Entire Chicago Board of Education to resign, mayor's office says

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The entire Chicago Board of Education will resign, the office of Mayor Brandon Johnson said Friday.

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Johnson's office released a statement, saying: "Mayor Brandon Johnson and members of the Chicago Board of Education are enacting a transition plan which includes all current members transitioning from service on the Board later this month. With the shift to a hybrid elected and appointed Board forthcoming, current Board members and Mayor Johnson understand that laying a strong foundation for the shift is necessary to serve the best interests of students and families in Chicago Public Schools.

Together, Mayor Johnson and the Board fulfilled many objectives of the Johnson Administration's vision for Chicago's public schools, including shifting away from inequitable student-based budgeting, completing the change to a school safety model that does not rely on school resource officers and focusing on Black Student Success. Their partnership also improved special education services, increased charter school accountability in the renewal process and embarked on a new five-year strategic plan that emphasizes continued progress, investing in neighborhood schools and expanding the Sustainable Community School model in lieu of school closures.

None of the members leaving the current Board planned to continue onto the hybrid Board, and none are running for election. With the unprecedented increase in Board membership, transitioning new members now will allow them time to orient and gain critical experience prior to welcoming additional elected and appointed members in 2025."

A CPS spokesperson issued a statement, saying, "CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, on behalf of his leadership team, staff and students, extends his sincere gratitude to the members of the Chicago Board of Education for their service. School Board members are dedicated, civic-minded public servants who are not paid for their work. They each have spent countless hours volunteering their time, lending their considerable expertise and experience to support our system and our more than 325,000 students. School Board members review thousands of documents each year and spend additional time researching, asking questions, and offering input before voting on major decisions, including the District's annual budget, and just last month, the District's five-year strategic plan, 'Success 2029: Together We Rise.' These Board members in particular advocated for equity, emphasizing our collective responsibility to better serve all students but especially students with disabilities and those in neighborhoods that have been historically under-resourced and who remain furthest from opportunity. We extend special thanks to Board President Jianan Shi and Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland for their leadership. Vice President Todd-Breland is the only remaining Board member who has served through the COVID-19 pandemic and in the aftermath as the District worked to restore services and successfully lead academic recovery efforts. We understand news that the seven-member Chicago Board of Education plans to resign later this month may concern our families and staff. CEO Martinez and his leadership team, principals and staff, remain focused on teaching and learning, continuing the great momentum we've seen in students' academic gains and performance over the past two years."

This comes as, for the first time, people can vote for members of Chicago's first-elected school board.

As early voting begins in Chicago, the big draw is obviously the presidential election, but city residents must remember to keep scrolling down the ballot to vote for school board members.

"The state legislature divided the city into 10 districts, so they're big areas. You know, it's about the size of five wards, if you think about it. But everyone will see one of these 10 districts on their ballot," Ilinois State Rep. Will Guzzardi said.

An elected school board is a political dream come true for Guzzardi, who said he has worked his entire political career trying to get one.

The board will have 21 members, with 10 elected by voters and 10 appointed by the mayor as well as the board chair. The hybrid model and the newness of the school board election is leaving some voters confused and unaware the candidates are on the ballot.

"I've heard from candidates who say they spend a lot of time during door knocking, just telling people that these elections are happening, and kind of educating them about how you vote," ChalkBeat Chicago Bureau Chief Becky Vevea said.

Voters will find their district and candidates buried on the ballot, between two sets of judges, which are races voters often leave blank, but since presidential elections are the most popular, the school board races will generate more votes than other election years.

"Generally you see over that 70% of voters, over 1.1 million registered voters showing up," said Max Bever with the Chicago Board of Elections. "So even if there is some voter drop off, there's gonna be a lot of votes for this new elected school board office."

RELATED | Our Chicago: November's School Board Election

In two years, the elected board will change again. All 21 board members will be elected by voters, including the board chair.

"Our schools ought to be run by people who are accountable to our communities," Guzzardi said.

With the exception of one school board district, all are competitive races. Elected officials and the Chicago Board of Elections suggest voters do their research before acting their ballots.

Johnson's announcement also comes amid reports that the mayor told Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to resign.

Multiple sources told ABC7 that Johnson told Martinez he no longer wants him as head of the school district.

Earlier this week, Johnson said he did not ask anyone to do anything, but when asked to clarify that statement Wednesday, the mayor was tight-lipped.

"I don't ever discuss personnel issues," he said. "I find it to be highly offensive, irresponsible and raggedy, and I don't do raggedy."

However, Johnson made it clear that all of his leaders must share his progressive agenda to transform public education.

"I was elected to fight for the people of the city and whoever is in the way, get out of it," he said.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.