* From Senate Majority Leader Kim Lightford’s amendment, backed by Mayor Lightfoot, to elect a small portion of the Chicago school board…
After the 2026 election, the Chicago Board of Education shall be comprised initially of a 7-member board, of which 5 members shall be appointed and 2 members shall be elected pursuant to subsection (b-10).
The Mayor shall appoint 3 more members to the Chicago Board of Education to hold office and serve terms of 4 years, from terms commencing on July 1, 2026, to serve along with the appointed members whose terms run through June 30, 2028 and the members elected in 2026.
Beginning with the 2028 election, the Chicago Board of Education shall transition to an 11-member board, of which 8 members shall be appointed and 3 members shall be elected pursuant to subsection (b-10).
The Mayor shall appoint 5 more members to the Chicago Board of Education to hold office and serve terms of 4 years, from terms commencing on July 1, 2028, to serve along with the members appointed in 2026 and the elected members.
Mayor Lightfoot campaigned in favor of a fully elected school board.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 3:47 pm:
Candidate Lightfoot believes this isn’t far enough.
- Pawar Lost - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 3:48 pm:
Mayor Haircut shows what happens when the voters elect a bureaucrat with zero political instincts.
- OneMan - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 3:52 pm:
Two? I get the idea of keeping the board relatively small, but only 2 elected? That seems like a joke.
- anon2 - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 3:55 pm:
== Mayor Lightfoot campaigned in favor of a fully elected school board.==
This reform was deep-sixed once she got the office whose authority would be diminished by a fully elected school board.
- Fav Human - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 3:55 pm:
Tori P part two. From progressive to establishment. Just a lot faster.
Pegging the irony meter…..
- Joe Bidenopolous - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 3:57 pm:
This is pretty much an insult. Not surprising coming from this disastrous mayor. She just can’t stop from making unforced errors. But nice how this popped on the same day as the shooting video. I’m sure that wasn’t intentional
- Dan Johnson - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 3:58 pm:
I don’t have a vote, but I do think a 20-something elected board is a little excessive. Isn’t every other school board in the state 7 members? Maybe CPS ought to just do that. And elect them all in staggered terms.
And if you’re reading this actual stakeholders, use cumulative voting rights!
We used to do it for MWRD back in the day when it was the Chicago Sanitary District.
- anon - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:01 pm:
what person in their right mind would ever believe the Mayor of Chicago would want an elected school board–politicians make promises–voters know the ones they won’t keep.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:01 pm:
This proposal is just terrible. It’s so terrible that I now feel worse for having read it. At this point it was a near absolute certainty that the bill was going to pass and she shows up with introduced legislation that would still give the mayor full authority over the board with token representation?
This is the legislative equivalent of showing up to the stadium to play ball two hours after you already lost the game and taking the field even though someone’s already turned out the lights. This issue was that over and done with.
- uialum - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:05 pm:
Now we get to the real question: after so many Chicago legislators voted for a fully elected school board, how does Lightfoot convince them to back off of that when CTU is so firmly on the other side?
- City Zen - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:12 pm:
Increasing board membership during declining enrollment? OK.
As a demonstration of good fait, one seat should be reserved for labor, whether it be a teacher, custodian, or lunch person. Let them have their own election and figure it out, but the winner gets a seat on the board.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:20 pm:
The Chicago high schools were supposed to open next week. I understand that there was still some negotiations going on. It would not surprise me at all of these negotiations now stall and Hugh schools do not open next week. Sorta a look here Mayor from the Union
- Frank talks - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:32 pm:
Lori is not really good at this legislative stuff and creating partnerships. Who would vote for this? An 11 member school board those districts would be larger than House, Senate and Aldermanic districts, that’s pretty big for an unpaid, high stress position?
- RNUG - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:32 pm:
How about a 3 member school board … all elected? With staggered terms.
- Levois J - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:33 pm:
Right track, but wrong idea. I’d say the mayor should appoint the majority, however, there should be more than two elected. And whats with expanding to eleven with only 3 elected?
I see the comments here this isn’t a good look. Perhaps this’ll get amended.
- ChicagoBars - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:34 pm:
DuPage Saint you’re several hours behind the news cycle….
Even CTU social media was saying they had a tentative deal on high school in place as of 1:30pm.
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:36 pm:
Um, yeah, no - Lori, I’m with you on the dangers of CTU puppeteering and limiting the size of the board, but an elected school board means an elected school board.
- Ashland Adam - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:40 pm:
Chicago’s population is about 2,700,000.
If only 7 elected members, as in most school districts, that equates to about 385,000 residents/district.
Not easy to run a small, community campaign in districts that large. Illinois state senate seats have populations of about 210,000 people, so these CPS board seats - if only 7 seats - would be large for grassroots campaigns.
It’d take deep pockets to run for these seats.
20 seats, as proposed in Sen. Martwick’s bill, would be the size - roughly - of two city wards. In districts that size - Hyde Park, Woodlawn and Kenwood (as an example) could be represented by one district. This would allow community members to participate in a process that responds to concerns of families and school communities from those parts of the city.
Sen. Martwick’s proposal has been in the works for years, with much input from a variety of stakeholders, elected officials, etc. Its passed through committees and the House multiple times.
Sen. Lightford’s proposal appears to have been thrown together at the last minute.
- NIU Grad - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:45 pm:
I just have to wonder…Why would this Mayor still want absolute control over CPS with all of the headaches that come with it?
Even with an elected school board, the City Council will likely still control the purse strings through an annual allocation for the board to allocate as they see fit.
- Amalia - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:48 pm:
oh goody, another set of elected officials. just what Illinois needs.
- James - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 4:55 pm:
Substantively, Lightfoot is not proposing an elected school board, so her campaign promise was a dishonest one.
Secondly, why wait five years? Why maintain the appointed board through 2026? Don’t we have statewide elections in 2022? We want change now.
- Wonk - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 5:03 pm:
Upside of a fully elected school board is that, unlike the mayor, they don’t have authority to set city policy on affordable housing or the host of other non-school issues that the CTU seems set on negotiating behind closed closed rooms and striking over.
- Montrose - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 5:16 pm:
I get coming in with something you know you will have to compromise on, but really? This is beyond tokenism. At least start with a bill that says the elected members will have a one vote majority. Something that can be reasonably defended.
She was better off with just trying to kill the CTU-backed bills.
- Veil of Ignorance - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 5:19 pm:
Um, what’s the point of having a minority number of board members be elected? That’s silly and signals real control issues by the Mayor. Perhaps reserve a minority number of seats as appointed if there’s a desire for the 5th Floor voice being represented on the board.
- charles in charge - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 5:29 pm:
It’s increasingly clear that few things are as worthless as a Lori Lightfoot campaign promise.
- Southern Skeptic - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 5:31 pm:
Sorry son, but that dog won’t hunt.
- Common Sense - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 8:08 pm:
Am so tired of people who get to elect their own school board try to explain why I cannot be trusted to do the same? And if the CTU is able to convince the majority of voters that their vision is best for the children of Chicago then so be it.
- Frank talks - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 8:17 pm:
Mayor Lightfoot proves again that she believes she is the smartest person in the room and everyone should just keep their mouth shut, listen to her and do what she says.
Totally agree this is laughable and an insult to the obvious lie she put up in the campaign.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Apr 15, 21 @ 11:41 pm:
It’s like she wants to get rolled.
- Thomas Paine - Friday, Apr 16, 21 @ 8:11 am:
None of the Mayoral appointees are required to be CPS Parents.