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Chicago elected school board roundup

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The city of Chicago could begin holding elections for seats on the Board of Education as soon as 2024, with a fully elected school board in place by 2027, under legislation approved Tuesday evening by the Illinois Senate.

Chicago Public Schools is currently the lone district in Illinois with a school board appointed by the mayor. But under the new bill, the Chicago Board of Education would transition, first in 2024 to a hybrid board made of elected and appointed members, before fully transforming into an elected body by 2027.

The bill was approved by the state Senate with 36 yeas, 15 nays and two members abstaining. It will now go back to the Illinois House for another vote.

Under the legislation, Chicago would be divided into 10 separate electoral districts for the 2024 elections and into 20 districts for the 2026 elections. From January 2025 to January 2027, each district would be represented both by one elected member serving a four-year term and one appointed member serving a two-year term.

“A 20-member board ensures that every corner of the city has the ability to elect someone that they know, who has worked in their community, has been involved in (local school councils) and has been involved in PTAs and has been involved in community groups and neighborhood groups and their participation matters more than their money,” bill sponsor and state Sen. Rob Martwick, D-Chicago, said during a committee hearing Tuesday.

* Understatement from Fox 32…

In the latest sign that Lightfoot’s standing in the state capitol is unusually weak for a Chicago mayor, her objections did nothing to prevent the measure passing by a vote of 36 to 15, with two senators voting “present.”

* This was not a surprise. The Senate President said he was passing a bill this spring to provide for an elected school board and that’s what happened. Yes, some provisions were added late, but that’s normal. Chicago was warned not to try to stall an issue that has been percolating for years, but that’s just what they tried to do yesterday…

Within two hours of the compromise amendment being made public, some high-profile policymakers raised questions about the new language and called on lawmakers to pause before proceeding. Chicago’s deputy mayor of education, Sybil Madison, warned that provisions on who could run for the seats did not bar union leadership. Others asked about campaign-spending limits and why they didn’t appear in the measure.

However, the Senate executive committee passed the bill as amended with nine members in favor of the bill, five opposed, and two who voted present.

Tuesday brought the most heated public debate so far on the issue, as supporters and critics of the bill were suddenly put on notice to testify.

“I, too, have to scramble to be ready to participate this afternoon,” said Miguel del Valle, the current president of the Chicago Board of Education. He said he’d campaigned publicly for an elected school board for a decade but couldn’t support a 21-person body. “We can’t have a school board that is twice as large as the largest elected school board in the country. Down the road, I could see dysfunction, stalemates, all kinds of issues.”

Tuesday’s “overtime” brought a surprise ending to a lengthy spring session that was supposed to end at midnight Monday.

* WBEZ…

The bill passed by the senate would put a moratorium on school closings until 2025, which is a concession to proponents who are disappointed they will have to wait years for a fully elected board.

Also, it creates a mayoral-appointed advisory committee to represent the interests of undocumented residents, who currently can’t run for the board. Lightfoot said one reason she opposed the elected school board bill is that non-citizens can’t run.

The change from an appointed board to an elected school board in Chicago is huge. The closest the city has come to anything like an elected board is a community nomination process for board members that once existed.

* Sun-Times…

The mayor’s office was particularly interested in preventing Chicago Teachers Union leaders from running for school board seats.

The amendment as it stands already prevents any CPS employees from seeking a board seat. Most CTU officers are still employed by the district but are on leave for union work — making them ineligible for a seat under this proposal.

Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Tinley Park, the majority whip, called the mayor’s request “absurd” and “undemocratic.”

“Where else in the history of Illinois have we precluded someone from running for office outside of a felony?” he asked Madison. She said the mayor’s position is that a CTU leader, or anyone with an organization that has a contract with the district, would have a conflict of interest and couldn’t serve on the school board.

* The poison pill gambit didn’t work…

Some education activists who had pushed for a requirement that a certain percentage of the board include CPS parents walked away unhappy, as did members of the Latino Caucus who wanted noncitizens to have the ability to run for the board instead of the noncitizen advisory panel included in the bill. The provision was left out in an effort to secure votes from suburban and Downstate Democrats, sources familiar with the negotiations said.

60-30-1.

* More from the Tribune…

The legislation also does not address the fact that City Hall subsidizes CPS with payments of some $500 million per year, much of it going toward pensions.

“The city of Chicago, which has the worst rated credit of any major city in the country, and the Chicago Public Schools, which has one of the lowest credit ratings, they’re vulnerable to further financial downgrade,” said Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a government budget watchdog group. “If the goal here is to treat CPS and the city of Chicago like all other cities in the state of Illinois and all other school districts, you’ll have to find a way to make up that approximately half a billion dollars the city gives to the district.”

Or the city could just continue doing it. As Martwick noted, the money will come from the same place: Chicago taxpayers.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:12 am

Comments

For the judicial ballot, I look to the various Bar associations for a relatively unbiased recommendation process, which I follow in order to cast a more informed ballot. Where do I look for a roughly equivalent review of choices here?

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:22 am
The idea that CPS needs to have separate taxing ability from the city is always kind of nuts to me. I have never gotten a good explanation that I’m happy with as to why Illinois has so many independent taxing agencies. It seems like just a great way to hide graft and waste, and create opportunities for every random administrator to pay for pet projects.

Comment by Homebody Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:22 am
Wrote this yesterday;

Anytime you lose so badly on policy that you did a 180 on, even if Lightfoot might not face these changes, it’s a loss of stature and leverage to her own power

Lightfoot failed to learn a simple truth all mayors learn, some just not as hard as this… the legislature can’t and won’t bend to any mayor, it’s best to build a coalition and allies then think you can find the noses yourself.

Plus it’s a self own… how can Mayor Lightfoot even contemplate she’s the same as Candidate Lightfoot… at her core?

This is so much bigger than a policy loss, and so much larger than Lightfoot losing out on the merits of policy.

To add…

===60-30-1.===

Lightfoot and her crew/staff are grossly inept at understanding this.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:28 am
Overall support the compromise. Looks like they ended up in the right place. I am confused as to why Hastings is quick to say “undemocratic process” for Lightfoot wanting CTU members barred when as stated CPS employees are not allowed to run. Why isn’t this undemocratic as well? I’m reading this as the math teacher, administrator, principal etc. at a CPS run school cannot run for a board position. Someone within the teaching system in the city seems to be the “most qualified” to serve on the board but are barred? Can these individuals run so long as they resign from their existing position upon winning the seat? Do they need to resign before announcing their candidacy?

Comment by 1st Ward Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:38 am
As soon as the Legislators pass spending limits on their own campaigns, then do it for other “elected officials”

Comment by Campaign Spending Limits??? Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:39 am
OW,for someone that writes so frequently on this blog you have such a surface level understanding of politics and voters. Truly 100-level polysci stuff. Surprised you didn’t put that dumb, “xxx owns” in that post.

Comment by OWbadtakes Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:46 am
Why shouldn’t CTU have a seat on the board ? We are part of the community. We pay taxes . Why should we second class citizens in Chicago?

Comment by Happy CPS Teacher Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:59 am
Every news story about the elected school board should have a boilerplate sentence about Lightfoot previously being in favor of a fully elected board. It’s one of the key reasons why she in such a weak political position.

Comment by Roman Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:59 am
I just saw a listing of the roll call vote, I can’t believe this was a straight party line vote. What reason would Republicans have voted against this? Unless they had no dog in that fight.

Comment by Levois J Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:11 am
- Happy CPS Teacher - Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 9:59 am:

Because it causes Ken Griffin to cry

Comment by Shield Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:21 am
Levois J,
What really stands out is that you can go back and look at roll calls from previous years and almost every Republican voted for an elected school board for Chicago again and again and again.
This year, for some reason, they all decided to follow Mayor Lightfoot, do a 180 and oppose what they’d previously supported.

Comment by Asteroid of Caution Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:28 am
“What reason would Republicans have voted against this?”

Because they hate CTU more than they like elected school boards.

Comment by NIU Grad Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:34 am
I encourage commenters to stay in topic and ignore the pitiful troll.

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:35 am
Teachers should not serve on the Board that they are employed in since there would be conflict of interest votes taken: labor contracts, administrator contracts/issues, budgets, capital spending, etc. Many teachers in downstate communities live in a different district in which they teach & serve on the Board they live in.

Comment by Interim Retiree Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:38 am
This is the ‘finishing job’ on victimizing the school families of the CTU. They don’t care and never have about ‘the children’ Hard to believe they could treat them more poorly than they already do. But, alas, they’ve found a way. So terribly sad for them.

Comment by A Guy Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:40 am
Teachers… care about students.

Unions care about their members and the union.

Both are true.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:42 am
== A 20-member board ensures that every corner of the city has the ability to elect someone that they know
Also makes it a lot harder to close any school regardless of what happens with enrollment levels

Comment by midway gardens Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:47 am
=…City Hall subsidizes CPS with payments of some $500 million per year, much of it going toward pensions.=

UM, yeah. That’s what happens when, starting in 1995, the state legislature allowed Daley to divert pension funding because CPS pensions were so well-funded. Actually, they claimed, over-funded.
When you don’t pay your bills, it adds up.

Comment by TinyDancer(FKASue) Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 11:25 am
And, btw, this was all under Republican control.

Comment by TinyDancer(FKASue) Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 11:27 am
1. Why did Republicans support an elected Chicago School board in the past, and oppose it this time? Because in the past, when Rahm Emanuel was Mayor, a former chief of staff to President Obama, and Democratic strategist, Republicans were all to happy to create a headache for Rahm.

This time around - Repubs are in sync with what the financial sector, Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, Ken Griffin, wealthy family foundation/think tanks want - which is control of the $8 billion CPS budget, and policy. Too important to leave to working class average Chicagoans.

2. Employees of the CPS board cannot run for these seats. CPS teachers and school staff are union members, i.e. CTU or SEIU 73.

3. Rank and file parents and community members mostly respond positively to CTU’s policy positions. Things like….
- smaller class sizes
- transparency in how money is spent
- less testing, more rich curriculum, examples:
a. Librarians in all schools
b. World language choices
c. music and the arts
d. de-emphasize the obsession with math and
reading scores, and emphasize engaging
students in meaningful ways.
e. Whatever is being done in schools in
Winnetka, Lake Forest, U of C Lab schools
- we’d like that for our students too.

4. These arguments are sincere on the part of CTU members - who actually direct the union’s course.

5. These districts will be about the size of 2 city wards - small enough for community-based campaigns.

Comment by Ashland Adam Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 11:31 am
==Teachers… care about students.
Unions care about their members and the union.
Both are true.==

Sell this somewhere where someone is buying. Don’t you wish you could have sent your kids or grandkids to Chicago Public Schools. Didn’t think so.
Some care, the union itself does not. Never has, never will. They’re greedy, pompous and tonedeaf there. And they are about to elect their creepy members. Congrats if you like this. Ew.

Comment by A Guy Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 11:43 am
=== Sell this somewhere where someone is buying.===

Polling in Chicago about teachers says otherwise.

Also, CTU support for any elected is as sticking as a Jim Edgar endorsement is to securing lots of votes

===Some care===

“Sell this somewhere where someone is buying”… isn’t *that* what you said? So you buy it… it seems…

===Never has, never will. They’re greedy, pompous and tonedeaf there. And they are about to elect their creepy members. Congrats if you like this.===

I see Bruce Rauner is reading the blog again in Florida.

Hey. How are ya? How’s retirement? Loved the fiction in the Dartmouth Alumni magazine.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 11:50 am
Lori Lightfoot needs a new team in Springfield. Period. I’m floored that their repeated failures have not resulted in staff changes. Their not bad people. But they are clueless on even the basics.

Mayor Lightfoot, I want you to succeed. Please get a new team. Now.

Comment by Southern Skeptic Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 12:24 pm
==Don’t you wish you could have sent your kids or grandkids to Chicago Public Schools.==

This is a bit like those memes early in the pandemic that showed empty grocery store shelves and warned “This is what it’ll be like under socialism!” except it was what things actually *were* like under *capitalism*.

Whatever the current merits are of CPS schools- and I have family that matriculated through them, they are, by and large, fine- that’s the status quo ante, without the elected school board. So it’s really weird to blame it on an elected school board.

And this is all to say nothing of your evidence free rant about how terrible CPS teachers are.

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 12:52 pm
==Why shouldn’t CTU have a seat on the board?==

Unions should have been allocated one seat on the board since day one. Then CTU and SEIU could’ve slugged it out to see who got that one seat.

==the state legislature allowed Daley to divert pension funding because CPS pensions were so well-funded.==

I don’t suppose those teachers whose raises were paid for by shorting the pension system all those years are going to pay that money back, are they?

Comment by City Zen Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 1:33 pm
=== Congrats if you like this. Ew.===
My granddaughter goes to a Chicago Public School. She’s doing well there and the teachers I’ve met are really nice. What’s your problem?

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 1:35 pm
==Sell this somewhere where someone is buying. Don’t you wish you could have sent your kids or grandkids to Chicago Public Schools. Didn’t think so.
Some care, the union itself does not. Never has, never will. They’re greedy, pompous and tonedeaf there. And they are about to elect their creepy members. Congrats if you like this. Ew. ==

Seriously with this. Is Disney about to release a movie that reveals that an out of control Project Labor Agreement killed your father?

Comment by Arsenal Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 1:35 pm
=I don’t suppose those teachers whose raises were paid for by shorting the pension system all those years are going to pay that money back, are they?=

Yeah. Those lazy greedy teachers - always wanting to be paid when they work.
And the pay is so great there’s a teacher massive teacher shortage.

Comment by TinyDancer(FKASue) Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 1:37 pm
When Darren Bailey was in the House, he voted for the elected Chicago school board.
Now in the Senate, Darren Bailey voted against the elected Chicago school board.

I hope this doesn’t blow his chance at getting the CTU endorsement

Comment by Asteroid of Caution Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 1:42 pm
CPS teachers, or any current CPS employee (regardless of their union status) cannot serve on the school board.

Candidates supported by CTU can serve on the school board. If you don’t like it then run yourself or vote against them.

No matter who they are, board members will find out it is very different when you are in charge and the whole governing thing is on your shoulders. That is a good thing.

The fear of CTU is grossly overblown in this instance due to pragmatic concerns of governance.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 2:12 pm
It’s actually unbelievable that this thing passed. It creates a new city council. Part of the reason Republicans should have voted for it is that the CTU will now drain their coffers in BOE elections instead of GA elections (against them).

Daley fended this off for literally 25 years, Rahm did the same for 8 and LL couldn’t even put the breaks on it.

The best strategy against this would have been: agreed, give parents more control. This includes being able to elect their board officials. This should also include vouchers.

Comment by Ogden Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 2:47 pm
==Why shouldn’t CTU have a seat on the board?==

In s short time they’ll have 20 seats and own the table.

==The fear of CTU is grossly overblown in this instance due to pragmatic concerns of governance.===

Spoken like a dude who wasn’t stuck sending his kids there. The CTU proved they care about nothing but themselves…again.
We may have our differences, but I do believe you’re a sincere educator. And now you’re stuck by association with another district with defending them. Too bad for you and those poor kids barely getting even the bad education with the exception of a few schools people will kill to get their kids into.

Comment by A Guy Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 2:55 pm
==Too bad for you and those poor kids barely getting even the bad education==
Who says it’s a bad education?

Comment by 17% Solution Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 4:46 pm
I wonder if a seat on this new board could one day become a stepping stone for a mayoral candidate bypassing the alderman’s office? Not too many years ago, it seemed that education was the major toplc for a candidate until police misconduct became the issue.

Comment by Fishingvest Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 6:05 pm
midway gardens,

CPS wasn’t worried about enrollment levels when it was adding all those charters (and enrollment was falling), to bust the CTU….

Comment by Sn1848 Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 7:11 pm
I’m OK with seats on the board being reserved solely for members of the community who are *not* employed by CPS. There should be robust democratic engagement between the community (via the board) and the professionals who do the front-line teaching. Just minimize the role of the admins as much as possible. After the bondholders and the politicians, the administrators are the bane of quality education.

Comment by SN1848 Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 7:15 pm
=Spoken like a dude who wasn’t stuck sending his kids there.=

No, spoken like someone who unders, tands how boards operate and what happens when people get on a board. Spoken like someone that has worked with people that got on the board with an agenda (take back our schools is my personal favorite, like someone stole the school) only to find out how limited their actions really are.

=I’m OK with seats on the board being reserved solely for members of the community who are *not* employed by CPS.=

For the last time, CPS employees cannot serve on the board. Please memorize that fact.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 7:52 pm
===In s short time they’ll have 20 seats and own the table===

It’s foolish to think CTU will win all the seats.

That foolishness is stoked by ignorance to how democracy works.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Jun 2, 21 @ 10:12 pm
==Who says it’s a bad education?==

I do.

Comment by A Guy Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 9:22 am
===I do.===

You’ve always been “opinion driven”, even if it’s against your core beliefs. That’s on brand.

Good thing you’re not living in Chicago, other folks just clout their kids into Payton Prep, something you had no problem with as I recall.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 9:36 am
==I do.==
What is that based on?

Comment by 17% Solution Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:18 am