is when Aero schools were closing, we were literally the only institution connected to Sero who said, "Wait a minute, this is harmful and this is why it's harmful." So this idea that there is some sort of adversarial back and forth
073about the sustainability of the futures of children, you can call them charter schools, you can call them CPS schools, but what I'm talking about is the sustainability of the futures of children. We have got to come correct. and what started in Chicago as a way to marginalize um well-paying middle class jobs for black women has now blossomed into an entire industry that impact children. And so I ask you today to prioritize those children because now after 30 years we have evidence there's increased discipline against black children at these schools. The suspension rate is 5 to 7% higher than district schools. There's evidence of companies using the education funding as a portal to the real estate industry. There are places who penalize workers for wanting to form a union. You all have the ability to set
074standards. Standards that speak to the values of equity, values that speak to the uh the needs of workers to organize in a state that codified it in the constitution. But most importantly, you got to give some standard and benchmark for our young people. And I'm going to rest there for a second because the serero schools was given a renewal and then next year they come to you with $40 million in the bank and they tell you that they can't educate kids. So it's not the process's fault. It's the fault of those who stamp that as something that's okay to do. So today I am going to say that the parents that have spoken to you every day virtually since they closed their school deserve more in their investment in service than a rubber stamp renewal
075process that puts more mothers in the same position that they are in currently. You get to do that. And quite frankly, this is the first time, this is the first time in the history of this experiment where we have a hybrid board that has the opportunity to actually weigh facts supported by evidence, supported by data, supported by now your real life experience of the lack of accountability and the potential harm that does and the real harm that does to young people. You have 30 seconds remaining. So you guys have been getting it right. You've been deliberating. You've been working together, asking the right questions. So I'm going to trust that that level of deliberation will continue into this process as well because it will be very necessary for that deliberation. Um because we have children
076to protect and listen to the irony of who's saying it. Lastly, CEO Pedro Martinez. Um, I wish you God's speed and the best of luck in your new endeavor. I also, um, would suggest very strongly to you to get to know Jessica Tang and Max Paige, two very honorable labor leaders who would love to partner with you. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Jen Conan, CTU Charter Division Chair, who is here in person. Good afternoon, members of the board. I'm Jen Conent, chair of CTU's charter division. And over the last several months, I have stood alongside charter educators and parents who have been devastated by the closure of their schools at board meetings and at rallies and at protests across the city. I've spoken repeatedly about the need for
077additional oversight, support, and accountability for charter operators and for protections for families and staff in charter schools. The CTU released a report last week. It's being passed around right now that detailed four major issues in the charter space that need to change. The first issue is that charter operators can announce the closure of a school at any time without family input, leaving families in the lurch. We saw this with Aero in October announcing the closure of seven schools and Aspira announcing the closure of Hogan the week before winter break. We've seen it before with Hope Learning Academy. In all of these scenarios, families and staff were blindsided. That is not okay. That needs to change. Families deserve more than a few months notice. The second issue we addressed in our report is that the financial
078conflicts and stockpiles we sometimes see in the charter industry. Charter operators are able to set the management fees they pay to themselves and increase them at any time. Learn Charter Network increase their budget for management fees by 80% from 2021 to 2025. Operators often charge rent to the school for using buildings that the charter operator owns and they can change that rental charge on a whim, such as at Instituto, which doubled rent on their ISKA campus from 900,000 to 1.8 8 million from 2020 to 2024. Operators use public funds to finance corporate ownership activity and interests unrelated to education and they stockpile public funds as private reserves. Remember ASO discussed their school closing plan with bond holders in detail before they had discussions with parents, teachers or the board of education. Third, we name that
079many charter operators have underdelivered for students requiring special education services and for English language learners. They've implemented staffing models that have produced high turnover. Some have discriminatory discipline practices and in worst cases operators have allowed for situations of alleged abuse. None of this is in the best interests of students, families or staff. Finally, whereas unionization is the norm in CPS or for CPS employees and CPS has an official position of neutrality toward employees right to organize, employees at privately run charter companies do not experience the same protections, transparency or procedures to correct unfair treatment. At nearly all of the charter or contract schools in Chicago, where workers have sought to unionize, employers have waged an anti-UN campaign. That's time, energy, resources, and public dollars spent fighting unionization when all of that should be going into
080supporting students in the classroom. This board has the power to change all of this. You all have the responsibility to ensure better oversight, support, accountability, including through uh union neutrality. And the resolution before this board about charter schools authorization and renewal does that. You all have the opportunity with this resolution to do something transformational. I'm sure there are naysayers who don't want charter operators to be accountable for serving the public instead of themselves or who want to maintain the status quo at the cost of CPS resources and our students educations. Don't let them hold you back. Step boldly into this board's leadership by approving this resolution as is. Like I said, this resolution can be transformational. This resolution is important because it provides more notice to families and staff of school closures. It ensures parent
081voice in closure and transition processes. It develops or direct CPS to develop criteria by which they would decide whether to transition a closing school uh into a district-run school or whether to support families in finding new school homes for their students. And it holds operators accountable for the cost of closing schools. It also increases CPS's and this board's ability to provide oversight. It allows CPS to request whatever financial information you all need to properly assess an operator's financial viability or whether it's stockpiling reserves. The resolution also provides something important to charter operators. It ensures that operators know how they are being evaluated, ensures they get regular feedback from CPS about their performance, and ensures that board members are up to date as well. If operators know how they're being evaluated, know how they need to
082improve, know the services they need to provide to students, and still fail to do it, then there should be accountability. And this board has a responsibility to hold operators accountable for the promises they have made to students and families and to steward public funds responsibly. Let's create a better school system. You all have the opportunity to do that today by approving the resolution on charter authorizations and renewals. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Diane Palmer, SEIU Local 73 president, who is joining us virtually. Please, please enter star six to unmute. Thank you. I think I'm unmuted. Can you hear me? Yes, please proceed. Okay. Okay. Thank you very much. Um, I'd like to first just thank President Harden and the CPS board for hearing me. And, um, I'd also
083like to talk a little bit about, um, the TIFF dollars. Uh, sorry, I just lost my place on my phone. I'm sorry I my phone jumped out of out of sync. Okay, I have it here. So, SEIU Local 73 represents 12,000 members, primarily black and brown women and and men who work tirelessly across Chicago public schools. These dedicated individuals serve as central roles, including special education, classroom assistants, speakers, subseekers, custodians, security officers, bus monitors, parent workers, and crossing guards. Many of our members have dedicated years and even decades to supporting CPS students and the broader Chicago community. Despite being among the lowest paid workers and often the first to face layoffs during budget crisis, they return year after year struggling to make ends meet. Lacking the safety net of unemployment income, they continue to show
084up because they love the work that they do and they love the students that they serve. The city of Chicago has entered a new chapter and transitioning toward a fully elected school board. Uh 10 board members have been elected. 10 are appointed including the school board chair. The this shift reflects a growing demand for increased accountability, transparency, and equity in decision-making, marking a significant evolution in how our educational system is governed. As president of SEIU Local 73, I would be remiss if I did not strongly advocate for these often overlooked workers. Therefore, I urge the board to ensure that the processes for selecting an interim CEO and conducting all budget deliberations are fully transparent and open to public scrutiny. This is not about assigning blame or casting dispersions. It is about fairness, trust, and ensuring
085our members and taxpayers can see clearly how decisions are made and how the futures of students and school staff are being shaped. This transparency must also extend to the budget. Our members and the public deserve to know that thousands of CPS workers face layoffs to balance the budget, all while approximately$1.2 billion in tiff revenue is available with 600 million belonging to the Chicago public schools. For far too long, the city has placed a strangle hold the city has placed a strangle hold on our public institutions by siphoning off tax dollars that belong to Chicago public schools to appease real estate developers and the elites. This funding is now utilized to protect and uplift CPS students and frontline school workers. We deserve to know why. our members livelihoods and equality of education hang in the balance.
086The city of Chicago isn't doing CPS a favor. This money rightfully belongs to CPS. If these tip districts didn't exist, the funds would already go to the schools. This isn't a gift or a handout. It's a matter of restoring what's owed. Our members, students, and city deserve complete transparency from the Chicago Board of Education. And I'd like to say a couple words to CO Martinez. Theo Martinez. Um, I don't think you knew it, but you blessed SEIU Local 73 in the midst of our storm, and I want to thank you for that. I want to thank you for all that you did for Chicago public schools, and I want to thank you for your strength and courage. Good luck in your future endeavors and Godspeed. Thank you all. Thank you for your comments. The next
087union rep is Tim Drea, president of the Illinois AFL CIO, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Uh, yes. Uh, this is Tim Dre, president of the Illinois AFL CIO. Uh, good good afternoon, President Harden, and all the members of the board. I' I'd first like to start out by congratulating uh the uh 2A and 4A basketball champs. That's that's a big deal especially when you're down state and Carolina for doing such a great job on the board for the past year. I am sorry I can't be with the board today. I am uh in Springfield working with the Illinois General Assembly, but I appreciate your um patience to hear me out over uh virtually. So uh I am no stranger to p uh public private partnerships. It's how some of
088our biggest projects get built. Um, but I'm also no stranger to the responsibility of corporations who take public funds. Um, they need to work in the public interest. Uh, that means high standards, respect for workers, and not cutting corners or raking in cash into their pockets. Our school systems ought to be no different. I know you're all familiar with vendors who have abused public trust when you're dealing with the district. It's one thing to do that when a product uh when it when you're just making widgets, but it's a whole another thing when you're educating children and that's inexcusable. Um you we really appreciate the work of the board to educate educate kids and and the children that you educate. You know, we want them to move into middle class jobs with health care, a
089secure retirement and safe working conditions. that's our most valuable commodity. So, thank you very very much again for hearing me out and uh good luck to CEO uh Martinez and thank you for listening. Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Bob Ryder, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Thank you. Thank you, uh, Mr. president, members of the board, and uh I as well uh good luck uh superintendent on your uh on your future endeavors. And I was also very struck by um not only the uh our uh our high our high school champion uh ship teams, but also, you know, the the words of support around uh those young people and the difference they can make in their community. Um,
090my name is Bob Writer. I am president of the Chicago Federation of Labor. The CFL represents 300 unions and in turn represent half a million working people in the hometown of the American labor movement, Chicago, Illinois. And this is the part where I usually say we represent everyone from airline pilots to zookeepers and I go a toz and try to work myself to the middle. But I think it's important for this conversation for me to highlight the fact that I represent our unionized uh teachers both at CPS uh in the charter in our unionized charter schools and also uh teachers in higher education and suburban school districts. But those folks don't all don't work in those buildings alone. I also represent uh our building engineers, our food service workers, and our custodians. Uh I think
091it's important to highlight that. And I and I and I want to thank Chicago Teachers Union for helping to lead this uh neutrality resolution for uh the charter school industry. See, I've I've watched these charter schools over the years, and you know, I've gone back and looked at the history of why what the original intent uh around creating charter schools uh was surrounded by. And a lot of that thought around charter schools was about empowering teachers. Not giving teachers a fair shot at having a union doesn't empower teachers, but it also has an impact on everyone else who works in the building as well. Having using public money to fund education at charter schools should not take labor costs and create a race to the bottom. It shouldn't it shouldn't mean that if you are
092a food service worker at CPS that you that that if you were to move over to a charter school, you get a cut in pay because charter schools do impact the enrollment and the students to attend uh CPS. If there's something that's happening with charter schools that furthers the education of students, that is one thing. But it but we should not be in a situation where we're looking at an economic race to the bottom for the people who deliver important services and keep our children safe uh in those buildings. The people who run the PE the school's mechanicals at a charter school should be treated as fairly as our unionized building engineers who work at CPS. Our custodians uh both our unionized private sector and uh public sector uh custodians are represented by two of
093my SEIU locals. um the custodians who work at the charter schools should also have that same access uh to a union. I mean, this is really uh about fairness and it's not it's it it's it's it cuts to the core of what um we all do, but specifically the things that Tim Dre and I are down here in Springfield fighting for right now. and that is for uh fairness for working people as we uh deliver important public services to our to our communities. So, um, you know, I'm gonna I'm going to end uh where I where I began, and that's uh that's first with our students who whether they're uh students at a CPS um public school or CPS. You have 30 seconds charter charter school. Um, we want to make sure that they're that
094they're lifted up and that the people who support them are lifted up, but also uh that we that that we are there to make sure that these institutions function to support uh all of us. Thank you. Thank you for your comments, President Hard. We are now uh ready to call speakers from the speakers list. We'll begin with um a few speakers from people's response network or regarding vaccines. Starting with Ethel Walton, speaker number one. Good afternoon to the board and to our pre present um CPS. Um I'm a little nervous. Um and also to everyone that is here and everyone that will be watching. This is my first time. I was hoping that at least one other speaker would go before me, but let's do this. Uh, my name is Ethel Walton. I like to
095use my middle initial L. And, uh, I am a participant of the, um, PRN group, which is people's network response. Uh, we do have some other speakers that are also going to speak today. I am a nurse by trade, newly retired. Thank you very much. And I am uh coming to talk a little bit about the importance of vaccinations. Uh we really think that the vaccination should be given in the public schools by the nurses and that this would be a a way to actually continue making sure that students are vaccinated. Uh their parents are informed. That would also be a part of it. that the they would not have so much misinformation and be worried about um what the vaccinations include. You have 30 seconds remaining. We also would like to say that we
096want to continue to have nurses in the schools and we also want to uh just make sure that um vaccinations uh stay in the public schools. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Neil Resnikov, speaker number 16. Hi, my name is Neil Resnikov. I stood with Gito Brown and others in support of the diet school and justice on other issues. And today I'd like to speak about the importance of having vaccines for students administered right in their schools wherever possible. Vaccination rates of CPS children's for measles, menitis, numaccoal, tetanus, dtheria, bertus and influen influenza type B are substantially below where they should be according to the Illinois Department of Public Health school vaccine coverage dashboard. And we're in the middle of a uh measles outbreak resulting in deaths, hospitalizations, and the
097possibilities of permanent brain damage, deafness, pneumonia, and more. Menitis is an often fatal illness, and there has been an outbreak. So, why not vaccinate students in their own schools where there's a trained nurse or other person who can administer the vaccines, avoiding their parents and guardians having to take them over to a pharmacy or clinic or a doctor's office. It will not cost the schools much. Uh, this used to be the way it was done. It was done when I was a kid. CPS school nurses have access to the database that includes all the vaccines all the CPS students need and that they're already required to get and have already gotten from any provider. Schools are an ideal vehicle for massive outreach and education to parents and children and taking care of this uh health
098a serious health problem that can be dealt with with the vaccinations. So I hope you'll take this up as soon as you can. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Joy Buntton, speaker number 23. My name is Joy Buntton, 10th district core caucus associate member, Whitney Young alumni, daughter of my late father, Irving Buntton, senior, former Englewood Coral teacher, all city high school core director, and CPS vocal music coordinator. I'm here to speak about Illinois stakeholders for air quality in schools state bill H bill HB429 SB 2193 clean air for healthy equitable schools it would provide proper air filtration and ventilation through updated HVAC systems air monitors and effective air purifiers in active classrooms cafeterias etc as well as education the current intellipure air purifiers are inferior and don't provide
099sufficient air changes per hour or a Even a do-it-yourself Corsy Rosenthal box provides more effective AC. The bill has the endorsements of CTU, SEIU Healthcare Illinois, Chicago Chapter, National Black Churches Association, Chicago Westside NAACP, Illinois Black Men of Chicago, Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Illinois Raise Your Hand, Illinois Families for Public Schools, Activate Chicago Parents and Respiratory Health Association, Illinois Environmental Council, and many more. The bill passed the state house but got stuck in the Senate last session. This session we reintroduced it, but it looks like we'll be pushing for its passage in the veto session. Regardless of whether it passes, we should implement a similar policy for CPS as soon as possible. It should be included as part of the CPS green school initiative. Proper indoor air quality in schools would improve test scores, drastically
100reduce absences of students and teachers. You have 30 seconds remaining. And spread of respiratory viruses including co measles and the flu as well as relieving asthma and allergy symptoms. I would also like to voice my support for people's response network's resolution for vaccine access in every school given by licensed nurses to add to the recommended multi-layered approach of mitigating respiratory and other illnesses. According to IDPH threshold for measles is actually 96% not 95% and it should be for every single school public or charter including the south and west size incl closing racial disparities not just overall and since co vaccines were removed from the recommended child schedule which goes against science they should be still made available. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Uh the last speaker from this group is Dr. Howard Man
101who's joining us virtually. you please enter star six to unmute. Good afternoon everyone. I'd like to support u the position of Pedro Martinez regarding the ending of all tiffs. Literally all tiffs need to be ended. All that money needs to go back into the public schools uh to the libraries and to all the other public entities in order to solve a lot of the problems that we all care about. Uh I'm a student who former student of CPS and I'm here as the former assistant health commissioner of the city of Chicago under Mayor Harold Washington. The Illinois Department of Health reported uh at the end of COVID that 44% of all COVID infections happen in schools. There are now over 1 million children with long COVID. That includes several thousand either present CPS students or
102former students. Um, we used to offer, as Neil Resnikov and other people said, all students were offered vaccines in the schools. They didn't have to go any other place. This was done by the school nurses and public health nurses until 30 to 40 years ago across the United States, including CTS. The rates of vaccine have dramatically decreased since then, not just during COVID, but before COVID, where we had multiple measles and whooping cough outbreaks in Chicago uh over the last 30 years uh both in CPS and in the general community. It's good to hear from Mr. Martinez that the actual measles rate is higher than reported by DPH, but other rates are dangerously low. Polio is 90% instead of 95%. Menitis vaccine is by far the most deadly of all in terms of the disease
103is only 78.5%. Whooping cough is 81.7%. We have a specific proposal. One is to implement the eyeare system as Mr. Martinez talked about in every school. Hire every nurse by two from the 2019 contract agreement. That still has not been done. Replace the chief health officer. We'd like to ask Mr. Martinez to ask why that position is not even being advertised when that position has been vacated since November of 2024. Hire parent nurse assistants who can give vaccines with the nurses and develop a collaborative plan with CDPH Cook County Health UIC miles square federally qualified health centers. In the future, CPS needs to become a vaccine for children provider and restart the untimely ending of the CPS LPN. That's the licensed practical nurse program that was ended over 10 years ago. Thank you very much.
104Thank you for your comments. The next few speakers, the next three speakers are from Aero. We're starting with Andrea Shavaran, speaker number two. My name is Andrea Chavarin and I am a bilingual first grade teacher at Aetto and the secretary of our council of Ato educators. This year on October 9th, Aetto charter schools announced they were closing half of our schools at the end of this year. Their plan was to close seven schools and leave 2,000 students and families without a school to call home and 250 educators without a job. This would have been the largest school closure in the Latina community in US history and we were devastated. We asked Aetto where would our students, staff, and families go. Asetto did not have any answers for us. Asetto did not talk to parents, staff,
105families, or the community about their decision. They announced it after their board voted to close our schools. Aetto gave more information to their bond holders in a meeting on October 17th than they have ever communicated to our community. This proves Aetto cares more about their financial investors than they do about students and f and the families they serve. Since October 9th, our schools have been distraught. We launched a massive campaign across the city to save our schools. Thank you to this board for hearing us and giving us the hope we needed for the five for five of our schools that will transition to CPS district one schools. However, Aetto is moving forward with closing two schools, BAS and Cruz. There is nothing in the charter contract between Aetto and CPS that protects the 500 students
106at Baz and Cruz from losing their schools. There is nothing in the charter contract that forces Aetto to pay consequences for mismanaging their funds. Aetto is giving a three-year renewal term. The length of the renewal did not protect our students. We need accountability and oversight on these operators so they cannot continue to destroy school communities when they are no longer profitable. Protections for students, families, and staff at charter schools must be created in our charter school contract with CPS. This board has the responsibility to hold these operators accountable to the communities they serve. This board represents the those these those communities first, not the charter operators. We must prevent another charter from doing what a settle has done to us. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Carolyn Caroline Rutherford. Speaker
107number nine. Good afternoon. My name is Caroline Rutherford and I'm a visual arts teacher at Asera Marquez and the vice chair of the CTU charter division and I'm here to talk about the necessity of the resolution you all have the opportunity to vote on today. We are so grateful to this board for your willingness to chart a new course for CPS students, educators, and families in charter schools. I have been a charter teacher for 15 years and we have always faced additional instability and fears to our peers in public schools. It began before we had a union. We feared that we would be fired at any time because as workers we had no protections, no voice, no stability, and no avenue to fight for what we knew was best for our students as the experts
108in the classroom. When we started organizing across our schools, we feared we would be retaliated against by our employer for speaking up. At UNO now, we were able to win a voice in our schools because our educators fought hard for the ability to advocate for our students and staff and because a neutrality agreement was established with our operator that gave us the space to decide as workers what we wanted to do collectively without the fear of losing our jobs. I have organized with other charter educators across the city, namaste, noble, perspectives intrinsic. And I have heard firsthand accounts of the employers threatening educators at these schools with retaliation if they vote yes. But these threats happen behind closed doors. Educators are dedicated to their students and live in fear of speaking up when they are
109threatened by their bosses who hold all the power. We must have an opportunity for labor peace that creates spaces for folks to talk freely about what students and staff deserve in their schools. This last year, we've also lived in fear that our charter schools would close as we watch Aero, Espira, and now passages close their doors on families, students, and educators because the charter model is inherently flawed and it allows operators to close schools at any time. Board members, you were elected to represent the communities and to serve the public good, not to serve the Illinois network of charter school companies and their agenda. The charter community is the parents. It is the students. It is the educators at these schools, not inks and the greedy operators. You have the opportunity today to put protections
110in place for students, families, and staff. Any charter operator that is operating in good faith with the best interest of their students and staff will support the totality of this resolution because it provides protections, support, and stability for our students and our staff. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Raina Rodriguez, speaker number 10. Um, I'm going to do it in Spanish. Sorry. Hola, my Rodriguez. Absolut. Foreest embargo. Forech. Forech. for We'll now have the uh statement translated. Hello, my name is Fraas Rodriguez and I am a proud mother of students attending Acero Santiago. I stand before you today because the events we experienced this school year at Aero should never be repeated for any family. We were informed that our school will be closing with no prior notice,
111no discussion, no explanations, nothing at all. There was no engagement with families to understand our needs. Our feelings simply didn't matter. The ones who truly suffered were our children along with their families, teachers, and staff. Our children were filled with fear and teachers were left devastated, unable to answer when students inquired about their future. Parents were anxious and our only error was placing our trust in Aero. However, we chose not to remain silent. Our teachers, students, parents, and unions raised our voices and fought back, ultimately saving five of the seven schools that Acetto intended to close. All thanks to this education board that stepped in and listened to us. We are incredibly grateful for that. Now I can finally tell my 5-year-old that she will be attending Santiago. But now we have an even greater
112responsibility to ensure that no other family endures this kind of pain again. We need regulators that prioritize families over investors. We need charter operators to be held accountable. It is crucial to the for them to understand that they engage in actions like those of us, there will be significant consequences, not merely a slap on the wrist. We require a contract that encompasses all of these elements and more. So the tragedy of Aero is never repeated. Every student and teacher deserves to be treated with dignity. Our students are not just dollar signs. They are our future. Thank you. As a reminder, I just want to let the um attendees know that if you are standing with a speaker, please stand on the X's on the floor uh just because we need you standing as close to
113the glass partition as possible to keep the aisles clear. Thank you. Our next speaker is Loose Sarama, speaker number three, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Thank you. I don't remember. I just director the CPS Illinois. Contract Marine leadership. much radio minister. and board members. The statement has been changed since um the translator had received it. So, he's going to translate it and send it to us after the meeting. We'll proceed with the next group of speakers from perspectives. Speaker number five, Amir Weekes. Good afternoon, members of the board. Um, my name is Air Weekes and I currently serve as the access counselor at Perspectives IT Math and Science Academy. Um, in my role, I connect students with opportunities and experiences that excite them, enrich the overall high school experience,
114and help students consider their post-secary paths. I'm proud to say that Perspectives offers an incredible array of programs for its students. True to our spirit of being a math and science academy, we offer engineering, computer coding, and health sciences classes, including a pharmacy technician and patient care technician certification program. Um, our scholar, our school has also partnered with Steam and Dream Liberation Labs, providing our students with mentorship and culturally affirming programming in the STEM space. One program that I have been personally involved in is our RAP program, short for recording arts, um where we partner with my good friends from the Remix Project Chicago to bring students this rare programming opportunity. Um this pioneering program marries learning about music production with social emotional learning. As a result, our recording studio on the third floor of
115MSA has become so much more than just a studio. It's a place for students to feel empowered to create and express their true authentic selves and in some cases heal. The music that our students create in this program is nothing short of incredible. But don't take my word for it. Um MSA's results speak for themselves. Speaks for itself. This year MSA is proud to share that we had a student earn the Gates Millennium Scholarship and will be attending the University of Wisconsin Madison. This is our second gate scholar within a two-year span. Students earn full ride scholarships to Hope College, Roosevelt University, IIT, and the University of Illinois, Urbana Champagne. Six seniors will graduate having earned 15 or more college credits through dual credit and dual enrollment programs. Three students earned state pharmacy technician licenses.
116and one of our students will graduate high school this year with an associates degree, a first for charter school student here in Chicago. After Please conclude your remarks. After doing this good work for more than 25 years, the perspectives model is sustainable and woven into the fabric of the communities we serve. Thank you for your time and for your work on behalf of all of the children in Chicago. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Jamila Levi, speaker number 12. Good afternoon members of the board of education. Thank you for this opportunity. My name is Jamilia Levy. I am a proud teacher at Perspectives High School of Technology and a proud 2013 graduate of Perspectives IIT Math and Science Academy. Thanks to the foundation I got at Perspectives, I've earned over $20,000 in
117scholarship money to attend SIU in Carbondale, Illinois, where I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communications with an emphasis in digital media and radio and television. Today, I teach graphic design and digital arts to high school students, helping students use creativity to express themselves and explore careers in media. We introduce tools like youth science and connect students to real world pathways like Genesis works, Chicago builds and new courses in cyber security and advanced manufacturing. These programs help students understand what's possible and take steps towards their future. What really make prospective special is their ADL principles. ADL stands for a disciplined life. And this year, I've decided to focus strongly on two key principles with my students. Using your time wisely and accepting only quality work from yourself. These are habits for life, not
118just school. I've lived them as a student, as an adult, and now I pass them on to every day in my classroom. I also run a mentoring program called the Chocolate Betties, which has been a bright spot for student culture. In just four months, we've helped young women grow in confidence, form friendships, and feel seen. The results at Perspective speak speak volumes. 14 seniors graduating this year with 15 or more college credits, full ride scholarships to schools like UIC, Urbana, IIT, SIU, and more. One student even earning a Posi scholarship. I know the perspectives models work because I lived it. And now I hope students create success stories of their own. Thank you again for your time and for supporting all of our students. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Anna Rodriguez,
119speaker number six who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Good afternoon. My name is Anna Rodriguez and I am the English language program teacher at Roosevelt High School in Albany Park where I've worked for four years. As an EOPT, I was thrilled to learn that in our new contract, CPS agreed to additional EOPS based on the number of ELLL students at a school. Roosevelt is a diverse school that also has a dual language program. As such, we have a dual language coordinator and me an ELP. We thought that the new contract language would grant us an additional ELP, which is greatly needed. 70% of our students are ELLL and half of those are part of the dual language program. But instead, the way in which CPS is allocating the new ELP
120positions that we won in the contract, they're actually eliminating our dual language coordinator position and every dual language coordinator position at dual language schools that service more than 300 ELLs. Additionally, we lost two specialed teachers with bilingual and ESL endorsements who provide services for our dually identified students. Roosevelt is only one of three dual language high schools in the city. We're also a dual We also a neighborhood school that services over 26 languages. Recently, two of our students were the first in the state to be awarded the seal of biiteracy in their native language. Posto and Africans. We should be celebrated and supported for the work we do we are doing towards academic achievement, bilingualism and cultural responsiveness. The intent and spirit of the contract language is to expand staffing and support bilingual and dual
121education not to shift or cut positions that provide 30 seconds remaining. Additionally, OME recently announced that dual language schools will no longer be receiving the 10K which has helped to acquire curriculum in English and Spanish. Spanish language assessments, resources for newcomers, planning time for the dual language team, workshops for students, professional development for staffs, and more. My school and I understood that we would be fighting against Trump. But we did not expect to be fighting against OM, who says that they want to expand the language, the dual language schools, but is cutting the staffing and funding to do so against CPS who services over 85,000 ELLL students and a board that promised to invest in neighborhood schools. Unfortunately, my students at Roosevelt and every other student at a dual language program were deemed expendable. I'm
122asking the board to review these ELP and DLC position allocations and make sure that schools like mine are provided the correct support so every student not only survives but thrives. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Paul Don uh Dani, speaker number seven. Hi, my name is Paul Don and I've taught math and engineering at Lindlum for nine years now. Educating students to use technology is fundamental and we need to be thoughtful about how we both implement and restrict access to technology. I have five things to bring to your attention and I'll follow up with an email. I didn't know I could do this little pass out papers thing. The first three items are about a misalignment between Illinois SOPA law and CPS policy and implementation. SOAPA is the
123student online personal protection act. In the board SOAPA policy, edtech operators are prohibited from using persistent unique identifiers for students. The state law says the same except in furtherance of K12 school purposes. That exception line is missing from the board's policy, but it is in the state law. The board's policy requires that operators, edtech operators, become vendors with CPS. There are lots of edtech providers that are not trying to sell anything and do not want to go through that ownorous process. Other districts do not require this and neither does the state law. There are certain websites and platforms that the state law defines as general audience. These are professional platforms, not primarily for K12 purposes and are exempted from state SOPA law even if login credentials are needed. But CPS blocks these platforms too. Item
124number four is about CPS's firewall which is used to block web pages and images. This is a good thing generally for obvious reasons. Uh but some websites that teachers want to use are still blocked and 30 seconds remaining and it can take months to unblock them. Another example is Wikipedia's images and formulas do not load. We need better image blocking and a faster process to whitelist websites. My last item, uh, the first four were about granting access to technologies, but the last one is about restricting access, which we should also be thoughtful about. There should be a district-wide 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. student cell phone ban, and unfortunately, this change will need to be uh accompanied with money for implementation. Thank you very much for your time. I'll follow you up with an email.
125Thank you for your comments. You can also submit your um handouts through the written comments form on the board website at cpsboe.org. Thank you. Our next speaker is Dr. Angel Alvarez. Speaker number eight. Thank you CPS board. The financial projections being provided to you do not accurately reflect the serious long-term problems the district faces. I implore you to demand long-term financial projections for each school under realistic assumptions and share those results with the public. I served on the CPS parent leadership council in 2022 and helped form committees on special education and transportation budget and evaluations and accountability. We raise serious concerns that CPS will fail to properly transport students with disabilities and pay more for worse service. We share concerns about the unsustainable budget practices and inaccurate cost estimates the district continually exceeds each year.
126We raise concerns over the accuracy and utility of many assessments that failed to identify interventions and mitigate learning loss. Despite the seriousness of our concerns, the council was disbanded in 2023 when we escalated our questions to CPS leadership. These inequities are not new. However, despite CPS's large budget increases, we do not see a closing of the achievement gap. The algebra pass rate for students reflects poor planning by the district and a lack of accountability and resource allocation. Latino student gains have lagged and English proficiency rates for English language learners begins to decline after the fourth grade. Multiple equity initiatives failed and had unintended consequences that exacerbated some of these problems. There will also be significant unintended consequences with some of the legislation under consideration, including those that reduce testing and seats at selective enrollment schools.
127We need school level funding transparency and LS. 30 seconds remaining. CPS acknowledged the funding was discriminatory yet still utilizes funding that metrics that inappropriately perpetuate racism. I was elected president of CPS office for student family advisory board. I hope this board will not suffer the same fate as the council, but that's really up to this board and who you put in charge. The person you put in charge should have a proven track record of managing large urban and diverse districts, proof of reducing budget deficits, and improving outcomes for all students, especially those that this system has failed repeatedly. I want to work with you. I also want to take a moment to thankclude your remarks and I want to thank CEO Martinez for his work. Although we disagree on many issues, I appreciate your commitment
128and where your heart is as I do the board. I'll be following up again and thank you again for your service. Bless. Thank you for your comments. Our next speakers are for um parents for education regarding budget. Speaker number 14, Adah Flores. Wastardes. Um my name is Aaya Flores. I stand before you as an educator, school leader, and product of CPS, a proud lifelong resident of Pilson, and the daughter of an immigrant mother who believed in the promise of education. Today, I'm here to urge you to stand in solidarity with my community in opposing the proposed Pilsentiff expansion, an expansion that will continue to exacerbate the CPS structural deficit that we're all facing. Public education transformed my life trajectory. My mother immigrated from Islaw Wakaeno Guerrero and entrusted our neighborhood schools in Pilson with my
129education. That trust paid off. Despite becoming a teenage mother, I graduated from Benito Huarez, earned three degrees from Georgetown, National Lewis, and Harvard University. I entrusted my daughter's education to CPS as a founding student at Sudter Monastery and then at at Whitney Young and in their academic center while committing my life to public education as a parent, as a teacher, and as a school leader across this city. Time again, I've watched as CPS asked us to do more with less. The structural deficit we face is not a mystery. It is the direct result of disinvestment and policy decisions that choose to provide private interests over public good. The proposed pills scientific expansion is just the latest example of diverting funds and disinvestment. These are policy choices not inevitabilities. My community has historically fought against tiff
130originated in 98 by disgracement alderman Danielle Solis. TIFFs have been a development mechanism that has a long track record of fueling gentrification and displacement. A one staunch critic of TIFFs, Alderman Sichel Lopez renewed the existing TIFF. Ironically, it it was not enough and the alderman lobbyed it in city hall. The proposal would divert a billion dollars from property taxes away from our general fund, approximately 560 million from our public education. I am part of a coalition of residents who have been fighting this expansion for over a year successfully installed it in the finance community. We want a school system that reflects the value of every child, not the value of the land beneath them. We ask you to stand in solidarity with us against this pillaction expansion and to help us address the structural deficit
131that you are currently facing and we will continue to face. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Molina Perearia, speaker number 15. Is Martinez isolian, transparenc Irresponsib formas. in Chicago. We'll have the statement translated. Good afternoon CPS board members and CEO Martinez. My name is Melina Pereira and I'm a proud member of Parents for Education. I am here today to firmly ask for you to vote on a resolution that protects our students, families, and teachers from charter networks who place their economic interests before the well-being of our communities. This is not just about procedures or norms. It's about trust, transparency, and accountability. Values that were not in evidence when Aero announced heartlessly that it would close seven schools. There was no warning. There was no dialogue. There was no
132support. You were witnesses to the suffering of every individual affected by that decision. Desperate parents, confused students, teachers without answers. But you also set a precedent. You listened to families. You came to our side by saying this is an injustice. Now you have the opportunity to take this stance and turn it into policy to ensure that what Acetero did never happens again. For the longest time, charter schools have made key decisions behind closed doors. This must change. We need a resolution demanding financial transparency, real commitment, and complete accountability. Above above all else, we need a resolution that places our families at the center of each each decision. Today, you have the opportunity to show once again that you're on the right side of history, that the welfare of our children is worth more than any
133financial gain. That in Chicago, education is not something to be bargained away, that our students aren't numbers on a ledger, but human beings with dreams, rights, and dignity. The message must be clear. In Chicago, you will not be allowed to play games of education. We will not allow that pain to be felt again. And we will not be silent when the future of our communities is at stake. Thank you for your time, for listening to us, and for defending what is right. Thank you. And um the speaker, Loose Sarama, speaker number three, who also spoke in Spanish, our translator does have the statement now translated, and we'll go ahead and read that. Good afternoon members of the board of education. I am here to support the call made by the LSC teachers and parents for
134the removal of principal Juan Saias from Interamerican school. It has been a year marked by constant retaliation against teachers and parents, mismanagement of school funds, and serious security problems that have endangered students and staff. As you know, Juan Saias has violated CPS policies and Illinois Education Code. More than 210 days have passed since the council filed charges against him. And to date, the interamerican community has not received a clear response from the district about the investigation results. This is why I call on board members to support us and request an urgent update about the state of that investigation. Additionally, I ask that you stop the recycling of staff as occurred in Sullivan where a student was sexually assaulted under the administration of John Roseboom, former administration at Marine Leadership Academy. All because of La Lemon,
135who ordered that he be made AP at Sullivan, knowing his record in Florida and all he did at MLA. Thank you for your attention and support. Thank you. Our next speakers are from Illinois Network of Charter Schools. We'll start with speaker number 11, Joanna Smith. Good afternoon. My name is Joy Anna Smith and I have here Yes. and we are with the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. Today I would like to speak about the importance of the charter renewal process and what it means for the stability and the future of schools like Urban Prep. Chicago public schools has developed a black student success plan in recognition of the urgent need to better serve black students who make up one-third of the district's population and yet face the widest disparities in reading, math, graduation rates, and
136disciplinary actions. The plan aims to direct targeted resources to where the greatest inequities exist. Key goals include ensuring every classroom incorporates culturally responsive practices and increasing the number of black students who report a strong sense of belonging and school climate surveys. This is the work Urban Prep does every single day. I've had the opportunity to visit Urban Bre's campuses a number of times and each time I leave inspired. There's a palpable sense of joy, energy, and purpose throughout each campus. I'm consistently greeted by young black boys, soontobe young men, who are confident, intelligent, and fully aware that they are being prepared to lead. Urban Prep has maintained a 100% college acceptance rate for its graduating seniors year after year, an achievement not easily matched by many high schools in Chicago. with over 25 intelligent black
137and brown young men accepted into four-year universities and colleges upon graduation. Further, alum of urban prep are not only enrolling in college, but graduating from great schools like Morehouse College and Harvard and Brown go Bears. Additionally, graduates of Urban Prep are returning back to Chicago as mentors, educators, and change makers, demonstrating the long-term impact of the conclude your remarks. That's why it's essential it's essential to recognize urban prep as a vital part of Chicago's educational landscape as its mission aligns with the city's broader equity goals. As a city, please conclude your remarks. I'm concluding, we must champion schools that are making a reasonable a measurable impact. That support begins with a renewal process. If CPS is truly committed to advancing outcomes for black children, then supporting urban prep must be part of that commitment. All
138charter schools that are up for renewal must receive a minimum. Thank you for your comments. This creates stability and certainty for students, families, and teachers and creates conditions that schools need to thrive. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Jodie Control, speaker number 18. Good afternoon, President Harden, CE CEO Martinez, and members of the board. My name is Jodie Cantrell. I am the chief public affairs officer at the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. Today, you are voting on a resolution that is just the latest in a long line of baseless attacks on charter schools. It's the same playbook and same tired strategy designed to destabilize schools where students are thriving and educators, including many CTU members, are making a difference. Let's be clear, this resolution is not about
139students. It's not about equity, quality, or accountability. It's about power and control. It's an attempt to bypass federal and state laws, pushing an approach that flies in the face of established legal precedent, best practices, and democratic policymaking. Governing by resolution without public debate or meaningful stakeholder input mirrors the worst habits of executive overreach. It's the exact same approach happening in Washington DC today. The result is confusion, instability, and no accountability to the families most affected. Charter schools are public schools. That fact is clear in state law. And they are part of CPS and serve over 55,000 students, the vast majority of whom are black and brown, lowincome, and first generation college brown. These families deserve respect and not the political games. They deserve options and not ultimatums. It's time for a different conversation. Our city,
140one focused on what works for kids. As we said last month when the CTU tried to push these changes behind closed doors and without the charter community and we will say it again today, policym should happen in the open with the public and not through backroom deals or power plays. Charter leaders remain ready to engage in real student centered discussions, but we won't be silent while political interests come at the expense of student opportunities. Chicago deserve better. Our kids deserve better. Let's focus on solutions that put kids first. We urge you to stand with Chicago's families today and uphold your legal and fiduciary duties as board members. Vote no on this illegal backroom resolution. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Austin Bron Bonsson, speaker number 27, who's joining us virtually.
141Please enter star six to unmute. Good afternoon. My name is Austin Bonsson and before I begin, I'd like to thank the school board for giving me this opportunity to speak. I am a resident of Albany Park and a student at Hogan. I am speaking with concern about the Spir Middle School, which is located at 3729 West Leland Avenue. This building is being given to a different school, North River. We students at Hogan would like part of this school to be shared with the Hog with the Hogan community. We have seen an increase in students who have been attending Hogan. As the years pass by and more and more people come to Chicago, there will be an increase in the number of students at Hogan yearby year. You have already seen signs of this issue such
142as running out of space to install new classrooms. This has led to classroom the classes being packed and full of students while not having the amount of teachers needed. It is due to these reasons that us students at Hogan believe that we should have part use of the Spir building. This will help us greatly as it can house more students as more come in. The building of Aspira could provide a place where we can send students and teachers. This will help alleviate the packed classrooms at Hogan which will lead to less packed hallways and more space. This extra space can make sure that teachers aren't being overwhelmed by the great amount of kids that they'll have to teach. This will help guarantee that each and every student can build a personal one-on-one relationship with each
143student. This could lead to better performances on test and higher understanding of the courses they are taking. With these requests, you have 30 seconds remaining. Share with the school of a spirit with Hogan. Thank you for listening. Sincerely, me Austin. Bye. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Carlos Alanis Ortiz, speaker number 13. Good afternoon members of the board. My name is Carlos Alanes and I'm proud to stand before you today as a senior student at inst at Instituto Health Science Career Academy, a member of the boys soccer team, a current student in the EMR program, and a participant in the medical wings international program. Instituto is more than just a school to me. It's my second home. From the moment I walk through the doors, I feel a sense of belonging. The
144staff here don't just teach. They support, inspire, and challenge us to go beyond what we think we're capable of. They believe in our potential and push us to reach it every day. These past four years at institut have truly been life-changing. The school has opened doors for me and for so many of my classmates through clubs, after school programs, sports, college visits, and more. Instituto along with medical wings international helped me discover the career path I want to pursue, dentistry. I found this passion thanks to Mr. Mendes who introduced me to the incredible MWI program. Through this opportunity, I was able to travel to underserved communities in country like Panama, Honduras, and Peru where access to medical care is limited. While on these trips, I had the chance to work alongside professionals, meet mentors who
145are now guiding me through the college progress, and even help care for children. Some of the most memorable moments was teaching little kids how to brush their teeth and how to floss. Ishka truly cares about its students and is committed to continue improvement. The school is actively working to elevate the voices of students, staff, and parents, making sure we're all included in the process of shaping our future. What we need now is time. Time to implement meaningful changes and to continue growing in the areas that need support. That's why we are respectfully advocating for a minimum five-year charter renewal. If our school didn't matter, you wouldn't see so many passionate stakeholders of students, staff, family, and community members standing here today united in support of Ishka. I also want to state that it's unfair you
146only allow 10 of us to stand together when we have over 50 of us present wanting to stand in front of you. Thank you for your time, your attention, and your consideration. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Michael Bunson, speaker number 17. She already forgot about me. How y'all doing today? So, um, it's a new day. We have a board of 21 members, almost half by election, and I can think of no better way for you to tr truly realize your duty as public servants doing a public service than to fully promote and develop the democratic ideal. an expression that captures the voice, the will, and the concerns of the people that you were elected to serve. I want you to actually include the voice and participation of as many persons as
147possible from the public that you serve. And I can think of no better concept that realizes this idea than grassroots participatory democracy. And for that, we already have a model in place that only needs to be developed. And I'm here to ask you once again to engage with the local school councils in your respective districts and also to engage with the local school council advisory board, the LSCAB. There have been uh recent elections in the six geographic areas for the local school count of uh local school council members. Uh six have prevailed and in the vote but there are nine more that need to be elected by you. I know and uh as stated here and I have a something that I would like can I pass a paper out or do I have to
148email it to everybody? Okay. Um, according to public act 89-15 and board resolution 96-0228-RS7 that I have also given a a copy for you to examine. Um, it remarks duties to oversee the local school council's advisory board and engage with them as stated in that. And so I just wanted you to look it over. And so uh in my most humble opinion, the voice of the local school councils are the missing link that we need to make Chicago public schools a worldclass uh operation. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Our next two speakers are from Noble Schools joining us virtually. Speaker number 19, Claudia Rodriguez. Please enter star six to unmute. Claudia Rodriguez, speaker number 19, please enter star six to unmute. Hello. Can you hear me? Yes, please proceed. Hello. Oh, perfect. Thank
149you. Hello, President Harden, CEO Martinez, and members of the Chicago Public Schools board. My name is Claudia Rodriguez. I am proud to serve as the chief of public affairs at Noble Schools, and I'm also a proud alumni of Chicago Public Schools. As someone who grew up in this city and graduated from CPS, I know firsthand the life-changing power of a strong public education. is what motivates me every day in my work at Noble. Over the past few months, we've had the pleasure of welcoming several of you into our schools. It's been a privilege to share the work we do every day, and we're grateful for your time and engagement. In the weeks ahead, we're excited to welcome more of you to our graduations, where the class of 2025 will join a network of over 28,000
150proud Noble alumni making a difference throughout Chicago. Today, I'm here to respectfully urge you not to move forward with the proposed resolution regarding the authorization and renewal of charter schools. We believe this resolution represents a step backward in a city that has long strived to expand access to highquality education. When I led Noble's most recent charter renewal process, we worked handinand with the office of innovation and incubation. That process was rigorous, deeply collaborative, and marked by an extraordinary level of transparency and accountability. Charter schools already operate under one of the most transparent systems in public education. annual publicly audited financial statements, performance-based evaluations, and full compliance with state and federal laws. In many ways, these expectations surpass those for district run schools. Noble currently serves 30% of all high school students in Chicago. Our mission
151is both simple and powerful to provide an exceptional public education. You have 30 seconds remaining. Regardless of background or zip code, we are free, public, and open to all. That means we are directly accountable to this board, our authorizer, and to the people of Chicago. In recent board meetings and public forums, Noble Families and staff have spoken openly and constructively. Their message is clear. We are committed to partnership with you. As we move forward, think of us as a thought partner and include charters in the process of developing resolutions that will directly impact charter students. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Natasha Dunn, speaker number 24, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Hi, before I start, I would like to thank uh
152CEO Pedro Martinez and Cedto Bagghdana for your um service. Um specifically Pedro Martinez, thank you so much for getting schools open um in 2021. Um, I'm here today. My name is Natasha Dunn and I'm here today to speak on um the issues facing black students in CPS. In 2020, I worked with CPS creating the foundation for black student success and in 2020 fought for d for the draft legislation created that created the uh BSA committee under the board of education. I am here today uh with an urgent and uncomfortable message. Over 65,000 black students have endured relentless school disruptions that has destabilized uh children's education and has um devastated entire communities. Black students are traveling far than any other racial group to attend school. This burden affects everything including attendance, academic performance, friendship, and parent
153involvement. And yet buses were taken from these very students and given to new arrivals. Um, that choice didn't just create inconvenience. It created displacement. It further purged black students from CPS. Schools like Black, Randolph, Carnegie, Burnside, and Smith have all lost students as a direct result. The Southshore neighborhood is ground zero for resettlement of migrants and transformation is rapid and real. Schools like Bradwell have gone from 80 90 seconds to 70% in two years. Black students are being pushed out physically, culturally, and systemically. And what does that mean for the remaining students? They are forced to watch as migrant students receive targeted funding for academic language support while black students are left to struggle unsupported, invisible, and expendable. Since the 2000, Chicago public schools has purged 120,000 black students and more than 15,000 black teachers.
154If this trend continues, by 2030, there will be fewer than 80,000 black students left in CPS. This is not point. This is dismantling. I am issuing a clear and urgent warning to the board. If you don't implement a repairerative strategy that reflects in your budget policies and practices, you will be remembered as the board that finished what the predecessor started, the destruction of black education in Chicago. We don't need more reports. We don't need We need We need actions. We need investment. We need repair. The time is now. You can either be the board to make history or the one that helps to erase it. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Our next speakers are from the safe passage program, speaker 25, Monica Brown. Good evening board or should I say good afternoon. We
155have been waiting here anxiously and excited to talk to our new board members. Um I am Monica Brown from the safe passage community. Safe Passage has and will continue to be a viable resource for the students of Chicago. We are thought we we are thankful and extremely grateful for the partnership with CPS. Our commitment and dedication to ensuring that our students get to school safely to and from school goes beyond just safe passage. Our team members often are giving hats and gloves and book bags and meeting the needs of students that they see. It has become a tremendous amount of work for all of us. I get a little emotional when I think about it because when this program started about 15 16 years ago, no one knew that it would evolve into being what
156it is today. Safe Passage has been boots on the grounds and we will continue to do that and are blessed and thankful for that opportunity to build relationships with our community. We know that it's no secret that our students are challenged when they're traveling to school. But those challenges also go far beyond just the travel, just their inhome um environment. Our safe passage team is there to welcome them and usher them into the school. You have 30 seconds remaining. giving them encouragement. It has increased the attendance and it has helped to to make some of these achievement goals. So, we're here. We've brought some gifts. They are letters from principles and community members. We have about 10,000 petitions just to let you know how much support we have and how we want to continue to
157be partners with with Chicago public schools. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is Wana Viegas, speaker 26. Chicago. medical. person. Okay. We'll have the statement translated. Good afternoon. My name is Huana Viegas, base operator at Sawyer School at Gage Park. I've worked with the safe passage program for seven years in which I've seen drug trafficking, fights, students run over, and several shootouts in which students and even a Chicago police officer have lost their lives. We are community parents who work and live near the schools. Our children attended and graduated from these schools, and we want our other students to feel safe as they walk to their schools or their homes. Safe passage parents, despite not having the training of a police officer, medic, or therapist, are nevertheless the ones who, when
158there's an emergency, arrive to the site of the incident and support students. We are the ones who are who on the daily make hundreds of calls to 311 to improve our communities which endanger our students. We are the eyes and ears of school principals and staff and the ones who makes hundreds of calls to the student center to report student emergencies. The safe passage program not only provides security to students headings to schools, but also support internal personnel in preventing children from being absent or failing to arrive at school, increasing school attendance. Thanks to the safe passage program, we parents are more involved and the community and the students feel safe asking for help when they see us along the way. If the cuts to the program continue, not only are you taking jobs away
159from parents, you're also endangering students. I ask for your help so that the program can continue so that we get better training and better pay. We're out there still working in the harsh winter temperatures, making schools safe, and we deserve to have CPS appreciate this great program. Thank you. Thank you. The next speaker from the safe passage program is Patrick Brosman, speaker 28. Good afternoon, uh, board members. Thank you so much for this opportunity. My name is Patrick Brosman. I'm the executive director of the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council. Uh we're a community based organization serving the southwest uh predominantly immigrant communities of Brighton Park, Gage Park, Archer Heights, McKinley Park, Back of the Yards. Uh since the 2010 school year, BPNC has been partnered with CPS to implement the safe passage program in uh schools
160throughout our communities. Uh we have hired over 70 uh plus parents and community leaders from our schools to ensure the safety and security of students and the whole community. I'm not just representing BPNC. However, I am representing all 17 community partners with CPS who are implementing this program throughout the entire city of Chicago in overund 191 schools. Uh I'll say that again. 191 schools in CPS uh and employing over 2,000 parents and community leaders throughout the city. One of the challenges is that is that many don't see the the that uh the crimes and the violence that the safe passage program is preventing. But our workers are out there in the rain, sleet, and snow and sun every single day. And I assure you when you look at the safe passage logs and you look
161at the incident reports, you will see hundreds of incidents being prevented every single week. I want to thank uh board member Lopez for coming out to our uh to our community to uh walk the post with our safe passage workers and I encourage all of you to do the same so you can see the powerful impact of this program. We have over 14,000 petitions signed. Uh we have a packet that's being distributed to all of you with hundreds of letters of support from elected officials, principles, and community leaders across the entire city of Chicago for this program. I want to thank the mayor, uh CPS, and the board for your continued support. We know the budget is tight, but we got to keep funding this inc this critically important program for for for our city.
162So, thank you very much. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Marqua Henton, speaker number 22, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Hi, good afternoon. My name is Marquila Henson. I'm the parent of two scholars at Ray Elementary Ray Elementary School in High Park, excuse me. On February 11th, around 8:00 p.m., my son began crying and screaming, saying his head hurt. I went to console him only to find he had a large knot on his head. My son explained that the same boy who had choked him, kissed him on the cheek, and punched him prior had pushed him into a concrete wall, resulting in a knot. During the consequential caring conference, it was revealed that the attendant asked my son, a six-year-old, if he wanted to go to
163the nurse or to resource recess. Of course, he chose recess. No one checked my son for a concussion. He hit his head. He complained of a headache. And yet, no one engaged the nurse. There are clear definitions for nurse's roles. But there is no protocol on when a nurse should be engaged. The school staff failed to comply with section for 704.9. However, CPS has failed to create measures that hold staff and teachers to engaging medical professionals. I know it should be common sense, but honestly, no staff should have to bear the weight of deciding if it's the right time to get a nurse. Today, the principal at Ray looked at me and said that nothing would happen here except the information would be forwarded back to her. She said in a parent conference that black
164woman to black woman, I went hard on her. And I want to be clear, I do expect for this board to do something for children who are injured in CPS. You have 30 seconds. And our friends will be difficult. um as as difficult as I have to be so that parents, staff, and students don't have to wonder if a nurse is going to be called. I know that you all are discussing board um situations, renewal of of of programs. You're talking about budgets, but the policies of CPS should also be considering how to make what's functioning in the building function even better. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. And our last speaker from the registered speakers list is Brook War. Speaker number 29. I have four children that teach me patience every day. So,
165um I'm glad to the mic. Sorry. Um thank you for having me. My name is Brooke Ror. I'm speaking on behalf of the Chicago Family Dyslexia Collaborative and as well as the 224,000 CPS students who are struggling to read. Uh CEO Martinez, thank you for centering students in your leadership CPS. Research proves that with the appropriate instruction, 95% of all individuals are able to read and write, but only 31% of CPS students read proficiently. We graduate over 10,000 students each year who cannot read at a level expected for their age. 40% of students with an IEP are classified as having a specific learning disability in reading. I have three of those children. Dyslexia is a neurological based difference in the brain and that's what I'm here to talk about. In 2021, CPS and ODLSS at
166the time made a significant commitment to improving support for struggling leaders. However, since becoming CPS's special education chief in January of 2024, Chief Long has eliminated or communicated the plans to replace those. It's not because the programs weren't working. It's because it's not because of loss of money. It's presumably because it was not aligning with personal beliefs. On May 14th, 2025, parents of students in the CPS multiensory structured literacy programs received an email letting them know those programs were being cut starting next year. I know as an LSC member, as a parent that they will not receive that level of instruction starting in August, there was a pilot through the virtual academy that was successful. 90% of Sorry, you have 30 seconds remaining were able to meet their stretch goal. That program was also ended.
167There was collaboration between ODLSS or OSD and the CPS parent collaborative or CPS dyslexia collaborative that was also ended with no communication. We are pleased asking that immediate training and learning disabilities, correcting misinformation sent to parents and restoring parents that or restoring programs that were cut or plans to ensure that students are getting the education they deserve. Please prioritize the outcomes for all CPS students so that no child leaves not being able to read or write proficiently. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. President Harden, we also have several elected officials who would like to address the board. We will begin with Alderman Lamont Robinson from the fourth ward who is joining us in person. Thank you very much, President Harden, Superintendent Martinez. Thank you so much for your service uh to this district. school
168board members. Also, thank you for your service. Um, I'm so proud of the work that we did in Springfield to create elected school board and it's certainly so good to see so many friends uh in front of me. I also want to thank the advocates, parents, and students for being here today. I am here to urge the Chicago school board members to give Urban Prep the three to five-year renewal term that it deserves. For almost two decades, Urban Prep has stood as a symbol of hope, structure, and opportunity for black boys on the south side of Chicago. I not only speak as an advocate, as an educator, also as a black man who was once one of these young black men. I also worked alongside of Iran Prep when I ran a mentoring program called
169the Capital Leadership Institute of Chicago that also sent hundreds of young men to colleges all all across the country. I know that you all know that it's important that our students have a place to be able to call home, a place that they know that they can come back to each year. It also is important to make sure that our educators have a stable work environment. And so board members, colleagues, if I may, I ask again that you take a closer look at this renewal and make sure that we have consistency at Urban College Prep. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is Alderman Byron Sikcho Lopez from the 25th ward who is here in person. Good afternoon um members of the board. Sio Martinez is always good to
170be here especially in a time like this. I think that we all can feel proud to be in Chicago that is a beacon of hope in the midst of the attempts to dismantle public education. I am here uh on two topics. First, I'm going to touch on the importance of charter accountability, and I'm here in full support of the resolution. And the reason why is because history said so. We all remember the infamous United Neighborhood Organization, Uno, that use educational dollars for our kids for political campaigns, political purposes. So we cannot have different rules for different people. Public dollars privately managed by organizations that oftent time are more interested in politics that are not in the best interest of our kids because I'm all for politics. But to use public dollars in the way that
171United Neighborhood Organization used them, it is just uncalled for. We all are aware how 50 schools close in the poorest areas of the city of Chicago at the same time as organizations like UNO where expanding and building new schools with public dollars. We cannot allowed to go back to those times. I am urge you to make sure that we have accountability and the board takes adequate time to review those contracts to hold them accountable. We just saw the same group UNO that had to change their name. Now they're called Laserto and wonder why they had to change their name. That was so shameful what happened. The frosters, some of them already left the room when I came to talk because they know it's true. $43 million in reserves. This organization was had with no audit,
172with no accountability to the parents in meetings where the board shut down the mics not only for parents but elected officials. So what is that money for? I remind you, Uno was also whole guilty of defrauding investors, lying to people, taking the money away from diverse learners for political campaigns. The CEO actually run Rome Emanuel campaign for reelection as CEO of an educational school. The frosters of the past cannot come back to tell us what to do. I am glad that you have that we have an elected school board. You have my full confidence that if you look at the facts and I hold them accountable, you will see what is the best interest of our children. Now, let me just refer very quickly to some of the some of the lies that continue to
173be spread out. Tie money, we like it or not, has been used to balance budgets. What is incredible to me is that districts like mine receive amendments from CPS. The Chicago public schools voted in favor in a CDC, the Community Development Commission so that our schools can receive capital infrastructure dollars. When those assumptions are not made, those funds are not allocated. So the principles are right. So those those budgets are fake. And now we have in my community and that's what I'm here not to ask for tiff dollars, not to ask for anything to make sure that we have a plan for God's sake. How Mr. Martinez goes and votes in favor of an amendment. So our schools depend on that dollars only to retrieve that commitment and leave us unfunded. By the way, Mr.
174Martinez, the Great Cities Institute is still waiting for an answer to that. So we research this. I ask the board to make sure that schools like us immigrant kids the same the same opportunity anybody else. If we can get every alderman to give away the tips and make sure that they go to schools you have my support. But I cannot in good faith aloud that the frosters here that now said disgrace alderman please 30 seconds remaining but just yesterday had his support tell us that they represent a coalition of parents and people they represent a coalition of billionaires realtors and charter organizational networks that don't want accountability but enrich themselves. So I'm here asking to make sure that we have a plan for every single school and district. I supported the the plan of of
175CP of CTU abolish your tips and be equitable and let's ask the alderman downtown to see how they feel about it because they continue to soak resources while immigrant kids conclude your remarks are neglected. So, I'm here to ask to make sure that we have a plan and that we talk to each other to make sure that we go to Springfield so the governor, the senator, president, and then the speaker of the house were to tax the rich and corporations so our kids and the learners don't get the crumbs that we continue to see. We just went to Springfield with members of my community. That's a coalition of parents and people, not the frosters. And I ask and urge you to the board of education to come with us to Springfield to look at the
176facts and develop a plan that has accountability for charter schools and public funding for every child in our city. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is Alderman Gilbert Pie from the 36th Ward joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Can you hear me? Yes, please proceed. Thank you. Uh, good evening everyone. I want to take a moment to offer my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Pedro Martinez for his remarkable leadership during this time as CEO of Chicago Public Schools. Pedro stepped into this role at a critical time when our students, teachers, and families were still navigating the deep challenges of the pandemic. He faced those challenges head-on, working tirelessly, keep our schools open, to prioritize student learning, and to rebuild trust in our public education system.
177Under Pedro's leadership, we've seen important pro important progress. There was expanding access to early childhood education, strengthening support for divers diverse learners, or focusing on equity and opportunity for every student across the city. He made it a point to listen, to engage with communities, and to always put students first. His strengths and tenacity as a leader have been on full display throughout his throughout his tenure, but especially this past year. While powerful special interests attempted to bully and intimidate him, he did not back down as his f and his focus was always crystal clear, always crystal clear. Do what is right for the children in our city while being a responsible fiscal steward and ensuring our school district remained on track to cutting its deficit. and at the same time was a competitive option for
178parents to send their kids. We are forever grateful for our leaders for your leadership and and time as CEO Pedro. And as Pedro embarks on his next chapter, we know he will continue to make a difference wherever his journey takes him. But remember here in Chicago, his impact will be lasting and he will be greatly missed. Mro, on behalf of our entire city, thank you for your service, your vision, and your heartfelt uh your heart for our children, for our students and families. We wish you all the best in this next chapter and know that you will always have a home and community that support you here in Chicago. All the best, my friend, and keep up the great work, Board. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is Alderwoman Nicole Lee from
179the 11th ward, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Alderwoman Nicole Lee, please enter star six to unmute. Sorry about that. I thought I did. Good evening, everybody. Um, uh, President Harden, members of the board, distinguished guests, CEO Martinez, it's an honor to join you today, not only as the alderman of the 11th ward, but also as a proud graduate of Chicago public schools, uh, and more importantly, as a parent of CPS students. I'm here today to recognize and thank CEO Pedro Martinez for his outstanding leadership, vision, and service to our city's children and families. Pedro came into this role, as my colleague said earlier, at one of the most difficult moments in public education. And our schools and our city were still reeling from the impact of the global pandemic.
180But from day one, Pedro's brought stability, compassion, and a fierce determination to make things better for our students. Of course, because he himself was a product of the Chicago public schools and a proud son of Pilson, he knew that recovery wasn't just about reopening buildings, but also about reopening possibilities. He prioritized safety while also championing academic growth, equity, and mental health. He listened to families. He showed up for teachers, and he never lost sight of students at the heart of this system. Under his leadership, we've seen graduation rates rise, test scores begin to rebound, and important investments made in our neighborhood schools. He helped lay the foundation for a more inclusive and accountable school system, one that is better equipped to serve all of our kids in every zip code across the city. As a
181parent, I've seen that firsthand. As a CPS graduate, I'm deeply grateful for the way Pedro's honored our school communities, not just with words, but with real action. Pedro, your commitment to public education and to Chicago has left a lasting mark. While this is going to be your final board meeting, I know that your legacy is going to live on um in every classroom and school and wins with every student who is given the opportunity to succeed because of your leadership. On behalf of the 11th ward and families across this great city, I want to join uh my colleagues in thanking you for all that you've done and wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is Alderwoman Jay Jaylu Gutierrez from the 14th
182Ward joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Good afternoon, Seio Martinez, President Harden, and members of the board. I'm Alderwoman Hilutes of the 14 ward on the southwest side of Chicago. I'm here to speak in strong support of the Safe Passage program and call for CPS to continue fully fund the Safe Passage program. Safe Passage is a vital program that ensures our students can travel to and from school with peace of mind. Their consistent presence provides a sense of security not only for students but also for parents, educators, and school staff because they report and deter crime. In my ward, we have four schools that take part in this part in this program in collaboration with Brighton Park neighborhood council. With the assistance of BPNC, Safe Passage has flourished outside of Brighton Park
183and into neighborhoods like Gates Park and Back at the Yards. With 53 community watchers, the program success is rooted in the team's deep knowledge of the community and their strong relationships with local residents. We as elected officials have to serve our community and ensure that the safe paths program continues across the city because no child would have to navigate a dangerous path to access their education. Before our children can learn in school, they have to arrive safely. We need to continue funding safe passage because when safety it's a barrier to education, we are failing our students before they even step foot in the classroom. I would also like to thank the CPS school board for stepping in and saving our federal schools. In a time where our families were not giving clarity on their students
184futures, I thank the board for keeping five of these schools open and providing the clarity that Aetto has not. There are seven charter schools in the 14 ward. That is over a third of the total schools in my ward. And I'm humbly asking that the board vote in support of the resolution to hold Ato and all charter schools accountable so we can protect our students and families. Increase parent and community voice. Prohibit abrupt school closure during the renewal term. Protect workers rights and promote and promote union neutrality so our staff have the resources to teach and care for our students. Passing this resolution will ensure that no other families have to face uncertainty that our set of families went through this academic year. Finally, I would like to thank you, CEO Pedro Martinez, for your
185dedication, hard work, and collaboration in leading CPS for the past four years and for always looking out for our children and families. May your new chapter in Massachusetts bring you success and appreciation. Thank you to the board and advocates here today. I look forward to continue working together for the betterment of our schools and communities. Thank you for your comments. The next elected official is Alderwoman Janette Taylor from the 20th ward and the education chairwoman joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Alderwoman Janette Taylor, please enter star six to unmute. Good evening to everybody who is listening. Um it's really um mindboggling how we rewrite history. I've been disappointed in every CEO, BEO, AEO who's ever been in Chicago public school. And that's because we have winners and losers in education. And after
186being on a a local school council for 23 years, being in a space as elected officials, you all are doing the same crap y'all been doing for years. which is why we're infighting. Our young people get left behind. And so I don't care if you're at charter. I don't care if you at public, you at private. Our responsibility is to make sure young people are educated and that we work together. And while we fought for over 30 years for an elected school board, you all are putting that in chaos. And so let's not forget the young people who got left behind during co. They look like me. And so while I wish you well in your endeavors, you could have done a better job with starting with a forensic audit for CPS because you all
187are wasteful, you all don't think about all the schools in the city of Chicago, which is why we have things like black student success and why people feel like that's racist. We know those are the young people that you all will continue to leave behind. It is it it never ceases to amaze me that I'm hearing parents fight for safe passage. Remember that's the thing that you gave us when you all closed 50 schools and so those schools are still closed. So please explain to me why we're taking away safe passage because you all got a budget deference. Start at the top. Let's start with that building that you all spend millions of dollars on. Go to one of those schools you closed. And of course it's the new elected school board. And while we
188know this is not going to be the magical wand that's going to fix it all, my my advice to the elected school board is you all are elected officials. You are no different than me. And so it is your responsibility to talk to every constituent, every school, to see what the needs are. The thought that y'all doing the same thing over and over again is is is ridiculous. And so I have not been to Chicago public school board meeting since 2013 when I went on a hunger strike to save Diet High School. The young people that y'all counted out who are now the state champions. Absolutely. Silence. That's what you all need to do is be silent. Allow local schools to make those decisions. allow those principles and teachers and parents to make those decisions.
189Every time I turn on the TV, y'all doing more infighting than they doing in DC. And why? You know what great schools look like. They just ain't a priority on certain parts of the city. And we know that. And so it's funny how we'll get over here and say, "You've done an amazing job." when y'all the equivalent of what goes on in DC. When has America ever been great for people that look like me? I'll wait. It hasn't. And so what I say to all of you all is while we footing around and arguing and fighting with each other, our young people are getting killed in the streets. You see it every day. and some of the things that have saved them because safe passage has been safe passage for young people who live in
190communities where schools are closed and they still have to walk to the school that was designated the better school, which we know was not true. In my time at being at city council, I asked Pedro Martinez to have a report about what happened during the school closings. Of course, we haven't gotten it because y'all don't want to say the truth that it was a mistake and we were wrong. And so, my recommendation to you all and what I'll fight each and every last one of you on is making sure that you are sitting at the feet of community and listening to what young people need, what teacher support need, and what families need. That's our responsibility. I don't care what color you are and what side of the city you leave you live on. CPS
191shouldn't be still standing for closing public schools cuz that's what it's always stood for for me. Y'all put students first. How is taking away the other support that families need putting students first? It's not. You all continue to do the same thing that expect different results. I expect more and I expect better. And so stop picking and choosing what elected officials you talk to and you want to work with and work with us all. I'll take my I I'll you can have those 30 seconds cuz at the end of the day, y'all ain't going to listen and you're not going to be satisfied. Two parents just not allowed you to educate their children at all. And then we'll see where you all work. Thank you for your comments, President Harden. That was the elect last
192elected official and this concludes public participation. Board members, are there any questions or comments related to public participation? I'll just say briefly that we certainly recognize the the value of safe passage. Um, and to our charter community, we recognize the value that you bring to the district and me and fellow board members look forward to our convening tomorrow to strengthen our relationship. Are there any other questions or comments from the board? Member Lopez. Thank you, President. Just wanted to thank uh the safe passage parents uh community organization when I had the opportunity to visit and also followed their route and seeing how the children were greeting them as they were walking in. Also the staff and the teachers. Uh thank you for for that. And I the day that I showed up, it was warm
193weather, but I can only imagine what they're going through when it's -10° and they're still showing up in every post just to ensure that our children have a safe way to get to their school. Thank you. We will now move into a short recess. Board member Rosenfield, do you have motion? M1? I move that the board take a 30 minute recess. Is there a second? I second that motion. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. She's not on right now. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Hi. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. I. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I.
194Member Zachor. Yes. 18 eyes, zero nays. This motion is adopted by the board. This meeting will now go into a 30 minute recess. The meeting of the board of education is reconvened. We will now proceed with the business portion of the meeting. CO Martinez, we are ready for presentation. Thank you, President Harden. We will start with our progress monitoring and early learning led by our chief of early childhood, Lesie McKenley. Good afternoon. My name is Lesie McKinley and I serve as the chief officer for the Office of Early Childhood Education. I'm joined here today by my colleague Nicole Milberg, Chief Officer for the Office of Teaching and Learning, along with several members of the teaching and learning team. We are here this evening to share more about our ongoing efforts to strengthen access, enrollment, quality,
195and uh quality programming in early learning grades, preK through 2 grade. This work is a key priority in our together we rise five-year vision. As we all know, early learning sets the stage for lifelong success. Foundational skills developed in preK through 2 grade are critical for future academic achievement and student growth. Research shows that supporting our youngest learners early reduces the need for intervention later, saving time and resources. Our visionary goal is to ensure every student enters third grade equipped with strong academic and social emotional skills. To achieve this, we're concentrating on four key areas. ensuring universal access, increasing enrollment, delivering high quality curriculum, and implementing research-based interventions. Next slide. Thanks to the expansion of our universal prechool, we've seen consistent growth in enrollment over the past several years. Now, we're approaching a natural plateau
196as we are nearing our seat capacity. This tells us that the demand is strong in this city and we've definitely aligned our seats availability to meet that demand. Today we have more than 370 elementary schools offering preK programming across the district serving more than 19,000 students. Next slide. Our data confirms that we are reaching the students who benefit most from early learning opportunities. Currently, 84% of our preK students meet the early childhood block grant criteria for being at risk for academic failure. 71% are considered economically disadvantaged. 35% of our students have an IEP and 28% of our students are English learners. These numbers demonstrate that we've not only expanded access, but we are serving a diverse highnee population, reinforcing our commitment to equity. We've officially launched, next slide, please. We've officially launched our prek application
197for next year on April 8th. Families receive their offers on May 22nd and those applying now will receive their offers within a 24-hour period. Next slide. And here's some preliminary data around our application launch. As of May 22nd, we've released 66 of our full day 66% of our full day seats and 75% of our halfday seats to families. And typically, we don't see that type of um numbers, those types of numbers until late June. So, we're really excited about the um famil family's response to our application. While this process is exciting, we know that there's still work to do. We know that there's work to do to ensure that not only families apply for our seats within the district, but also that they accept those seats and that they enroll in um the fall. Next
198slide. So, we have some application support and resources available for families and for those who would love to um join us in sharing the outreach of our application. Our Chicago Early Learning hotline can assist in both English and Spanish. Um families are able to apply for an application directly. They're also able to answer questions and also confirm their seats. We also have a digital toolkit that's available for those who want help and um promoting our outreach on social media and also supporting us through community events. And we know that getting into uh the door of preschool programs is a major success. And we also know that high quality programming is what sustains that success. And so now that I've shared how families are able to access preK programming, um I'll turn it over to Chief
199Milberg to talk more about the daily student experience and what preK through 2 grade students can expect to experience once they enroll in the district. Thank you. Thank you, Leslie. Good evening. A daily student experience that is rigorous, joyful, and equitable is the core to our work. This must be particularly true for our earliest learners. This is how we build a strong foundation and a relationship of trust with our students and families from the start of their CPS journey. Next slide. The quality and consistency of the instructional materials we ask our students to engage with matters. This is our six-part definition of a highquality curriculum. Every student deserves access to grade level culturally and linguistically sustaining and cohesively aligned learning with instructional materials that support this vision. Our goal is to empower educators with highquality
200instructional materials and curriculum-based learning so teachers are able to make the decisions they know are responsive to the needs of their students. This is how we strengthen the instructional core by continuously improving and supporting the interaction between educators, students, and the content. Next slide. Over the past three years, our schools and educators have worked tirelessly to adopt high-quality curriculum in almost all of our pre primary classrooms. And we have expanded to provide a foundational skills supplement which is now being used in more than 200 prek programs to support kindergarten readiness. To share more about what this looks like in literacy, I'm very honored to turn the mic over to Dr. Jane Fleming. Thank you, Chief Milberg. Good evening, members of the board. Thank you for the opportunity to share. Um, in English language arts and
201in Spanish language arts and CPS, we've focused on enacting um some research-based literacy key practices in every classroom. We can go to the next slide, please. Um, these include the abundant reading of diverse and engaging texts coupled with systematic and explicit foundational skills instruction in preK through fifth grade. uh along with extensive discussion to support language development and comprehension, lots of writing to support reading development, engagement in rigorous and authentic learning experiences, and opportunities to uh communicate and create content in a modern digital environment. These key practices are going to look different in kindergarten than they do in 9th grade, for example, but they are key practices that we can expect to see in any CPS classroom across the district. and we're leveraging highquality comprehensive curriculum uh to help us get there. Um we often
202get asked if we are following the science of reading and as many of you uh probably know um this typically refers to the science that speaks to the importance of that explicit and systematic foundational skills instruction to build reading accuracy and fluency in the early grades. So yes, we are definitely doing that. Um, we're also paying attention to the science of oral language proficiency and its contribution to reading and writing development and the explicit teaching of comprehension strategies and text structure for meaning making and the research on the contribution of writing to reading development and the importance of vocabulary development and knowledge building through science and social science instruction for example and the research on biiteracy and learning to read in a second language. So I say all this to say we're taking a comprehensive
203approach uh to literacy instruction in CPS and grounding our instructional vision in the sciences of literacy. Um and this is also uh strongly aligned with the Illinois comprehensive literacy plan. Um we're also following the science on cultural relevance as a key factor in developing early literacy skills. We often think about uh culturally responsive instruction as helping students feel uh connected and included in school and that is of course very very important. But there is plentiful research to show that culturally and linguistically responsive instruction actually supports reading and writing development. So when learners are engaged um with culturally relevant content for example, student interest and engagement increases, their motivation and persistence is stronger even when things get challenging. The productivity of literature discussion increases. Our young people have lots to say about things that are important
204to them. As you can imagine, depth of comprehension increases when students can connect new learning to their lived experience. um writing productivity goes through the roof. All of these factors are not just nice ideas. They are tangible cognitive benefits uh for reading and writing development. So our approach uh to early literacy is to embed the literacy key practices in the context of culturally and linguistically responsive curriculum. Um, our Skyline curriculum, as you can see, is built on beautiful contemporary, diverse texts and compelling essential questions, um, in which students can find themselves, their families, their communities, and their experiences represented and valued. Um so we're confident that this approach to rigorous and relevant instruction um along with the many investments that CPS has made in early learning over the past many years um is contributing to
205the reading growth um among CPS students that CEO Martinez uh referenced earlier. Um and now I'm pleased to invite my colleague uh Dr. Corey Morrison, CPS director of mathematics uh to talk a little bit about our approach to early mathematics instruction. Uh thanks Dr. Fleming. Uh good evening board. Thank you so much for having me. I'm very excited to share with you our strategy around K2 uh mathematics and and if we can go to the next slide. Um fluency is also a key word and it but it's very different than literacy. um how we need to engage students in fluency um is around flexibility and confidence to solve problems in many different ways and not just produce uh what their teacher does, not just memorize or mimic uh to learn through rope memorization. And so
206one of our key readings or findings or things that we've been leaning into is around Biruti's uh phases of fluency which came out in 2006. Um saying that we often jump and skip the most important phase in math fluency development um which is phase two. this idea that students get plenty of time uh to practice and play and select strategy and think about the strategies that they're deriving from foundational facts uh and how they apply into different scenarios. That strategy selection is what builds confidence and strengthens math identity and gives students the ability to be flexible and confident in solving problems in later years. So often we see what's on the left of your screen, folks go from teaching it really well, jumping right to memorization. And what we've shifted is spending a lot of
207time intentionally in phase two. How we spend time in phase two is the fun part. Leaning on Jenny Bay Williams work around fluency games as a way to improve instruction and assessment and give feedback to students. Through games, we can hear students talk. We can understand what they misunderstand. We can give actionable just in time feedback to improve instruction uh improve learning for students. We lean in games. Lean into games. So, I wanted to share a video with you of my team and the promo video. Uh, my team is responsible for running the professional learning for teachers. We've served over 300 teachers this year um and teaching how to use these games. And this is a snippet about four minutes long, I guess, a little shorter of um how those fluency games happen. The biggest
208goals of K through five math is to build computational fluency. And some of the ways teachers have done this traditionally include things like time tests, drills, flashcards, and research has shown us that while students may remember those facts in that moment, they do not retain them. These strategies actually lead students to develop math anxiety, which includes things such as math avoidance, low test scores in math, and just overall student having a negative affect when it comes to math. This is where fluency games come in. Math games provide for students a fun just non-threatening way for them to engage in math and really work on developing their fact fluency. They actually give students an opportunity to interact and engage with one another. They give them an opportunity to practice reasoning strategies involved when you actually play
209a game. Students are also collaboratively working with other classmates and really learning what does it mean to have a discussion with somebody? What does it mean to work with a group? So that social emotional learning piece is embedded within it as well. There are over 40 math games within the Skyline math curriculum and any teacher in CPS has access to these games. All they have to use is their CPS login within the Safari Montage ecosystem. They are located in every TFG and unit plan for grades kindergarten through fifth grade. Another way that teachers can get familiar with Fluency Games is to come to our Fluency Game Day. Fluency Game Day sessions are amazing. Teachers get to think deeply about fluency with colleagues from around the district. We also give them ample opportunities to engage with
210other teachers and really lean into the expertise that's in the room. The most valuable thing I learned today about math fluency was just like more ways to incorporate it than just worksheets. Math fluency can be done by any student, any grade, any level with all access and at a low risk. playing games is going to be a really great lead in um to get students excited and motivated to either win or learn some math or both. One of the best parts about Fluency Game Day with teachers, teachers get to actually play the games themselves. And as we're playing, you can actually see how teachers are shifting their own mindsets. Maybe if I were to share these games with the students, we would play the game boards with potential related tracks like a two, a four,
211another three. Teachers leave our fluency game day session with copies of the games as well as the materials inside of a ziplockc baggie so that they can actually play those games as soon as the very next day with their students. This PD made it easy to see how to implement it. So, um, it's something that I'm just going to implement right away. I didn't expect to receive material. So, that's really great to be able to have that. I didn't have to print something off. I didn't have to like look for it. We're so excited to bring it back to the classroom right away and share it with our um other teachers at our school. While games is one of the great ways that Skyline helps you promote fluency in your classroom. Skyline offers multiple ways
212to support fluency development. Lessons and resources are embedded throughout the Skyline math curriculum such as the math toolbox, math talks that are embedded within the TFGs, transition to math tasks which are embedded within the TFGs and math connections. I would love to see teachers come to our fluency game day. We are hosting them around the networks in CPS and we would be more than delighted for educators to come out with us to learn with us to engage with us and to leave with some resources to share the love and joy of math fluency around the Chicago public school system. Great video. That's my amazing team. So, shout out to them uh for putting that on. Yes, that sounded a little promoy. Um but we've seen it work this year. Um, like I said, we've had
213over 300 teachers. We are setting up our cycle for next year to um offer more. And we're also starting our community engagement um to offer games to take home for families. And I'll now pass it over to my colleague, Peter Leonard. Good evening, board members. My name is Peter Leonard. I'm the executive director of student assessment in MTSS. I was actually just talking to a principal the other day about their assessment plan. and they told me they just sent four teachers to Fluency Games and they're excited for them to come back and share that learning uh with their staff. So, I get to talk to you about some of the evidence and some of the results we're seeing about how our students are progressing in the early years, some of the promising findings that the
214strategies that my colleagues talked about are bearing fruit and what our students know and are able to do. So, the data you're looking at here reflects student growth based on teaching strategies gold. This is an observational assessment conducted by preK teachers throughout the year. This is data collected again observationally by teachers as they um watch students playing and learning in whole and small group settings. TSG evaluates development across six key areas: social emotional, physical, language, cognitive, literacy, and mathematics. We're seeing clear growth from fall to winter, confirming that our youngest learners are building their foundational skills. We're in the process of collecting our spring data and we're going to be excited to share that growth with you in the future. As we look ahead, these preK students are the ones who will soon be our
215K2 learners, making alignment across preK and the early years essential. As we move forward, we're going to shift to those K through 2 grade students currently. And the data we're looking at now in this next slide is for students reading performance for kindergarten, first and second grades in the middle of year I ready assessment administration. This is administered by about 95% of our schools and this data comes from an assessment given in January. These scores are reported across performance levels with the graph you're seeing spanning from two grade levels below the pink section all the way up to mid or above grade level the dark green section. The graph helps us see both CPS student performance in relation to the standards but also helps us see comparisons of CPS students to those in other large
216districts as well as across the nation. A couple highlights to call out on this slide. You'll notice that CPS outperforms the other large urban district comparison group. What you'll see there is CGCS across all three grade levels with the largest difference in kindergarten. And you'll see in kindergarten even the CPS students outperform the testing group across the nation. What you show there as national YTD. If we go to the next slide, we'll be looking at math. So for the math data, you'll notice that kind of overall performance in math for across the nation is lower than in reading. And that's consistent for CPS larger districts in the nation. But the highlights here are that CPS outperforms both the large urban district comparison group and the national testing group in all three grade levels. Again, we
217see the largest positive difference for CPS in kindergarten, signaling that there's something successful happening right in our preK strategy and the supports for the transition to kindergarten for our youngest learners. Chief McKinley and Chief Milberg talked about those connected supports from preK through the early years. And this next slide helps us see the success of CPS for students who are consistently within our schools and served by our educators. So this slide is a cohort analysis for middle-ofear testers in both reading and math. So students are included in this data if they participated in middle-ofear testing the past three years as a kindergartener, then as a first grader, and now as a second grader. What we see here is that the students who receive instruction in CPS over consecutive years are growing with the average performance
218increasing 7 percentage points in reading and four percentage points in math. The curriculum associates team who makes I Ready confirmed that this is not a typical finding. They've actually shared that this is rare across all their partner districts to see a cohort analysis growing this significantly. Just underlying underlining the amazing work our CPS educators are doing to move learning forward for our youngest learners. This concludes our early years presentation and we welcome any questions or comments from the board. Thanks so much. Um thank you so much for the presentation. I think a lot of us uh board members are especially excited about um hearing about the early learning updates. Um when it comes to the the exact goal that's in our strategic plan, it is about increasing the percentage of um kindergarten and second through
219second grade students their performance on I Ready from 37 to 45% in math and 42 to 50% in reading. So where are we on the on that specific metric that's in the strategic plan? Thank you for the question. So that goal was set with baseline data and we will know progress on that shortly. So that is based on the end of year um end of year data. That end of year window is actually open now. So it's the last day of administration for end of year is tomorrow. So we'll be working to analyze that data according to the strategic plan uh target and we'll be able to provide an update um based on that analysis um in the coming the coming months. Is there one given the midyear data the middleear data is not analyzed
220through through that lens. So the way IR ready is reported is that mid or above grade level data. And so using the end of the year for our target allows us to be comparable year-over-year. So we'll be able to look uh when we look at middle of year to see how we're doing in relation to previous years. But about where we are versus the target, we update that once a year with the end ofear results and we look forward to doing that shortly. Thank you. You're welcome. Yes. I have uh two questions. One is about the IEP. Uh when children are in preK, does that IEP get tracked from preK to kindergarten? And in what ways does that IEP go and grow with that child to assess what their needs are? That's the first question.
221Hi, Rebecca Parker, deputy chief in the office of early childhood. So, um, thank you for that question. I think so for our students in preK that have an IEP, that IEP is then, um, they're reassessed every year or re-evaluated. And that IEP, those goals will lead from preK. the IEP is written and then the goals will um be re-evaluated in kindergarten and um a new IEP is is written at that time. I I want to understand your question a little bit more. Yeah, I I think you kind of answered it because I I think what my concern sometimes is when that new IEP is written, there are things that get lost in terms of what the child needed or what their issue was in prek to that next stage. Got it. So the team has
222copies. So we have a system, it's SSM, okay? The team has copies of all of the previous documents. So you know, typically the team, including the teacher, they will review the one that is current in order to write the next one and they use the data that they've collected along the way. Um, so that in addition to teachers in kindergarten, first, and second can actually go back and review previous years if they choose to. um from first grade, kindergarten, preK as well. Yeah. And then my second question was in terms of Skyline and the math fluency, if a child falls behind in that Skyline program, what opportunities do they have to catch up? If that program continues going forward, but the child couldn't keep up. Thank you for that question. The Skyline curriculum is as
223outlined a high quality curriculum. Um so it has the vertical and horizontal alignment which allows us to provide just in time supports um and build other resources into the curriculum to support students that fall behind. One of those would be possibly mini lessons or using fluency games as a way to help students get caught up during their intervention time or small group time. So, it's a part of the curriculum is the protected 60 minutes of uh tier one instruction which uses the curriculum. There's also intervention time outside of that 60 minutes where schools can leverage some of those resources to help students get caught back up into the curriculum. Thank you. Good evening. Um I'd like to thank you for your presentation uh on the early fluency. Um I'm looking at the as you mentioned
224the CPS login and any teacher can log into it. Uh is the login going to be available to parents as well so they can help support the instructors or teachers? Thank you. Thank you for that question. Uh, no. At the moment for the Skyline curriculum, um, it's only available to the CPS teachers, but many of the teachers make these, uh, materials available for parents via their Google classroom or their other, uh, classroom management systems that they have. Um, the far as the fluency games go, the way we've engaged families is through the math uh, back to school nights. U we were able to launch a couple successful ones last year where students actually led the games and activities with the parents and then my office was able to help facilitate and you know prepare students
225to lead that work and then families were able to walk away with some of the same kits that teachers walk away with so they have those kind of play uh the board games and the materials at home to continue their learning. Does that answer your Okay, member Brown. Board member Thomas. um kind of inspired a question for me. Um are there any tools to help parents assess um whether curriculum is culturally relevant and responsive? Um do are there any tools that exist within the district to do that? That's a great question. Uh board member Brown, I would say, you know, one of the things we talk about cultural relevance a lot as being sort of in the curriculum, but the relevance actually resides within the learner as you know, right? And so whether a particular
226unit, a particular text, a particular experience um is culturally relevant to a particular learner depends on their identity, their experiences, etc. So I mean the best judge of that would probably be the parent um in terms of having access to some of the materials to see how those uh materials or those learning experiences resonate with them. Um similar to what Dr. Morrison shared um we are working um through Skyline uh ELA with Chicago public libraries and with some other uh cultural institutions across Chicago to uh increase access to Skyline ELA resources um to families. We've also worked with the CPS parent universities to outfit them um with many of the text sets that are included um in Skyline uh so that parents can get their hands on some of those materials, read those texts with
227their children uh and really be the judges for themselves about how those texts resonate. Um, so I don't want to like blanket term like a cultural relevance being universally relevant, but we have a diversity of texts and a diversity of essential questions and a diversity of experiences that are represented in the curriculum that we uh feel are more reflective of the CPS student population and of uh Chicago students experiences. So, no, I appreciate that and and let me know if this is helpful because I don't I don't want to be swinging above my my weight class. But if I understand anything correctly, um, a group that that I work with in New York called the Alliance for Quality Education, it's a a large community organization, they have a sister group called the New York Coalition
228for Education Justice. What they did in 2014 is they did a series of of family nights throughout New York and they had developed sort of this uh s this this this I don't know if it would be called a survey but it has certain metrics for parents to look at to say is your child's curriculum culturally relevant and responsive like who's the antagonist? Yeah. Who's the protagonist? Um who wrote the book? was was it written by a person that from that impacted community? So, I don't remember all of them, but it it got so big that they ended up winning um $23 million from the city of New York to actually spread this throughout the district to transform um because they they found out that most of the books that children were reading were not
229written by people that look like them. Absolutely. Right. And so, it it was an excellent tool to actually build parent leadership. And I'm thinking about with the parent universities um there could be a community- based organizations that could be a way to really inst because these parents were really inspired then to make sure that their child's education was culturally relevant and responsive and you know as a teacher if you got a partner at the home that's that that that believes what you believe then it it helps the child even more. So, I just wanted to offer this. The Alliance for Quality Education and the New York City Coalition for Education Justice. Thank you so much for that. And I'll just say you're not swinging above your weight class at all. And those kinds of questions
230that you're asking are like the similar kinds of tools that we used for the tech selection and the essential questions development in Skyline. to your point now having opportunities for families to experience the curriculum for themselves and and to provide us with feedback um on that is is a an avenue that we want to pursue for sure. Okay. And I just wanted to add yes absolutely appreciate your comment and feedback. We have begun uh doing family engagement. So this year for the first time we did skyline training through our local school councils and now we are working with the PAC's. Um but there is there is more work to be done but we did a first session with parents on feedback on the skyline curriculum as well. So we've done some training and got done
231some feedback. We have but we have much more to do. So thank you. Okay. Member Wallace. Uh hi. I was wondering if the culturally responsive curriculum is the only way that you define or measure joyful learning educations. What are if that is not the only way? What are some of the the ways that you measure the joyful learning experiences of our students? The joyful uh I think because math is also also considered the most feared subject and so bringing joy into math I think is if we can bring it there we can bring it anywhere. Uh I think joyful has multiple points of definition that it's not just fun it is also pride in work and accomplishing hard things. um working through struggle. So, productive struggle is one of those metrics. We do have tools
232around um how teachers engage students in productive struggle. How do students persevere and persist through uh challenging problems? Those can all fall under the category of joyful as students take pride in their work and are excited to share all of the things that they do. And we know that to be true from um how they engage in our in our family nights and student leaders in the math classroom. So, it's one of the ways that we talk about joy, at least on the math side of things. But it's not just limited to to fun. Perfect. Uh and I just want to say that my kindergartenner is absolutely a fan of math. So you guys are doing something right. Member Rivas. Uh thank you, Mr. President. Um I just wanted to um highlight and say h
233how uh grateful I am to see that so much of this is available in Spanish. As someone who did uh pre-K and kindergarten in spa in Spanish um in our bilingual program many many years ago, uh it's really beautiful to see. Um, al also as someone who worked uh in our migrant response when we first started receiving uh our migrants to our city uh you know we saw a huge uh influx of Spanish speakers, right? Uh primarily from Central America and and um South America. Um we also have saw an influx of of children who don't speak Spanish but speak other languages than English. So, I'm wondering what are the supports that exist for our youngest learners who speak maybe Haitian Creole or some other language that's not English or Spanish. This is something that
234we are uh challenged by and working on as as we speak. So there are language supports built into the Skyline curriculum to support um as you know we have a um a an equivalent Spanish language arts curriculum. So we have English language arts and Spanish language arts but for students who speak um a myriad of languages as they do in CPS there are language supports built into Skyline um related to uh language mini lessons to support uh English learners etc. These are more geared towards learning English. There are uh also studentf facing translation kinds of tools, right? Um texttospech type tools, those kinds of things built into the curriculum. And there are supports for teachers um around uh language learning and WEDA standards and universal design for learning expectations to support learners uh at various
235language levels um uh in engaging with and responding to the curriculum. Having said that, we are working uh right now on trying to build our uh access to aligned text sets. So text sets that are aligned to the skyline unit themes um that could be available in the top eight languages in CPS. This is an extraordinarily difficult task in terms of actually finding publishers of uh children's books especially for young children um in in those various languages but that is a project that we're working on now with the office of multilingual and multicultural education and our CPS libraries team. So we hope that we'll have um more resources uh coming this year with respect to that. Thank you. You're welcome. Member Rosenfield. Uh yeah, I want to compliment you guys on an excellent roll out
236on a uh April 8th for the prek applications. I heard from a lot of families that were trying to do it. The site didn't crash. You were responsive in your calls. So, thank you so much. It doesn't go unnoticed. My question on this is how many families got their first choice? And if they didn't get their first choice, how many got their second and third? And are there families that didn't get any offer? Thank you so much for that question and appreciate you acknowledging that the site did not clash. That was something we were excited about as well. Um so we're in the process of um averaging out how many families receive first choice, second choice, third choice. So we'll be able to provide that um shortly. Um what I will say is there are
237some families that um were weight listed at all five choices and we are in the process of working with those families to identify um available seats throughout the district. Thanks. Are there any other questions or comments from board members? Thank you. President. Now we're going to uh present now our charter school renewals with Chief Cremona. Uh good evening. Okay. I was expecting a more energetic response. Good evening. Buenardes. Buenardes. Uh good evening, President Harden, uh Vice President Bautista and other board members. Um before starting the presentation, I would like to officially introduce the team that has been leading the charter renewal cycle. Um this time we have here with me I have Conrad Timbers, our deputy chief of portfolio. We have also here Sabrina Evans who is the executive director of the office of innovation
238and incubation and also Rochelle Washington who is the director of authorization. I also wanted to take a couple of seconds to thank you uh for uh taking the time to read in the hundreds and hundreds of pages of reports that we send you uh and and for providing valuable feedback to us uh through this process. So really thank you for for taking the time to do so. Uh as you are aware, my name is Alonso Carmona and I serve as the chief portfolio officer for Chica public schools. Uh today we present to you the renewal recommendations for the 2425 uh charter renewal cohort. Next slide. This cohort comprise comprises 16 operators and managing a total of 21 campuses located across 15 distinct neighborhoods in Chicago servicing approximately about 9,000 students. It is worth noting that
239uh the contracts for these operators are set to expire at the end of this school year on June 30th uh 2025. Hence the fact that we're presenting this to you today for uh your decision making process. Uh next slide. Let me pass it to Deputy Chief uh Timbers. He will be speaking about the renewal process and the current evaluation criteria that we have in the district. Thank you, Chief. Uh good evening board members. Good evening CEO Martinez. Uh I'm going to talk to you all about the overview of charter and contract renewal process and also the renewal evaluation criteria and its origins. Charter and contract schools are governed according to the provisions and applicable laws established in the school agreement. Schools are held accountable to academic, financial, and operational performance measures outlined in accountability plan.
240The renewal process allows for comprehensive review of the school's academic, financial, and operational performance. The outcomes of this comprehensive review inform the final recommendations presented to you in what we will discuss today. To the next slide. INI is committed to designing and implementing best in-class school renewal process that ensures every CPS authorized charter and contract school meets high academic, financial and operational standards. The renewal process is evidence-based aligned with national authorizing best practices and is continuous. Our approach has improved upon through learning cycles and valuable feedback from the board, CEO and other authorizers and charter operators. School and campus evidence is evaluated consistently across four renewal evaluation domains. Academic, financial, inclusive programming and equitable systems, also known as IPEs, and organizational compliance. Each renewal evaluation domain has specific criteria and results in performance ratings which
241was approved by the prior full appointed board. Academic performance is based on the Illinois State Board of Education summitive designations where a school can earn a rating of exceeds meets approaching standards or rating of needs substantial improvement. Financial performance domain evaluates financial performance based on s standards set forth in their charter accountability plan where there is an emphasis on three key financial indicators financial contractual expectations loan delinquency and an annual audit. A school can earn a rating of exceeds meets or approaching standards or a rating of needs substantial improvement. When we look at IPES or inclusive programming equitable systems, we're looking at the alignment with the district's strategic plan, CPS's senior leadership, and board feedback. Starting in the 2022 cycle, there has been a focus on special education students, English language learners, student discipline, and
242most recently the 75% teacher lensure requirement as created by the state's mandate. INI has collaborated with previous boards to create a process that elevates these areas and evaluates them separately. Despite being a value despite, excuse me, despite being a newly established performance domain, the process of reviewing these items is not. Organizational compliance measures school compliance that is grounded in federal and state law as well as applicable CPS policies. legal compliance, governance, students in temporary living situations, parent issues reviews, student admission and enrollment, student transportation, student safety, facilities, ADA compliance, and agreement conditions. In the IPS organizational compliance domain, a school can earn a rating of meet standards or approaching standards. Our evaluation process spans several months during which data is analyzed across four domains, yielding the comprehensive evaluations that you received. At this moment, I
243would like to turn the podium over to my colleague, executive director, Zabrina Evans. Good evening, board members. Uh, CEO Martinez, the C CPS leadership. Um, for the record, my name is Zabrina Evans, and I serve as the executive director in the office of innovation and incubation. Thank you, Deputy Chief Conrad, for giving an overview of the charter renewal process and also explaining the revised evaluation criteria. So, I do want to take some time to talk through the impact of the the revised evaluation criteria on this year's cohort. So, as Chief Alfonso mentioned, there are 16 operators that are up for renewal this year. Seven seven of them are new to the revised evaluation criteria for the first time. However, this is not as deputy chief mentioned the first time that schools were evaluated for student
244discipline, English language learners, students with disabilities and teacher lensure. It is by which we are putting greater emphasis and weight on these particular areas as deputy chief mentioned which which was approved by the previous board. Of the seven, six are receiving a need substantial um improvement rating for the IP pass domain. However, this does not mean that the school does not have any practices in place or doesn't meet some thresholds regarding student discipline, English language learners, students with disabilities or teaching lensure. Of the nine remaining operators who've experienced the revised evaluation criteria in their previous renewal cycles, we are seeing that their renewal recommendation is equal to or longer than the previous renewal recommendation term. In addition to we are seeing that these operators are making key adjustments aligned with uh revised expectations. Next slide
245please. In this slide, I do just want to provide an overview of what the charter renewal process consists of. Um, at minimum, there are 14 major components that the office of innovation and incubation leads with uh district stakeholders as well as external operators, I mean external consultants. I do want to emphasize that we provide training to charter schools in regards to the uh performance criteria as well as our rubrics. We provide this information not only to charter school leaders but also to their boards. We meet with charter schools to provide preliminary findings as to what we are seeing based upon the renewal criteria uh that deputy chief uh explained. In addition to we have charter schools to do state of the school meetings where they are hosting public meetings pertaining to charter renewal and as
246well as our office conducts a presentation during that time as well. Next slide, please. Of the charter renewal process. I do want to take a little bit of time to talk through the charter renewal site visits. We are extremely proud of this work. Um, this is some pioneer work that a lot of other authorizers are not doing. Um we have converged with different partner departments within CPS um as well as subject matter experts external consultants to conduct a more comprehensive and rigorous examination of how schools are implementing their educational programs focusing on particularly the IPAS domain which aligns to CPS priorities as well as the board priorities. This slide displays the type of renewal site visits that a school can receive. Findings from this from the RSV site visits for special education as well as
247the e um domain really evaluates and it it it directly informs the evaluation for uh the particular for those two particular areas within the framework. So the special ed education visit informs the um iPad domain for special education as well as the E visit informs the um rating for the EL domain within the E criteria for the iPad domain. The renewal site visits are targeted and responsive based upon the school's specific needs. Depending on the school's identified areas of concerns, schools may receive multiple site visits. They may receive a special education visit, a academic visit, a e visit as well as a cultural climate visit. We utilize um special education um for all schools as I mentioned before as this is the premise of the um criteria for special education within iPass. We look very
248deeply across these areas. Not only do we analyze quantitative data available to us, but within these site visits, we conduct full site visits, multi-day site visits that consist of a lot of document review, classroom observations, focus groups with students, teachers, school leaders, as well as charter board leaders and parents. This type of conversions is what is needed within the district. We targeted our approach to ensure that we are implementing a robust and comprehensive uh renewal site as a review of the practices that charter school leaders are implementing every single day. Next slide, please. So, we talked about um the overview of the revised criteria. We talked through a little bit about what the process entails. I do want to now shift to the potential recommendations. So the first potential recommendation as uh deputy chief mentioned
249is the recommendation of five years or more. The Illinois state code allows for charter schools in Illinois to be renewed up to 10 years. While the Illinois school allows charter schools to receive renewal terms for up to 10 years, Chicago public schools ensure that we have rigorous performance standards before granting longer terms. A five-year renewal term is the standard recommendation for a school meeting standards in the performance domain. So for an example, a school must meet standards in academic performance, financial performance, IP pass performance, and organizational performance to receive a five-year recommendation. As stated in charter law, a charter must meet all standards and goals for academic, organizational, and financial performance set forth by the charter authorizer in order to receive a term in excess of five years, but not more than 10. To be
250eligible for a term greater than five years, school operators must receive the highest possible rating across all performance domains. This information is not new to charter schools. is not new to the community. We provided this information to schools during the renewal kickoff meeting. Um subse subsequently we provided this information during our preliminary preliminary findings and all presentations were provided to charter board uh leaders as well as their board uh chairs. The idea that CPS has placed arbitrary caps or ceiling a five-year recommendation does not exist. CPS has never received that directive or applied it. this has there has always been an opportunity and we look for charter schools to receive greater than five years based upon their performance. So with this I do want to talk about the next potential recommendation which is shortened renewal
251terms. Conversely, schools who do not meet the standards in the four performance domains may receive a lesser term. Per Illinois state law, charter schools who fail to meet academic, organizational, and or financial standards must remediate up to two years before any potential revocation or non-renewal decisions are made. This gives schools who are not meeting expectations time to remediate. In this year's cycles, in this year's cycles, schools with a two-year recommendation are in either academic or financial remediation, which is in alignment with the framework identified by the state. There are two outliers, however, in this year's cohort that are receiving a two-year recommendation, and that is a lane lock and epic high school, which is not triggered by financial or academic remediation. And the rationale for those two will be discussed later by Rochelle Washington. The
252purpose of this is to provide clear expectations, more focus and targeted oversight, more increased accountability, and a cycle of continuous improvement to build a path towards improved performance. This shorter term holds the network more accountable and we have the urgency for improvement and it allows the district to closely monitor um the strategies uh within the charter operator as well as do this in a collaborative effort. As mentioned, two-year renewal terms allows aligns with the state remediation timeline. And by leveraging this statutory framework, an underperforming charter school can be given a fair and structured opportunity to correct its deficiencies and also receiving support from the district while ensuring accountability to students, parents, as well as the community. We also recognize that a two-year term presents challenges to charter operators. A short-term may not look favorable to
253lenders. It may not be favorable to parents. It may impact their staff. In addition to the increase of frequency and the amount of work on schools, we believe that a two-year recommendation allows us to work with charter schools along with their strategies that are tied to continuous improvement. We understand that these challenges and limitations are prevalent. However, a short-term renewal ensures that charter or organizations are pri prioritizing corrective actions that address the deficiencies identified through renewal and ultimately promoting continuous improvement within a charter system. So, CPS utilizes the statutory guidance to support targeted uh improvement to schools in this situation by assessing and issuing two-year terms. Next slide. The next potential recommendation is a non-renewal. Per Illinois uh state law charter law, a charter school may be non-renewed for any one or combination of four
254reasons. The first one, a charter operator may commit a mo a material violation of any of the conditions, standards or procedures set forth in a charter. The second reason for non-renewal could be fail to meet or make reasonable progress towards student achievement. The third reason could be fail to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management. The fourth reason could be violations of any provision of law from which the charter school was not exempt. I will say with these potential recommendations, we have seen that Isby is allowed and granted the an appeal right to overturn any district local district decisions. We find also that Isby does want uh authorizes to allow charter schools to cure and along with that um have a re remediation period of two or more years. Next slide. Before we move into
255um our recommendations for this evening, I do want to take time to talk about the board authority. The rem the re the recommendations being presented today are coming from the chief portfolio officer district leaderships on behalf of the chief executive officer. We want to reaffirm reaffirm that the board of education has the authority by majority vote to accept, deny or modify the recommendations that will be presented this evening. We sincerely appreciate the feedback provided by board members which help us to reflect and strengthen our charter renewal process moving forward. Our teams remain deeply committed to ensure that our work aligns with the board's mission and vision, district priorities, national charter author authorizes standards and best practices and most importantly the needs of students and families and school community feedback. We value this collaboration and we
256we remain focused on serving our communities through a continued transparent and student centered decision-making process. Before I turn it over to Rochelle, I do want to make sure you could go to the next slide, please. Just to remind everyone that our charter renewal process is transparent, it's rigorous and we collaborate with stakeholders. we ensure that we are meeting expectations of the charter school agreement as well as state law. And also just to be reminded that in to be eligible for a five-year term, an operator must meet standards across all four uh criteria domains. And to receive an uh a renewal term of greater than five years, an operator must receive the highest performance standard across all renewal domains. So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Rochelle who's going to walk us through
257the potential recommendations for this evening. Thank you, Sabrina. And good evening, board members, CEO Martinez, as well as executive leadership. I'm Rochelle Washington, director of performance and accountability with the office of and I will be walking us through the preliminary charter renewal recommendations for the 16 operators in this year's cohort. Next slide, please. Before we get into the recommendations, I want to provide a brief overview of what you will see on each slide. You'll see the operator up top, the rating received in each of the four performance domains, academic performance, financial performance, inclusive programming, and equitable systems, as well as organizational compliance. A short narrative speaking to those ratings, and the overall recommendation. Our first operator is a lane lock charter school. They currently operate a K8 traditional charter school in the East Garfield Park
258community. The school received an ISBY summit of designation of commendable in 2024, rendering a rating of meet standards in the academic performance domain. As Deputy Chief Timber stated earlier, the academic performance domain is directly tied to the summitive designation that is the Isby generated report card metric for schools on an annual basis. The school received a rating of exceed standards on the financial performance domain. While the school received a rating of weak performance in the special education renewal site visit led by the office for students with disabilities, it met standards for English learners, student discipline, and teacher lensure leading to a rating of approaching standards in the IPZ domain. The school didn't satisfy all of its prior contractual conditions, but it did meet all other areas within the organizational compliance domain, leading to a rating
259of approaching standards. It's important to note here that Elaine Lock's term length is affected by the charter academic accountability policy. Elaine Lock's performance would garner a 4-year renewal term. However, provisions within the board's charter school academic accountability policy shift the recommendation to a 2-year renewal term with conditions. This policy states that any charter school that has not executed a renewal agreement based on the board's most recent renewal authorization may be renewed for no more than two years. With that, based on the parameters set forth in the charter school academic accountability policy, the recommendation for this operator is a two-year term. Next slide, please. The next operator is Trellis Passages Charter School. They currently operate a K8 traditional charter school in the Edgewater community. The charter operator for this school was formerly known as Asian Human
260Services, but is now doing business as Trellis Schools. The school received a designation of commendable rendering a rating of meet standards for operational I'm sorry for academic performance. Due to its FY24 financial performance outcomes, the school is entering year one of financial remediation triggering a need substantial improvement rating for financial performance. Schools that are involved in this process are required to host a root cause analysis session and submit additional documentation to the district for additional oversight. And so, as Sabrina shared again, schools that are in the remediation processes are offered that two-year term in alignment with the state's um recommended timeline for remediation. The school received a rating of weak performance on the sped renewal site visit led by OSD and a minimal rating on the EL program review conducted by the office of multilingual
261multicultural education leading to an overall rating of need substantial improvement in IPAs. The school did not satisfy its previous contractual conditions as well as had deficiencies in his legal compliance audit leading to a rating of need substantial improvement in the organizational compliance domain. Based on the established renewal criteria, the recommendation for this operator is a two-year term. The next operator is our first replicating multi-sight operator, the ESPIA Charter School Network. Aspita currently operates three traditional charter school campuses, two high schools, and the Hogan Elementary School. Before we get into the ratings, I want to note that on January 8th, the board of directors of Aspita voted to voluntarily close the Hogan Middle School attendance center at the end of this school year. Aspa and um as a result, their board of directors will not seek
262a charter renewal for the Hogan campus attendance center. With that, I and I removed the Hogan campus from the SY25 renewal cohort. ASPA's other two operating campuses, business and finance and early college will remain in the cohort. As a speeda is a multi-campus replicating charter, the removal of one attendance center from the renewal application has no bearing on the remaining campuses. Getting into the findings here within the network, all of the campuses received a designation of commendable. However, we did conduct an academic site visit at business and finance and early college due to some lower rates of student proficiency that we observed. Due to its 2024 financial performance outcomes, this network is also entering year one of financial remediation, therefore receiving a need substantial improvement in financial performance. All three campuses received a rating of
263weak performance on the special education site visit and a minimal rating on the English learner program review conducted by OM and this led to an overall rating of need substantial improvement for the IPAZ domain. The school didn't satisfy all of its previous contractual conditions but met all other areas within organizational compliance leading to a rating of approaching standards. with this. Based on the established renewal criteria, the recommendation is a two-year term. The next two operators are operated by Catalyst Charter School Network. However, because they came into play after a legislative change that allowed charter operators to replicate, they do have two separate charter schools, two separate campuses, um contracts with the board of education, and are evaluated separately. So the first is Catalyst Circle Rock. This is a K8 traditional charter school in the Austin
264community. The school received a designation of commendable and a meet standards rating for um academic performance. The school also received a rating of meet standards in the financial performance domain as well as a rating of meet standards in the inclusive programming and equitable systems domain. However, the school did not um satisfy all of its previous contractual conditions, but it met all other areas within that fourth domain leading to a rating of approaching standards for organizational compliance. So again, as Arena shared the criteria to receive a rating of five years is a meet standards across all four. So with that, based on the established renewal criteria, the recommendation is a 4-year term. The next school is Catalyst Maria Charter School. This is a K12 traditional charter school in the Chicago lawn community. This school also received
265a commendable rating and meets standards for academic performance as well as a meet standards for financial performance. However, this school received a rating of weak performance on that special education renewal site visit led by OSD and received a minimal rating on its latest e program review conducted by OM leading to the overall rating of need substantial improvement in that IPAZ domain. And then finally, while the school did not satisfy its previous contractual conditions, but it met all other areas in the organizational compliance domain, it got a rating of approaching standards for that fourth piece. And based on our established renewal criteria, the recommendation for this school is a three-year term. Next slide, please. The next school is Epic Academy Charter High School. This is a 912 traditional charter school in the South Chicago community. The
266school received a designation of commendable and a rating of meet standards for academic performance. Um, however, the school received a combination academic and culture and climate renewal site visit due to some lower rates of student proficiency as well as high rates of exclusionary discipline. The school was also required to complete the supplemental discipline application and provide information on the structures being put in place moving forward, which is a requirement for all schools that we observe a higher level of exclusionary discipline for and who have received a rating of needs improvement for the student discipline subdomain. The school received a rating of meet standards in the financial performance domain. Um but for the IPZ domain, the school received a rating of needs improvement across all four. As Labrina shared, this is the second outlier of schools
267that is receiving a two-year term for this reason. um as they did not meet any of the IPZ areas by having high rates of exclusionary discipline, receiving a rating of weak performance on the special education renewal site visit, a minimal rating on the EL program review, um as well as not having the required number of licensed teachers that triggered that rating of need substantial improvement for IPZ. The school did not satisfy all of its previous contractual conditions, but met all other areas in organizational compliance leading to a rating of approaching standards there. Based on our renewal criteria, the recommendation is a 2-year term. Our next operator is Eerie Elementary Charter School. This is a traditional K8 charter school in the Westtown community. The school received a designation in 2024 of comprehensive which leads to a
268rating of need substantial improvement in the academic performance domain. Due to this summitive designation, Erie will enter academic support process. This process requires schools to submit a self-reflection and a continuous improvement work plan. at CIWP that addresses academic areas needing improvement and participate in various continuous improvement activities with the INI team which includes goal setting and additional site visits. They will also be required to receive school improvement support through ISBY um school and district improvement initiative. So with that that did of course generate that need substantial improvement rating of academic performance for this school. Um, we also conducted a culture and climate renewal site visit due to some historically high rates of exclusionary discipline and it was required to complete that supplemental discipline application again to give us additional information around the systems and structures
269being put in place moving forward. It is important that these rates of exclusionary discipline at the school declined by the end of the term. The school received a rating of meet standards and financial performance. The school received a rating of uh weak performance on that sped site visit and a minimal rating on the e program review leading to that overall rating of need substantial improvement in ipz. And then finally, the school did not satisfy its previous contractual conditions as well as had some deficiencies in its legal compliance audit leading to a rating of need substantial improvement for organizational compliance. Based on our established renewal criteria, the recommendation for this operator is a two-year term. The next school is Horizon Science Academy Southwest Charter School. This is a K12 traditional charter school in Gage Park. As
270they received a uh commendable designation, this garnered a meet standards performance rating for academic performance. The school received a rating of exceed standards in the financial performance domain. However, we did conduct a culture and climate site visit due to prior high levels of exclusionary discipline and had that school complete the supplemental discipline application. While the school maintains um higher levels of exclusionary discipline, it did meet standards for diverse learners, English learners, and teacher lensure, triggering that rating of approaching standards in IPZ. and the school met all of the subdomains within organizational compliance, rendering that rating of meet standards for the fourth performance domain. Based on our established renewal criteria, the recommendation for this operator is a 4-year term. The next operator is Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy Charter High School. This is a 912 traditional
271charter high school in the lower westside community. It received a 2024 designation of commendable and an academic performance rating of meet standards. However, we did conduct an academic site visit there due to again some proficiency rates that we observed in the data. The school received a rating of meet standards for financial performance, but did receive a rating of weak performance in the sped site visit as well as a minimal rating on the EL program audit leading to the overall rating of need substantial improvement for the iPad domain. And lastly, the school didn't satisfy all of its contractual conditions, but met all other areas in organizational compliance, leading to a rating of approaching standards. Based on our established renewal criteria, the recommendation for this operator is a three-year term. The next school operator is Moving Everest.
272This is a K8 traditional charter school in the Austin community. The school receive a designation of comprehensive leading to that overall rating for of needs substantial improvement in the academic performance domain. As with the other school in this situation, moving Evers will enter academic support process. The school received a rating of meet standards for financial performance, but a rating of need substantial improvement in IPZ due to its performance on the special education renewal site visit. The EL program review conducted by OM has some increasing rates of exclusionary discipline. And so all three of those being a need substantial trigger that needs substantial improvement rating for IPZ. The school was also required to complete that supplemental discipline application. So we did receive information around the structures being put in place to reduce that exclusionary discipline that
273we observed. The school didn't satisfy all of its previous contractual conditions but met all other areas in organizational compliance leading to a rating of approaching standards for the fourth domain. Based on the established renewal criteria, the recommendation for moving Everest is a two-year term. The next school operator is North Lawndale College Preparatory Network. As this is our second multi-sight operator, we renew them as one despite them operating two different campuses. They have the Collins and Cristiana campuses, both serving grades 9 through 12. Both campuses received a designation of commendable. However, we did conduct that academic site visit due to proficiency rates that were observed. The network received a rating of meet standards for financial performance. Um, but the network received a rating of weak performance on the sped site visit and does not have the
274required licensed teachers per what's codified in Illinois charter school law leading to an overall rating of need substantial improvement in that IPZ domain. The school did not satisfy all of its previous contractual conditions but met all other organizational compliance areas leading to a rating of approaching standards. Based on our established renewal criteria, the recommendation for this operator is a three-year term. It's important to note that NLCP also seeks to relocate its Collins campus into the vacant portion of the Cristiana facility for the upcoming school year. This action is proposed to the board along with renewal and will be reflected in the renewal agreement. Our next operator is the perspectives charter school network. This is another multi-sight replicating charter school. So while it has four campuses, they are assessed and a rating is generated for the
275network as one. They have again four campuses. Three serve grades 6 through 12 and one is a high school serving grades 9 through 12. All four campuses received a designation of commendable generating a rating of meet standards for the academic performance domain. However, we did conduct the academic and culture and climate combination renewal site visit at all four schools due to the proficiency rates that we saw as well as rates of exclusionary discipline that has been observed. The network was required to complete that extra supplemental discipline application to give us additional information on what they're doing moving forward to reduce those rates of exclusionary discipline. This network received a rating of meet standards for the financial performance domain. Uh while the campuses in the network have had levels of exclusionary discipline that are on the
276higher end, they did meet standards for the other three IPAZ areas, diverse learners, English learners, and teacher lensure, leading to a rating of approaching standards for that third iPad domain. And the network had some deficiencies in its legal compliance audit, but did comply with all the other subdomains, including meeting all of its prior contractual conditions, leading to a rating of approaching standards in that fourth organizational compliance domain. With that, based on the established renewal criteria, the recommendation for this operator is a 4-year term. The next school operator is Providence Englewood Charter School. This is a traditional K8 charter school in the West Englewood community. This school received a summit of designation of targeted leading to an overall rating of approaching standards for the academic performance area. As schools that received a rating of comprehensive, schools
277that receive a targetive rating also enter into INI's academic support process. So, we'll be working with Providence Inglewood over the next year on all of those deliverables. This school did receive a culture and climate renewal site visit due to some higher rates of exclusionary discipline and was required to complete that supplemental discipline application. However, it's important to note with this school um that the rates of exclusionary discipline declined by the end of its contractual term. The school received a rating of meet standards for financial performance but did receive a rating of weak performance on the special education renewal site visit. Um again that coupled with the fact that they do have some high rates of exclusionary discipline over the term this led to an overall rating of need substantial improvement in that IPAZ domain. And
278then lastly the school didn't satisfy all of its prior contractual conditions but it did meet all the other subdomains of organizational compliance leading to a rating of approaching standards in that fourth domain. With that, based on the established renewal criteria, the recommendation is a two-year term. The next operator is Row Elementary Charter School. This is a traditional K8 charter school in the Westtown community. This school received an academic um summit of designation of targeted, which again places that school in the INI academic support process and triggers that rating of approaching standards for academic performance. The school received a culture and climate renewal site visit due to the um historically higher rates of exclusionary discipline and was required to complete that supplemental discipline application to provide information on what they're doing to reduce that moving forward.
279It's important to note that for this school we have also seen a decline when it comes to rates of exclusionary discipline. The school received a rating of meet standards in the financial performance domain. um however received a rating of need substantial improvement for IPZ due to their uh performance in the special education site visit on the EL program review and again as well as the high rates of exclusionary discipline that were observed. The school did not satisfy all of its prior contractual conditions as well as had some deficiencies in his legal compliance audit leading to that rating of need substantial improvement for organizational compliance. Based on the established renewal criteria, the recommendation for Row Elementary Charter School is a 2-year term. The final school operator in this year's cohort is urban prepmies. As like catalyst,
280they were initially authorized after the legislative change. While they do operate two campuses, we evaluate them separately and they each have their own charter agreement with the Chicago Board of Education. The first campus here is Bronzeville. This is a 912 traditional charter school in the Bronzeville community. The school received that designation of commendable and generated a rating of meet standards for academic performance. But we did conduct an academic site visit here due to some rates of student proficiency that were observed due to their FY24 financial performance outcomes. The network is re-entering our financial remediation process triggering that need substantial improvement rating for financial performance. The school received a rating of weak performance on the special education renewal site visit has had some increasing rates of exclusionary discipline and does not have the required number of
281licensed teachers leading to a rating of need substantial improvement in the inclusive programming and equitable systems domain. And finally, the school did not satisfy its previous contractual conditions as well as had deficiencies in governance, student transportation, and student safety domains leading to a rating of need substantial improvement in the organizational compliance uh domain. And based on the established renewal criteria here, the recommendation is a two-year term. And our final school is the Urban Prep Englewood campus. You'll see here that the outcomes are very similar, pretty much identical to what we saw on the Bronzeville campus, but I will reiterate them once more for you. And they did receive a rating of commendable, triggering that meet standards rating for academic performance. Um, the school is in financial per financial remediation, triggering that need substantial improvement for
282the financial performance area. Um, same outcomes as the other campus. We have some um concerns when it comes to the performance on the special education site visit, some increasing rates of exclusionary discipline as well as uh teacher lensure rates. And so that triggered that need substantial improvement rating for inclusive programming and equitable systems. And then again um for the same reasons as the other campus had some deficiencies across a few areas of organizational compliance leading to a rating of need substantial improvement for that fourth domain. um based on the established renewal criteria. The recommendation for this operator is also a two-year term. That was the final operator out of the 16. I will now pass it back over to Chief Carmona to discuss some of the updates that we've made to the charter renewal agreement.
283Thank you. Thank you, Roel. Um take a deep breath. I know that was a lot uh going over all of the operators. Um, so let's talk a little bit about the contractual updates. And as you know, in every single year, we uh improve our processes. And right now, we have a template that includes 16 different changes to the contracts moving forward. Uh, and of course, some of these changes, some of them are included in the resolution. Uh, but some others are not. And pending the resolution, we will include those changes also into the contract updates. Uh, let me enumerate all of them because I think they're very important. Um we have um extended to 18 months the lead time that is required for charter schools to notify the district if they intend to self-close the
284campuses. We have updated the windown protocols to ensure that family and community engagement is part of that process. We have required and this is something that was in previous um contracts as well but we specify now the number of days a schools have in this case 45 days to return any unspent funds uh to CPS. Um, another clause that was in some of the conditions, not necessarily in the contract, but now we're included in the contracts is the fact that we are prohibiting uh personnel from holding a position as a board member and also as an executive within the school. We have provided now a specific guidelines for transfers, dropouts, and removals from enrollment including the requirement to have a receiving schools identify uh before a student is transferred out of the charter school. We
285have um codify a prohibition of school officials from advising, encouraging or otherwise influencing a students to transfer voluntarily due to attendance of behavior concerns. We have improved our record keeping uh to ensure the implementation of fair, effective and safe disciplinary policies and procedures. We have also included a prohibition of encouraging students to withdraw from HR school as a substitute from due process uh for expulsion. We have also updated the language regarding the suspension of students with disabilities. Uh we have included also engagement and documentation requirements for students consider as lo as a lost child or unable to locate. We have more specific language regarding reporting to compliance with and action steps for title 9 o and OSP investigations and reports. We also included a requirement to provide the district with real time access to a
286student emergency contact information. We have also included publication or ask charter schools to post the charter school uh board meeting minutes within 10 days of uh the meeting. We have also updated language regarding the new the new accountability system for charters and technical requirements to support data validity and reporting requirements. We have also updated language regarding the uh periodic intervals of background checks for staff. And finally, we have a more expansive explanation of the prohibition of monetary gifts as incentives for a student's recruitment. So again, 16 uh specific pieces that we have already codify in the new contract and the new template that we have for the 24 uh 25 cohort and moving forward and we're just waiting expecting for your uh approval of the resolution uh to add anything else that you feel is
287necessary to make uh these contracts stronger. Uh next slide and that's all. Um, now I would like to open the floor for any questions that you may have for the team. Okay. Thank you, President Harden. Uh, thank you so much, um, Chief Carmona and the whole team who obviously did a lot of work. Um, I have a question regarding, uh, academic performance. So, I know that, um, a school is going to be rated as meets standards as long as Isby rates them as commendable. Um, but I've read through a bunch of the uh academic site visit reports that you all created and um there's uh you know a lot of criteria within them and I noticed that in general the schools are rated basic but sometimes unsatisfactory occasionally proficient. Um I'm just wondering so then
288what do you do with that since maybe they already got you know meats because they were commendable. So what are you doing with the report information? Thank you so much for the question. Um the academic side of the house within INI takes all of the charter renewal reports and we do an anal uh we analyze the results. From there we create uh scope and sequences in regards to profession and learning opportunities for charter schools to participate in. So for an example, if we see um that there are a high number of charter schools and we don't look just through one year, we look at across the span of like the last three years to create the scope of sequence. So we work with partner departments to um internal partner departments as well as external consultants
289to see if we could create a scope of sequence that support the gaps that we are seeing within the site visits. So for an example um um there are uh number of schools where we see that there's not a lot of student voice and student agency. Um we are collaborating with the district's office of student voice to create u a working group with charter uh students as well as school leaders to understand what is needed um what our strategies or best practices we can implement within the charter sector to increase student voice um that is needed for decision- making um as well as just culture and climate. Another example of how we utilize the reports is looking at um specific interventions. So if we see that charter schools within the last three years need more
290support around MTSS. So we partner with the district MTSS office or even hire an external consultant to perform those learning community uh learning cycles. Uh we also host um twice a year a day of learning for charters where we also utilize that data um to ensure that we have sessions that are important to improving the outcomes that we are seeing within the the renewal cycles. Thank you for the question. Let me Thomas. Oh, let me just add one more piece. I think it's important to and it has been a transition and and you hear uh some of our charter schools when they come here asking this is the fact that they would prefer to focus just on students outcomes which is the old SQRP as you remember all the damage and the harm that the
291SQRP system created in our district. We are moving away from that. we have this temporary situation with accountability, but the goal is to move into CIT in which we actually also take into consideration practice very similar to what um Sabrina just mention and is to make sure that we actually have a good connection between what's happening in the classrooms and the student outcomes. You heard a lot this almost say this morning, a couple of minutes ago, almost an hour ago from the early childhood team thinking about the joy of of of what student are doing in the classroom. We want to make sure that we also measure that. So we hope that we can transition into CDT in the next year or so uh to make sure that we actually are capturing those pieces that
292you mentioned that that are not necessarily just coming uh from the perspective of getting a designation from the state. We do not like the way how is measured right now. We would like to change it. We just don't have the mechanisms to do so at this moment. Member Thomas, thank you so much for your presentation. You you've done a lot of work. There are a number of uh charter schools that are getting two-year uh renewal times. Are they all going to receive supports and uh in addition um are there going to be timeline so they don't get to the end of their renewals and they haven't made it? Uh how's that going to be? Are you going to chart that out? Thank you so much. This is something that our office has been doing the
293last three years. Um I was having a conversation with a board member this morning about this is this idea that before um I want to say what three years ago four years ago there was a ceiling um of five years meaning that basically almost by filling up the application the charter school will get five years that was eliminated. Right now the process is we have a rubric a really strong process to go alone and our goal is to support the charter schools. This is not about penalizing them. This is about giving them the different conditions and the different elements that for whatever reason are not necessarily at up to standard and for our team to provide that support along the way. One piece that we are trying to do and and and implement. Uh unfortunately
294sometime charter schools don't necessarily listen to us. Do you hear a lot this consistent piece of not meeting the conditions from previous contracts is that part that they are not necessarily meeting those conditions because sometimes they feel like they are being penalized at the end of the process. Our jobs the way how we see it is to support them along the way. These are these 50,000 students that are in charter schools these are our babies. These are CPS students. We cannot forget that part and that's why we continue providing the support. So yes, we do that support along the way and our intention is that the schools and I believe that the team mentioned some statistics some schools that were in two-year renewals before they actually getting longer terms this time precisely because of the
295support that they're receiving from our team. Thank you, chief. Thank you. I'm Oh, I'm sorry. Not quite. Member Gozano. Yes. Um, my question was I heard a lot about exclusionary discipline. what is being done with these charter schools to reduce that or to you know get that to where there's I don't know not so much exclusion of these students yes that is a great question board member Lozano one piece that I do want to highlight is the fact that we've implemented a culture and climate renewal site visit this is the second year that we have done this for schools who we've observed oberved high levels of exclusionary discipline. So we worked with the office of social emotional learning as well as took some standards from the castle rubric and other highquality um tools around how
296to support students to create this rubric, this site visit um rubric that we used to conduct those those visits. And so with that they are getting some um qualitative information from us, some feedback from us to highlight some of the areas that we see when we come on site and observe classrooms and documentation that they submit. Again, we're not just doing classroom observations, but we're doing focus groups with um parents, with students, with school staff, as well as reviewing documents. So, for example, documents that could be tied to the school's MTSS structures or even um handbooks around how they do behavior escalation in the classroom. And so, this is newer work that we are really doing to dig deeper into what's happening at the schools. um outside of just providing those quantitative metrics to them.
297Um we think that this is a great way to again identify trends that we see across as Sabrina shared before using those trends to partner with partner departments and find resources that are specifically targeted to the areas that we think that the schools need to really drive change in terms of classroom practice and even the mindsets of some of the teachers who may have been used to resorting to, you know, exclusionary discipline. as the act kind of the first line of defense for classroom management. So, we are doing some great work in partnership with our partner departments to um not just address the quantitative outcomes for schools, but really dig into the why and the root cause behind what we see in the numbers. And so, we hope to see some some great change from
298that. we have actionable feedback that's in those reports that schools can engage with us on and with each other to um create some better systems and structures for the students. Thank you, Chief. Thank you, President Harter. Before you proceed, I would like to note for the record that I'm sorry. Board member Deberry joined the meeting at 8:00 p.m. Thank you. I'd like to note that the following agenda item RS7, resolution addressing various improvements needed to the board's authorization and renewal of charters, will be a separate vote. So you can provide your questions and comments for that item before we proceed with that vote. So board members, are there comments or questions on the other public agenda items or are there any reports that you wish to be removed from the consent agenda as a separate
299vote? All right, we'll now proceed with the vote on public agenda items. Board Secretary, please proceed. Thank you, President Harden. I would proceed with the items on the public agenda. Read the board report numbers and brief titles. I believe board member Zachor has motion MO2 regarding record of proceedings. I move that the record of proceedings of the agenda review committee meeting of April 9th, 2025 and board meeting of April 24th, 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. Is there a second? I second the motion. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes, member Smith. Yes, member Lopez. Hi, member Thomas. I member Bole. Yes, member Wallace. I member
300Kuster. I. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Hi. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. Hi. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thodakura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. I. 20 eyes, zero nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. President Harden. And I will continue with a resolution that does not require a vote. RS1 resolution Ray Carar Carolina, honorary student board member, Chicago Board of Education, June 27th, 2024 to May 29th, 2025. President Harden, this item just needs to be accepted by the board. Please mark received and filed. President Hard Harden, I'll continue with items that do require a vote. As you noted earlier, a separate vote will be taken at the end of all consent agenda votes. RS2 resolution authorizing payments
301for special education services to various state approved non-p public facilities. RS3 resolution providing for the issue of one or more series of unlimited tax general obligation bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed 650 million for the purpose of paying the cost of capital improvements. RS4 resolution authoriz authorizing the issue of one or more series of unlimited tax general obligation bonds refunding bonds in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed one bill 1 bill800 million for the purpose of paying the cost of refunding outstanding bonds. RS5 resolution authorized appointments of members to LSC's to fill vacancies. RS6 resolution authorize appointment of members to the LSCAB for the term of office July 1st 2025 to June 30th 2027 PO1 authorize the commencement of the public comment period for the accelerated placement policy. President Harden, these
302items do require a vote. Is there a motion? Still moved. Is there a second? I second. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. I. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. 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. Thank you. Member Bannon. I. Vice President Bautista. Yes, member Gutierrez. Hi, member Biggs. Yes, member Thora. Yes, member Blae. Hi, member Zachor. Yes, member deb. 20 eyes, zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board. President Haron, I will continue with communications and read them into record. These items do not require a vote. CO1 communication Ray 2025 2026 schedule of regular board meetings board of education city of Chicago. I am hereby submitting the 2025 2026 schedule
303of regular board meetings attachment A. The board meetings will be held on the fourth Thursday of each month unless otherwise noted. The board meetings will be held at CPS Loop office 42 West Madison Street Garden level boardroom and will begin at 3:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted. The board president and CEO have determined that registered speakers who wish to present during public participation may have the option to participate in person at the location of the board meeting or virtually via an electronic platform. The public will have access to the meeting via liveream at cpsbee.org. Advanced registration to speak will open the Tuesday preceding the board meeting at 3:00 p.m. and will close Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. Anyone interested in speaking can sign up. After the 24-hour registration period, a lottery lottery will randomly select a set
304number of speakers from those who registered. For example, if 100 people register, the lottery may select 30 of them to speak. This process gives everyone a fair chance to address the board. Advanced registration during this period is available by the following methods: online or by phone. To ensure equity of access to address the board, an individual may not speak at back-to-back meetings in more than one meeting per month. If you register for back-to-back meetings and more than one meeting per month, you will not be included for that meeting lottery. In the event an individual registers to speak at a consecutive meeting, the individual will not be called to address the board. However, if less than the allotted number of speakers register for a meeting, the limitation on speaking at consecutive meetings and for more than
305once within a month will not apply and those previously ineligible to speak will be reinstated in the lottery and may be eligible to speak. Advanced registration to observe will also be available Wednesday beginning the I'm sorry will be available beginning the Tuesday preceding the board meeting at 3 o'clock PM and will close on Wednesday 5:00 p.m. or until all slots are filled. Advanced registration during this period is available by the following methods online or by phone. Although advanced registration is recommended, you can also register to observe a meeting on the day of a board meeting via same day in person observer registration, 42 West Madison Street lobby. Registration time opens at 2:50 p.m. and will remain open for the duration of the board meeting. Same day inerson observer registrations are taken on a first come,
306first- serve basis as seats become available. The public participation segment of the meeting will begin as indicated in in the meeting agenda and proceed for no more than 30 registered speakers for 60 minutes for board meetings in accordance with public participation guidelines. Board meetings will be livereamed to the general public on the board's website cpsboe.org. Public participation guidelines have been issued by the president of the board of education of the city of Chicago in accordance with board bylaws 1-74. These guidelines are effective April 24th, 2025 and are available on cpsbee.org. Chicago Board of Education is committed to increased transparency and promoting additional opportunities for the public to provide their input at board of education meetings. To this end, members of the public who wish to submit written comments for board of education meetings can do
307so via the written comments form on board website at cpsb.org. Written comments received between the posting of the public agenda and notice through 5:00 pm the day after the board of education meeting will be submitted to the board members for their consideration. Further, let the official record reflect that the 2025 2026 planning calendar has been prepared in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act and will be available for public distribution. Attachment A, the regular board meetings schedule 2025, July 24th, August 28th, September 25th, October 23rd, December 18th, which is a consolidated November December meeting. Um, and it's on the third Thursday. A 2026 schedule is January 29th, February 26th, March 19th, which is a third Thursday, April 23rd, May 28th, June 25th, July 23rd, August 27th. CO2 communication Ray 2025 2026 schedule of agenda review
308committee meetings, Board of Education, City of Chicago. I am hereby submitting the 2025 2026 schedule of agenda review committee ARC meetings attachment A. The ARC meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of each month unless otherwise noted. The ARK meetings will be held at CPS Loop Office 42 West Madison Street Garden level boardroom and will begin at 10:30 a.m. unless otherwise noted and the times may be updated based on the standing committee start times. The board president and the CEO have determined that registered speakers who wish to present during public participation may have the option to participate in person at the location of the ARK meeting or virtually via an electronic platform. The public will have access to the meeting via liveream at cpsb.org. Advanced registration to speak will open the Monday preceding the
309ARC meeting at 10:30 a.m. will and will close Tuesday at 10:30 10:30 a.m. Anyone interested in speaking can sign up after the 24hour registration period. A lottery will randomly select a set number of speakers from those who registered. For example, if 100 people register, the lottery might select 30 of them to speak. This process gives everyone a fair chance to address the board. Advanced registration during this period is available by the following methods: online or by phone. To ensure equity equity of access to address the board, an individual may not speak at back-to-back meetings or for more than one meeting per month. If you register for back-to-back meetings and more than one meeting per month, you will not be included for that meeting. In the event an indivi individual registers to speak at a consecutive
310meeting, the individual will not be called to address the board. However, if less than the allotted number of speakers register for a meeting, the limitation on speaking at consecutive meetings and for more than one within a month will not apply. And those previously ineligible to speak will be reinstated in the lottery and may be eligible to speak. Advanced registration to observe will also be available beginning the Monday preceding the art meeting at 10:30 a.m. and will close on Tuesday at 5:00 p. or until all slots are filled. Advanced registration during this period is available by the following methods online or by phone. Advance although advanced registration is recommended, you can also register to observe a meeting on the day of an ARC meeting via same day in person observer registration 42 West Madison Street lobby.
311Registration time opens at 10:15 a.m. and will remain open for the duration of the board meeting. Same day inerson observer registrations are taken on first come first- serve basis as seats become available. The public participation segment of the meeting will begin as indicated in the meeting agenda and proceed from no more than 30 registered speakers for 60 minutes for ARC meetings in accordance with the public participation guidelines. ARC meetings will be live streamed to the general public on the board website cpsb.org. Public participation guidelines have been issued by the president of the board of education of the city of Chicago in accordance with board bylaws 1-74. These guidelines are effective April 24th, 2025 and are available on cpsb.org. Chicago Board of Education is committed to increased transparency and promoting additional opportunities for the public to
312provide their input at board of education meetings. To this end, members of the public who wish to submit written comments for Board of Education meetings can do so via the written comments form on the board website at cpsb.org. Written comments received between the posting of the public agenda and notice through 5:00 p.m. the day after the board of education meeting will be submitted to the board of members for their consideration. Further, let the official record reflect that the 2025 2026 planning calendar has been prepared in accordance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act and will be available for public distribution. Attachment A for the agenda review committee meetings 2025 schedule July 9th, August 13th, September 10th, October 8th, December 3rd, which is a consolidated meeting for November, December, and it's on the first Wednesday. The 2026
313schedule is January 14th, February 11th, March 4th, April 8th, May 13th, June 10th, July 8th, August 12th. President Hardon will continue with items that do require a vote. EX1, transfer of funds, ED1, amend the February 2024 academic calendar for the report academic calendar for the 202526 school year. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to one, move the elementary school report card conferences so that both the elementary and high school report card conferences are on the same days and two move teacher professional development day to April 3rd, 2026. I'll continue with FN1, authorize placement of the board's FY2026 excess liability property and specialty insurance programs. PR1 authorize the first renewal agreement with various vendors for the purchase of library books, ebooks, and related services. PR2 authorized new agreements with Lakeshore Parent LLC. PR3 authorized the pre-qualification
314status of a new agreements with various vendors to provide educational technology and digital resource services. PR4 authorized the first and second final renewal agreements with UTJ hold, Inc. PR5, authorize a new agreement with National Lewis University. PR6, report on the award of construction contracts and changes to construction contracts for the uh capital improvement program. PR7, amend the April 2023 agreement with CDDW government LLC. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to increase the not to exceed amount to $40 million. I'll continue with PR8. Amend the May 2024 second and final renewal a renewal agreement with various vendors for field support services. President Hardon, this amendment is necessary to increase the not to exceed amount to 11,261,6 and to extend the term by one year to end June 30th, 2026. I'll continue with PR9. Authorize the first
315renewal agreement with various vendors for the purchase and or lease of network service and hyper convergence. PR10 authorize the first renewal agreement with Curriculum Associates LLC. President Harden, these items do require a vote. Is there a motion? So move. So moved. Is there a second? I second the motion. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. I. Member Smith. I. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope. Not here. Yeah. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. I. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. I. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. I member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. Hi. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. I'm sorry. Was that a yes? Yes. Thank you. 19 eyes, zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board.
316President Hard and I'll continue with additional items on the public agenda that do not require a vote. PR1. Chief Procurement Officer Delegation of Authority Report for March 2025 and Chief Financial Officer Report for March 2025. EX2 report on principal contracts new. Ex3 report on principal contracts renewals. AR1 I'm sorry. AR1 report on board report reisions. President Harden, these items just need to be accepted by the board. I'm sorry. Can you turn your mic on? Please mark received and filed. Thank you, President Hard. I'll continue with items from the general counsel that do require a vote. AR2 appoint assistant general counsel Clara Kent. AR3 appoint assistant general counsel Andre Smith. AR4 appoint assistant general counsel Alberto Vargas. AR5 amend continued retention of various outside council law firms. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to amend law
317firms listed in attachments B, D, E, F, G, and H. I'd also like to note for the record, board member will abstain on the law firms Burke, Warren, McKay, and Saratal PC, and Greenberg to Trroworg Trow Rigg LLP. I'll continue with AR6, workers compensation payment for lumpsum settlement for Esmeraldo Morero. AR7 approved settlement between the board of education and Nancy Degrassia. President Harden, these items do require a vote. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? Second. I'll proceed with a roll call with the noted abstension from board member Gutierrez. Member Lozano. I. Member Smith. I. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. I. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. I. Me. Vice President Bautista.
318Yes. Member Gutierrez with the noted abstensions on the law firms on AR5. I. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thodicura. Yes. Member Blae. Hi. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Derry. I. 20 eyes's zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board. President Harden. I will continue with items from the chief executive officer that do require a vote. EX4 warning resolution for Anton Antonina Luzac, tenure teacher assigned to Skinner North Classical School. EX5 report on principal contract ALSC renewals. President Harden, these items do require a vote. Is there a motion? So move. Is there a second? I second the motion. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. I. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. Hi. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. Yes. Member Pope, yes. Member Rosenfeld, yes. Member Rivas, yes. Member Rio Sierra,
319I. Member Brown, yes. Member Bannon, I. Vice President Bautista, yes. Member Gutierrez, I. Member Biggs, yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Dberry. I. 20 eyes, zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board. President Hard and I will continue with items from the board that do require a vote. RS8, resolution approving chief executive officer's recommendation to dismiss educational support personnel. President Harden, this resolution is being updated to remove Gregory Lee from the dismissal resolution. Gregory Lee resigned effective May 17, 2025. The final resolution will be included in the agenda of action. I'll continue with RS9, resolution to approve chief executive executive officer's recommendation to dismiss non-renew probationary appointed teachers at the end of the 2024 2025 school year. President Harden, these items do require a vote. Is there a motion?
320So moved. Is there a second? I second the motion. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. I. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. Sorry. I thanks. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. I. Member. Member Rio. Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. I. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. I member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. Okay. 20 eyes, zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board. President Harden, I believe board member Smith has motion MO3. I move I move that the board adopt the minutes of the close session meetings of April 9th, 2025 and April 24, 2025 pursuant to section 206 of the open meetings act. Board members reviewed these
321minutes and determined that the need for confidentiality exists. Therefore, the minutes of the closed session meetings held April 9th, 2025 and April 24th, 2025 shall be maintained as confidential and not available for public inspection. Is there a second? So moved. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano, yes. Member Smith, I. Member Lopez, I. Member Thomas, 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. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. Hi. Member Bixs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blaze. Hi. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. Is that an I? Yes. Thank you. 20 eyes, zero nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. President Harden, we will now proceed with a separate vote, as noted earlier,
322with a separate vote on RS7 resolution addressing various improvements needed to the board's authorization and renewal of charter schools. For the record, RS7 has been updated and the final resolution will be included in the agenda of action. Changes have been made to the now therefore clause in section 4N. The section now reads, "Following the voluntary recognition of a bonafideed labor organization based on a showing of majority status, the charter school shall not shall not file or support any petition with the labor national labor relations board that seeks to challenge the majority status of the bonafideed labor organization within one year of the organization's initial request for recognition. Nothing in this sorry nothing in this provision shall be construed to limit the rights of employees under the National Labor Relations Act to file a descertification petition.
323This item does require a vote. Is there a motion? A motion. I second. I'm sorry. Who seconded? Member. We'll now open this matter up for discussion board members. Any comments before proceeding with the roll call? Member Lopez. Thank you, board president and fellow board members. I just wanted to, you know, and I had this conversation with many of you already, but I just wanted to say for the record as I introduced this resolution RS7, not only as a board member, but as someone who has lived and is representative of a of the communities that were mostly impacted by the recent actions by a set of charter operators closure, announcement to close, and the afterbad that we've been hearing for months. Since the announcement, I've heard the fear and frustration directly from parents, students, and teachers.
324Families have been left scrambling for answers, educators unsure about their futures, and children forced to navigate uncertainties. All because of the process that lack transparency, accountability in regards to community it serves. Schools, including charter opera operators, must be held accountable to families and the public through a transparent process. And that's exactly what this resolution aims to do. It addresses the loopholes that were identified and it also adds forward transparency in these decisions that they're not made in the shadows. It's a fair process that is asking INI to come out with the policies that will be presented to the public and to us to vote in a later meeting. Chicago has one of the highest number of charter schools compared to other major cities and many of them operate in neighborhoods like mine in the southwest
325side. I was selected to be responsive, to uplift the voices of families who have too often been left out of the rooms, and to make sure no community endorsed what my community went through. This resolution, it's not anti-charter. It's pro- student, pro- family, and pro accountability. It ensures that public dollars serve the public in good faith and no school operator can walk away without consequences. We shouldn't what we did which we ended up bailing out a schools we shouldn't have to do that for any other operator right and also I want to be clear I'm not saying all charter school operators are like they are some operators that have heard directly from the community they're happy with the services I provide the education provided to them this is for us as a board and a
326district to be able to identify those bad players that just want to take advantage age of the system. I want to thank also the co-sponsors that include board member Anushia, Karen, and Debbie for the long conversations that we've had since everything started unfolding. I also want to thank the board staff, my fellow board members for engaging in numbers of opportunities and conversations and hearing where I was coming from from this. And I also want to say that uh just for the record purposes for 4Q it is inclusive of the maintenance staff as well. I respectfully ask for your support in passing this resolution for the families who deserve answers for the students who deserve stability and for the communities who deserve a voice. Briefly, I'll say something in Spanish. Hola. resolution. Member Rosenfeld. Mr. President,
327I'd like to make a motion, but before I do that, I want to thank board member Lopez for bringing forth this resolution that'll help address issues that parents, students, families are subject to when a CPS school closes, especially a CPS charter school. I wholeheartedly agree that we need a thoughtful plan operationally to address these issues when they arrive. I also wholeheartedly agree that labor neutrality in all our schools, including our charter schools, is something that's very important and I strongly support it. It's codified in the school code and in our collective bargaining agreement with our teachers union. Considering we're near the end of the legislative session, it just doesn't make sense to me to dictate to the leg district legislative changes and take and take the time to study what legislative changes are needed to
328bring up during veto session. I support labor neutrality, but I oppose this 18-month provision. We must engage the community before it is that we decide to, you know, govern by resolution. We need authentic community engagement. I don't believe we had this here. Therefore, I'd like to make a motion to amend RS7. I propose that RS7 be amended to only include the following resolve clauses: 2 A through 2D, 3 A through 3B, 4 A through P. Somebody will need to second that motion. Oh, I'm sorry. I second the motion. That's seconded by board member Kuster. Point of inquiry. Wasn't there already a motion that was made and seconded? So, would that need to be an amendment to the motion? This is an amendment. This is an amendment. I just proposed an amendment to RS7. To the
329motion, not to the item. No, there is an an amendment I mean a motion on the floor to amend the language of RS7. And so now the floor is open to discussion for board members who want to discuss the amended language. Uh so my understanding and please someone correct me if I am incorrect that we would have to vote on the amendment up or down and then vote on the motion either as amended or in its original form. Is that correct President Harden? That is correct. Thank you. If there's no discussion, uh, we can go on the vote for the amended language. Member Gopz, thank you. Just wanted to do a quick response to the for member Rosenfeld. um a a lot of those conversations and why even the 18 months came about with conversations
330with um with the chief Carmona and also hearing previously as to why it is important to have that certain number of uh whether it be months weeks of notice. I believe that the the language as presented for the resolution, it's a strong solid solid resolution and I um will ask my board members to support the full resolution as it was presented with the change that was read by the secretary. Member Rivas. Uh thank you, Mr. President. Um so from my understanding from um Chief Carmona's presentation the contract updates that we've requested from our charter operators moving forward. So these charter operators that are that are subject to uh renewal today. Uh so if you look at page 30 of uh Chief Carmona's presentation the first item there is an 18-month lead time is required to
331notify the district of its intent of self-closure uh to to self-close the school or an attendance center. So, if this is already required in the contracts we're requiring of the charter operators, why are we making a resolution today, right now, for this? Member Gopz, you have a response. Thank you. with that is so we can have it also in writing in a resolution which it was guided from numbers of conversations and it also it helps protect the our district right the district that we have a resolution where it states this that also as you could tell from and I and I agrees that 18 months is the way to go with this. I also uh want to mention briefly that some of the other items that are being asked not to be included would have
332take away some of the key aspects that the community has asked which is the community engagement aspect of the process and I just don't think it's fair that we are being asked to leave that from this resolution. Um, Chief Carmona and his team have been um, very collaborative in terms of sharing some of the concerns that they've had throughout the charter renewal processes about information that they don't have access to because um, it's not part of the current charter contracts. Um, and that has helped inform board member Lopez and other co-sponsors of this resolution and drafting the resolution about what kind of information would be helpful to have. So, Chief Carmona and his team have been involved in giving feedback about what are the kinds of changes that we would need um to to make
333sure that operators can be held accountable to serving our our students and to giving us the information that we need as a district um as an authorizer. Um and then in terms of legislative session and legislative changes, none of these changes are legislative and are quite separate from anything that we would um need to work with the legislature for. as a district, we have um the opportunity to pass resolutions um to work alongside the district um to inform their work in in um executing the guiding principles that we put forward. Mr. President, I have member board, you know, I I have a concern. Um I went I went back and forth with Yenni about this asking questions. and she gave me answers, but I still have a concern about possibly opening the district up to
334risk um of litigation here um with some of the language. So, I I'm not I'm not comfortable with that possibility. Um thank you, member Rivas. I'd actually like to get uh sorry to put our general counsel on the spot. Uh but our general counsel did uh provide us via email uh her feedback around um specific changes that would be best to ensure that our district is not opened up to liability. And I'd like to get that on the public record. Um what our general counsel who we hire to advise the board and prevent us from having exposure to d to liability uh let us know what in this resolution would be better for us to have um to ensure that we're not opened up to liability. uh we want to avoid is having more lawsuits,
335more money taken away from classrooms through expensive litigation and outside council costs. Uh unfortunately, I can't give my legal advice in public that uh would um cut off the confidentiality and privileged nature of the advice. You all received it via email um so that you could all be informed of my advice with respect to this resolution. So um I would defer back to that email for all of you to refer to. Thank you. Thanks, member Zachor. Uh yeah, I guess I just want to get some clarification on what the real concerns are because uh board member Rosenfeld, you said you um well, you gave a list of what you did want to include, but then you expressed concern about the 18 months, which is in one of the sections that you do want to include.
336Um, and just to highlight that this is not really um, significantly different from what uh, Chief Carmona was saying, you'll notice in 4D it talks about kind of graduated terms depending on how long the renewal term is for. So I feel like that's in um, cooperation basically with what Chief Carmona was sharing with us. Also, I noticed that you left out 4Q, which is about uh all contractors providing various services shall as a condition of the contract be consent to be bound by the terms of section 4G through 4P, which is an element of union neutrality. Rosel, do you have a response to that? My my issue with this is, you know, we we have a fiduciary responsibility. This resolution, Board Member Lopez, I appreciate your response, feels twofold. You know, we're talking labor and
337we're talking um renewals. I want to take the time to understand to separate these out so that if I if I were to vote yes, I feel conflicted on the two. If I were to vote no, I feel conflicted on the two. They feel like they're smushed into one. There's too much mucky maka riffraff and it's too big for me. And that's why I want to separate out. That's why I want to take a time to step back and relook at it. And we have time to do that. Member Thomas. Mr. President, the discussion has been lengthy. Uh the uh resolution is has taken time and it's been really really complete and trying to give us some guard rails on what charter schools shouldn't be doing and what they should do and to give us
338some some teeth in terms of how to look at their operations. Motion to cease debate. second. All right, let's move forward with the vote. So, this vote is to uh vote on the motion from board member Rosenfeld that to amend the language to only include 2 A through 2D, 3A through 3B, and 4 A through P. Member board secretary general counsel would like to speak Kuster. Yeah. Well, did you have your hand raised to uh I did before, but Carlos said actually what I was going to say and for the sake of not repeating, I put my hand back down. I appreciate that. Thank you for that. So, we're going to go ahead with the vote on the amended language. Member Lozano. No. Member Smith. I. Member Lopez. Nay. Member Thomas. No. Member Bole. Yes.
339Member Wallace. Nay. Member Kuster. Hi. Member Pope. No. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. Nay. Member Brown, no. Nay. Member Bannon, nay. Vice President Balt, no. Member Gutierrez, I member Bigs, no. Member Thorakura, no. Member Blae, no. Member Zachor, no. Member Dberry, nay. Six eyes's 14 nazs. This motion is failed of adoption. We'll now vote on the resolution as it was um read into record earlier with the update to 4N. Do I have Can we call for a motion? A motion. I'm sorry. Lopez and member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. Abstain. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. I. Member Bole abstain. Member Wallace I. Member Kuster. I. Member Poke. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Abstain. Member Rivas. Abstain. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Yes. Me. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez abstain.
340Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. Hi. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Dberry. Is that a yes? Yes. Thank you. 15 eyes, five abstensions. This resolution, this um matter is adopted by the board. We're on page 15. Right. I'd like to note that the following unfinished business items from April 24th, 2025, authorized renewal of Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men High School Bronzeville campus and authorized renewal of Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men In Englewood campus will be separate votes. So you can provide your questions and comments for those items before we proceed with that separate vote. Board members, are there any comments or questions on any other unfinished business items? Are there any reports you wish to remove from the consent agenda as a separate vote? I'll proceed. 25424 EX3 authorized renewal
341of the passages charter school agreement with conditions. 25424 EX4 authorized renewal of the Spir Charter School agreement with conditions. 25424EX7 authorized renewal of the Epic Academy Charter High School agreement with conditions. 25424EX8 authorized renewal of the Erie Elementary Charter High Charter School Agreement with conditions. 25424 EX11 authorized renewal of the Moving Everest charter charter school agreement with conditions. 25424 EX-14 authorized renewal of the Providence Englewood charter school agreement with conditions. 25424EX-15 authorized renewal of the Row Elementary Charter School Agreement with conditions. President Harden, I'd like to motion to amend board reports as read earlier by the board secretary. The amendments are as follows for 2524 uh 0424 EX3, EX4, EX7, EX8, EX11, EX14, and EX15 in the renewal term section for uh for of each report. The term uh charter and agreement is extended for
342a three-year term commencing on July 1st, 2025 and ending June 30th, 2028. Is there a second to move the amended language on the floor? Second. I so move. That board member Gutierrez. Yes. Are there any questions? It's been moved to the floor. Secretary, please take the roll call. All right. I am taking a roll call on unfinished business. 25424, EX3, EX4, EX7, EX8, EX11, EX14, EX-15. The motion to amend language uh for the renewal terms from 2 years to 3 years. Member Lozano, abstain. Member Smith, yes. Member Lopez, abstain. Member Thomas, abstain. Member Bole, yes. Member Wallace, abstain. Member Kuster, yes. Member Pope, no. Member Rosenfeld, yes. Member Rivas, yes. Member Rio Sierra. Hi. Member Brown. Member Bannon. No. Vice President Bautista. No. Member Gutierrez, I. Member Biggs, yes. Member Thorakura, no. Member Blae, no.
343Member Zachor, no. Member Deberry, no. What is No. Can you hear me? Oh, yes. I'm sorry about that. Member Deberry, we're going to need to um have the president cast a vote because there is a tie with eight eyes, eight nays, and four abstensions. You turn on your mic. I thought I did. Sorry, I apologize. I thought I did. Uh the motion fails as it didn't get 11 votes. I thought because um the majority of those voting they're non votes. The the four abstensions were non votes. Okay. So So this motion fails of adoption. Maybe Yes. Yes. Right. Um, the matter has failed of adoption. We will now vote on board reports 25423, EX3, EX4, EX7, EX8, EX11, EX14, and EX15 um, as they were posted on the public agenda. Need to call for a
344motion. Can we have a motion? So moved. Is there a second? Second. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. I. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member Pope. Yes, member Rosenfeld. Yeah. Yes. Member Rivas. I member Rio Sierra. I member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Hi. Vice President Bautista. I. Member Gutierrez. I. Member Biggs. I. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Derry. 20 eyes's zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board as they were posted in the public agenda. 25424 EX12 authorized renewal of the North Lawndale College Preparatory Charter High School Agreement with conditions. President Harden, I would like to motion to amend board report as early as read earlier by the board secretary. The amendment is as
345follows for 25-0424-EX12 authorized renewal of the North Lndale College Preparatory Charter High School agreement with conditions. In the renewal term section of the report, the term charter and agreement is extended for four-year term commencing July 1st, 2025 and ending June 30th, 2029. Is there a second to move the amended language to the floor? I second. It's been moved to the floor. Board members, are there any questions? Board secretary, please take the board. Please take the roll call. I'm sorry. Was there No, please take the role. Roll call will be taken on 25424 EX12 intervening motion to amend language from a three-year term to four-year terms. Member Lozano. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. Absane. Member Thomas. Yes. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. Yes. Member Pope. Abstain. Member Rosenthal. Yes. Member
346Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown, yes. Member Bannon, I. Vice President Bautista, I abstain. Member Gutierrez, I. Member Biggs, yes. Member Thorakura, abstain. Member Blae, I. Member Zachor, no. Member Deberry, yes. You guys are awesome. Thank you. 15 eyes, one nay for abstension. This matter, the amended language to EX12 has been adopted. And now the vote to vote on the board report with the amended renewal terms. Can you call for a motion? Yes. Can we have a motion? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Was that Gutier? Is that seconded? Yes. Thank you. I'll call for a roll call vote on the um EX12 with the amended term from 3 years to four years. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. Abstain. Member Thomas. Yes. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I member
347Kuster. Yes. Member Pope. Yes. No, this is all the Can we Can we get clarification on what this is real quick? You're voting on the board report with the amended renewal terms from 3 years to four years on all of them for North Lawndale. Only North Lawn. That's North Lawndale. Yes. Okay. Remember Rosenfeld? Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. I. Vice President Bautista. I abene. Member Gutierrez. I. Member Biggs. I. Member Thorakura. Abstain. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor abstain. Member Dberry. Member deberry. Yes. 16 eyes, four abstensions. 25424EX12 with the amended language um from a three-year term to a four-year term has been adopted. 25424 EX6 authorized the renewal of the Catalyst Maria Charter School Agreement with conditions. 25424 EX10 authorized renewal of the Institute of
348Health Sciences Career Academy Charter High School agreement with conditions. President Harden, I would like to motion to amend order reports as read earlier by the board secretary. The amendments are as follow-up 66 and EX10. In the renewal term section of each report, the term charter and agreement is extended to four-year terms commencing commencing July 1st, 2025 and ending June 30th, 2029. Is there a second to move the amended language to the floor? I second. It's been moved to the floor. Are there any questions? board secretary, please take the roll call. Thank you. I will take a roll call on the amended language move um from three-year terms to fouryear terms for board reports 25424 EX6 and EX10. Member Lozano, yes. Member Smith, yes. Member Lopez, abstain. Member Thomas. Yes. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. Abstain.
349Member Kuster. Yes. Member Pope. No. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. Yes. Member Brown. No. Member Bannon. No. Vice President Bautista, no. Member Gutierrez, hi. Member Biggs, yes. Member Thorakura, no. Member Blae, no. Member Zachor, no. Member Deberry, no. We have 10 eyes, eight nays, two abstain. I'll defer to general counsel with eight nays, two abstains, 10 eyes's. Will we need a vote by the president? No, the motion fails. The motion fails. Yeah. Doesn't have a majority of full membership. It doesn't have 11 votes. Motion fails of Mr. President. Yes. Uh can I just ask for clarification as to what the meaning and implication of the failure of the motion is goes back to the proceeding. Okay, that's what I wanted to make sure I understood correctly. So now the vote will
350be taken on the board reports 25424 EX6 and EX10 as they were post posted on the agenda. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? Second. Okay. Uh taking a roll call on the reports that they were posted on the agenda. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. Hi. Member Thomas. Yes. 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. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. Hi. Member BS. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. 20 eyes, zero nazs. These these matters are adopted by the board. 25424 EX5 authorized renewal of the Catalyst Elementary Charter School Circle Rock agreement with conditions. 25424EX9 authorized renewal of the Horizon Science
351Academy Southwest Chicago Charter School Agreement with conditions. 25424EX13 authorized the renewal of the perspectives charter school agreement with conditions. President Harden, I would like to motion to amend the board reports as read earlier by the board secretary. The amendments are as follows. 425-0424-EX5, EX9, and EX13. In the renewal term section of each report, the term charter and agreement is extended for five-year terms commencing July 1st, 2025 and ending June 30th, 2030. Is there a second to move the amended language to the floor? A second. It's been moved to the floor for discussion. Are there any questions? Board secretary, please take the roll call. This roll call is on the uh intervening motion to amend the language from four-year terms to 5-year terms on 25424 EX5, EX9, and EX13. Member Lozano, abstain. Member Smith, I. Member
352Lopez, abstain. Member Thomas, abstain. Member Bole, yes. Member Wallace, abstain. Member Kuster. Hi. Member Pope. No. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. Nate. Member Brown. No. No. Member Bannon. No. Me. Vice President Bautista. No. Member Gutierrez. Yes. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. No. Member Blae. Stain. Member Zachor. No. Member DB. No. I'm sorry. What was the number? Seven eyes, eight nazs, five abstensions. This motion um fails of adoption. So the vote is on the reports as posted on the agenda. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? Second. I'm sorry. Who seconded? Sec. Member Brown. I'll take a roll call vote on the items as posted on the agenda. Member Lozano, yes. Member Smith, I. Member Lopez, I. Member Thomas, I. Member Bole. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I. Member
353Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfo. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Hi. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. Hi. Member Bixs. Yes. Member Thor. Yes. Member Blae. Hi. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. Hi. 20 eyes, zero nazs. These um matters are adopted by the board. President Harden, we will now proceed with the unfinished business items from April 24th, 2025 for the consent agenda. I will read the board report numbers and brief titles. These items do require a vote. EX2, I'm sorry, 25424 EX2. Authorize renewal of the Elaine Lock Charter School Agreement with conditions OP 25424 OP1 approved renewal lease agreement with Epic Academy, Inc. for the former South Chicago School Building, 8255 South Houston Avenue. 25424 OP2 approved renewal lease agreement with Northwestern University Settlement Association. 25424 OP3 approve renewal
354lease agreement with Perspectives Charter School for the former Raymond School Building. 25424 OP4 approved renewal lease agreement with Providence Englewood School Corporation. 25424 OP5 ratify renewal lease agreement with urban prepmies for the former Dittle Dittle West School building. 25424 OP6 ratify renewal lease agreement with Urban Prepmies for the former Englewood High School building. 25424 LP7 amend lease agreement with the North Lawndale College Preparatory Charter High School. 25424 OP8 amend renewal lease agreement with Learn Charter School. President Harden, these items do require a vote. Is there a motion? Is there a second? I second the motion. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. I'm sorry. Board Secretary, could we just confer for one second to make sure that we've taken the vote on the renewal of Urban Prep prior to the lease?
355I just want to double check that that was called out. OP5 and OP6. OP5 and OP6. I did read those inter Right. But did we read the renewal? So EX16 and EX17 is the renewal of urban prep. We would have to vote on those before the leases. Thank you for calling that out. Of course. Thank you. I will pull OP5 and OP6 out of this vote and pull them into a vote after the separate votes for EX16 and EX17. My apologies. So this vote is on 25424 EX2, 25424, OP1, OP2, OP3, OP4, OP7, and OP8. Is there a motion on that one? I'm sorry. Point of clarification. What's OP8? OP8 is the uh amend the renewal lease agreement with Got it. Thank you. Okay. And then a second. Is there a second? I second the
356motion. Thank you. I will call do roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. I. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. Yes. Member Bole. Member Wallace. I member Kuster. I member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Getting so close. People. Yes. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. I. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. I 20 eyes, zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board. President Harden, we will now proceed with a separate vote as noted earlier and begin with a separate vote on 25424 ex16 authorized renewal of Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men High School Bronzeville campus agreement with conditions. Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? I'll second. I'll proceed with I'm
357sorry. I think the item is open for discussion. Are there any comments before proceeding with the roll call vote? Please proceed with the roll call vote. Thank you. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. I. Member Bole. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. I think she may have dropped. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. Hi. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Hi. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierz. Hi. Member Bixs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. Hi. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. I 19 eyes, zero nazs. This matter is adopted by the board. President Harden will now proceed with the separate vote as noted earlier on 25424 EX17 authorized renewal of Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Man High School Englewood campus agreement with conditions. Is
358there a motion? So move. Is there a second? Second. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. Yes. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. Hi. Member Bole. Thank you. Member Bole. Member Wallace. I member Cluster. She's not on. Member Pope abstain. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Hi. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. Hi. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. I. 18 eyes, one abstain. This matter is adopted by the board. I will call for OP6 and I'm sorry, OP5 and OP6. I can read those back into the record. Give me one second. OP5 is ratify renewal lease agreement with urban prepmies for the former Dittle West school building and OP6 ratify renewal lease agreement
359with urban prepmies for the former Englewood High School building. So moved. Is there a second? Second. I'll take a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes. Member Smith. I. Member Lopez. I. Member Thomas. Hi. Member Bole. Member Wallace. I. Member Kuster. She's not on. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. I. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Hi. Me. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. I member Bigs. Yes. Member Thodakura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Dberry. Hi. 19 eyes, zero nays. These matters are adopted by the board. We are now moving to executive session. Board member board, do you have motion MO4? I move for the passage of motion number 255029 MO4 and the commencement of a closed session to consider matters permitted under section 2C of the open meetings
360act subsections 1 and 11 as specified in the motion. Is there a second? So moved this meeting I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano I. Member Smith I. Member Lopez I. Member Thomas. I. Member Bole. I. Member Wallace. I. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. Yes. Member Rivas. Yes. Member Rio Sierra. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. I. Vice President Bautista. I. Member Gutierrez. I. Member Biggs. Yes. Member Thorakura. Yes. Member Blae. I. Member Zachor. Yes. Member Deberry. I member Kuster. This is a motion to go to close session. Yes. I sorry. Thank you. 20 I zero nays. This motion is adopted by the board. Going to cold session. Thank you. She had Thank you. Thank you. Um, first and foremost, I'm listening to No, did you have your hand raised? Yes, I did. Can you
361hear me? You're on mute. Can you No, I'm not on mute. Maybe the moment again. board member my hands. Thank you. Uh yeah, so I think uh board member thorough said a number of the things that I have been thinking about. Some of this to me is about temperament. I had a long conversation with Bana last week. City Hall, whether the mayor or the Very distracting. the same open. She was Denisa, I'm on Susan. Thank you. More secretary, please begin. President Oh, can you strike the gavl? I'm sorry. Sure. President Harden, I will continue with an executive session item. This item does require a vote. AR8 amend authorized retention of the law firm Kosen Okconor. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to increase the spend authority to $135,000. This item does require a vote. Is
362there a motion? So moved. Is there a second? Second. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano is not on. Member Smith. No. Member Lopez. Hi. Member Thomas. Hi. Member Bole. Yes. Member Wallace. I member Kuster. No. Member Pope. Yes. Member Rosenfeld. No. Member Rivas. No. Member Brown. Yes. Member Bannon. Hi. Vice President Bautista. Yes. Member Gutierrez. Yes. Member Biggs. No. Member Thorakura. No. Member Zachor. Yes. I'm sorry. 10 10 I's six nazs. This item this matter is adopted by the board. No, you need 11. You need a majority of full membership. This matter is failed of adoption. So, so at at this point we are saying that we are no longer have representation. No, that is not what you're saying. President Harden, we should talk about this matter offline. We should close out the
363meeting. President Harden, there are no further items on the executive session agenda. Thank you. Is there a motion to adjurnn? So moved. So moved. Second. Second in favor. I I