President Harden, before we begin today's meeting, I would like to read a few announcements. Good afternoon. Welcome to the May 28th, 2026 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 our security officers. Please mark your calendars for the upcoming meetings. The next ARC meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, June 10th, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 25th, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. The ARC and
board meetings 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 ready for you to begin the meeting. >> Good afternoon, everyone.
Welcome to the Chicago Board of Education meeting. Today is May 28, 2026, and we are holding today's board meeting in the board office, CPS Loop Office, 42 West Madison Street in the Garden Level. I'd like to note that the board members and senior leadership are
physically present in the boardroom. Registered speakers may join us person in person or virtual if they've opted to do so. I'm President Shan B. Hard. On behalf of my fellow board members, thank you for joining us today. The regular meeting of Thursday, May
28th, 2026 is hereby called to order. Board Secretary, please call the role. >> Member Smith, >> present. >> Member Lopez, >> present. Member Boy >> here. Member Wallace >> present. >> Member Kuster
>> present. >> Member Pope >> here. >> Here. >> Thank you. Member Rosenfeld >> present. >> Member Rivas >> present. >> Member Brown who's joining us virtually via Zoom. >> Yes, ma'am.
>> Member Rio Sierra >> present. >> Member Bannon. >> Vice President BZ >> present. Member Biggs, >> present. >> Member Thodicura, >> present.
Member Zachor, >> here. >> Member Deberry, >> present. >> President Harden, >> present. >> We have 16 members present. We do have a quorum. I'd also like to recognize Dr. Malin King, Superintendent, Chief
Executive Officer. Libby Massie, managing general deputy general counsel. Dr. Dr. Kareem Esaf, Chief Education Officer, and Charles Mayfield, Chief Operating Officer. Thank you. >> The order of the meeting will be as follows. We'll begin with honoring
excellence going to CEO remarks. There'll be committee updates followed by public participation. Recess, we'll reconvene from recess. There'll be a presentation on charter school renewal recommendations. Discussion of public agenda items. Vote
on those items. We'll go into cold session, reconvene from cold session, vote on public agenda items, and then we will eventually adjourn. For the record, I want to note that member Gutierrez had joined the meeting at 3:44 p.m.
President Harden, I move to suspend board bylaw rule 1-7.2 two to position the pre the CPS presentation charter renewal recommendations immediately following the superintendent CEO remarks.
>> This motion is not debatable. Is there a second? >> I second. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Note that this item does require 2/3 of full membership or 14 votes yes votes to be adopted. Member Smith
>> I. >> Member Lopez >> I. Member Bole, >> yes. >> Member Wallace, >> nay. >> Member Kuster, >> hi. >> Member Pope, >> no. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> yes.
>> Member Rivas, >> yes. >> Member Brown, >> no, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra, >> nay. >> Member Bannon, I'm sorry. Vice President Vez, >> nay. >> Member Gutierrez,
>> I. Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Zachor. >> No. >> Member Deberry. >> Nay.
>> Nine eyes's seven nazs. This motion is failed of adoption. So we will follow the uh order of the meeting as announced by President Harden. All right, we'll begin. Chief Assad, please proceed with honor and excellence.
>> I'm sorry. I do need to note that um we need to take the vote on an item that is being withdrawn. 2404 260423 EX2 amend report 25626 EX2 authorized renewal of the youth
connection charter school agreement with conditions. President Harden, an updated report will be presented for discussion and a vote will be taken to during today's meeting. Pursuant to board bylaws rule 1-7 5G, a motion is required to withdraw
this item. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Sec. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. I
>> member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace. >> I >> member Kuster. >> I >> member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra.
>> I. >> Vice President Vez. >> I member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicura. >> Yes. >> Member Zachar. >> Yes. Member Deberry.
>> I 16 eyes, zero nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. I do want to note for the record that board member Lozano has joined the meeting at 3:48 p.m. >> Now we'll proceed, Chief Assaf. Thank
you. >> Thank you, President Harden. This month we dedicate our honoring excellence presentation to a Jones College prep program that celebrates
students coming together in the spirit of camaraderie and inclusion. This program is called ACES which stands for acceptance, caring, empowerment and service.
ASES is a series of courses in art, dance, and physical education that brings general education students and students in Jones cluster program together in very meaningful ways.
Through these classes, students focus on building relationships by embracing and valuing their similarities which far outweigh their differences. This program fosters connection,
leadership, empathy, and rightful presence for all students and is something we are very proud to celebrate at the district level. I'll now invite Miss Carrie Dolan, principal at Jones
College Press, to discuss the ASUS program in more detail. Thank you, Cedo Assaf. Good afternoon, President Harden, Vice President VeZ, CEO King, Cedto Assaf, um, CEO Mayfield, OSD Chief Long, and
Deputy Closa who've joined us today, and the Chicago Board of Education. My name is Carrie Dolan, and I am a CPS alumni and the proud principal of Jones College Prep. I'm joined today by some of the incredible humans who compose my staff and student population at Jones. I'm
here before you today humbly appreciative that we were invited to share one of the programs at Jones that I think is one of our quiet stars, our ACEs program where students in our cluster program collaborate with student leaders in our genad program and create art together, engage in dance and movement in unison, and engage in
supportive team sports and play. These programs are led by our incredible general education teachers in dance, PE, and arts with support from some of the most amazing seeks I've had the pleasure of working with who create meaningful learning experiences for cluster, general education, and adults alike in
their spaces. At a time when budget cuts loom and principles are having to make tough decisions, I implore the board and CPS leadership to consider the impact of these cuts to our most vulnerable learners and continue to advocate with the state and city to identify different funding streams. The original AC's model
included a specialed co-teer to help modify instructional plans and make on the ground adjustments needed for our students. But even cuts not specific to special education can threaten a school's capacity to to provide consistent robust arts programming, to maintain smaller class sizes for our diverse learners, and to continue to
have the time and space to collaborate, plan, and sustain programs such as this. ACES is a shining example of what engaging with people from an assetbased lens can truly look like and what rightful presence can look like in a way that embodies the joy of discovery and learning. Seeing our students work
together and compete at the unified special Olympics is always all inspiring. Many of our ASUS students also participate in Best Buddies where they spend their academic lab engaging in team building and relationship building with one another. I'm extremely grateful to Cedto Assaf for this invitation, to all of you for having us,
and to my incredible staff and student body with specific thanks to those joining me today who make me intensely proud daily to be the principal of Jones College Prep. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Alisa Focher and I am the dance educator at Jones
College Prep. It is an honor to stand here before you today representing the many many teachers who have kept this program sustainable at our school over the past 12 years. One of the most powerful forces of the ASUS program at Jones College Prep is collaboration. The collaboration between the students
in the general education program and the students in our diverse learners program is truly inspiring to witness. General education students who may or may not identify as athletes, artists, or dancers themselves use these content areas as seedbeds to develop their own
leadership and communication skills. Asia's content teachers collaborate with our special education classroom assistants to deliver accessible instruction, oftentimes pivoting in the moment to best serve our students unique needs. We seek guidance from service
providers such as our physical therapists and speech pathologists in house to help better understand the unique abilities of each of our students and how to best serve them. ASUS Dance has partnered with Hubard Street Dance Chicago for the last two years to develop dynamic dance structures to
center the abilities of diverse learner and general education partners. The ASUS program is yet another example of how dance learning, the arts, movement, and music are essential content areas. Through ACES, movement, music, and interaction interweave to create
transformative learning experiences that benefit every student. Collaboration is key. Working together, we make things better. Thank you. Thank you for this. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is Marat McCausland and I'm one
of the and I'm the physical therapist supporting the program at Jones College Prep. It's a program that has been part of the community for many years and supports students in many areas. If you want to see rightful presence for all in action, you don't need to look any further. ASUS is the most inclusive
program. It brings together students who have special needs with their general education peers. Student mentor leaders sign up for this class because they want to lead. They want to assist, mentor, and form relationships with their buddies or with their peers who have special needs. It brings together these
students in meaningful learning opportunities for all. Even though the activities may be tailored to our most vulnerable, it empowers each student to learn where they're at and grow together as a community. Caring for others, compassion, looking beyond yourself,
leadership, and life skills that each of the students take back to their communities. We have seen a Jones community grow because of ASES because even if you're not participating directly, you for sure know somebody that does. The program is the right thing to do and we would encourage the
board and CPS to make ASUS a program that is available across the district. If it requires a change in what is thought of as PE, art or dance, then that is what it takes. Change equals growth and it is her duty to provide learning to all in ways that support
rightful presence. As a physical therapist, this truly embodies what it means to support my students through collaboration with the amazing teachers and staff at Jones. Thank you. >> Good afternoon. My name is Elena Coto and I'm a senior at Jones. Uh being a
part of the ASES program for the past two years has been one of the most incredible moments of my high school career. Um it is a large a large reason on why I've decided to change my major into special education as I move forward in my post-secary path. And one of the most impactful things that I've seen is
the connections that are made not just with the buddies and the leaders, but with the staff as a whole. Being able to see the joys on their faces when they recognize familiar faces in the halls that aren't just in their class is one of the most incredible things to witness. Knowing that I can walk down
and I'll see a familiar face no matter where I go, no matter what kind of education program they're in, is one of the most impactful experiences I've ever had. This kind of program being across the board is going to be would be one of the most incredible experiences. The variety of cluster programs that are in
the variety of the other special the selective enrollment schools could foster this kind of connection and creativity not only with the leaders themselves but with the buddies as well. I would really encourage that anybody who has the opportunity to work with these incredible kinds of people to take
that opportunity. Hi, my name is Eli. I'm one of the leaders at ACES. And for me, what it's meant to me is just the opportunity to connect and meet people I would not have had the chance to do otherwise. It's given me a whole new perspective on what students at schools can look like. You
know, it's not just necessarily people with, you know, the same kind of perspective and experiences as you, but you can broaden kind of your variety of the way people think and the way you can learn and your own perspective. We've gone on a lot of field trips. uh on the unified Olympics field trips which have
been really fun because you get to meet new people both leaders, buddies and meet new schools and play volleyball, basketball and that's what the ASUS program has allowed us to do along with like clubs like best buddies club which has I think 150 150 members right now
which is pretty big deal. one of the biggest clubs we have at Jones, which is just another chance every other act lab to kind of act lab every other two days for us at Jones cuz we have a block schedule but you know um but yes it's a great opportunity to meet new people have fun and you know connect with
buddies like Eddie if you want to take the place if it's okay. Hi, my name is Eddie at Jones College Prep and um I um something about gym ACES which I love and I just love how um the leaders help
me when I need it and um it's awesome cuz like you know like when I'm down when I'm feeling like downed they like help me get right back up and that's what I love you know about them. So, and
yeah, I love Jim so much. I love the leaders. And when I heard they were leaving, I got sad. But, um, yeah, thank you guys so much for having
me. And, um, my name's Eddie. And, yeah, thank you so much for having me. That's it. Think we could do a better acknowledgement than that. >> Thank you, CEO King. We're ready for
you. Oh, I cannot. Um, thank you, uh, Mr. President. Before I start, I want to freestyle a little bit if that's okay. And I'll be brief because my written remark, prepared remarks are a lot
longer. I just want to acknowledge that and I I speak on behalf of the board. We value our students, our employees, and our parents, our families, and the greater Chicago public schools
community. And since the roll out of of our budget, the launch of the budgeting process, I have heard from parents, I have heard from employees, teachers, even students um about just the impact
that these preliminary budgets may have on their schools and their programming. And I have to admit this by far, and people are you crazy, Dr. has been the most challenging part of this role.
As a student who was impacted by school closures, I only have one elementary school that remains open. It breaks my heart to deliver the budgets that I had to deliver. As a principal of a school that was closed in 2013,
there is nothing, not to mention the several budget cuts that I experienced after school closures. It is devastating to deliver the budgets that I had to deliver. And as a superintendent, as I move into the moved into this role
and accepted it as wanting to be a part of change with my fellow board members, it is even more devastating that the budgets could potentially have the impact that has been shared with me.
But the budgets do not reflect my values as an educator. Does not reflect the values of our board members and it does not reflect the values of our central office team. We value our school community and we're
here to do the hard work. And I just wanted to acknowledge that as I move forward. Both things can be true. We are experiencing a budget deficit. Our funds are not keeping up with the amazing programs. You're going to hear some of the highlights in my prepared
remarks. Our funding sources has not kept up with the need or the amazing growth and opportunities that our students deserve. And so I just wanted to open just preface my remarks with that statement.
I'll begin with highlighting that this month marks both Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage Month and I want to thank the OM team for the amazing museum popup museum and I know that's not the proper um terminology for it. However,
several embassies came out, several families, several communities contributed to that um to the museum and it is still open currently until can you just give the quickly when until the end of the school year. Please visit and is also Jewish American
Heritage Month. These celebrations offer a vital opportunity to recogni recognize, honor, and learn from the rich histories, diverse cultures, and profound contributions that both communities have made and continue to
make to our collective story. I encourage everyone to engage with learning resources and events that foster an inclusive environment where every background is valued and celebrated.
It is fitting that we celebrated teacher appreciation month uh the for the month of May. The news came that CPS is now home to four new golden apple teachers. Congratulations
to Thank you. That's right. That's for Heather Debbie, an English teacher at Disney 2 Magnet School in Irving Park. Sarah Mazerie, I'm going to mispronounce correct me. Sarah Mazerie, a schoolwide
STEM teacher at Cameras Elementary in Belmont Kra. Misty Richmond, a science teacher at Ward Elementary in Armor Square, and Nita Sangupta, a math teacher at Salazar
Elementary on Chicago's near north side. Nicole Spicer, principal of Bronzeville Classical School, was also honored with the Golden Apple Award for Excellence and Leadership. This was a full circle moment for Principal Spicer, who was
named a Golden Apple Scholar of Illinois in 1997 when she was a student. That's right. The Golden Apple, for those of you who may not be familiar, the Golden Apple is one of the most distinguished awards
that can be bestowed on an educator. And I feel fortunate to have so many of these esteemed teachers and school leaders serving the students of Chicago and choosing the students of Chicago. Some of our district's future Golden
Apple winners may be on their way to the classroom through our district's Teach Chicago tomorrow program. This program provides CPS students who are interested in becoming educators with the academic resources, career counseling, and
financial support they need to complete a bachelor's degree in education. TCT is contributing to our district's goal of cultivating a diverse teaching force that shares the cultural backgrounds and lived experience of our
students. I congratulate this year's 107 TCT scholars and look forward to to them leading their own CPS classrooms one day soon. When it comes to what has been achieved
by the CPS class of 2026, our TCT scholars are only the very beginning. This class will graduate having earned more than 66,000 college credit hours, which is the highest ever early college achievement
for CPS. More than 6,700 of our 12th graders earned at least one college credit during high school. Of this group, 1,157 earned 15 or more transferable college
credits. An even more impressive 252 students will be handed their associates degree on graduation day alongside their high school diploma. In addition to this last part, you'll
clack up save for this. The real the last bullet is the real major applause. In addition to academic excellence, the college credits earned by this class translates into an estimated 10.4 million in tuition
savings for these students and their families. One especially impressive credential is the Illinois State Seal of Biiteracy, which was earned by more than 3,100 members of the class of 2026.
The seal honors students who demonstrate proficiency in English and at least one additional language. This year, many recipients went even further with 61 students earning the seal of biiteracy in two languages and
another four achieving three. At the at the at the event celebrating this year's seal of Bit by literacy recipients, CPS also shared details related to our continued multilingual pathways expansion.
Dual and world language programs will be added to six CPS schools next year, joining the nearly 500 schools that currently offer these opportunities. This is part of CPS planned four-year commitment to enhancing bilingual and
biliterate education across Chicago. I'd I'd now like to rec congratulate the 11 CPS magnet schools recently honored by the National Organization of Magnet Schools of America. Gaudy, Lasal 2,
Sheridan, and Thorp elementary schools were named schools of excellence while Chappelle, Hawthorne, Burr, Youngman, Newberry, and Brown were named schools of distinction. Latoya Lions, the principal at Brown,
was also named 2026 Principal of the Year for Region 6, which represents 11 Midwestern states. Finally, the Chicago High School for Agricultural Science retained its status as a nationally
certified demonstration school. This means that it serves as a learning model for magnet schools across the country to replicate. This achievement marks the highest number of CPS magnet schools ever to receive these prestigious national honors in a single
year. Every day, our educators and students are driving meaningful transformation, and it is incredibly rewarding to see their dedication and excellence acknowledged on a national stage. It is also exciting to see the
investments being made on behalf of our student artist. This month, the worldrenowned musical festival festival Laal Laal Laal Laal Laal Laal Laal Laal Laal Laal La Palooa announced a $1.7 million grant to expand arts education opportunities and CPS.
More than a third of this new funding will go to support our district's all city performing arts program. This initiative has been giving children in grades 3 to 12 access to after-school music, dance, and theater ensembles for
the past 63 years. I thank La Palooa for this generous investment, which is expanding opportunities for students to rehearse, perform, and grow as artists beyond the classroom. I also want to thank the dedicated men and women who make sure that students
can access such opportunities safely every day. No matter the conditions outside, our crossing guards are there to keep students safe as they travel to and from school, often providing a warm smile, encouraging word as they send
them on their way. Last week, CPS hosted a special thank you rally for these individuals, recognizing four of them as crossing guards of the year. Congratulations to Shashana Simmons, Connie Reyes, Gwen
Ford Nino, and Sharon Wilkins on receiving this recognition. With more than 75 years of combined service among them, these crossing guards were recognized for their vigilant care, welcoming smiles, infectious energy, and
steadfast steadfast dedication to our children and their families. And this year's going above and beyond award went to Jameson Elementary's crossing guard, Joe Sass, who made national headlines when he carried a student across a
flooded street last winter. I congratulate our winners and thank all of our crossing guards for another year spent ensuring our students are safe, welcome, and cared for on their daily journey to and from school.
I'll move to an update on the transition of Shy Arts to a district- managed fine arts and performing high school. As a reminder, Shy Arts board voted not to renew their contract with CPS, essentially closing the school at the
end of the year. CPS has been hard at work on an accelerated timeline to build a new school in it in its place. Working with the principal and the community to develop a model that is financially sustainable, protects the robust pre-professional arts programming that
makes SHIE arts unique and ensures students at every grade level of Shy Arts are meeting all academic requirements established by CPS. After months of work with school leadership and the Shy Arts community, the school is moving forward with a
revised schedule for next year. This includes an eight-hour 10-minute school day for all students, which is still a longer instructional day than the vast majority of flagship public arts high schools around the country. It includes 150 minutes of pre-professional arts
instruction every day. In addition to the 32 Pi positions that have been allocated for certified teachers at Shy Arts, CPS plans to hire 20 part-time resident artists as the district level at the district level to support pre-professional arts training.
Current Shy Arts teach certified teachers were given the first opportunity to interview for teaching positions and the artists currently working at Shy Arts will be given the first opportunity to interview for the residents arts positions. This investment represents the
district's belief in the commitment to and pre pre-professional arts conservatory that makes Shy Arts so unique. Beyond these positions, I am glad that the Children First Fund, our district foundation will also work with our philanthropic partners to secure
additional funding for Shy Arts as they transition to a district- managed school. I thank Dr. Feast, Shy Arts new principal, for his partnership along this journey along with the school community for their patience and feedback as we work to create a smooth
transition, as smooth a transition as possible for our talented Shy Arts students. I'll move to YCCS Pentoha which after months of working with CPS has formally stated their desire to continue their
partnership with Aspira Inc. of Illinois. We are glad for the consistency this will create for students and their families. But we must ensure this campus remains financially and operationally viable for the 2026
2027 school year. For this reason, the board will vote today to add key accountabil accountability conditions to our agreements with YCCS. This will allow us to identify any financial concerns early with the
intention of preventing any mid-year disruptions to our students and staff. Next, I'll move now to the critical issue of the school budgets for the 202627 school year. We presented these budgets to our principles earlier this month and
are now working with our leaders and their school communities to get everything finalized by June 9th. We knew coming in that this would not be an easy budget cycle. While we have done important structural work to improve our long-term financial health, we are
facing a budget deficit of $732 million this year due to several factors. Simply put, federal and state funding has not kept up with our students needs. In fact, CPS is only funded at 73% of what
the state of Illinois considers adequate. At the same time, we're dealing with less revenue. We have higher costs in several key areas, including maintenance for our aging facilities, labor contracts, employee pensions, and paying off the district's
existing debt burden. And while enrollment has declined over time, the needs of CPS students have become more complex, particularly for students with disabilities, multilingual learners, students in temporary living
situations, students requiring additional academic and social emotional support, students living in poverty. So, we are dealing with declining revenue, declining enrollment, and growing students needs all at the same time. But
despite these pressures, I am confident that we can meet the moment. As in years past, CPS is working hard to limit the impact of budget reductions on our classrooms. The school budgets presented earlier this month are
designed to account for this new financial reality while fulfilling our responsibility to our highest needs learners and protecting the resources and supports that have the most direct impact on our students daily learning experiences.
We will continue to prioritize those resources closest to students and we'll work to find savings in areas of budget focused on central office and network services and citywide supports. I want to remind everyone that we are still in
the beginning stages of the budget process for the next school year. Families, educators, and community partners will all have opportunities this summer to share feedback during a series of learning sessions and roundts related to the budget. Details of these
opportunities will be forthcoming shortly. Following this engagement, CPS will present the full FY27 budget for board approval later this summer. I'll close today by touching on my
upcoming testimony before the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce. This is an opportunity for me to elevate the experiences of our students and discuss the priorities that are shaping our work. I will use this
testimony as a platform to highlight the incredible achievements happening in our schools and our overarching goal to ensure every Chicago child has access to a highquality education and the opportunities they need to thrive. Mr.
President, this concludes my prepared remarks. President Harden and President Harden, the Spanish translator, will now translate Dr. King's statement into a condensed statement. If you wish to receive the fully translated statement, please
contact the board office for assistance. Heather Magnet and Park Sarias and Belmont Ken. Misty Richmond and Armor Square and near North side
Chicago tomorrow. Fore! Fore!chch! Excellenc. Islas Magnet Schools of America. Excellenc. Chicago. All city performing arts. participant. Chicago arts
instructional Children First Funds, Inc. Charter. Director. Fore necessarily. Central municipal. Federal logos. much.
We have no 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, public participation, sometimes referred to as public comment, is the 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 the time for the board and CPS senior leadership to listen and hear from you rather than a time for dialogue with
board members during or after your remarks. And while we can't discuss personnel matters, public participation is a key component of transparent governance. And it provides us as board members as well as senior leadership an opportunity to listen to everyone who
has signed to speak. This board takes equity of voice very seriously. And 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 us host board office hours so that you 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 this opportunity to meet with board members. Thank you for your attention and consideration. And lastly, union representatives will be allotted five minutes to speak before poll participation and any elected officials
will be allotted five minutes to speak after the conclusion of public participation. Board secretary, please share the rules of p participation. >> Thank you, President Harden. Before I um move into the public participation guidelines, I do or directions, I do want to recognize that board member
Bannon joined the meeting at 3:55 p.m. and board member Bla1 joined the meeting at 4:24 p.m. 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 via an electronic format, they were given information to access this meeting by dialing a number and using their phone. We did this so that speakers with limited or no access to the internet or who may have weak internet connection could still participate using their
phones. Also, members of the public may submit written comments for board of education meetings via the written comments form on the board's website at cpsboe.org or mailed to 42 West Madison Street, Garden Level. Written comments received between the day the public agenda was posted through 5 pm 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, note that in order to comply with the city's fire code, please stand along the glass partitions on the marked spots to keep the aisles clear. Thank you, President Harden. Before we begin calling registered speakers from the
speakers list, we do have union reps who would like to address the board. We'll begin with Vicki Cursilo, CTU recording secretary, who is here in person. Good afternoon. My name is Vicki Kurszidlo and I stand
before you today as a veteran librarian, special education teacher and currently serve as the recording secretary of the Chicago Teachers Union. More importantly, I stand here as someone who believes deeply that every child in this city deserves a fully
funded public school and the opportunity to thrive. Right now, instead of discussing how to invest in our students, this district is discussing the possibility of cutting nearly 700 teaching positions.
And we all know those cuts do not stop with teachers alone. They ripple through school the through entire school communities. They impact counselors, clinicians, special education teams, clerks, teacher
assistants, custodians, nurses, and the list goes on. One group that I'd like to mention specifically are PSRPs. Those of you who know, the PSRPs are the backbone of our school community and oftentimes they are
hit the hardest. They support our students every single day. Cuts, budgets, and closures are not acts of nature. They are policy choices, and they do reflect values.
Illinois is not broke. Chicago is not lacking brilliance, talent, or potential. What has been missing is the political courage to fully fight to fund public education and work toward the schools
our students deserve. There are real solutions on the table right now. Tax big tech. Close corporate loopholes. Demand the revenue. It's always revenue.
demand the revenue our students have been denied for decades. This goes back when I started teaching in 1993. The state's own evidence-based funding formula acknowledges that our schools have been historically underfunded and
Springfield is required to move toward compliance by the middle of next school year. That means this crisis is not inevitable. It is the result of choices. Choices that we all make together as
grown-ups in this world. And as leaders, you have a direct hand in that. And while these conversations about cuts continue, educators and school workers across the city continue showing up every single day for children. And for
that, everybody, I thank you. This month alone, the Chicago Teachers Union has mobilized thousands during the Mayday civic engagement efforts because our school communities do not exist separately from the struggles families
face every day. And there is no better teacher than real life experience. We supported workers at Arts in Motion as they organized for dignity and a voice on the job. We stood with Shy Arts families fighting to preserve a
nationally recognized arts conservatory that has transformed the lives of young people across the city. We fought in Springfield and continue to fight in Springfield for charter accountability, sustainable revenue, and full funding
because every child in every zip code in every community deserves a great public school. At the same time, inside our classrooms, extraordinary things continue happening every day. Our educators, clinicians, PSRPs, and school
staff continue going the extra mile for students even while facing uncertainty themselves. Congratulations to our Golden Apple winners and to every school worker helping children succeed despite the
challenges placed in front of them. But appreciation isn't enough. Our students cannot learn in overcrowded classrooms with disapp disappearing services and shrinking supports. And I'm asking the
board to do more than 30 seconds. >> Use your platform loudly and unapologetically to fight for revenue. Stand in coalition with us, the CTU. Stand publicly against
staffing cuts that will hurt children. Protect arts education and preserve our worldclass arts conservatory. Protect and fight for fully staff staff schools. Continue advocating for ADA
accessible schools and equitable programming for every student in every zip code. 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. There is a lot going on. I first want to address Pantoa High School. There is a proposed amendment to YCCCS's agreement with the district, noting that YCCCS is going to continue to work with the SPIRA
as the management organization for the school with certain conditions as referenced by Dr. King. The report also says that YCCCS must take over management or immediately find another management organization if Aspira cannot meet the conditions set by YCCCS and if
YCCCS cancels its contract with Aspira. We are heartened to see that CPS is taking steps to ensure there is not a future mid-year disruption at Pantoa if a Spir fails to meet those conditions. On Epic, this board passed a resolution earlier this year supporting the Epic
school community. Part of that resolution so that if enough Epic students went to any particular school, then new positions would be created at those schools that current Epic staff would then have the opportunity to apply for. I hope that CPS and this board
intend to keep their word. Just like some Aspira staff were able to follow students to receiving schools, so too should Epic staff. Doing less for Epic than for the Aspira community begs the question of why CPS thinks communities on the north side somehow deserve more
than a southside black and Latina school community. On charter renewals, I want to raise some concerns. Please remember, we work in these schools and know them well. Our experts tried to warn CPS about the instability of Aspira and Epic. We saw
the harm done by charter operators reckless behavior to thousands of students and the tens of millions that it cost the district. Today you are considering renewals for operators who is whose enrollment has been declining but who are budgeting as if they plan for it to increase. That kind of magical
thinking created the crisis at Epic and at Aspira. Why are you not taking that into account after the trauma caused to families and staff and the hundreds of hours and millions of dollars spent on those school closings? Aero closed half of their schools in the middle of their
contract with CPS, affecting over a thousand students and costing tens of millions of dollars to the district. If that has no effect on their renewal length, then you are sending an invitation for more operators to do the same thing. There is no reasonable argument for
dramatically expanding renewal lengths right now and definitely no justification for a charter to go more than five years without renew and re without review and renewal. And to be clear, this isn't about punishing charter operators and it's not about how
any particular school is run. It's about protecting students, families, and the district from the chaos and instability that we have seen in the charter sector. It's about how CPS failed to prevent the closure of Epic and Aspira. Charter operators with relatively stable
performance and finances developed serious crises during the course of five to sevenyear charter agreements. By the time CPS seriously assessed these schools, it was too late for the district to intervene. The lobbyists at Inks have requested less accountability and that CPS hand out six to 10-year
renewals to charter companies. The last two years make it crystal clear if you go along with that scheme, the district will expose itself to more risk, more financial strain as you bail out charters, and you'd be choosing less ability to protect the interests of
students, families, and educators at those schools. Now, I'd like to move to Shy Arts. Last week, CPS held a community meeting at Shy Arts that was filled with tears and unanswered questions. CPS announced that you're planning for 75% of the current
staff to no longer be at Shy Arts next year. That our renowned professional arts training will be deeply slashed to a shell of the serious program they have today. And nearly all of the teaching artists will no longer be able to afford to stay in the few positions left at Shy
Arts because of the massive reduction in pay and hours. Dr. King. As you can see, students, families, teachers, and staff at Shy Arts are here again today to continue their plea to save their beloved school. They tried to meet with you before this
meeting, but were not allowed to. We hope you received their letter. In case you didn't, I'm going to share a few highlights. They believe that you want to support them, but are concerned about the claims you shared in meetings. They understand that there will be changes as they transition to becoming a district
school. You have 30 seconds. They understand the guardrails and policies that are necessary to abide by as we transition to CPS management. And that is why they have proposed options that preserve the art and shy arts and fit within CPS policy and requirements. They understand the district's financial challenges and have worked hard to
secure funding to protect their school and support district arts education, meeting with funders and working on donations with little interest from CPS officials in partnering on those efforts. The district's plan for SHIE arts will not only harm those students, but be would be financially reckless for
CPS. School districts across the country have built treasured professional arts high schools. It would cost many millions to rebuild what CPS proposes to throw away in the fall. And what funders will support expansion of arts education in Chicago if CPS's
first step in leading this world-class art school is to push out nearly every art teacher in the building? >> Please conclude your remarks. Please do not allow your CPS staff to throw away this world-class arts high school that is loved by so many students, families, teachers, artists, and the community.
Please give us the opportunity sh to share directly with you how we can make it work together. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Kia Banks, CPAA president, who is here in person.
Good afternoon. The CPAA is calling on this very board of education to reject the proposed budget and demand that Chicago public schools immediately bargain for meaningful solutions that protects our schools, protects our students, and
protect the leadership structures necessary for schools to function safely and effectively. Assistant principles are not optional. Our assistant principles are essential employees. At a time when schools are already
stretched beyond capacity, we are hearing deeply alarming reports that school leaders are being pressured to reduce or eliminate their assistant principal positions under this proposed budget and under this framework
framework. And this is unacceptable. This very board cannot continue to publicly speak about equity, student success, and school safety uh as well as whole child support while simultaneously dismantling the very leadership teams
responsible for carrying out that work every single day in these schools. CPS's own strategic plan acknowledges that schools must create the conditions for success
and that this district must provide equitable resources for schools. Yet this budget propos uh budget proposal moves us in the exact opposite direction. So let me be absolutely clear. Cutting assistant principles will
make schools less safe. Cutting assistant principles will double the operational burden and liability placed on principles. Cutting assistant principles will re reduce the ability of school leaders to improve the instructional quality and the student
outcomes expected of us. Principles and APS are already managing escalating student mental health crisis, safety threats, staffing shortages, operational demands, compliance
mandates, community emergencies, instructional leadership responsibilities, and roundthe-clock accountability pressures. CPA's current bargaining proposals have emphasized the urgent need for
enforcable safety protections, incident supports, workload stability, and our members are already operating under unsustainable conditions. So now, instead of strengthening our schools, CPS is proposing cuts that would further
destabilize them. This is not leadership. This is abandonment. This district cannot continue placing impossible expectations on school leaders while stripping away the staffing structures necessary to meet those expectations.
CPS accept uh itself has acknowledged that principles and school leaders are central to achieving the the goals outlined in success 2029. You cannot demand transformational outcomes while simultaneously undermining the people
responsible for delivering them. This board must clearly understand school leadership is your infrastructure. Assistant principles are not luxuries. They are foundational in operation as
established under the FY26 budget. So you cannot in the course of bargaining change course without negotiating that. Yet instead of partnership, school leaders are once again being asked to
absorb the consequences of a systemic financial failure that they did not create. Because this failure in partnership, we have filed an unfair labor practice charge against the district to maintain our found
foundational APS. There is enough for us to work on. We are demanding the following. That this board of education reject any budget that pressures schools to eliminate assistant principles positions.
to immediately return to the table and bargain in good faith uh and negotiate sustainable staffing protections and workload solutions. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> The district must publicly acknowledge that APS are essential school-based
leadership positions necessary for safety, operations, instructional leadership, and student success. Just because the enrollment numbers may change, that does not change the number
of staff we supervise, the staff we evaluate, and the staff that we can depend on to ensure our classrooms are being taught, that our students are being safely supervised, and that all of these services are competently delivered
to our children. Are you asking us not to take a day off work? because when a principal is out, there's no one who can take the keys and pick up that charge and keep that building moving. So, what we ask today for the members, my
colleagues who are in their buildings right now trying to balance impossible budgets, so much so they could not stand here with me today to tell you how much we need our APS in place. Please
conclude. >> Please protect this budget, protect our schools, protect our leaders, and keep our foundational AP positions. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. President Harden, we are now ready to call registered speakers from the
speakers list. We'll begin with the first group from Chicago Collegiate Charter School. Uh Ada Clinton, speaker number one. Good evening board members. My name is Adja Clinton and I am a student at
Chicago Collegiate. I am here because I believe our school deserves a min at minimum a five-year renewal. I want to speak to fairness. Our school is being recommended only four and a four years. Partly because of financial remedy
and a half of our term and partly because of a special education report the school received only 10 days ago without a real chance to respond or correct the record. Right now right now our school is on only being recommended for a four-year
term. And honestly to us students that doesn't seem fair or balance on what we see every day. Students and myself should not use a should not lose a year of stability due to incomplete information or a report that our school barely had time to review. School is
supposed to teach us justice and accountability. Deciding our school's future based on financial hurdles we already overcame combined with last a last minute report that they have not been allowed to answer properly is not a fair evaluation. I ask you that you look
at the progress they are making right now and give our school the fair equitable chance to respond before making a final decision. I go to Chicago Collegiate and I have been going to Chicago Collegiate since I was in the fifth grade. Chicago
Collegiate has given me so many opportunities and things that I would never expect to see. >> You have 30 seconds remaining >> from Chicago. I would appreciate the um I would appreciate the I would appreciate the time that you
guys look over our school and give us our 5-year renewal that we deserve. As a student who goes here, I hope to graduate here and I hope my little sister graduates from Chicago Collegiate as well. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments.
Before I call the next speaker, for those standing with speakers, please uh stand along along the glass partitions that are in the marked spots to help keep the aisles clear. Thank you. The next speaker is Leila Kruther, speaker
number 16. Hello board members. My name is Leila Crew and I am an honor student, chair captain, and currently ranked number one in my grade at Chicago Collegiia High School. Last week, someone suggested that our enrollment has declined because families are leaving and that our school
may be closing soon. And that leaves out very important context. For one, our families are not walking away from this school. Our enrollment has changed due to us moving into our new building this upcoming August. We've had we've had to agree to reduce the middle school size
and lower our total enrollment cap as part of our relocation process, which is not the same as families losing faith. So, what looks like a decline is really just restructuring, not faith being lost. And now with our new building opening next school year, that problem
will no longer exist. People see that we are a small school and assume that that means that we are weak. But being small is actually our strength. We are a family. We know each other. We support each other and we push each other to succeed no matter what challenges we face. No matter the obstacles, our
school community has stayed together. Our school has faced a lot of setbacks over the years, more than any of you in this room probably have sat down and thought about to realize, but they have made us even stronger. They have made us more determined to succeed. And now, for
the first time, we finally have what we have always needed, a chance to be the best we could be. So my question is now that we are finally at where we want to be at, why limit oursel? Why sell ourselves short? A four-year renewal does not >> We have 30 seconds remaining.
>> A four-year renewal does not reflect where we are headed. It's a limit. A limit my school doesn't need to have as we finally step into our prime. We need 5 years of stability so we can grow and prove what Chicago Collegiate is truly capable of. And I strongly believe we
deserve that. Chicago Collegiia is very personal to me due to the fact that my cousin has graduated and went along to college from this school. She has always spoke about my school with pride and not just as a school but a as a place that has always felt like home and that's
what inspired me to come here and I honestly could say that I found exactly what she was talking about. This school believes in me. This school sees me. It has shaped me into a leader and someone who is confident enough to stand here in front of you today and talk about it. In a world where there is so many pressures
and things young people face every day, Chicago Collegiate is a place that keeps a lot of students grounded and it gives us stability when things outside of school feel overwhelming. So, I'm not asking you to take a risk on us. I'm asking you to recognize what is already
here. Give my Chicago charter school the 5year renewal we deserve so we can continue to build the future we have been working so hard towards. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. And the last speaker from Chicago Collegiate Charter School is Maliki Alston, speaker
21. >> Good evening, board me. Good evening, board members. My name is Malachi Olson, and I am a proud scholar at Chicago Collegiate. I wholeheartedly believe that my school deserves a 5-year renewal at minimum.
What makes our school special is that families continue to choose us regardless. Our high schools have had waiting lists. Even while students deal and even while students deal with overcrowding and passing periods and limited space, they still come back.
And now we are getting a new school building. With that new school building, we deal with that problem of overcrowding, limited space in passing periods, and overcrowdedness. Chicago Collegiate is a group of very
attentive staff that have never have never let me stray off and that have always been connected with me in every way possible. They make sure that my grades are right as an honor student and that I'm never
going off from my path and doing anything that I'm not supposed to be and that at minimum our school deserves a 5-year renewal. Please give our time, please give our school the time and stability
to use our new building well, deal with the overcrowding and give new scholars that come the opportunity to be welcome. >> You have 30 seconds remaining space. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. >> The next group of 11 speakers are from
Chicago High School for the Arts. Gabrielle sender speaker number two. For those standing with the speaker, please make sure you stand along the glass partition at the marked spots to keep aisles clear. Thank you.
Hello, Dr. King. Hello, President Harden and members of the CPS board. My name is Gabby Sanjger and I am a first year teaching artist here at Shy Arts. I ask you today to commit to fully funding our conservatory so that we teaching artists can remain at Shy Arts with proper
compensation and hours and to keep our students lives from being further uprooted. My background is in film, animation, and conceptual development. So, let me set the stage. It's what I do best. Before teaching, I worked five jobs. I
juggled films, animation projects, retail work, and running after school art clubs. There wasn't a day that I didn't go to three different locations just to make ends meet. Thankfully, Shy Arts recognized my expertise and gave me
the opportunity to be in the classroom. Because of this, I can pour all of my time into this one avenue. Ask any of my students, I show up fullheartedly. I even brought some of the cards that they gave me um when they found out that I
was not selected to be a full-time art teacher for next year. The proposed reduced model for the conservatory is not sustainable for teaching artists and will lead to a high turnover rate. The lack of consistency and time threatens the quality of
education and therefore threatens the idea of Shy Arts being a flagship for other fine and performing arts high schools. What story of Shy Arts will you, the board members, continue to tell? >> Will you become another name synonymous with broken promises and
disenfranchisement of Chicagoans? Or will you continue to invest and embrace the arts? You can show this room, you can show our school, and you can show Chicago that you understand how valuable the arts really is. We are ready to do
whatever it takes to see this through. I invite you to join us. Thank you so much. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Janet Ramos, speaker number seven. Hello everyone. My name is Janet Janet
Ramos. I graduated from Carl Shures High School. I just wanted to say hi to Miss Pope. She was one of my teachers. Um, I remember when she was in the hallway running around when she used to have bags everywhere and um, she used to
have to go up to three floors to get to her class on time and she would be swamped by all of us kids. There was like 4,000 of us in the high school and I just wanted to say hi. Um, it is a pleasure to be in front of you today. I went to Shers because Shars
had a music academy and I ended up playing trumpet at Shers and I ended up being part of their band and their jazz band and their ROTC which their DMB won 10 championships straight. Um,
and if you guys ever get the chance to Google Franklin Vanderbilt, he came from Shers and he is a famous drummer for Lenny Kravitz. And I don't know which one of these kids here is going to become a famous
anything, but we have to give them that chance. Whether it be famous artist, famous movie star, whatever it is, we don't have that right to deny them that. And here at Shy Arts, to have five
conservatories all in one beautiful building that gives them that ability is awesome because we don't have that anywhere else. My child was going to go to Chicago. >> 30 seconds remaining. But when she got accepted to Shy Arts, she said, "Mom, I
want to go to Shy Arts." And I said, "Okay." But then we were given that ultimatum of, "We're going to close the school. We're going to keep the school." We were just in a lot of nonsense. So, we look to you. We want to thank you first and foremost for saving our school. But now
comes the hard part. That's saving the conservatories. When you guys go to your favorite restaurant, you go for a certain meal. You wouldn't go to that restaurant if it didn't have that meal, would you? So, these kids go to Shy Arts for that
feeding of whatever it is that their conservatory is. Can we continue to give them that? Can we find a way because the time that they have the logs and everything, it coincides with
everything that they're learning. >> Please conclude your remarks. They can't learn if we don't give them that opportunity of time blocks. And they need these teachers because these teachers are the ones that are there day
in and day out with heart, with the joy and with the perseverance and they give that to our kids. So if we can find a way, >> please conclude your remarks >> to save this. Can we can we try? Thank
you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Jennifer Pepper, speaker number eight. Good afternoon. My name is Jennifer Peppers and I've been a science teacher at Shy Arts for the past seven years. I had the absolute privilege of watching
my seniors graduate on Tuesday. And if you've ever wanted to see a true celebration, it is a Shy Arts student walking across the stage with their conservatory. This graduation though was a little different. Still a celebration, but with an air of nostalgia for what could be
lost. Here's the thing about Shy Arts. We are not Duplo blocks, nice and squared off, fitting perfectly together. We're more like connects, uniquely shaped, where you kind of have to make the pieces fit together in new and interesting ways.
Here, the thing that we are creating is the scholar artist. Our students who experience 15 hours of pre-professional training a week and still beg us to offer AP calculus. Our students who go on to be engineers,
doctors, educators, and professional artists. The students I have in my honors anatomy class who dissect a pig and 30 minutes later they are on stage performing backto backto back for our cultural showcases. The students here with me, they took
their final exams this morning and they have more tomorrow. But they are here because this matters. We want to show you that this is the magic of the scholar artist and we are full of the creativity, agency, and
voice that you tout in the arts education plan 2.0. We deserve >> You have 30 seconds from CPS. I know that members of this board, like my elected representative, board member Brown, understand that we will do
anything to fight for our school. My co-workers and I are ready to do what it takes, even if it means something like shutting down the street in front of our school to protest the unnecessary cuts being made at the detriment of our students. We need you to fully fund our
school next year and work with our community to fully maintain the current model. so our scholar artists can flourish. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Alexander Cookman. Speaker number nine
Good afternoon. My name is Alex Cookman. I'm a social science teacher at Shy Arts High School. You have seen a lot of our school community over the past seven months, and you would be forgiven if you've gotten tired of my face. But I ask you to please consider why we keep
showing up and why we won't stop. Why? When you look upon this audience, do you see not just teachers and parents, but young and hopeful faces? What does it tell you that 15 and 16 year olds feel that they have to return over and over
to ask CPS to implement the board's promise? That instead of rehearsing for next week's Pride Showcase or heading home to study for Friday's final exams, students felt that they had to be here. What does it tell us when young people
in Chicago feel that their participation in school has to come second to ensuring they have a school to participate in? What it tells me is that the adults in charge need to do better for the youth. Last Thursday, Representative Deleia
Ramirez issued a congressional commendation in which she honored the Shy Arts community for our tireless work in preserving a school that would be long gone without some of the people in this room. This commendation was entered into the congressional record and will
be forever part of our nation's history. This is what these young people, their parents, and my colleagues have authored. What everyone in this room wants to know is what will CPS write next? Will the story be that the district's first move of arts education
2.0 was to dismantle a vibrant and rigorous performing arts program? Or will it be that community organizing and civic engagement compelled our local government to invest in its flagship arts high school, establishing a model so successful that it was replicated
across the country. If you've visited our classrooms, if you have attended our performances, if you've met our students, then you understand how this story ought to go. You will also understand what Congresswoman Ramirez does, that this community will not go
away. We will not be quiet and we are willing to do anything to save our school. Please do not allow CPS to overwrite our students creative aspirations. Instead, join us as co-authors and help tell a story about
how a worldclass city came together to save a worldclass public performing arts high school. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. >> The next speaker is Sean Wallace, speaker 17. Greetings. My name is Sean Wallace and I
teach musical theater at Shy Arts High School. I want to start by thanking the school board for all the work you've done to keep Shy Arts open. I see all involved, the board, teachers, teaching artists, administrators, parents, and students as partners in providing the best environment for students and their families. So instead of blaming each
other for our current situation, let's come together to overcome the obstacles preventing us from the present and future we all desire. The obstacles we face remind me of a familiar familiar triangle model usually described as
better, cheaper, and faster. It's difficult to get all three, but they are possible. In our case, the triangle is time, money, and structure. We say we want SHs to be the flagship art school in Chicago, but the current proposed
model will not accomplish this goal. We are not providing the time, money, or structure that is flagship. This past semester, I returned to Cook County Juvenile Detention Center, otherwise known as the Audi home, to work as a teaching artist. We worked with a group of male detainees for 1 hour, two days a
week. We crammed theater games, writing exercises, singing, beatmaking, also known as music theory, and mapping questions into each hour. Our students had good experiences, but always crave more. In the case of Shy Arts, can one hour per day with professional artists
be labeled flagship pre-professional training? What are the differences between the students at JTC and Shy Arts? They both choose to be a part of 30 seconds. They all deserve the very best that we can offer. CPS continues to
use a certified first model while teaching artists are not trying to replace certified teachers. Recently, our our shy arts colleague David Blick stated, "I don't want to be a full-time teacher. I just want to share what I know with students." Under the proposed model for next year,
teaching artists would not will not be hired directly through the school. Many teaching artists have terminal degrees under decades of experience to share but must be contracted by outside organizations creating possible financial oversight issues, cuts in
wages, and loss of Chicago teachers union status. We were told at a community meeting recently that CPS would be hiring resident artists at the district level. What current teaching artists have been invited to develop these roles? We know that Shy Arts was
not built in a year. We know we need more money and more time to transition to CPS management in a way that gut the educational experience chosen by our students and their families. We need stable funding, more time, and a structure that works.
>> Let's work more closely together to create this flagship that we all desire. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Kelly Quenzo, speaker 23. I'm Kelly Cresenzo and I'm an English
teacher at Shy Arts. In my seven years of teaching, I've taught at seven different schools. I've taught the five paragraph essay so many times that I hate its formulaic standard one-sizefits-all format that boxes
students in and creativity out. I've watched students define themselves by this metric of what it means to be a good academic writer, limiting their voice when they fail to meet its expectations. I see the battle shy arts wages in this
same light. When I came to Shy Arts in January of this year, its uniqueness was instantly apparent. It is a community of artists and a safe space for so many students who would be deemed as different.
They do not fit one mold. Their ways of expression cannot be boiled down to one singular ostracizing format. And with a 98% graduation rate, they certainly are not standard.
Every student at Shy Arts deserves to bring their unique voice to the world. Eliminating 50 of our 70 teaching artists discards their valuable experience as professional artists and
communicates to our students that they as artists are not valuable. 20 of our academic teachers have been cut, taking red pen slashes to the relationships that make our students
feel loved and safe. Board member Kuster, I represent just one of our many in our population who live in your district. Your service demonstrates your passion for teachers and also for those teachers who are
who also have families. Please lead the board and CPS officials to preserve all of our teachers, teaching artists, and our conservatory model so that we may continue to help
our students color outside of the lines. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Will Casda, speaker number 24. Hello, my name is Will Kazda and I'm a first year math teacher at Shy Arts. It's been my honor to teach in a free
public arts high school that nurtures the artistic talents, voices, and future careers of young artists from all over Chicago, many of whom come from lowincome households and could never afford this kind of training otherwise. Before I became a math teacher, I myself was an aspiring theater artist. I attended a public high school in the
west suburbs, performing in school plays and musicals that were directed by an English teacher and music teachers. I had no pre-professional training. I got into Northwestern's renowned theater program. No audition required, thankfully, but spent my first two years shell shocked by how far behind my
classmates I was. I felt notably underprepared as most came in with extensive training from private voice lessons, acting classes, audition coaches, theater camps, or even had direct connections to theater producers and investors already. Those students thrived getting cast in mainstage
productions and building not just skills but professional networks. And many transitioned successfully into acting, directing, and producing careers. That is the difference that pre-professional training makes. Low-income students in Chicago deserve a chance to experience the kind of training as a high schooler
that can lead to a career in the arts years down the road. For the scholar artists at Shy Arts, the working professionals that teach their arts conservatory classes are vital to developing our scholars skills and confidence. Our school currently has 70 teaching artists and cutting that down
to 20 would be taking away 50 amazing opportunities from the students in Chicago who need them the most. Without the robust offering of specific arts classes taught by working professionals, our students are at an unfair discipline compared to their wealthy peers who succeed not because they are innately
more talented, but simply because they were granted more opportunities. Board members AOR, I live in your district. I know you understand that access is an important part of equity. Will you help your fellow board members see that committing to funding more arts classes taught by working professional theater
artists is is important instead of decreasing opportunities for these students. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. >> The next speaker is Allison Bibin Philin, speaker 25. Hi, I'm Allison Filin and I've been
teaching math at Charts for seven years. I've had the pleasure of sharing my classroom with a teaching artist who is one of the founding teachers at Charts. He teaches classical guitar technique, repertoire, and ensemble. The Illinois State Board of Education does not
recognize guitar for teachers pursuing lenture in music education. So students only have access to this field through teaching artists and the model at Shy Arts. These students played at graduation the other night and offered something special unlike anywhere else.
It's a tale as old as time. Leaders of a school mismanage it and face no consequences while the teachers, students, in our case, a model and curriculum is decimated. I'm thankful that the doors of the building will not close again and face the same and face the same fate as Lafayette Elementary,
which CPS closed in 2013. CPS's commitment to align this supposedly new art school with their arts education plan 2.0 may seem better to some than requiring 550 students to go through the transfer process. But the very details that have made Shy Arts unique are going
away, even if words like flagship are being used as a buzzword. With arts classes, academic electives, AP classes, and 75% of staffing staff being cut for next year, our community foresees enrollment plummeting. This trend could
cause the arts becoming less accessible to lowincome, marginalized, and novice students. This was not the point of our school becoming a part of CPS. And our staff is ready to make sure our students and communities >> 30 seconds remaining >> have what students deserve. We see our organizing capabilities evolving and
don't shy away when our union members ask about next steps like sitins or hunger strikes. Member Rio Sierra, these students and I live in your district. We know you support the arts and are a champion for students, parents, and teachers like us. Please encourage your fellow board members and CPS officials to work with us on creative solutions
that truly lived up to the definition of a flagship public art school. children, educators, artists, CPS, the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois, and art all win if you make this right. Thank you.
>> Thank you for your comments. >> The next speaker is Shayen Wallace, speaker 27. Hello everybody. I am Shayen Wallace. I'm a junior at Shy Arts. When I came to Shy Arts, I knew what I was good at. I could take some pictures. I could draw some cartoon characters. That's it.
That's all. However, at Shy Arts, there were teachers who had experience, imagination, and encouragement. Teachers who showed me that there was more to art than my cartoon characters, even as they helped those grow too. My teachers used a v variety of unique methods to make sure that I can learn in a way that
interests me and helps me enjoy what I'm learning without getting frustrated or giving up. Over the course of my time at Shy Arts, I have been able to learn from working artists who specialize in a wide variety of different artistic disciplines through our conservatory program. After taking classes like
advanced drawing, AP3D art and design, artistic inquiry and research in disciplinary studio this year, I don't want my senior year experience to be reduced to a singular generalized art class due to the reduction of our staff. I want the students who come after me to
be able to experience the same rich exposure to the arts that I have had and the same connection to teaching artists who have become both professional mentors and personal support to me. Thanks to my art teachers who knew how to guide me in a way I can handle, I have gone from a simple sketchbook to confidently handing large handling large
power tools. Right now, I'm making an entire Minecraft themed toy chest for my little brother because our teachers encourage us to find art that we truly enjoy. We are capable to put in our best work and enjoy it. Next year will be my final year at Shy Arts. And I now confidently know that I can combine the
form of art and that I love into something bigger. I want to be an art engineer, combining two things I learned to love here, math and art. So, I need us to have enough math teachers to offer advanced electives next year. And I need all my arts teachers to help me continue
developing my passions. Please fund Shy Arts to maintain our staff and our unique conservatory program. My house is in Rogers Park, but my home is on Augusta and Western. >> Thank you for your comments.
The next speaker, AJ Wester, speaker 28, who is joining us virtually, please enter star six to unmute. >> AJ Wester, speaker 28, please enter star six to unmute. >> Can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed.
>> Yes, my name is AJ Wester. I have been at Shy Art since its second year. I have watched so many students come through this school that I've been absolutely aed by what they have done. Um when Shy Arts first started and I this is a long time ago. It was because there were not
enough people there was not enough diversity in our art scene. Now when I go to theater I am seeing our graduates going and doing amazing things. What I am asking to all of you, you have been so generous about the time listening to
us and the resources that you are giving us. But to be truthful, I think of Elijah Smith who came into our school not reading music and now he is the internationally renowned composer. He is a professor at Princeton at at um he
went to Princeton. He is now I don't think he could have done that on one hour a day. When I think of Raven Len who is now out making music all over the world and bringing our story all over the world that she could have done this
on one hour a day. We need the hours. We need our conservatory. That is what we need. That is what we are passionate about. We are losing connections to Lyric and Stephen Wolf and Joffrey and the artistic home as well as our relationships with institutions like the
Herby Hancock Institution and Anderson Ranch. These give our students something that no one else can do. But I don't want to go through I don't want to go back to the old days when I didn't see all that diversity. Now I
>> hardly go to a play. I hardly go to a musical or an opera and not see graduates from our institution on those stages or being represented or even what we have done. Even the kids who didn't go into the arts, what we have done for them. This is their family. This is
their home. Every one of our alumni that come up to me, they want to know how what they can do because what we gave to them was so important. We can't do that on an hour a day. I am very grateful for what you have done and thank you so much
for your time. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from the Chicago High School for the Arts group is Aaron Brown, speaker 30. Hello all. Uh, my name is Aaron Brown. I am a ceramicist. I'm a photographer. I'm
a Zen maker. And I'm a math teacher at Shy Arts. When I moved back to Chicago 3 years ago, I was overjoyed to receive an offer to work here. As a self-taught artist myself, I was excited to contribute to a school community that was not only grounded in the arts, but
prioritized young folks with no formal arts training. I was astounded that a world-class arts education was being provided in a public education setting. When I stepped into Shy Arts on my first day three years ago, my astonishment
solidified, and to this day, it remains. Monologues and vocal runs float through the airwaves. Poetry and murals cover our walls. Students literally leap and dance through the halls. Um, Shy Arts is truly a space where students have room to
foster their creativity, be their genuine selves, and build community with fellow artists, both young and old. No disrespect on the old. None of this would be possible without the dedication and care shown by our teaching artists who are not only excellent educators,
but renowned Chicago artists themselves. A few weeks ago, myself along with nearly 50% of Shy Arts academic staff and nearly 70% of art staff were notified that we would not be offered our jobs back for the next school year. This is unacceptable and does not
prioritize the arts. Our arts teachers are pillars of shy arts. Without them, CPS risks dismantling Chicago public pre-p profofessional arts institution for high schoolers and makes this year of transition much more difficult than it needs to be. Shy arts need stability.
We need to retain our teaching artists. We need our academic staff and we need our general staff. CPS has not been meaningfully collaborating with our teacher leaders and have lacked creativity and innovation in their approach. They have not fulfilled the
commitment made by this board in November through a series of decisions which lack foresight and are not aligned with the district's commitment to the arts. Board members, please invest in Shy Arts current model. Ensure that Chicago and our school community can
maintain the quality of our programming and retain our arts teachers. Please truly collaborate with us to ensure Shy Arts remains shy arts for the city, for our students, for our future. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Denanishia Robinson,
speaker number three. Good evening. My name is Denita Robinson Sanders. I am the president of the Shy North Londale Chamber of Commerce. Today I am here with you representing the youth throughout the city of Chicago um with an issue that they brought to me. Initially I was here to speak for myself, but it's our job to be the
change our children need to see. So that got changed for us to be the voice for these young men and the organizations leaders that are next to me. As an advocacy program, the students came to me about a month and a half ago about some issues that they have with transitioning from school every single day to go to programs that we know you
guys are valuable and making sure you speak up for. So we want to speak about the accountability that the students want to see for that. The problem that they have is the lack of safety, protection from the workers, poor communication. Students feel dismissed and labeled as having an attitude problem when asking about concerns, pay,
hours, or conditions. How it affects the students and their families is that they're left traumatized. They're worried about and they're scared of seeing children harmed while at work and trying to get experience. They're being held against their will and they're being told things and being treated like
property. The lack of communication and accountability created emotional stress and confusion for the families. Families have left have left have been left traumatized from not just gunshot victims but no support of mental health but coming to and from school from these programs. Their solutions is a stronger
safety protocol, better communication and transparency between management students and families, respectful treatment of students when discussing their pay scheduling or any other concerns. But they also want a board-led survey and student board led by them in
their district. Their ask is for Mr. Valz, their board to come and meet with them. So when we leave here today, what we would like to do is make sure we can set up an accountability conversation that these students voices can be heard beyond this boardroom and that they don't have to take off time and our parents don't have to take time off of
work to be here. that institutions can actually come here and be the voice and speak for them and you guys show up and I don't have to show back up and intertwine their times and the time that they have to spend to pay for things that they can't get access to when you guys are here to be of service to them. So our ask today is that their
representative comes and sit and talk to them and make sure we have a follow-up because this needs to be a rapport that's had with our students as they transition from your school. It takes a village for them to get from your school to these programs. But if you're endorsing programs that give derogatory language and break our students down the
moment they walk in those doors, then it comes back to you and is your accountability to protect those students in any doors that they come through when they are CPS students, including missing their graduations because teachers decide to be spiteful. So please follow up with these students in the Chamber of Commerce so that they can have the conversation necessary for the things
that they see as their community. You have a great day. >> Thank you for your comment. Oh, >> chief of staff a The next two speakers are from Tala Ele. Okay, the next two speakers are from Talcott
Elementary School. Franklin, I'm sorry, Franklin Gagma. Speaker number 11. forest.co. Gracias. >> The statement will will be translated. Good afternoon everyone here. My name is Franklin speaking off behalf of my
daughter Daisy Li lima currently a student at Talcot. The reason I'm here is because of my daughter. I don't want her to lose the halftime she aid she currently gets because the learning she's learning a lot with her teachers and her classmates and for that reason I don't want her to
lose her aid. I thank the tala teachers and her classmates and thank you. Thank you. The next speaker is Rob Bratney, speaker number 29. Good afternoon. My name is Robert Bratney. I am a PTO member and a parent
of a current preschooler who is a classmate of Daisy and a second grader at Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy. I also have a 2-year-old uh at home that we are planning to send to Telcott as well. I'm here today to ask the board to reconsider the proposed closure of one
of Telcott's prek classrooms. My family chose Telcott intentionally before my oldest reached school age. I knew what I wanted in a school, a multicultural, multilingual, deeply community centered education. I partic particularly wanted my children to learn Spanish knowing that that would set them up well for a
future in this city and this country. Uh, I wanted a school where the learning environment reflects the richness of Chicago, where different languages, cultures, backgrounds, and abilities are not seen as obstacles, but as strengths. Talcott delivered all of that and more. The classroom being considered for
closure is not just another classroom. It is a blended classroom that supports inclusive education for children with disabilities while preserving multilingual learning opportunities. At a moment when Chicago should be investing in inclusion and multilingual multilingual education, reducing access sends the wrong message to families and
moves Talcott and our communities in the wrong direction. And Talcott is more than a school. It is truly a community. When migrant families in our school community could not safely trick or treat last Halloween due to the ongoing threat of ICE activity, Talcott staff celebrated uh inside the school so that children would still feel included. When
ICE detained a man school, families showed up. Dozens of parents, many of whom uh many who are not Latino themselves, stood watch for hours outside the school, myself included, walking children home. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> Talcott teaches our children something bigger than academics, empathy,
belonging, and shared responsibility. Closing this classroom would mean fewer children have access to that kind of environment. Fewer children benefiting from multilingual learning, inclusive classrooms, and the kind of community that makes children feel sane and safe. I ask you to listen to Takot families, protect multilingual and inclusive early
childhood childhood education and reconsider this proposal. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next two speakers are from Burn Elementary, Brad Mahoney, speaker 12. Hello. I am reading this on behalf of my
wife, Judy Mahoney. I have proudly served Chicago public schools for over 30 years as a bilingual school clerk. In 2017, my life changed instantly when a drunk driver left me paralyzed from the waist down. I fought
through rehab to return to work, but instead of being accommodated, I was forced to compete for vacancies across the district. Eight years ago, CPS temporarily placed me at Burn Elementary. I have successfully done my job there ever
since. I am not only a clerk at Burn, I'm one of the first family fa first faces family see. Um, school clerks like me are anchors in the daily operations that keep schools running smoothly.
Now I face a layoff not because of my performance but because of my disability. I would not be in this position if Whittier, my original school was wheelchair accessible. After returning, CPS should have placed me in a permanent role that sustained me
until I was financially ready to retire on my own terms. I feel like a pawn on a chessboard being moved around. Since I joined burn, the staff grew from 60 to 94 employees. Yet, my role is still treated as a temporary
ADA placement instead of a permanent one. After years of annual uncertainty, emotional strain, and repeated pleas, CPS finally agreed four years ago to fund my positions through the end of the school year when I believed I might be
ready to retire. However, at for 54 years old, I'm not financially able to retire. I shouldn't have to mobilize the media, the LCS, CTU, elected officials, and burn community just to keep the job I have proven I can excel at from this
wheelchair. This isn't just a legal failure by CPS. It's a moral one. I am asking CPS to practice the equity and inclusion they preach. Allow me to continue serving the burn community with dignity. Mobility is a fragile gift and anyone in this room is one moment away
from joining my community. We can do better. We must do better. >> Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. >> The next speaker is Maria Nava, speaker 26. Good afternoon. I stand be before you on
behalf of every person who has been denied access to a school building due to its inaccessibility. We would not be here today if all school buildings were wheelchair accessible. As a special education teacher, I know
firsthand that CPS falls short when providing accessibility to our students. If a student requires a wheelchair, CPS simply transfers them to a different school accessible to a different accessible school. But
why? We live in this advanced era, yet we still rely on outdated, inaccessible buildings. With the utmost respect, I want to quote Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous words.
I have a dream. I too have a dream that every CPS school will someday be accessible to everyone. In the meantime, my dream is that every employee who works for CPS can rest assure knowing that if they should ever require a
wheelchair, CPS will do the right thing. They will accommodate them in an accessible school where they can continue performance performing their public service. A wheelchair should never force a person to reapply for
their job, nor should they be laid off or pushed into retirement. I encourage every parent, >> student, employee and board member to come together to change this inadequate
policy. At the end of the day, any one of us can find ourselves in my sister's situation. I reflect I ask you for all of you to reflect for one moment.
Just reflect on that. just put yourself in her place. >> Thank you for listening. >> Thank you for your comments. >> The next speaker is Maria Ramos, speaker 13, who is joining us virtually. Please
enter star six to unmute. Maria Ramos. And much Brighton Park for conclusion. foreign concludes. We'll have a statement translated. >> Good afternoon, board president, uh, Dr.
CEO, and distinguished board members. My name is Maria Shamos, and I am proud to represent Brighton Park and Asetto School. I am mother to Naomi Ramos, a seventh grader, and Jesus Ramos, a third grader. Both of my children have truly enjoyed their experience at Acer
Brighton Park. They love their teachers, and the way they teach has made a real difference in their learning. For example, my son Jesus is now speaking more Spanish than ever thanks to his teacher, Mr. Tina, who uses creative methods like singing. Acetto Brighton
Park has been an incredible experience for my family. From the very beginning, the teachers and administrators made me feel welcomed and valued. Their strong dedication to to supporting both students and families gave me confidence that this was the right school for my children. The passion for learning I've
witnessed at Ato compelled me to get involved in my children's educational journey. I've been a parent volunteer for several years and have graduated from the Padres's Compromat program. I've supported many school events including the Scholastic book fair, the other loss nños, the winter festival,
teacher appreciation day and I'm a daily volunteer for our parent patrol. I've thoroughly enjoyed being a part of these events and I always happy to help whenever needed. I feel incredibly grateful to have chosen an asetto school for my children and I encourage this
board to visit our school and see forand the incredible work of our educations are doing to support our students. Aero not only provides an outstanding education but it also empowers parents like me to grow and contribute to the school community. In conclusion, I
believe AETO should be granted a longer charter renewal because our neighborhoods need more schools like this. We need more schools like Acetto to ensure that all students have the same opportunities that my children have received. Thank you for your time. The next speaker is Wanda Hopkins,
speaker 14. Good evening all. Those know me, my name is Wanda Hopkins. I'm a mother, grandmother, advocate, LSC member. I'm here today to ask the board to
acknowledge 30 years of service from her hard work she did with parents. >> Second, I'm here to ask that you move on Marshall High School so students will excel not only in sport. >> Third, um
CEO King Douglas is needing your help to excel. Now, let's go to Lewis >> Lewis Elementary School where I sit on there. Let's see. Yes, you sent people out. There were several parents out. I mean, several people from your office to
try to help the the parents and students at Lewis. >> We have a person there who's there every day, but still our children are still afraid of being in the building. Number one, you can >> come on out. They want to talk again. Uh there was an incident in the school
where someone was going to beat a child up. Uh network chief said knew nothing about the incident. Parents was crying. Uh how much does my Hispanic parents after what they are afraid to death in that building?
I've asked you all the man is behind me to to remove him out of our building because the children are afraid. Nobody has responded. Nobody has said a word. I called DCFS. They make supposed to respond.
>> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> And nobody knew that's a problem. So my record that this man has lost his mind. So if you continue to do what we do then something happened. Our children are
saying, "Oh, we don't know if they're going to beat us up or not. They don't know that nothing for children. I need you to have
a summer school for 15 years, but I really I'm going and He decided, >> please conclude your remarks. >> But I'm sorry,
she left that Another thing she said you should know when our children are afraid >> is enough I had to go there last day. Why didn't he hate us? He hates
and something happened to a child. It's all on you now board members cuz you're mandated reporters. I called DCFS. If something happens in that building >> and you all here continue to let him sit there, >> he's scared. The reason why he don't
stay in a meeting y'all, guess what, y'all? He's scared of me. He ought to be. That's why he won't stay in a meeting. But you have the right and responsibility for me being here for over 40 years. You can remove that man,
put him at the network off until his award his his contract ends cuz it's ending and and to because I'm telling you, call some of the parents. I can give you the numbers and let them tell you what I'm saying. I'm not I'm not making this up.
And I'm tired of coming down here. I'm like everybody else. I'm tired of coming down here. I'm 70 years old. I should not have to come and tell you day after day after day that these parents and children are scared to be in that building because of the principal. Thank you very much.
>> Thank you for your Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Joseph Rio, speaker 15. Good evening, me board members. My name is Joseph Rios. I am the father of a student in the cluster program at Swift Elementary School in Edgewater.
speaking tonight because our family is deeply frustrated and increasingly concerned by the instability, inconsistency, and lack of transparency we've experienced regarding special education services and inclusion practices within CPS. Over the past several years, we've observed repeated
turnover among clinicians and classroom support staff serving students with significant disabilities. For autistic students like our son, consistency, routine, and trusted relationships are essential to learning, communication, and emotional regulation.
This year, our son's teacher went on a planned medical leave for several months. And during that time, classroom grading data stopped being entered. Academic portions of his IEP progress reporting were left blank. Parent teacher conferences were not held and we were later notified by the school that
special education services were not consistently provided during a significant portion of that time as parents were left asking how classroom academic IEP goals were being monitored and implemented during those months. We're also deeply concerned by inconsistent interpretations and
implementation of inclusion and least restrictive environment practices for cluster students across CPS schools. For the past several years, our son's IEP included language supporting participation in general education academic settings, and he successfully participated in general education
classes with support. However, during his recent IEP process, that language was removed after the school team received updated >> 30 seconds remaining regarding cluster programming. After reviewing the written OSD guidance, we remain concerned because the document also emphasizes individualized decision-making least
restrictive environment considerations and ensuring students receive services with their general education peers to the greatest extent possible. Families shouldn't receive conflicting interpretations of inclusion practices depending on the school or team involved. Decisions regarding access to
general education environments should be individualized, datadriven, clearly communicated, and based on demonstrated student needs and successes. We are extremely grateful for the teachers, clinicians, and support staff who continue advocating for these students
every day. But families should not have to fight for clarity, consistency, continuity of services, and appropriate inclusion opportunities for their children. >> Please conclude your remarks. are asking CPS leadership for stronger oversight, transparency, and consistent implementation of special education and
inclusion practices across schools. Thank you very much. >> Thank you for your comments. The next two speakers are from Urban Prepmy's Ezekiel number eight. Speaker number 18.
Hello CPS board members. I am Mr. Asabil, Pride of Resilience, class of 2027. I'm a rising senior at Urban Prep where I formed a lasting relationship with students and staff who feel like a second family. The staff is supportive,
always helping students in need. Many teachers are approachable for conversation and even jokes. And some have been a role model for me, guiding me to make life choices and preparing me for the for the real world. There was a period when I was physically when I
wasn't when I wasn't physically in school due to family matters and being out of the country. The staff still ensured I stayed on track and didn't miss any credits, demonstrating their genuine dedication and care. When I got back to school, I was greeted with nothing but love and appreciation. The
staff help helped me deal with emotions during that time and I felt grateful for them every day. The staff and my classmates recognize my my potential and I recognize theirs. There are a few who really have pushed me to be a better version of myself and
I know I have pushed them to be a a better version of themselves. I also want to give a big shout out to our security guard, Mr. Neil, who taught me and many others to how to dress and how to be a man. He really he really is one of the pillars at Urban Prep.
One of my classmates spoke out to many staff members about my joining the track and field team. I never thought anyone would go out of their way to encourage me to join the sport. And there are also a few other staff members. >> 30 seconds remaining >> who really encouraged me to step outside
my comfort zone. Many people told me that my four years of high school would go by quickly. As a freshman, I didn't believe them. Now I look back on those times and think how far think and think about how far I've come. I went from barely fitting in with other with barely
fitting in with others to being able to express myself freely without without fear of being judged. I was given the chance to do many different activi activities such as being here today, joining the hidden genius project and being a part of the national honor society. To me and many others at Urban Prep, it's not just a high school. It's
a place for us to be a family while we learn things while we learn new things every day. If it wasn't for me, if if it wasn't for Urban Prep, I wouldn't be the man I am today. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Kendrick Jordan, Speaker 20.
>> Good evening, members of the board and guest. My name is Mr. Jordan and I proudly serve as a teacher at Urban Prep Bronzeville campus. As an educator, I've learned that students succeed when they feel seen, supported, and connected to something greater than themselves. That is exactly what Urban Prep provides,
community. Every morning, our school day begins with a schoolwide assembly where students, educators, and mentors gather in solidarity. It is more than a routine is a daily reminder that our to our young men that they belong, they matter, and they they are surrounded by people who believe in them. At Urban Prep, we
support the whole student academically, socially, emotionally, and personally. We build confidence, teach accountability, and help students discover their purpose. Failure is not an option because we know our students are capable of greatness even when they struggle. We continue to encourage and
guide them because we believe in their potential sometimes before they believe in themselves. That belief is reflected in our urban prep creed and core values. Resilience, integrity, solidarity, accountability, and relentlessness. These are just not words. They are values our students live every day. They
prepare for college careers and leadership. As a proud graduate of Mouse College and HB.CU CU whose model is wisdom, peace, and love for all. I understand the transformational power of education, mentorship, and opportunity. In my 5 years of education, Urban Prep is the only school where I have
consistently witnessed true growth in students, not only academically, but as young men. Representation matters, and our students benefit from seeing professionalism, leadership, perseverance, and success model every day. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> Urban Bronzeville is more more than a
school. is a brotherhood, a family, and a place where young men are challenged, supported, and prepared to succeed beyond the classroom. Thank you for allowing me to speak on the behalf of Urban Prepmies. We believe. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Hector Gonzalez, speaker
number 19. >> Good afternoon, uh, board members. Uh, peace and many blessings. It's really great to see some of you guys here. I've crossed many paths with some of you guys throughout my previous lifetime as a community organizer, but most importantly here I am to I'm here to talk about uh the Academy for Global
Citizenship and the Renewal. Um I do have a daughter that graduated from the Academy for Global Citizenship about 12 years ago um where she has successfully um learned a lot of skills there to keep her moving forward. Right? So you know she's been through several schools and
it was ACC that provided her her home. Um she learned how to be creative. uh she took that creativeness and the patience that the teachers had with her to continue pursuing what she loved most which was art. You know through after graduating from ACC she attended Kenwood High School, Kenwood Academy uh for
their dance program and then transferred over to Cury to continue their dance program because AGC has helped her hone these artistic skills and she continues to use those skills in her future endeavors. So just recently she graduated from ISU as an art in majoring
in art education. uh she's currently finishing her second semester at the school of art institute in art education with emphasis in uh sculpture. Um so fast forward I have two younger children fourth and sixth graders that want to follow in her sister's footsteps and
attend AGC for the same supports that was given to her. My son who started AGC during the time of the pandemic learned and loved education fell in love with education even though it was online because they embraced this language barrier. He was able to talk freely and learn continue to learn about Spanish
and who he is 30 seconds remaining as a Latino. My sixth grader who has been diagnosed with ADD and Tourette's has had a lot of hub with her with her with with a nurse uh Miss Helma who lets her know that she has a superpower, right? And it's something like it's a place like AGC that allows our kids to strive.
It's AGC staff that has done amazing work with all of our students and I hope that you renew their contract because like all of our community at that school, we all know one thing for sure is that AGC is the place to be. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments.
>> The last speaker from the speakers list is Britney Finley, speaker 22. Hi everyone. Thank you for your complete and undivided attention. Um Judy Mahoney, my mother has worked for CPS for over three decades. And in that last
nine years of her employment, she has had to fight tooth and nail uh to keep her position due to the negligence of over 50% of schools not being fully ADA compliant. This includes Whittier, which is the school she was pushed out of when a car accident back in 2017 left her
paralyzed from the waist down and wheelchair bound. Judy did not quit her job or asked to relocate. She was forced out because the school could not and would not be made accessible to her. It is now 2026 and nearly one half of schools need to be upgraded. The effects of this are
typically unseen by abled bodies, but are largely felt by families who rely on accessibility. Whether a parent wishes to attend their child's school for events or meetings, or a child that should be placed in a school close to home, but has to be bust all the way across town to an accessible school.
Accessibility is a human right and no one should have to find themselves unwelcome to a location because they are unable to traverse it. Burn school specifically has been Judy's home since her accident and is underfunded administratively compared to neighboring schools and is
somehow unable to locate the funds to keep my mother employed. Furthermore, think about the message being sent to students particularly those with disabilities. Are we teaching them that their dedication, their talent, and their hard work um mean nothing if a building isn't
built for them? That a lack of accessibility is a boundary to their worth? >> Personally, as a mother of two small children, I hope to instill values and morals rooted in empathy, which the world can really benefit from right about now. And I really think we can
start right here. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. President Harden, we also have several elected two elected officials who would like to address the board. We'll begin with Alderman Mike Rodriguez of the 22nd ward who is here who is joining us
virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Excuse me, Alderman Rodriguez. There's a lot of background noise and we can't even hear what you're saying. >> Hi, can you hear me better now? >> We can. Please proceed.
>> I hope you can. I Yes. Thank you so very much. This is 22nd word older person Mike Rodriguez. Mike for short. I thank you all for the opportunity to speak here. Um it's a great pleasure for me to be here in support of the pa the academy for Google global citizenship. Uh thank
you to Hector Gonzalez for speaking before to the excellence of this school. I won't bel that point. I think it's a pretty universally accepted that AGC is an excellent school. The one thing that we need to make sure is to invest heavily in schools uh like AGC but AGC
in particular given its importance to the local community. We know for decades the federal government has taken public housing and put it on the other side of expressways and forgotten. However, we
are reinventing the llair community and the first phase of that reinvention, bringing um public housing and affordable housing back to the southwest side of Chicago, that first phase was the Academy for Global Citizenship. We
expect hundreds of new young people to to to move into that community with their families and need a great place to learn. AGC is that place and we want to make sure that their charter is renewed. But not just renewed. For me, that's an
afterthought. The fact is is that they do deserve an extended renewal to make sure that our future students and our curtain students can count on the stability that's so very important for a
school like the Academy for Global Citizenship. I'm very proud that it's on the southwest side of Chicago. very proud that it serves a significant number of my constituents as well as kids from throughout the southwest side of Chicago. So, thank you so very much
for this. I I implore um the board to not only renew their charter, but to renew that charter 10 years as they can, if not for as uh close to those 10 years as possible. Thank you so very much. >> Thank you for your comments. The next
elected official is Alderman Gilbert Viegas from the 36 ward who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. >> Good evening. Good evening uh members of the board and CPS leadership. Uh my name is Gilbert
Viegas, alderman and chairman of zoning and I'm also alderman of the 36 board and I am calling in today to support to issue a strong support of renewal for Christopher House Elementary Schools charter. Christopher House has been an important partner not only in education
but in strengthening families and communities across Chicago for decades. Their mission is simple but powerful, helping children and families succeed in school, the workplace, and in life. They do this through the continuum of education that begins in early childhood
and extends through 8th grade while also providing wraparound services for support for families and and parents. This is not just a school. It's a community institution. Christopher House serves hundreds of students and families, many of whom are residents of the 36 ward and surrounding
neighborhoods. Families intentionally chose Christopher House because they trust the educators, the leadership, and the environment that has been created. They know their children are receiving not only a quality education, but mentorship, support, and opportunity. The CPS comprehensive evaluation team
recognized that work by recommending a 4-year renewal based on strong academic performance, financial health, inclusion pro programming, equitable systems, and organizational compliance. That recommendation reflects the real impacts Christopher House has had on student and
families every single day. In communities like ours, stability matters. Continuity continuity matters. Opportunity matters. Renewing this charter means continuing to invest in 470 elementary school students and the families who depend on this institution.
I want to thank Christopher House for the continued partnership and commitment to Chicago families. Urge the board to support the renewal of Christopher House Elementary School. Thank you for your time and thank you. >> Thank you for your comments, President Harden. This concludes public
participation. We will now move into a short recess. Board members of court, do you have motion mo1? >> I move that the board take a 30 minute recess. >> Is there a second? >> I second the motion. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes.
>> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. Yes, >> member Rosenfo. >> Yes, >> member Rivas. >> Yes,
>> member Brown. Member Brown, >> member Rio Sierra, >> I. >> Member Bannon, >> I. >> Member Vice President Vez, >> I >> member Gutierrez, >> I. >> Member Biggs, >> yes. >> Member Thorakura, >> yes. Member Blae
>> I. >> Member Zackart. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 18 eyes, zero nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. This meeting will now go into a 30-minut recess. We're now ready to reconvene. The media board of education is
reconvened. We'll now proceed with the business portion of the meeting. Superintendent King, we're ready for your presentation. Thank you, President Harden. To now, now we will have the charter school renewal recommendations by Chief Conrad Timbers, acting chief portfolio officer, Zabrina
Evans, director of innovation and incubation, and Rochelle Washington, the director of performance and accountability. Uh good evening uh board members. Good good evening to the community. My name is Conrad Timberar. I am the acting chief portfolio officer. And tonight I'm
going to along with my colleagues Rochelle Washington and Sabrina Evans um present to you uh the SY26 charter school renewal recommendations. Tonight, the Office of Innovation Incubation is presenting the SY26
charter renewal recommendations. These recommendations are grounded in one central responsibility, making sure students attend schools that are safe, stable, academically focused, financially responsible, and able to meet the needs of all learners. This is
not a rubber stamp process, and it is not just a compliance exercise. Renewal is one of the district's most important accountability tools. Before we walk through the individual school recommendations, I want to start with the larger responsibility the district
holds to students and families. On this slide, we ground our entire renewal oversight process in one core principle, the district's responsibility to students and families. For the seven operators in 16 campuses we are reviewing, our oversight is driven by
five non-negotiable expectations. Safe, stable, and supportive environments. Every student deserves a learning environment that guarantees continuity, safety, and joy. Inclusive and equitable supports. We must guarantee that students with disabilities and diverse populations
receive the equitable access and targeted support they are legally entitled to. Financial stewardship. Schools must demonstrate long-term operational viability so that classroom resources are never suddenly compromised. Early intervention and
improvement. We are actively identifying concerns and strengthening oversight before challenges escalate. Transparency and accountability. Our families deserve completely clear communication regarding the health of their authorized charter schools. To put
it in a school-based context, the district's role is no longer just the teacher handing out a final pass or fail grade at the end of the year. We are acting as the master teacher who operates by providing scaffolding, identifying areas of struggle early,
intervening with targeted support, and communicating transparently with families to ensure every student's foundation remains strong. As our five-year strategic plan states, that's every student, every school, every community.
One of the major lessons we have learned over recent years is that CPS needs oversight tools that go far beyond annual reporting and lagging indicators to identify a school's risk of closure. Historically, districts have suffered from limited visibility into long-term
financial sustainability. Nationally and lo locally, we have witnessed painful situations where financial or operational instability escalated rapidly before any formal interventions could occur. We have seen how structured challenges compound,
specifically severe enrollment declines, rising staffing costs, and budget assumptions that do not account for these adjustments quickly enough. Relying solely on historical audited data is a lagging indicator that leaves schools and communities vulnerable to
widespread disruption. Today, we are answering that vulnerability by strengthening systems. We are building a robust continuous improvement framework to transition CPS from a model largely based on reactive compliance to one that incorporates additional elements of proactive
oversight. Our goal is not simply accountability. at the point of renewal, but earlier intervention that better protects our students and school communities. Our strengthened system introduces the revised annual budget template which
requires three-year financial projections, the modification of the financial section of the charter and contract school accountability plan, a contractual document that establishes what CPS will assess annually and the establishment of the financial
early warning system, a system that implements leading indicators as opposed to lagging indicators with the goal of preventing instability before it requires remediation. With these strategies, we will work alongside charter operators to prove they have a viable strategy to manage cost
pressures. Oversight can not be an all orno evaluation waiting at the end of a contract term. Beginning next school year, the district will conduct structured midcycle reviews and check-ins to track leading indicators.
Think of this through a classroom lens. An effective teacher uses formative assessments to gauge progress and intervene early rather than waiting for a student to fall to fail the final exam. Similarly, based on what is identified in the midcycle review or
check-in, CPS will institute dedicated project management to address the specific issue. We will work directly in partnership with the school and organization to resolve the issue long before it threatens the school's viability. When schools face challenges with special education or English learner
services, arbitrarily reducing a renewal term outside of our established rubric creates a severe legal and equity risk for the district. Instead, our continuous framework creates legally binding pathways to mandate improvement. Just as a school uses a MTSS framework
to provide a struggling student with targeted resources, our strengthened systems applies a district level NTSS for struggling charters. This approach emphasizes the district's rigorous oversight and monitoring, but it's ultimately rooted
in partnership. We are actively project actively project managing the solutions alongside the schools to ensure every student receives the services they deserve. We we no longer have to choose between waiting for a crisis to hit or violating our own
established policies. By implementing early warnings, dedicated project management and collaborative remediation, we bring greater transparency to the sector, empowering this board with complete foresight and ensure that every school community
remains a stable, secure cornerstone for our families. This ex is exactly what our strategic plan says. Every student, every school, every community. As mentioned, INI is implementing enhanced improved oversight in response
to what we've seen. First is the financial early warning process. This will be implemented in FY27 to monitor leading indicators and prevent instability before it requires remediation. While we will work with charter operators alongside a national consultant to establish the final
indicators, some possible examples of these are enrollment decline trends, spending versus budget variances, advanced payment requests, administration competency concerns, expense changes due to CBA adjustments,
debt covenant violations, operational deficits, and consolidation actions. Next, INI is also imple implementing the midcycle performance review, a first of its kind. This approach is shifting oversight from periodic checkpoints to
real time feedback and support. The intent is not to create an additional highstakes evaluation layer between renewals, but to establish a structured opportunity for reflection, partnership, and early identification of strengths and challenges related to student
learning conditions. Participation in midcycle activities allow schools to demonstrate progress on prior renewal feedback or identify growth areas, surface context and supports needed before challenges escalate, strengthen alignment between
school priorities and student experience, and engage proactively with the authorizer between renewal cycles. By shifting from reactive checkpoints to real-time collaborative feedback, we are ensuring that financial stability and academic excellence remain at the
forefront of our shared mission. Now, I would like to turn it over to my colleague, executive director of INI, Sabrina Evans, who will introduce the renewal process and the operators in his cohort. >> Thank you, Chief. Um, this renewal cohorts includes seven operators,
16 campuses, 8,37 students. These are important numbers because they reflect students and families across Chicago. The majority of students in this cohort
are black and Latinx students. 73% are students of Latinx and 24 are African-American. That matters because rec these recommendations are not abstracts. They affect real students, real
families, and real communities who are dependent on school quality and stability. Now that we have named the cohort in this renewal cycle, I want to explain how CPS arrives at renewal cohorts.
Sorry. The charter and contract renewal process um is governing by the provisions and applicable laws and established in the school agreement. Schools are held accountable to academic, financial, and operational performance measures
outlined in the accountability plan. The renewal process is evidence-based and allows for a comprehensive review of the school's academic, financial, and operational performance. The outcomes of this comprehensive review informs the
final recommendation presented to you and what we will discuss today. There are specific legal standards that guides when a charter may be non-renewed and I would like to go over that in the next slide. Illinois law sets clear grounds
for non-renewal. Per Illinois charter school law, a charter school may be nonrenewal for any one or combination of the four reasons outlined. One, committed a material violation of any of the conditions, standards or procedures set forth in the
charter. Failed to meet or make reasonable progress towards achievement of stu uh student standards or uh student performance. Failed to meet generally accepted standards of fiscal management. Violated any provision of
law from which the charter school was not exempt. CPS weighs evidence carefully because a non-renewal decision affects students, families, staffs, and community. Our role is to be firm, fair
in process, and always focus on what is best for students. Any non-renewal decision is granted appellet rights to the Illinois State Board of Education. The law allows ISBY to reverse a local board's decision if it's a non-renewal
decision as it considers whether the charter school closure is in compliance with one of the four identified reasons. The next slide shows the steps taken before a recommendation reaches the board. So our charter renewal process
involves multiple departments across EPS, multiple subject matter experts. It uh ensures that each recommendation reflects a full and fair review of the school performance. Charter renewal is not based on one meeting, is not based
on one data point nor one opinion. Academic teams, financial reviewers, special education experts, multilingual education experts, experts in discipline, legal and compliance subject matter experts, all
contribute to evidence. So CPS can understand whether a school is delivering strong instruction, whether a school is financially viable, meeting legal and contractual obligations, and providing the support and and that's
needed for families that is that they need to receive in order to be successful. This cross-dep departmental process allows the district to make renewal recommendations that are evidence-based, student centered, and grounded in our responsibility to protect school
quality, stability, and ensure equity across our portfolio. The process includes an application review site multiple site visits, multiple operator meetings, a public hearing, multiple alpha hours, preliminary findings
meetings with charter operators, and final recommendation reports, several uh focus groups with charter schools and their boards. So the renewal process um is very uh comprehensive and it it it involves in regards to the life cycle of
a charter. As you see on the slide here, we have the midcycle performance review and early warning indicators that Chief Conrad mentioned because that is in addition to our renewal process. It is also something that we look at for accountability measures. Charter renewal
is a one point in time evaluation where we do day-to-day um an uh an analysis based upon what was presented for the midcycle performance review as well as early warning indicators.
The next slide talks about the renewal evaluation criteria. So, INI is committed to designing and implementing a best-in-class school renewal process that ensures that every CPS authorized charter and contract school meets high academic,
financial, and operational standards. Our renewal process is evidence-based, aligned and grounded in national best authorizing practices and continuous improvement frameworks that our chief explain. School and campus evidence is
evaluated consistently across four evaluation domains. Academic, financial, inclusive, inclusive programming and equitable systems and organizational compliance. Each renewal evaluation domain has specific criteria and results
in performance ratings. For academic performance, we ask ourselves the question, are students learning and making progress? The evidence for this is based upon the Illinois State Board of Education summitive designations. In
this domain, a school can earn a rating of exceeds, meets or approaching standards or a rating of needs improvement based upon their summitive designation. Financial performance. The question we ask ourselves is, is the school managing
public dollars respectfully, responsibly, and operating in a substant in a substant sustainable way? The evidence that answers this question is rooted in our chart, our charter accountability standards, which is set forth in our charter accountability plan
in our agreements where we emphasize three key financial indicators. financial contractual e expectations, loan delinquency and the annual audit. A school can earn a rating of exceeds,
meets and approaches standards or a rating of needs substantial improvement for the financial performance domain, inclusive programming and equitable systems. The question that we ask ourselves is does the school have the systems to support students with
disabilities, English language learners, and if students are impacted by discipline practices. this cycle. Um, starting in 2022, we added these elements to have a stronger focus on students on these students because we
want to align with the priorities of this district and that is supporting and making sure that we have systems to support our most vulnerable students. Organizational compliance. The question that we ask ourselves for this domain is if the school is a school meeting is
legal contractual and operational obligations. This domain is measured in school compliance that is grounded in federal and state law as well as applicable CPS policies in the IP pass and organizational compliance domains.
The uh available ratings are meet standards, approaching standards, and need substantial improvement. Over the course of several months, our evaluation process analyze the data and the evidence across these four domains to
provide a comprehensive evaluation that's based upon national best practice as well as research. Now, I will turn it over to Rochelle Washington, who will walk us through our charter renewal recommendations for this evening. Thank you so much and good evening board
president and members. So now we'll go through the seven operators in the 202526 renewal cohort. There will be one slide per operator where you will see information about the operator, the demographics of the school population as well as the ratings across the four four
performance domains that Zabrina just described. The first operator is the Academy for Global Citizenship Charter School. This is a K8 traditional charter school in the Garfield Ridge community. The first domain is academic performance as the
school received a rating of commendable in its 2025 isby summit of designation that is associated with the rating of meet standards per the renewal criteria. This school received a rating of exceed standards for the financial performance
domain which again is rooted in the key indicators outlined in the contractual accountability plan. The school received a rating of meet standards in the inclusive program and equitable systems domain due to meeting three of the four indicators. Although
the school received a rating of minimal on its last English learner program review led by the office of multilingual multicultural education, it received a rating of strong performance on the renewal special education site visit led by the office for students with disabilities and met standards for
student discipline as well as teacher lensure. And lastly, the school received a rating of meet standards in the organizational compliance domain based on the performance outcomes. The recommendation for the Academy of I'm sorry for global citizenship charter
school is seven years. The next operator is the Asetto Charter School Network. This network is applying to renew eight traditional charter school campuses in multiple communities. This introduces the first of our two replicating charter schools in this
year's cohort. A bit of history about what replicating charters mean with regard to this process and how our contracts are written. Prior to 2003, all charter schools established could have multiple attendance centers, what we know as campuses, under a single
charter school agreement. We refer to these as replicating charters because they can and have with board approval open additional campuses without an additional charter agreement. However, in 2003, the charter law changed to
limit all new charter schools to a single campus and a single school agreement. When this law changed, it expressedly did not apply to charter schools that were already existing or approved prior to the date of the legislation's approval. So, the original
charter schools established prior to that legislative change retained their replicating status. This means that although they are one school with multiple campuses, they have one charter agreement with the Chicago Board of Education and through this process are
renewed as one entity. So again, this campus has eight, this network has eight campuses and you'll see the performance outcomes here on this slide based on the performance domain. Some of the areas we look at on a campus base and so you'll see how that is differentiated there,
but others we are assessing as a network. So first for academic performance the network received a rating of meetat standards. Most of the network's campuses received a designation of commendable. However, Brighton Park and Torres received a designation of targeted.
Due to the summitive designations of targeted those two campus will enter academic support process. This is the INI academic support process. Our formal remediation process for academic performance. This process requires schools to submit a self-reflection and a continuous improvement work plan that
addresses academic areas needing improvement and participate in coaching activities with the INI team. These campuses will also be required to receive school improvement support through the ISBY school and district improvement initiative. You will see in the materials that we
provided that two of the campuses and Torres received an academic site visit due to their 2024 designations of targeted. However, those two campuses moved to commendable in 2025. The Asetto network received a rating of meet standards in the financial
performance domain. The network also received a rating of meet standards in the inclusive program and inequitable systems domain, the third domain. Six of the eight campuses within this network received a rating of minimal on its last English learner program review led by OME. The
cumulative scores across all campuses, however, landed within the average performance range for the special education renewal site visit led by OSD and also met standards for student discipline and teacher lensure leading to a rollup rating of meetat standards
for that third domain. The network also received a rating of meet standards in the organizational compliance domain. Based on this performance information, the recommendation for the Asetto Charter School Network is five years. The next school operator is Chicago
Collegiate Charter School. This is a single site 612 school in the West Pullman community. This school received a rating of meet standards for academic performance due to its commendable summitive designation. The school received a rating of approaching standards in financial performance due
to its FY24 presence in the financial remediation process. However, it's important to note that the school exited financial remediation in 2025 leading to that rollup rating of approaching standards for that second domain. The school also received a rating of
approaching standards in the IPAZ domain and received a culture and climate renewal site visit due to prior levels of higher exclusionary discipline. Schools that were in this situation were also required to submit a supplemental discipline application which provides informations on the systems and
structures being put in place moving forward to reduce exclusionary discipline. The school also received a rating of weak performance on the special education site visit by OSD um but did meet standards for English learner compliance and teacher lensure. Lastly, the school received a rating of
meet standards in the organizational compliance domain. This performance is associated with a 4-year recommendation. The next operator is the Chicago Math and Science Academy Charter School. This is another single site school operating grades 7 through 12 in the Rogers Park
community. This school received a rating of meet standards due to its 2025 designation of commendable as well as received a rating of meet standards in the financial performance domain. The school did receive a rating of need substantial improvement in the third domain due to um receiving a rating of
weak performance on the special education renewal site visit, a minimal rating on its English learner program review, and having high rates of exclusionary discipline in the elementary school grade band specifically. The organization also met standards in the fourth domain, organizational
compliance. The performance for this operator led to a recommendation of a 4-year term. The next operator is Christopher House Charter School, also a single site charter school operating grades K through eight in the Belmont Craig
community. Because this school received a 2025 designation of targeted, it received a renewal rating of approaching standards for academic performance. Just like the Asetto campuses that were in this situation, this school is um moving
into the academic support process because it's 2024 designation was also targeted. It received an academic renewal site visit. Um as the school is in academic support, again as shared, they're going to participate in the support process which requires them to do a CIWP, additional
school visits, and coaching activities with the INI team. The school did receive a rating of meet standards in the financial performance domain as well as the iPads domain. Um the despite the school receiving a rating of minimal on its last e program
review, it did receive a rating of average performance on the special education renewal site visit which is meeting standards and met standards for student discipline and teacher lensure requirements. And lastly, this school received a rating of meet standards in the fourth domain organizational compliance.
The next charter school is Intrinsic Charter School. Another seven I'm sorry, another single site school operating grades 7 through 12 in the Irving Park community. This school received a designation of um commendable in 2025 which is associated with a rating of
academic performance. However, you'll see in the documentation that we did a academic and culture and climate combination renewal site visit due to its 2024 designation as well as historical high rates of exclusionary discipline. The school was also required
to submit that supplemental discipline application to provide information on their systems and structures being put in place moving forward. intrinsic met standards in the second domain, financial performance, but received a rating of needs substantial improvement for that third domain um due to
receiving a rating of needs improvement across three of those four subdomains. Um they received a minimum rating on that EL program review, have high rates of exclusionary discipline in the elementary school band, and did not meet the 75% teacher lensure requirement as
outlined in Illinois charter school law. And lastly, for this school, the met standards for the fourth domain organizational compliance. The renewal agreement for this school will incorporate intrinsics request to use its new annex building at 3254 North
Kilborn, which was secured with philanthropic funds. Use of this annex allows for enhanced educational quality by offering several improved learning spaces, including science laboratories, art studios, extracurricular sports and activities rooms, as well as office and
meeting space. The performance for this operator garnered a 4-year recommendation. The last operator in this year's cohort is the University of Chicago Charter School Network. This network operates three traditional charter school campuses in multiple communities serving
grades 6 through 12. This introduces the second of our replicating uh charter schools in this year's cohort. So again, that means they are one large school with multiple campuses, have one charter agreement with the Chicago Board of Education, and are renewed as one entity
through this process. All three of the campuses received a commendable 2025 designation leading to a rating of meet standards for academic performance. However, in 2024, the Woodlong campus did receive a designation of comprehensive for its
elementary school grade band and we conducted a combination academic and culture and climate site visit at that campus due to that academic performance as well as historic rates of exclusionary discipline at Woodlon. Also, it's important to note that despite us conducting that visit and
them having that historical data, they have improved their systems and structures at that campus and came into the standards for student discipline. So, this network at this point um does receive a rating of meet standards for not only across all three campuses but
also for the network altogether. This operator received a rating of meetat standards in the financial performance domain, but received a rating of need substantial improvement in IPZ due to the cumul the cumulative scores across all campuses landing within the week performance range of the
special education renewal site visit. All three campuses receiving a rating of minimal on their last English program review, English learner program review. And then also the network does not have the required number of licensed teachers. However, this network did
receive a rating of meetat standards for the fourth domain organizational compliance leading to an overall recommendation of a 4-year term. That is the last of the separate seven operators in this year's campus. Thank you for the presentation and we'll now
open it for any questions. We'll now open the floor for questions or comments on the public agenda. I'd like to note the following public agenda items. RS1, EX6, EX7, EX8, EX9, EX10,
EX11, and EX12 will be separate votes taken after MO3. So, you can provide your questions and comments for those items before we proceed with each separate vote. President Har, I think um the floor is open to questions and comments for the
presentation. >> Got a question. >> Member Bannon. >> Um during your presentation, you talked about um I just want to make sure I have the phrases correctly accurate. um the contract govern renewals and some
contractual obligations. What enforcement um uh ability does the CPS have if a charter operator doesn't sign their contract? >> So if a and I think legal can probably
answer this even better than I can. Uh it's my understanding that if a charter organization does not sign their contract, there's only a couple of things that historically could be done. One is to withhold funding which subsequently affects students. The other
is to um not renew them which subsequently closes the school building as well. Um, I know that we have been in conversations and I know that our teams here have been in conversations to work with our charter partners to overcome
some of the hurdles that we've seen. And so other than that, um, is there any other currently there's >> no and I just got to say that uh the work that INI has done on presenting
this new this new rubric is uh uh commendable. I think it it makes it very fair for the good faith operators that they know what goals and um criteria we're using. Unfortunately, you know, but we also have to make rules for the
bad faith operators. And my concern is since we don't have legislation, state legislation that requires operators to sign their contracts, um all this good work um will be uh will be yeah jeopardized
or or gone to waste on the bad faith operators. So, I I'm just trying to figure out how we um put together uh policies that address both of those um ends of the spectrum.
>> Yeah, I um I think you're absolutely correct that we need to work to continuously to improve some of the things that we're doing, which is why we have started this midcycle review and these early indicators. Um, as I stated before, as a former teacher um, for over
a decade and as a principal for over a decade, one of the things that you have to do is you have to scaffold and you have to put these early warning indicators in place to help students and in this instance, we're talking about organizations meet what's in the best interest of the students. Uh, so that's
what we're doing and that's what we're going to continue to do. Um, we've we've learned some lessons um, as you stated, you know, um, situations that have happened. Uh but when you put certain things in context, and this is not to bring any excuses for any of the providers, but over the last decade,
we've lost 76,000 students as a district. This year alone, we've lost 9,000 students. And so when you have that amount of students that have left the district and there's no forecasting of that, right, it's like if a student is getting a graded right now in my
class and I try to forecast what they're going to do next year and grade them currently on that, it's not a fair process and it's not equitable and it's not something I think that we as a district are doing. But to your point, it is important that we do put these early warning indicators in place so that we can catch things early and
intervene very similar to what we did this year. uh when we had situations that happened with some of our providers. >> Yeah. >> Like to add to that and yes um to chief point uh we do need policies in place for charter schools not signing but I do
want to make mention that even though a charter school might not have a signed executed agreement the requirements in regards to accountability still moves forward. So we still operationalize what's what's within our accountability plan with charter schools. They still
comply over overwhelmingly majority of them do. We only have one charter operator in n within our 93 schools that does not align and don't want to be um graded based upon our accountability framework. And so with that, I do just want to make mention that yes, they they
take good forth good faith effort with our law uh law team to um negotiate their contracts. But in regards to the things that's within it is still operationalized in regards to the laws, the legal laws, federal laws, uh any state charter legislation and our
accountability plans, we still operationalize those. >> Thank you, Member Smith. Thank you for such a robust presentation. I only have two questions. My first question is how long did it take you to
put together this present uh this evaluation? >> Thank you for the question. Um this evaluation um stems from us doing a lot of listening to our charter operators. A lot of um conversations with other
national operators uh authorizers um that are similar to a district authorizer. There are several different authorizers but we like to um ensure that we are focused on practices and procedures of a similar and alike
authorizers. We um have great partnerships with our schools. We listen to um what our board members um have stated and we are and we learn from experience. So it has taken us uh within the last two years to really hone in on
the fact that yes of what chief stated earlier um what we have experienced um is not you know um a shy in regards to what we have experienced but it's rooted in regards to what we do dayto-day in regard and
how we provide oversight uh support to our schools and then things that we do as an authorizer. So it has taken us within the last two years and I'm happy that we have come to this point in regards to having a full continuous improvement process that is being worked
out with charter operators and also national uh experts that we um also fulfill our responsibility as authorizer to ensure that we have robust systems in place to forecast and also provide supports when a charter school is it is in need.
>> Yeah. So, so 2 years of listening, lived experience, research, data, the I mean it it comes across that way. Uh but am I correct when uh you were talking about ISBY and the ability of Isby to reverse
a nonrenewal or unfair renewal uh time? Does that mean that if rules are changed here, if if board members change rules here that are not evidence-based, uh, does that mean that the ability to
have oversight uh, with charter schools could possibly be legally removed? Is that what you were saying? So, in regards to the non-renewal slide, um the four reasons outline what um the board
can do in regards to a non-renewal. Um in the event that there is a non-renewal, um the Illinois State Board of Education has to review the the reason for the non-renewal. In the event that the evidence is not sufficient and they feel that it's not in the best
interest of students for the reason of the of the non-renewal, then they will make the their board make the determination whether or not they want to have that charter as an authorized state charter. With a charter school, move it from the local agency, meaning
CPS management to the state board management. We lose funding for that. um the school stays open in the community that our schools serve. So that is the process for a non-renewal. If the board today makes different decisions
um that result in a non-renewal, then ISB will take that action. But if there are decisions that is that's outside of a non-renewal, um we could be open to legal risk with that. And also um we just have to have the evidence. Um, and
that's what our root process does. Give us the evidence so we can have legally defensible um, recommendations and a process. >> I think that's very important for us all to think about. Thank you so much for that uh, explanation. >> Thank you,
member Paul. >> Oh, I turned my mic off instead of on. That's like me in mute on Zoom. Sorry about that, guys. Uh I want to also thank you for the amount of work and effort that you've put into this. It's clear that you are taking the revisions
to this process very seriously. I want to raise two things. One is as a teacher I was there when they implemented fiveweek grade warnings in the high school. Previously, a student just found out when the quarter report card came,
oops, I failed or potentially could have found out if they didn't have good communication. But even with the fiveweek warnings, it was a while before people actually included the things, oh, you're not turning in your homework, you
need to turn in your homework, or oh, you're absent too much, or whatever the issues that were leading to the failure warning were. And I think it's very important not just for us to prescribe for having a midcycle review, which is
kind of like a a potential failure warning, but to make it very clear that these are the steps we're going to take to help you. We're not here to cut your charter out. We're not here to tell you no, we're going to terminate you. We're here to assist you and support you so
that you can achieve these goals. So I think it's very important to spell out what that process will be so that it's in place and it's a robust process. The other thing and this is a real question. I appreciate the importance of a rubric
graded by students with a rubric but I also knew that someone's mother was in the hospital struggling with cancer that someone's father had just been incarcerated that their brother was shot. you know, I knew things about their lives that made me flexible with
my rubric. And we know some things based on what has happened in the past period. For example, we know that Asero with very little notice decided that they were going to close seven of their campuses. And yet, I don't see a way
that that is incorporated into the rubric. And in the interests of students and student learning and stability for families, how do we incorporate something like that which shook up thousands of students lives and resulted
in a large amount of transitioning? How do we how do we factor something like that in? Is there some way that I'm missing that the rubric incorporates this? Or do we just say, "Oh, well, that was a problem. Thank you for that question. Um, so you
you point out a couple of valid pieces, right? So, you know, when you're thinking about how you rate someone, right, objectively, but to your point, we're humans, right? And in the situation as a as a teacher, you're looking at a student's situation and then you have to be some subjectivity to
it, right? But at the same time there is still the rubric just like as a principal when you're doing a reach evaluation you're looking at how a teacher performs and how does that impact the students and in this case it's very similar because it impacts students. This is why we have these early warning indicators. This is the
specific reason why we're doing this and why we're working with national best practices and national organizations and other authorizers that are very similar to what we have to come up with these things because this what we're seeing as a district. Um while it's for some most
part it's very unique, it's not unique. It's it's very it's similar across the nation, right? We're seeing trends everywhere. And so a lot of this is new to a lot of us and so we have to get ahead of it. And that's why the INI team has been working very diligently working
with our partners just like as if as a teacher you were working with your students to come up with interventions for them creating those. We're also looking at best practices which is again as a teacher you're looking at what Charlotte Danielson is saying or whatever person is saying to come up
with that rubric so that it is mutually worked upon as a unit working with our charter partners versus us doing something to them. we're working with them because at the end of the day, we have to do what's in the best interest of our students. And again, as our five five-year strategic plan says, it's
every every student, every school, every community. So, we have to work together to ensure that. And so, uh, Zabrina can talk a little bit more about how they're doing those pieces. But to your point, you're absolutely right. >> Thank you, Chief. I'll just add this
very quickly. Um to your point, board member Pope, totally um recognize the the harm, the concern. And so with that, there are several additional things in addition to the midcycle um that we have
uh implemented. And so one of them um is learning and understanding more about bond covenants. And so that was one of the root causes uh that we identified with the aserero situation is understanding what the bond covenants
look like um what will be at risk for the bond covenants and get aheading ahead of that earlier in addition to the early warning indicators that uh chief mentioned. So, it's a combination of things um that we are doing to prevent
that happening in addition to work with working with our law team to create specific um language in our agreements around our replicating charters who have one agreement but multiple multiple campuses within that agreement. And so, um also want to make mention too that a
serero agreement was a little outlier. So other agreements and um including theos moving forward will have the language in there where mutual consent is re is needed and then also the time frame for a charter school to inform the
district if they want to close any campus. So we like to look at accountability um collectively and not in isolation based upon a rubric. But what does oversight look like um every single day and annually?
>> Member Lopez. >> Thank you, President. And it was briefly mentioned what I noticed is in this presentation and also during our 5x5s, it's many of these charters uh one of the area where they seem either need improvement or um or
they score very minimal was the English learner compliance. uh can you talk a little bit if there was mostly similar patterns of what they were not meeting and also how are they going to be addressing to resolve the issues that were raised.
Thank you so much, board member Lopez. And I know we also have subject matter expert from OM who can u more deeply talk about um what they're seeing in the schools. But before I pass it over to Kelly, one thing that we have noticed is the fact that the LA lack of properly
certified staff being kind of the root cause of the performance that we see here. We know there's a staffing shortage of not just teachers, but especially teachers that have the specific certification needed to operate a compliant EL program. them receiving a rating of needs improvement in that area
doesn't necessarily mean that they're not servicing these students at all. It just means that per the legislative requirements, they may not be meeting all the marks of that piece. But from what I have seen in trends, it's mostly tied to the staffing. But I'll pass it to Kelly if she has additional context.
When we look at schools as a whole, we follow the same components that ISBY looks at. the state board of ed when they do their ISV monitoring there are 11 12 components um some of those heavy hitters are like Roshelle said
specifically staffing how students are placed so again a student cannot receive their bilingual services if they're not with a properly endorsed teacher so the lack of having a bilingual teacher causes them not to receive native
language instruction therefore we see gaps apps and it may not be completely no services. It might be they have they're really good in K12 and we've worked with INI over time to kind of
look at our reports so that it's not just a blanket statement of K K2 35. We've spread that out so schools can see specifically is it kindergarten, is it first, is it second, where do those gaps exist. Um, we've also implemented
placement tools to help schools kind of dive into where are the gaps so that they can start planning for those additional teachers and recruitment plans. Um, we work really closely with INI so that we want a full picture of
what's happening in their bilingual programs. >> Thank you for the additional information. I think it's very informative and also that the charter operator operators have a plan and how to address them and they're working towards it given that many of these
operators they do serve Englishspeaking communities. Um so I just want to ensure that there's a plan for this. >> So when we look across the district it's not only a charter issue it's across the district. Um we're in the middle of an ISBY monitoring process. They've seen
four networks so far. two in the in the fall, two in the spring, and that cycle will continue. And we're seeing similar trends with the school samplings that they're doing within the district networks. Um, and we are working at OM to create plans so that we have
professional learning so that we are structuring our systems to support not only the programmatic pieces, but that instructional piece because there is that connection because again, what do you do when you don't have bilingual teachers? you need to have strong tier one instruction even though you're not
meeting legal requirements. So we are working closely with INI and within the OM team to strengthen that process. Thank you and thank you for the clarification. I'll say this u my thoughts go not just to the charter operators but also our schools that are
managed through the district. I also acknowledge that your department is one of the smallest even though there's a lot of work that the department needs to carry and how we can as a board as a district how can we support your department be successful and be of support whether it be the schools by the
district or the charter schools. Um I also want to thank the all the charter schools that welcome me to do school visits had opportunity to meet with parents the students uh school leaders and finally something that was brought up in particular I believe by board
member Pope and um board member Ben was making sure that these schools financially are can be sustainable. Um I've mentioned this numbers of times as that impacted greatly the southwest side city of Chicago and still some families are dealing with those consequences. Um
so let's keep that in mind and how do we move forward of being of support and in collaboration. Thank you >> member Thor. >> Thank you and thank you for your presentation. I have two questions that are kind of connected. Um I had expressed previously some of my concerns
around potentially charter operators being surprised by the length of their um renewal that's being recommended and you shared with me it should not be a surprise. You have ongoing conversations with operators um throughout this full process. Uh so no one should be expecting a 10-year renewal and end up
with like a two-year recommendation because of the the data that's shared back and forth even though the information is released to the public on Tuesday. That's my understanding that no one knew that information um before Tuesday. Maybe the operators were made aware like a day or two before. Um that
shouldn't be a complete surprise to to where people landed in terms of their recommendations for renewal length. At the same time, like an extra the difference of a year or two can make a huge difference for for um charter operators. And um the opportunity for us
to receive and respond to and thoughtfully engage with public feedback that we get, whether it's students, um community members, other stakeholders, is extremely limited in this two-day turnaround to have these recommendations released to the public. Um and then people have a lot of questions about,
hey, like why is it this number and not this number? um when we can look to the rubric, it it is challenging to not be able to justify like the difference between a year or two, especially when there are other circumstances that could be considered as board member Pope mentioned um that may not fit within our
rubric. I do believe our rubric is incredibly strong and incorporates, you know, 90% plus of the components that we'd want to incorporate. Um, but even in terms of being able to respond to community members who are sharing concerns, that's going to take for me more than two days to go back and forth
and get the information needed so that I can I can vote confidently on some of these renewals. So, the the connected question, okay, the first question is like what do you view as the opportunity for public input given that this process has a two-day turnaround between the time that the public sees these renewal
links that are recommended and the time that we were supposed to vote on these um today. And then my second question is last year this process started in February and I believe that that timeline is similar to previous years where uh the charter renewals are done like much much earlier. I could be wrong
on that. Um and so having these presented to us this month, you know, at the end of May, uh gives us a much shorter turnaround time to to thoughtfully engage with and have some dialogue and feedback before we vote on these renewals. So if you'd be able to share why the timeline was moved back
this year, that would also be very helpful. So again two questions is what's the opportunity for public input? Second question is um around the timeline this year. >> Thank you so much board member thoughto. I'll tackle the first one and then I'll pass it to Chief Timbers for the second one. So first one I want to break it
into two parts. How we engage community and then how we engage school operators through this process. Despite the actual quantitative value of the renewal term length being released on Tuesday, families are made aware that the school is going through the renewal process and
engaged way early in the process at the onset of the process. So at the beginning of the process over the summer, we've last summer um we asked for schools to host what we call state of schools meetings. These are renewal state of schools meetings where they're convening their school operators to talk
about the renewal process. We are also there to introduce ourselves, share who we are as a charter authorizer, what that means to be a charter authorizer and even what it means to be a charter school. And then we also have the school present data outcomes across the performance domains that we measure
through the renewal process. We also require school operators conducting this meeting to have some interactive spaces for families to engage with the data presented to talk amongst themselves and each other about you know what does school quality mean to you? Are these good indicators? Are there other indicators that you think we should look
for? And we collect information from those to inform what we're doing. We also issue a family and community survey to collect information about why these families chose the school, how they believe the school is supporting them, you know, how they feel about the academic programming and the way that the school is connecting with their
community. So families do know how the performance of the school is looking way early in the process. But you are correct in sharing that the actual quantitative value of the years um is not made available until the agenda is posted. Second piece is around how we
engage school operators through this process. So during the kickoff meeting which typically happens in April or May um we have a meeting where we outline the criterion for the upcoming cycle. We also then break out or have individual
two-hour meetings with each school operator to go through the criteria again and their performance data to show how their outcomes align with the criterion that we presented in the renewal kickoff meeting. These are what we call preliminary findings meetings.
Schools also receive preliminary findings reports that have so you have a written report that looks kind of similar to the renewal recommendation report shows all the areas the preliminary findings that we have. We then update it upon the conclusion of the most recent school year. So they can
clearly see, hey, here's the criterion. Here's the data that is feeding into said criterion. So we can gauge or guess what we are probably going to get through this process. So school leaders are um very informed. We engage with them across the way. And also in the
preliminary findings meetings for areas, you know, where we're looking at there that may be more paperbased such as, you know, board meeting minutes or things that we see in terms of uh policy. If there are areas that the school can improve upon, we do give them an opportunity to make adjustments. So, we
don't just create a gotcha moment at the end of the process where we're introducing or telling them a list of things that they could have assessed long ago. Then the last piece I want to talk about is the fact that we are we have implemented annual oversight practices or um tools to communicate
school performance across the same areas that we measure in the renewal process. So on an annual basis we are issuing scorecards and associated accountability notices for academic performance for financial performance as well as what we call the operational scorecard which is
basically the areas within IPAs and organizational compliance. So we think that if everyone gets this every year, by the time that we come to renewal, it's a consolidation of information on our end, but also the school is well aware of how they've been performing and have been given a great opportunity to kind of true that up along the way.
Thanks. like I'm with you on they it shouldn't be a surprise about like where they are but I do believe that that number like five years or six years it may not seem like a big a difference and you may not be able to understand that from the the report that you received beforehand but that can be a little bit
of a shock factor if someone was expecting you know six years and they get four years even if some of the feedback they received was aligned you know in that range that's why I'm specifically asking about the public feedback after the number but I understand you do a ton of feedback and engagement before then Yeah. And one
piece before I turn it over to Chief Timbers is um the fact that we've established this new kind of quantitative methodology to take the qualitative ratings across the four performance domains, apply a quantitative system to best determine
term length. This way a school has the kind of data needed to plug one input into the output. So with this new system, it's very clear. In prior cycles, we did use kind of a qualitative holistic review based on a totality of evidence. Here are the number of years
that we expect a school to receive. But one of the strengths with this new quantitative system is that schools can can um definitely kind of plug in what they've received from the data that we've provided to them to best guess their uh renewal term length. And one
positive thing is we had school we had individual calls with the CEOs of the operators um before the agenda was posted and a few of them said hey you know we thank you for this system because based on our calculations from the data and the application of this rubric this is what we got to so that's
a great strength of the new system that we've introduced this year >> and uh to add on to that and answer your your your other question which was around how we landed here currently. Um I just want to kind of go into some historical context. Uh similar to last
year, um the INI team historically has started this process like in December with the expectation to have it around February, but just like last year, um the district, the board has been met with quite a bit of competing priorities, right? when you have in one
year uh I think it's now nine schools closing while simultaneously opening six uh there's a lot of competing priorities and so what has happened is that we are now um you know working with the board to get feedback uh to get this renewal
framework the way that it needs to be has kind of landed us to this point um here now at the end of May >> me member Gutierrez You know, first and foremost, I want to thank you guys for the all the work that you guys have put into this over the
course of, you know, literally the last year. You know, I sat here at a meeting where board members wanted a change, right? They wanted and you guys took that call and went up. Um, so let's be
clear. Good governance is not about who can deliver the most dramatic speech, introduce the most resolutions or write the strongest letter after decision does not fit their preferred political narrative. Good governance is about
going doing the difficult disciplined work of governing. It is about respecting the professionals and experts we hire in this district to design systems, evaluate performance, make recommendations,
and help us remain focused on our northstar. And that northstar is teaching and learning for every student in every school community. We cannot continue to change the rules every time the outcome does not fit someone's
narrative. We cannot keep moving the goalpost because the data, the process, or the recommendations do not produce the political conclusions someone's wanted from the beginning. Enough is enough.
The district asked for input. There were multiple opportunities to provide feedback, raise concern, and shape the process. In response, a new rubric was developed and that incorporated many of the
recommendations of members of this board. And even after that, some members designed their own rubric. And yet, the independent exercise reached substantially the same scores and the same recommendations.
At some point, we must have the integrity to acknowledge the facts before us. At some point, governance requires us to accept fair process, respect the professional analysis, and
make decisions based on evidence rather than politics. >> River Blaze, >> hi guys. You guys work so hard. Um, and all of the the many trials and
tribulations that we um endure run through your office. I know the Aero situation was tough on you and and it's interesting to hear that you've got the smallest office size. Um, I wasn't fully
aware, but I'm I'm also not surprised. Um, are you all also going to be shrinking with the budget cuts or are we keeping can we can we ask that question? I think so. Right. >> Do we know that yet? We're not saying
anything. Okay, we can move on. Just point of clarification. The OM department was the smallest. Not I and I. It was. >> Oh, I see. So, so we you come up with these rubrics. You know what's going on.
um some some of board members and I I know oftentimes you guys can see what's coming in the horizon, but what ability do you have to address like the car like careening towards the wall? you know, um
when when you know a school is um off the tracks um and and potentially could be catastrophic um failure. How do you what can you do? Is there any teeth in what you're able
to do to to pull them back on the other side, I guess, is the question. You've got lots of ways to see that there's a problem. what happens once you see that there's a problem.
>> So, thank you for acknowledging the uh the the amount of work that the team has done. It has been quite a bit. Um but it's it's our duty and it's our job, right? And it's what's in the best interest of the students and the families that we serve. So, we do it with pleasure. Um as difficult as it is.
Uh to answer your question, when you see a car that's you know in the out, you know, ahead of you veering off, our process now has been amplified to be in that car ahead of time, to be with that person
before they get in the car. These early warning indicators will allow us to have the foresight and working with our partners to have these crucial conversations like we stated. And I I'll talk about financial s sustainability really quick which is one
of the key reasons. We understand why this happens. That's the first thing you have to get to the root cause. We understand some of the major root causes right the different situations with rising costs um for staff the situations
with and with our charter providers with certain uh facilities. Also, when you look at again to what I stated earlier, we lost 9,000 students last year. That was we weren't prepared for that, right? For a plethora of reasons that we all
know. And so now that we see that and we see the trends and we're looking at the data, we're looking and we're working with our charter partners. Even as a district internally, we have to have these conversations. What trends do we see? We keep talking about it, but when you put in context
76,000 students, you know, you go to University of Michigan, that's 100,000 students that or people that can be in the University of Michigan at a football game or Soldier Field, we've lost that amount of students in 10 years. And so knowing all these key indicators and
having these early warning indicators, we're having conversations right now with our charter partners looking at, hey, let's look at your enrollment on the 10th day and see what was larger between the 10th and the 20th day. Let's plan according to that versus what you
predict and want to have ideally because you're going to do a major recruitment campaign. Let's not talk about that. We're going to talk about what we actually have and that's the way that we're getting inside of the vehicle early or we're working with that person before they get in the vehicle before they veer off so that we can have that
and help with the guidance. So we're guiding them appropriately and that's what the team is doing despite the fact that as you stated like OM a lot of our teams are very um thin but the work as a district we understand the the the need
and not just INI or O uh you know the office of portfolio management but OSD OM ons everybody has a hand in this process and we'll make sure that we work to get those indicators early and give the board the foresight to make crucial
decisions. before we get into a situation where that car is off the track headed towards someone. >> Great. Thank you. Um, last question. Um, to piggyback on um, board member Thakura's question. Once the charter
schools are um once they get their evaluation or renewal term, um are they allowed to respond to your recommendations? I've heard that from a
provider or two of mine is that some of your assessments they they would like to rebut. Not that you all don't have enough work already and not that you haven't fully thought out um your rubric, but I know that some of I mean,
you know, you've got a lot of work going on and some of them are saying that um they would like the opportunity at least to have a conversation about some of your assessments. What are your thoughts on that?
So we do have a conversation with charter schools um a well a little bit before the scores come out. So the day of the site visit if they receive a site visit we um have
a debrief at the end of the site visit that talks about strengths as well as areas of opportunity. In addition to that, they do receive a one pager that um materialize and operationalize some key wins that we've seen in the building
that they can implement. This was most definitely from board members feedback from last cycle in regards to not leaving the the site visit without allowing the school to have that dis that conversation with you. in regards to a larger conversation going deep into
the report that happens after um the board votes where we schedule two-hour conversations um with the charter operator. We dive into each of the site visit report, um the renewal recommendation report, go through each of the domains and in
addition to um the charter operate operator being able to have conversations with uh experts within OMA as well as OSD around any um opportunities for growth or anything that they see within those reports as well. So the feedback that we receive,
we have implemented that where we provide um wins, quick wins of what we think that they can do easily in regards to within the same year in regards to academic uh improvement. Um, so we also provide them with a one-pager, but after
the vote, we do have a larger and longer in-depth conversation with operators, and that could be potentially what they're asking for for that conversation to happen before, which is a little bit difficult. We will work to see how we can merge or do some type of hybrid
before the vote. >> That's why I love you, Sabrina. >> Thank you. um this has become extremely political and has become a real um pressure point obviously and so allowing those schools I think to have a day in
court so to speak so that they could you know have and you're the experts and they're the experts on on their schools um before you bring it to us I think would be helpful maybe for everybody I don't know how everyone feels about it but I think that would be helpful in in
my estimation of how the work could flow. >> Yep. Absolutely. And then also just to just put everything into um perspective from our end as well as the school in as Rochelle mentioned, we do have those preliminary findings meetings as well
prior to us going out um for any um site visit. And then also we host professional learning opportunities throughout the year for charter operators um that focus specifically. So what we do, we take uh an analysis of all of our site visits, look at common
areas and trends, and we host learning opportunities, MTSS, PC's for schools to participate in before we even get into their school so they know exactly what we're coming to uh observe, how we are how we will observe it, and then also just to provide support along the way.
So feedback taken, we most definitely will work on improving that. Thank you, >> member Rosenfeld. >> Yeah. So, I echo the other board members and that I really appreciate this tiny but mighty department. I also trust you.
I believe in what you're saying. I know that you're the smartest people in the room when it comes to this and your recommendations to me are good enough. Um, you can't predict the future. What you guys have proven for us is that your midcycle performance reviews will help
us be prepared. That's all you can do. and I appreciate that. We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. We're ready for it though with this change. When you know better, you do better. And I appreciate the responsiveness. Um, we have been discussing charter renewals
for months. We board members have had months to ask these questions. To say we've only had two days is ridiculous. Five by fives and agenda review committee. So everybody should know that this isn't coming as a surprise to
anybody. We have had so much time. We get feedback from the district. So to say that, oh, two days and now what are we going to do? It's just simply not true. We've been working on this for months. We've I think we've had two 5x5s, maybe three 5x5s, and it's been
discussed publicly and privately. Um, most importantly, I think it's so important that we note that we owe the tens of thousands of kids that are charter school kids a vote today. Anything less than that would be cruel.
It would be cruel to our families. It leads to more instability, more financial problems, and drops in enrollment. We know everything we need to know to make a vote today. Thank you. Are there any more comments or questions
from the board? >> We'll take a short recess. >> Yes. Can we get a motion? >> I'll sec I'll make a motion or >> I'll make a motion for a short recess. 20 minute recess. >> 15. >> I'll second it. >> Thank you. I'll take a um I'll proceed
with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Is that a yes? >> I >> member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. Member Wallace. >> I.
>> Member Kuster. >> Nay. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> No. >> Member Rivas. >> No. Member Brown. Member Brown. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I
>> member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President Fez. >> I >> member Gutierrez. >> Hi. >> Member Biggs. I >> member Thodakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I >> member Zachor. >> Yes.
>> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 15 eyes. Three nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. We will take a 15minute recess. Meeting of the board of education is
reconvened. We'll now proceed with the vote on public agenda items. Sport secretary, please proceed. >> Thank you, President Hart. And I will proceed with the items on the public agenda. Read the board report numbers and brief titles. I believe member Kuster has a motion MO2 regarding the
record of proceedings. I do. I move that the record of proceedings of the agenda review committee meeting of April 8th, 2026 and the board meeting of April 23rd, 2026 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'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano >> I. >> Member Smith >> I. Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes.
>> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> I. >> Member Brown. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I.
>> Vice President VeZ. >> I. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. I >> member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 18 eyes's zero nazs. This motion is
adopted by the board. President Hard. I'll continue with items that do require a vote. RS2 resolution authorize appointment of members to local school councils to fill vacancies. P1 authorize the public comment period for the amendment and renaming of the
education of homeless children and youth policy. PO2 authorized the commencement of the public comment period for the option school academic accountability policy. PO3 authorize the public comment period for the concussion management policy. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved.
>> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Second. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> That's a yes for the court reporter. Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> Hi. >> Member Bole.
>> Yes. Member Wallace. >> Hi. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President Vez.
>> Hi. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 18 eyes. Zero naz. These matters are
adopted by the board. President Hardell will continue with communications and read it into the record. These items do not require these items do not require a vote CO1. Communication Ray 2026 2027 schedule of
regular board meetings, Board of Education, City of Chicago. To the members of the board of education, I'm hereby submitting the 2026 2027 schedule of regular board meetings. Attachment A. The board meetings will be held on the 4th 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 10:30 a.m. Unless otherwise noted. The board president and the superintendent, chief executive officer 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 cpsb.org. Events registration to speak will open the Tuesday preceding the board meeting at 10:30 a.m. and will close Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Anyone interested in
speaking can sign up. After the 24-hour registration period, a lottery 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 uh cpsb.org or or by phone 773-553-1600. To ensure the equity of access to address of the board, an individual may not speak at back-toback meetings or and 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, less than the allotted number of speakers registered for the meeting, the
limitation on speaking at consecutive meetings and or more than once 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 Tuesday preceding the board meeting at
10:30 a.m. and will close on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. or until all slots are filled. Advanced registration during this period is also available by the following methods online or by phone. 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 at 42 West Madison Street lobby. Registration time opens at 10:15 a.m. 10:15 a.m. and will I'm sorry will remain open for the duration of the board meeting. Same day in person observer registrations are taken on a 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 for no more than 30 registered speakers for 60 minutes or board for board meetings in accordance with public participation guidelines. Board meetings will be live streamed to the general public on the board website.
Public participations have been issued by the president of the board of education city of Chicago in accordance with board bylaws 1-74. These guidelines are effective April 24th, 2025 and are available on cpsbooe.org. The 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 writt comments for board of education meetings can do so via the written comments form on the board website. 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 board of members for their consideration. Further, let the official record reflect that the 2026 2027 plan planning calendar has been prepared in accordance with the Illinois open meetings act and will be
available for public distribution. Susan Jaho, secretary. The regular board meeting schedule for 2026 is July 30th, 2026 is the 5th Thursday. Please note that this is a change from what was posted for the FY
26 um July meeting. We will be updating the uh planning calendar as well as posting online August 27th for 2026, September 24th, 2026, October 22nd, 2026, December 17th, 2026. This is a
consolidated November December regular board meeting which is on the 3rd Thursday. The 2027 schedule is January 28th, February 25th, March 18th, which is the third Thursday, April 22nd, May 27th, June 24th, July 22nd, and August
26, 2027 CO2 communication Ray 2026 2027 schedule of agenda review committee meetings, Board of Education, City of Chicago to the members of the board of education. and I'm hereby submitting the 2026 2027 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 ARC 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 superintendent chief exe executive officer 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 cpsb.org. Advanced registration to speak will open Monday preceding the ARC meeting at 10:30 a.m. and will close Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. Anyone interested in speaking can sign up after the 24-hour registration period. A lottery 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 of access to address the board, an
individual may not speak at back-to-back meetings and more than one meeting per month. If you register for back-to-back meetings and more than one meeting per month, you will be not be included for that meeting. In the event an individual register 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 or more than once 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 ARC meeting at 10:30 a.m. and will close on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. or until all slots are filled. Advance registration during this peri per period is available by the following methods online or by phone. Although advanced registration is recommended and you can also register to observe a meeting on the day of the ARK meeting
via same day in-person observer registration at 42 West Madison Street lobby. Registration time opens at 10:15 a.m. and will remain open for the duration of the meeting. Same day in-person observer registrations are taken on a first come first-s serve basis as cease to become available. The
public participation segment of the meeting will begin as indicated on the meeting agenda and proceed for no more than 30 registered speakers for 60 minutes minutes at ARC meetings in accordance with the public participation guidelines. ARC meetings will be live streamed to the general public on the
board website. 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 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 so via the written comments form on a the board website. 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 sent to the board members for their consideration. Further, let the official record reflect that the 2026 2027 planning calendar has been prepared in accordance with the
Illinois Open Meetings Act and will be available for public distribution. Susan J. Rahost secretary attachment Agenda review committee meetings 2026 schedule July 8th August 12th September 9th October 7th December 2nd which is the consolidated November December agenda
review committee and on the first Wednesday 2027 schedule January 15th this is on a Friday uh and the elected board members will begin their term February 10th March 3rd which is the first Wednesday April 8th May 12th June
9th July 14th August 11th. President Hardon will continue with items that do require a vote. As you noted earlier, separate votes will be taken at the end of all consent agenda item agenda votes. MS1 authorize the
renaming designation of schools. EX1 transfer of funds. EX2 amend the renewal of Chicago International Charter School Agreement with conditions. President Harden. This amendment is necessary to move third grade three from CICS Longwood Long Longwood to CICS Lumis
effective fall 2026. I'll continue with EX3. Amend renewal of the Row Elementary charter school agreement with conditions. President Harden, this amendment is ne is necessary to consolidate Row Elementary into a single K8 campus with conditions. I'll continue with EX4. Amend renewal of the urban
prep academy for young men high school Bronzeville campus with conditions. EX5 amend renewal of the Urban Prep Center Academy for Young Men High School Englewood campus agreement with conditions President Harden. EX4 and EX5 amendments are necessary to consolidate
Urban Prep's Bronville and Anglewood campuses into a single location mutually terminating the Bronzeville Charter Agreement and winding down its operations after the 2526 school year. I'll continue with EX13 amend the renewal of the youth connection charter school agreement with
conditions. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to establish the conditions for the continued operation of the Espira Penha campus. For the record, EX13 was listed as a draft under the agenda. This amendment introduces an additional update to this financial
section to reflect the 26 27th school fiscal year. The final report will be included in the agenda of action. I'll continue with OP1, approve renewal lease agreement with University of Chicago Charter School Corporation for Donahghue School, 707 East 37th Street. OP2
authorize entering a lease entering into a lease agreement with the Chicago Park District for Gateley Stadium. FN1 authorized placement of the board's FY27 excess liability property and specialty insurance programs with various insurance companies through Alliant
Insurance Services. PR1 authorize the first renewal with National Lewis University. PR2 authorize the first and second final renewal agreement with with various vendors for assessment and valuation tools for related service providers. PR3 amend the first renewal
agreement with Illinois Institute of Technology for testing administration services. President Harden, this amendment is necessary to increase the not to exceed authority. I'll continue with PR4. Authorize the first renewal agreement with various vendors for financial professional services. PR5
authorize the first renewal agreement with various vendors for roofing consulting services. PR6 report on the award of construction contracts and con and changes to construction contracts for the capital improvement program. President Harden PR6 would draft on agenda. The final report will be
included in the agenda of action. I'll continue with PR7 authorize the first renewal agreement with Trimark Marlin excuse me LLC. PR8 authorize a new software license agreement with Kerasoft Technology Corporation. PR9 authorized the annual
renewal agreement with Oracle America Inc. PR10 authorize the first renewal agreement with Education Logistics Inc. PR11 authorize the first renewal agreement with various vendors for charter yellow school buses and or alternative modes of transportation.
>> Is there a motion? >> So moved. Is >> there a second? >> I second the motion. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Loausano. >> Hi. >> Member Smith. >> Hi. >> Member Lopez. >> Hi. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace.
>> Member Kuster. Member Poe. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Could you repeat what we're voting on? I'm sorry. It's hard to hear.
So we are this is the consent agenda vote on board reports MS1, EX1 through EX5, EX13, OP1 through OP2, FN1, and then PR1 through PR11. >> Yes.
>> Member Rio Sierra >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I me vice president VeZ. I >> member Gutierrez. >> I >> member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zack. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry.
>> I. >> 19. I's zero nazs. These matters are adopted by the board. >> President Hart Harden. I'll continue with additional items on the public agenda that do not require a vote. PR12
chief procurement officer delegation of authority report for March 2026 and chief financial officer report for March 2026. EX14 report on principal contracts new. EX-15 report on principal contracts renewals. AR1 report on board report
decisions. President Harden these items just need to be accepted by the board. >> Please mark received and file. >> President Hardenell continue with items from the general counsel that do require a vote. AR2 appoint assistant general counsel department of law for RA Alicia.
AR3 appoint assistant general counsel department of law for Jordan May. AR4 appoint assistant general counsel department of law Betsy Mela Basabage. AR5 amend authorize continued retention of various outside council law firms.
President Harden, this amendment is necessary to increase spending authority for two outside council law firms. I would like to note an extension for board member for the following law firms on AR5 Berg War Warren McKay and Saratella PC. Meer Brown LLP and Greenberg Trroworg LLP. AR6 workers
compensation payment for lumpsum settlement for Amelia Reyes. AR7 approved payment of proposed settlement regarding LIH and IN individually and parents and next friends of RN minor versus board of education Jones Langel
America's Inc. in Apache service and its supply case number 25 L00009309. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? I second the motion. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. >> Member Lozano. >> Hi. >> Member Smith. >> Hi.
>> Member Lopez. >> Hi. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace. Member Kuster. >> Member Pope. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes.
Member Rio Sierra >> I. >> Member Bannon >> I. >> Vice President BZ >> I. >> Member Gutierrez with noted abstension on law firms on AR5. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicura. >> Yes.
>> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 19 eyes. Zero naz. These matters are adopted by the board. President Harden. will continue with items from the board that do require a
vote. RS3 resolution approving in superintendent chief executive officer recom I'm sorry officer's recommendation to dismiss educational support personnel. RS4 resolution approving superintendent chief executive officer's recommendation to dismiss probationary
appointed teacher. RS5 resolution to approve superintendent chief executive officer's recommendation to dismiss non-renew probationary appointed teachers at the end of the 2025 2026 school year. President Harden, these items do require a vote. >> Is there a motion? So moved. Is there a
second? >> I second. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano >> abstain. >> Member Smith. >> I. Member Lopez. >> Hi.
>> Member Bole. >> Yes. Member Wallace. Member Kuster. Member Pope. >> I have to abstain because I really wasn't paying attention. I apologize. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas.
>> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Hi. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President Veles. I >> member Gutierrez. >> I >> member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicura. >> Yes.
>> Member Blae. >> I >> member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 17 I zero nazs. Two abstensions. These matters are adopted by the board. President Har. I believe board member
Rio Sierra has motion MO3. I move that the board adopt the minutes of the close closed session meetings of April 8th, 2026 and April 23rd, 2026 pursuant to section 2.06 of the open meetings act. Board members reviewed
these minutes and determined that the need for confidentiality exists. Therefore, the minutes of the closed session meetings held on April 8th, 2026 and April 23rd, 2026 shall be maintained as confidential and not available for public inspection. >> Is there a second?
>> Second. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Loausano. >> I. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. Member Wallace. Member Kuster. Member Pope.
>> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President VeZ. >> Hi. Member Gutierz. >> I. >> Member Big. >> Yes. >> Member Thodicura.
>> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 19 eyes, zero nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. President Harden will now proceed with a separate votes as noted earlier with a
separate vote on RS1 resolution in support of progressive revenue solutions to fund public education and essential public programs. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second.
>> We'll now open this matter up for discussion. >> Mr. President, uh, I would like to move to amend 26528 RS1 by adding the following whereas clauses after the seventh whereas
clause. Whereas in prior fiscal years, surplus tiff declarations by the city of Chicago contributed to meaningful temporary support to Chicago public schools during periods of fiscal strain,
demonstrating how intergovernmental coordination can assist students and families during times of economic uncertainty without altering independent governance responsibilities of either entity. And whereas the board of
education recognizes the sustain the sustainable public education requires long-term fiscal responsibility, transparent governance, and collaborative engagement among indiv among independent governmental agencies
whose decisions collectively shape the opportunities available to Chicago's children. hand. Whereas the board believes that in moments of significant fiscal challenge, all levels of government share a mutual responsibility
to protect the educational opportunities, well-being, and future of Chicago's children and adding the following be it further resolved clauses after the third be it further resolved clause. Be it further resolved that the
board calls upon the city of Chicago, the mayor's office, and the city council to continue pursuing collaborative strategies that support children, families, and school communities through responsible municipal investments and
youth opportunity, public safety, mental health infrastructure, afterchool and workforce programming, housing and neighborhood stability, and we're fiscally appropriate intergovern intergovernmental revenue partnerships
that strengthen educational outcomes across Chicago. And be it further resolved that the board affirms that periods of fiscal challenge require not only equitable revenue solutions but
also disciplined stewardship, transparent budgeting practices and strategic collaboration among all public institutions entrusted with serving children and working families. And be it further resolved that the CEO of Chicago
public schools, I don't like CEO, I'm going to say superintendent. And I was so happy to hear you address yourself as superintendent. that the superintendent of Chicago public schools and the board's legislative affairs staff are directed to transmit this resolution to
the governor, the speaker of the Illinois's House, the president of the Illinois Senate, members of the Illinois General Assembly representing Chicago, the mayor of Chicago and the Chicago City Council, and to advocate for
intergovernmental cooperation that strengthens educational opportunities for Chicago students. And be it further resolved that this resolution and the board's associated legislative priorities shall be reviewed annually in
collaboration with board president and chief exe and superintendent to ensure continued alignment with the board's legislative agenda, evolving fiscal conditions, and the educational
needs of Chicago public school students and families. Is there a second? >> I so move. >> We'll now open this m up for discussion. Any comments before proceeding to a roll call vote? >> Yes. I first of all I I want to thank
the folks who engage thoughtfully with feedback on this resolution. I want to thank the co-sponsors including board member Zachor Pope, Lozano, Bannon, Deberry, and Lopez um for your support. And also thank you board member Kuster and board member Smith for your feedback and comments in the past um couple of
weeks. So just to set some context about where we are right now, the state legislature is set to adjourn on Sunday and lawmakers have yet to see a final budget proposal or even a tenative budget proposal come through their
chambers for them to look at. And so for months, um, organizations across the state, advocates have been calling on the legislature to fill the hole that has been created by the federal tax giveaway in HR1 last year by taxing billionaires and large corporations.
We just several months ago um voted on uh increasing the property tax levy. And that's something that we don't do lightly. We know that in Illinois we have the eighth most regressive tax system in the country. yet that's the only lever that is available to us on
the school board. So, we discussed how it's not only just our job to do what we can here um as as board members and vote on things in front of us, but also it is our job to advocate for additional revenue. And there revenue, there's two buckets. When we talk about revenue,
we're talking about funding. We're always advocating for revenue, whether it's in our legislative advocacy with the state legislature conversations that we have with city council members about potential tiff dollars, for example. Um, but when when I'm talking about advocating for revenue under this
proposal, um, under this resolution that's called support of progressive revenue solutions to fund public education and essential public programs. I'm talking about additional revenue generating ideas like taxing um, digital
ads, Facebook, Amazon, Google that profit off of our data um, and then don't pay their share in taxes. I'm talking about closing offshore tax loopholes, decoupling from federal tax giveaways in HR1. Those are progressive revenue generating proposals. That is
the focus of this resolution. I will always support additional appropriations to our public schools always and wherever that comes from, whether it's from the city or from the state. However, right now in this final stretch, the focus of this resolution, as we near the end of legislative
session, is intentionally on generating additional progressive revenue because the challenge that legislators have is that everyone wants funding, right? It's not just our schools. Our hospitals want funding, childcare providers want funding. Um, but when lawmakers are
looking at how to slice their pie, there just isn't enough to go around. And so we need to create that political will and courage to show that we're not just going to say you need to give us money, but we're going to support you to get these revenue proposals across the finish line. Um, and there there's a
limits to what the city can and cannot do. I think it's really important that we call on the city to be partners and advocating for additional revenue. But the city of Chicago's taxing taxing authority is limited, right? The city of Chicago cannot um tax income and wealth
in the same way that the state of Illinois can just legally. The city can raise property taxes. No one wants to do that, boo. Um certain sales taxes and fees and those are known to be incredibly regressive. So when we
talk about the families that we serve, if we're looking to the city for for additional revenue solutions, there's very limited additional revenue solutions beyond regressive proposals like property tax increases and sales taxes and fees. So that's something that
that we need to be mindful of. You can advocate for additional revenue like additional funding. But when we say additional revenue proposals like taxes, unfortunately the city of Chicago cannot enact progressive taxation in the same way that the state can. So it it isn't
fair that Illinois working families are paying a higher percentage of their income towards our state budget and therefore education funding than billionaires. And that is the purpose of of this resolution because today um lawmakers are still considering what proposals to include in the final fiscal
year 27 budget for this year. And I appreciate folks who have voiced their support for these proposals down in Springfield. I saw many folks down with a thousand people um yesterday as part of the Illinois Revenue Alliance lobby day. Um, but I think this is just
another way for us to show cohesive support for focused progressive revenue proposals at the state level. And again, thank you board member Smith for your thoughtful engagement on this. I do think it is really important to be focused about what's in front of us right now in these next few days at the
state level with progressive revenue solutions and I look forward to working with you further to advance additional strategies to advocate in collaboration with other government entities. Thank you. And I do want to thank member thought for her advocacy uh at the state
level and for progressive revenue. Uh earlier today we heard from a CTU uh delegate that said political courage is going to be needed to fight for full funded fully funded schools. As a board,
we are facing difficult financial realities. While students across the district are asking us for stability and support uh spaces that help them feel safe and thrive, we are now just days
away uh like member Dr. Cororus said from the to from the end of the state legislative session. And at this moment, there is still no clear indication that our schools will receive the level of equitable funding that our students
deserve from the state of Illinois of Illinois. The governor has basically said so himself many times. That is why I'm introducing this amendment. My amendment does not weaken any advocacy at the state level. It expands our
advocacy. It simply recognizes that in this moment of uncertainty, we should be pursuing partnerships and support from every possible level of government, including the city and the county alongside with the state. Last year,
advoca advocacy from members on this board helped contribute to a historic tiff surplus from the city that assisted in stabilizing the district's budget that demonstrated what is possible when government entities move together in
support of our students. I also want to be clear that I support continued advocacy for progressive and equitable revenue solutions, but our students cannot afford for us to think narrowly about where that support can come from
or wait until the last possible minute to pursue it. Whether it is uh protecting restorative spaces, preserving mental health and mentoring supports, our responsibility is to pursue every available avenue that could
benefit our students at a time like this. Expanding a expanding advocacy, this should this should be a shared responsibility. We all have taken oaths to the schools and for that we should be
advocating to all levels of government. However we get the funding, we should have the courage to get it. And you know, although the state legislative session closes Sunday, the city budget is still open. It's still being considered. Let's
start advocating now. Let's not wait until the last 3 days. We can do it if we work together. And right now is a chance for us to make a vote in unity as a board. If the if we can put this amendment in and say we're we're not
singling out one entity, we're asking all entities for funding. This board can vote can vote together today. Thank you. >> Member Gopz. >> Thank you, board president. Um thank you both of you for your leadership. uh as
I'm looking at the language and just want to make sure I feel like there's opportunity of addressing the multiple levels of government and I agree like we need to have those conversations at the state at the city at the county is a little bit uh more limited given that they don't have jurisdiction as it
pertains to education but property taxes right ensure that the bills are released on time I see as an opportunity of maybe doing a different resolution for the city and another one maybe for the county because then we can address specifically each level government
particular areas and in particular with the city the tiff right looking at it how do we have those conversations in something that could be just more straightforward language with them the county property taxes our partnership that we have with them with the forest preserves as well um and this keeping it
just in the general assembly are there any other comments Mr. President. >> Um, yes. Can you hear me? >> Yes. Please proceed. >> Okay. Very quickly, I would just say that I was one of the people that advocated uh to the mayor last year for
the historic um tiff surplus that we received. I think good organizing you have to have effective targeting. Who has the power to give you what you want? Who uh has been neglectful
in providing those resources? The city of Chicago, we have no doubt, will come through with what's needed. But the state of Illinois is where the neglect lies. The state of Illinois put Chicago as a second major
city under mayoral control. In 1995, the state of Illinois established a commission that can with the Illinois State Board of Education that can override this board's decision. The state of Illinois voted down four bills for an elected representative school
board as people have 90% of Chicago said they wanted an elected school board. I think the spirit of board member Smith's uh resolution um is something that you know we can agree with but the but in this moment
the neglect comes from the state of Illinois. So I would be a no on the amendment because I think we have to be focused on where the where the resources have to come from. It doesn't matter what the governor says. It doesn't matter what they say. Pressure bus
pipes. And I think it's at this moment that is what is needed to make sure that Illinois finally does what it needs to do for public education. As members of this board know, for decades, despite being one of the richest cities on the planet, we were 49th in public
education. We've moved up some, but nowhere near where we need to be. If we can afford money to to invest a billion dollars in a new prison, if we can if we can even entertain the idea of giving a sports team billions of dollars, then we
have to engage the public in demanding what we need from the state. So, I believe that focused advocacy is what's important. And the the the neglect, as I said before, is from the state of Illinois. It is not from the city of Chicago. The city of Chicago has done
what no other mayor before had done to give us over $500 million in the tiff surplus. So good organizing is focused organizing which is why this resolution is focusing on the state of Illinois as member thou
has already indicated. That's all. >> Member Smith close us out. >> Yeah, I'll make it I'll make it real quick. Uh we began uh this budget with a hund00 million uh assumption from the city and because of that $und00 million
tiff assumption uh we lost 250 assistant principles a lot of them are on the south side and west sides of Chicago that wasn't the state that was the tiff assumption from the city that uh had us making cuts of uh assistant principles
right now and so the organiz organizing uh doesn't begin a month from now. The organizing begins now. Uh just to close it out, I would say it like this. If you're in a school and you have a student that is not
turning in their homework, is not showing up for class, is not uh uh doing what they should do to get a great grade, and in the last week of school ask the teacher, uh how can I raise my grade to a B? Well, that teacher is not going to give that student a B they
weren't doing what they were supposed to do all year. Uh, if you have another student that's doing everything that they should do to get a good grade and at the end of the year they fall short and they ask the teacher, "How can I raise my grade?" That's a student that will get those supports. The state is
looking at us as the student that didn't do what we were supposed to do. We didn't advocate uh in our own home. We didn't have a legislative agenda. We didn't have a finance committee uh that the board was working on until we got up to this point and now we're going in the
last three days and saying raise my grade. I don't think that it's fair to single out one entity and not do the work that we are slated to do and that's it. Thank you. >> Member Pope. >> Yes, I must respectfully disagree with
my colleague. uh we have no reason to expect a historic tiff surplus again this year. It was made clear that there were very specific circumstances that enabled the city to be extraordinarily
generous with us in the TIF funding for this past year. That is not connected in any way to the anticipated cuts based on next year's budget regarding the assistant principles. I think that's just not a fact in this situation. I
also think that you may be unaware that many members of the board have gone to Springfield on multiple occasions throughout the legislative session, have attempted, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, to set up meetings with
uh members of the uh general assembly in their districts. And we are not going down at the last minute for three the last three days to beg for something. We have worked to build alliances with other school districts around the state who are suffering from the same kinds of
fiscal problems. This is this is just a big problem unless we can get the rich to pay their fair share on school funding. And we have not succeeded and prevailed in that. Yes, it's a problem that we didn't have an chief that our
legislative agenda wasn't perhaps well coordinated as we would like it to be. And I know we're working on rectifying that situation, but I think it's extremely unfair to lay blame in any particular way. And I would urge my fellow board members to reject this
amendment. >> Are there any additional comments >> or secretary, please proceed with the roll call vote? >> Thank you. So, the vote is on the motion to amend the language on the resolution RS1.
Member Lozano, >> no. >> Member Smith, >> I. >> Member Lopez, >> nay. >> Member Bole, >> yes. >> Member Wallace, >> member Kuster, >> nay.
>> Member Pope, >> nay. Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> No, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Nay. >> Member Bannon. >> Nay.
>> Vice President BZ. >> Nay. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> No. >> Member Blae. >> No. >> Member Zachor. >> No.
Member Deberry. >> Nay. >> Six eyes's 13 nazs. This motion is failed of adoption. So we will go to uh the vote on the final board report and it is the report
as it was posted on the um public agenda. >> Um board president, don't we get to also discuss then the amend the resolution itself? >> Okay. I just want to make sure we're not going directly to >> Yeah. The motion for the resolution that
was posted on the public agenda is still live. >> Yes. the amended language that was proposed by board member Smith has failed of adoption. So, we're going back to the live motion with the report as it was posted. >> Thank you. >> And that was um motioned by uh board
member Thorakura and seconded by member Blae. >> We'll now open that matter up for discussion. >> Member Kuster. >> Thank you, board president. Um so, I just want to state that um I cannot support this resolution as it is written. I want to be very clear that I
do support progressive revenue solutions. Um, but this is not serious progressive revenue plan. It does not say what revenue we're supporting, how it would be structured, who would approve it, when it would arrive, or how we would guarantee that it even reaches
the classroom. This is not a solution for CPS. It's just sounds like another sound bite. Um, Chicago public schools is facing real fiscal challenges, but this resolution sends us down the wrong road. Um, to board member Smith's point,
rating TIFF funds is bad policy, even when it's dressed up as collaboration. Relying on a TIFF surplus or ever intergovernmental transfers weakens both the city of Chicago and CPS. Families need stable schools, safe communities, reliable city services, and long-term
neighborhood investments, not a shell game where we move the same public dollars from one urgent need to another and call it a result. Our students deserve better than a temporary fix that lets adults vo avoid hard choices. This resolution also blurs a really important
line that matters. Uh CPS and the city of Chicago are separate governments with separate finances, separate governance and separate responsibilities. Many people rightly decry mayoral influence and warn against the state finance authority taking over our
schools. But then they turn around and ask those same outside actors for rescue from decisions that we were elected to make. We cannot demand independence on Monday and ask for a bailout on Tuesday. That's not governance. It's trying to have our cake and eat it, too. Finally,
this resolution ignores how budgets and appropriations work in Springfield. There is no guarantee that any progressive revenue approved by the General Assembly would ever reach a CPS classroom. A strongly worded resolution does not hire teachers. It does not
stabilize our schools or give families confidence in our schools. What achieves these goals is a responsible budgeting, a thoughtful legislative agenda, and showing our other elected partners that we're serious about the muchneeded change here at CPS. CPS students and families deserve a board that is honest
about budgeting, disciplined stewards of our tax dollars, and willing to own its responsibilities. It's time to stop making those excuses and do the work to govern. Member Boyise, >> member Thakura um for her thoughtful
resolution. Um the list of names of board members that you consulted with is um just demonstrates your commitment to trying to bring together to bring people together. Um I'm glad you wrote this. I'm glad you are talking to the state
about our fiscal issues. Um, you were not talking about the city as far as I know in this. So, we'll just assume that it's campaign season and that's why we got to throw shots at the city um when we're talking about the state. Um, but
anyway, thank you so much. I support this fully and I um look forward to continuing to go down state. Um as board member Smith mentioned, this is not the last three days that we are engaging
with the state. Many of us have been down there all year long. Um we've been interfacing with um our state electeds in the city as well. um we continue to encourage
them um to support us and we will continue to encourage the city to support us. Our job, ladies and gentlemen of the board, is to bring home the bacon and we have to make sure that CPS has what they need to support our
kids. And um I personally I'm going to ask everybody I can ask. Um and I'll do it thoughtfully and respectfully. Um, and I encourage us all to do the same. Thanks, >> Member Rosel. >> Yeah, this resolution again, like I said
last time, is nothing more than performative. It's performative politics. You know, we're urging action on legislation. We have absolutely no hand in shaping. We are the board of education. And based on this resolution, who co-sponsored, I assume it's going to
pass tonight. But let's not pretend this moves the needle in Springfield whatsoever. It won't. I don't understand how board members can describe what we've done so far as a group as successful organizing. You know, our students deserve better.
Our students deserve governance. Period. >> Smith. >> Uh yes. I I I just want to be uh very honest for a second. Alderman don't like to hear this and the city doesn't like to hear this, but half
of those TIFF dollars belong to the schools and people should be happy to give money to the schools and we should all who took an oath to the schools be trying to get revenue for the schools and because I funded
someone mentioned political season because I funded my own campaign I don't got nobody to be reelected member Smith, we must keep the >> discussion on the matter that's before us. >> Thank you. Please remind everybody of
that. >> Yeah. So, >> member to core. >> Thank you. Um, I appreciate board member Lopez's suggestion about how we can continue to advocate for revenue from other entities with with other strategies. So, look forward to working with others on that. Um, it's
disappointing to hear some of the concerns you had, board member Kuster, that are quite different from the last conversation we had last week regarding this resolution. But this is this is some of my my frustration that I have, which is that if you don't believe that a resolution is the right avenue to
advocate for progressive revenue, then what is and what have you done? >> Oops. >> Have you come down to Springfield? Thank you. If you have come down to Springfield and advocated for progressive revenue, thank you. Has everyone done that? has >> Yes, you. >> Yeah. Yeah. But I don't think it's your
position to ask us what we've done. But thank you. Thank you. >> I'm calling upon my colleagues to take action because I believe this is one avenue to take action. And if you believe that there's another avenue that is more appropriate, I urge you to do that and work with others on this body
so that we can move forward in a unified way. But I don't believe that every member has met either with their own legislators, whether it's in district or in Springfield, to advocate for progressive revenue. it it's okay if it's not a meeting either if it's a call an email there is many ways to advocate
but you know what definitely doesn't secure additional funding for our classrooms or hire more teachers or protect after school programs sitting back and doing nothing that definitely will not move the needle it is not about performative politics this is about
doing what is within our power and using our influence and our capacity as board members to make a difference because you You know who is using their capacity and influence? Private interest lobbyists in Springfield. And the only thing that is going to counter that is our influence
as public leaders. So whether you're doing that in a private conversation or a public conversation, it is important that we all do what we can. >> Now, M member Rosenfeld, do you have a comment? >> I don't.
>> Thank you. Is that the end of the comments? We'll move to a roll call vote. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with the vote on 260528 RS1 as posted on the public agenda. Member Loausano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith.
>> Yes. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> Nay. Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld.
>> No. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. Ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President Veles. >> Yes.
>> Member Gutierrez. >> Nay. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I.
>> 16 eyes, three nazs. This item is adopted by the board. President Harden will continue with a separate vote on EX6 authorized renewal of the Academy for Global Citizenship Charter School Agreement with conditions. This item does require a
vote. Is there a motion >> to I move to make an amendment 26-0528. >> Um I'm sorry, Member Lopez, we we need to take the motion to um for the item to go live. >> Okay.
Who motioned for the item? >> So moved. >> Thank you. >> Is there a second? >> I second. We'll now open the matter up for discussion. >> Mr. President, can I make the move now? >> I pressed my button already.
>> Okay. Thank you, Mr. President. I move to >> want to acknowledge members of course. I did not see her. >> I move to postpone board report 26-0528-Ex6 to our next meeting on June 10th, 2026.
>> U Mr. President, I believe I have my mic on first. >> No, I don't think so. >> I'm looking at my panel. >> Okay. >> And I did not see members of core. >> You began the spoke before I recognize you.
>> Yes. >> Second. >> It's been second by member Bannon. discussion. >> Is Yeah, I was going to ask if this is allowed for discussion. >> It is.
>> If uh President Harden wants to go ahead and open it up for discussion. >> It's not open for discussion. >> Well, that's Robert's rules. You have to allow discussion to take place or we have to motion to suspend the rules to not allow discussion. >> I just said it's open for discussion.
>> Oh, I thought you said it's not. I'm sorry. I thought I thought you said not. >> Can I ask um board member Zach Zagar um when you're when you u motion to
postpone this report, can you let me know what date you're postponing it to? >> June 10th. So for the record, um, board member Zachor move to postpone bill report 260528 ex6 to the meeting on
June 10th. Thank you. >> Member Kuster. >> Um, so I I guess I have to ask um the board members the reason for this. Um, you know, we have had charter renewals
in our inbox and discussions on them for months. And this is the same action that we took last year with charter renewals. When we got them in February, we postponed them until May. And the charter community and families and
children were in a panic. And the same circ circumstances have brought themselves today where we've had these for months. We've discussed them. We've had 5x5 fives, we have meetings, we have questions answered. We had a presentation tonight. We had questions answered tonight. And so I need an
explanation as to why we are postponing these when we have had ample time to review, ask questions, get them answered. Um because to me at this point, we are just putting families, charter schools, and students in a
pretty horrible position. So I need a really good reason. Member >> Zach. >> Thank you. Um, so I want to say I visited every charter school up for renewal over this past school year. I met passionate school
leaders, involved parents, and impressive student ambassadors who gave me tours. I saw some schools with very unique models that other schools can truly learn from and some schools that exemplify how to be a benefit to their entire community. But there's a lot more
to evaluating a charter. We know that INI does site visits for special education services, academics and climate and culture and OME does site visits for EL learners and we get all those findings although we got them fairly recently. INI also evaluates
finances but as we found over the last year and a half an accurate sense of finances has been eluding us resulting in harm to students and cost to the district. We were concerned when the proposed new rubric would actually have given more time to all the schools that
experienced financial difficulties in the last year and that has made us wary of how schools are being evaluated. Last December we asked for the rubric to be revised and then represented but that did not happen. So then we pressed for
the proposed midcycle review to have some real teeth, a step-by-step process that would be initiated if the review showed finances going sideways. We asked about this two weeks ago and today on the day of the meeting, we we received
actually two memos um hinting at it, but without sufficient specifics to make us feel confident. Thank you so much for all that progress. We really appreciate it and we know you all have a lot on your plate. But I want to note that there is a pattern in which we continue to get limited information too close to
the time we are being asked to vote to get all of our questions answered. We have asked for that to change. Also, we are not here to be a rubber stamp. So, that's why I'm advocating that we do not move forward on this or the other charter renewals until we get complete
answers to all of our questions. I hear some board members saying all their questions have been answered, but not all of us have found that to be the case. Member Biggs. >> Um I'm concerned about a motion to table uh for many of the reasons that have
already been stated, but namely students leave school next week. And so we're talking about sending thousands of children home for the summer having no idea what's happening to their school community the following year. That's beyond irresponsible. It's
destabilizing. It's inappropriate. And it's ineffective. member Bannon. >> Um I I want to clarify why I'm supporting this motion. Um I think that the major
uh my major concern is the financial reporting. Uh I think the the rubric is leaps and bounds better than it was a year ago and I respect uh the INI office for doing a great job in improving it and I'm not even disagreeing with any of the recommendations. uh for the contract
terms and have no intention to um you know support any motions that change those contract lengths, but I think the the mid-year financial reporting part has not been fully um described or explained. We got some emails that we've had a chance to read during the meeting.
Um, so I think considering the the the trauma, the uh the um upset from the uh school closures with Espira uh and a serero asso um in in recent memory, I
respect everyone who's ready to vote for this. I'm not saying you're wrong, but for myself, I'm not ready to um support moving forward until we have uh a new system uh more fully in place. Um, and I think uh June 10th is is not that far
off. We're not no one's talking about not renewing contracts. No one's talking about closing schools. No one has ever said that uh who's asking to um postpone this vote. Um but uh from and secondly again I mentioned earlier this
legislation in Springfield where uh we need it was part of the the reform resolution we passed I think last fall um to uh get the authority for charters to actually sign their contracts with CPS
which should not even be a a thing. Um I think that's important that that passes um to give us the reassurance that the contracts they do have with charter operators will have some teeth. Um so again I think every
student and parent of a charter school can rest assured that the contracts will be renewed um as proposed. Um, but my feeling is we need to lock down the reforms before we vote on those.
>> Member Rivas. >> Thank you, Mr. President. Uh, as uh, member Biggs stated, um, my big concern is just that we have, um, thousands of students now who are going to be ending the school year uncertain about their
charter school for the the following school year. Um and so um if we are and by the looks of of how the votes have been going this evening, I'm assuming that uh the way the last amendment vote went is how this uh charter vote uh this
charter tableabling will go. Um, I ask that if we are going to push this for two weeks after schools have ended that we still allow us to have an evening meeting at a 3:30 start time so that we
can allow families to join us at the board meeting as so many families joined us today. It's the reason we moved today's board meeting to 3:30 p.m. to allow families to participate because this is incredibly important to them and their future. Um and so if we are going
to push to um June 10th, I ask that we do it um in the evening to allow families to participate and allow our uh charter operators who are here this evening at 9:33 p.m. uh still who now
will have to return uh in two weeks, allow them time um to organize um their folks and their communities uh who want to continue to advocate for their uh their schools. um we can't the pushing this is not going to change anything.
We've had so many meetings about this, um, so many memos, um, and we even had legal advice given to us today. And I don't want to break confidentiality, um, or privilege, but I just want to not leave
so many students and families without certainty, um, and put us into a situation that increases liability. Um, which happens a lot on this board. I do not want to increase additional liability for us.
>> Member Rosenfeld, >> I I'm I'm I'm not happy. I don't get it. I again can I know that board member Kuster asked you to explain like board member Bannon there. Um what is it you want to learn in the next 12 days that's
going to make you all ready to take a vote? What don't you know after all the questions that have been asked and all the time has been passed? What do you need to know to make a vote? And if you can't make a vote after everything we know, then abstain because we owe it to
the families. We owe it to the kids and we owe it to the operators. There is absolutely no reason to put this off. What is it you need to know? >> Not going to answer. >> That's not how this works. Member Lopez. >> Okay.
>> Member Lopez. >> Mr. President, >> I don't think >> um am I making sure you're recognizing me right now? >> I am. >> Yeah. Perfect. Um so what I'm And thank you. I also had similar questions. Why are we pushing this in particular with
this part uh charter operator with the global citizen um you know the academy for global citizenship given that even myself I have said previously before when it comes to charter operators we need to recognize who's actually doing what they're supposed to and hold those
that are not accountable right we as a as epic among others we have an operator who and the financial performance from inis exceeds standards. So, can we put this back on the floor to board since
these they are doing very well? All board members visited the school. Everyone seems to love it. Is it a perfect school? I will say there's no such thing as perfect. There's always room for improvement, right? They're a green school, which it's oftentimes what
we model of our green school resolution. Um, they're a dual language, right? They work closely with teachers and also with CTU. They are oftent times a charter that we say as a model not just for charter operators but also for district managed
schools. So why are we pushing them back a month? I might understand maybe this argument with some of the other operators who might have questionable recent history and that we might need a bit more information. But why are we doing this
to this particular operator? Member Blaze. >> Hey, just a shout out to all the charter schools. Um, I have the most charters in my district. Um, Academy of Global Citizenship, we love you. Karen Zacher
is the one who demanded I go to your school and go and see it. It was It's amazing. I think um and we have until June 30th. So this is not a crisis as long as we the adults don't run around
telling children we don't know if you're coming back to a school. So let's try to tamp down on the drama. But sincerely, this is about process. We've had questions. We've had suggestions since December that were
ignored that weren't answered until today when we had a temper tantrum and said we're going to put the vote off. Now all of a sudden all these answers are coming through. So it's not you all. It's not the charter schools. This is about
process. We really need more information and we need to make sure that our members are comfortable. Um, this is the same argument that I I made about a $368 million contract and and having, you
know, two weeks to decide or a month to decide on a $368 million contract. And for me, $368 million is a lot of money. So, I needed some time. Um, and so I understand Karen Zacher is a member.
Member Zacher is the one who dots all the eyes and crosses all the tees. She's the one, and you can ask anybody at CPS. They're probably tired of her and all her questions, but she keeps everybody um accountable. She has some great
suggestions that we um a number of us support. So in terms of her questions to CPS, she's asking them on behalf of many of us and so I support her in those efforts. Um it's not a month, it's two
weeks and we love you AGC. Um and we want to make sure that um our charter families are comfortable in this. this is this is more a parliamentary um projection than an than an attack on
you guys. Um and so I'll wrap it up there. Thank you. >> Member Smith. >> Thank you. uh I and I came today and they did a they gave us a robust uh presentation
about how Isby and the state could take this from us and make the decisions for us uh if we did not have a evidence-based reason for how we're maneuvering on the board. Nothing that I've heard today was
evidence-based. It was mainly about time and and I agree with member uh Blae that uh member Zachor does dot eyes and and cross tees and member Zachor also did a rubric that came out with the same uh
numbers in fact higher renewals in some cases than I and I came back with. And when that came back, it was like, "Oh, wait. Let's table and and wait till June because it didn't come out how some adults liked it." And you know, I am
more concerned about the legal jeopardy that this board is being put in over and over again for the same reasons by the same people. Play pay close attention. Thank you. >> Member third core. So this is what I
believe is the difference between >> he I think he had his hand up earlier. So if you want to go >> apologies member Brown >> um I appreciate this conversation. I just wanted to add this that
um we've seen over the past year um families coming to us begging for their schools to stay open because we did not have appropriate guard rails to make sure that charter operators operated in good
faith. Um and like many many members have said I too am very concerned about the families and I think what is really destabilizing is when a school board or school system does not make sure that the appropriate accountability measures are in place. I
think what board members of core has asked for which is the the midterm financial checks is a way for us to protect the families. Our job is not to protect the school operators. Our job is to protect the public. And so I think uh
for me that is a reasonable request. This does not mean that we are not going to um support the reauthorization of these schools. But I think it is our responsibility just like when we had to strengthen the contracts to make sure that folks who are operating schools in
front of our children are doing it for the public good and not for profit. Uh I too have visited several charters. Uh many of them I was impressed with. Um and so this is not about that. This is about making sure that families are
protected against folks who may just decide in the middle of the year to bounce to leave. And we've experienced it. And I think we to me it would be common sense that we would guard we would guard our families against having to go through that type of destabilizing
trauma uh once again. So the questions that board member Zoro raised, she didn't raise yesterday, she didn't raise last week. Many of these concerns were raised in December. And while there has been progress made, I think the one the the one issue around the midterm
financial checks has not been adequately answered and they need to be. And I think that um we have the right to make sure that those questions are answered before we vote. That's it. I want to recognize Dr. King.
>> I rarely weigh in on the conversation. However, I do want to just caution the board. When I interviewed as interim, it was made very clear how much you valued the talent in this district. and I stepped up and I stepped into the role
and I took the time to get to know my team members and my colleagues and they have worked very hard and I understand if you disagree or you don't agree you you don't accept the timeline in which we deliver um responses
but this team is an excellent team and I don't want them to be hit by what you all are considering friendly fire if there's push backs and concerns we welcome it we have responded. We take these questions back. We meet after every board meeting. So, it's very
difficult as the superintendent CEO to hear they're here at 8:44. You know why? Because we take seriously every word that comes from our parents' mouths and yours and we implement that. And so, I'm
just asking on behalf of the team. I know I signed up for it and I can take it and they can too, but we are one CPS and whenever they are hit, we are hit on the day as well. And so I'm just asking
if we could not hit our teams that team members that way. Second, I want to say I can't think as being a parent of a charter or a CPS student or any school and think on the last day
that predominantly Hispanic population or black population that we say the most harmed, the most traumatized will not skip off out of the doors on the last day. So that 8,000 plus students deserve
to know. Those teachers deserve to know if their school is going to be open because those very same parents the instability just like Shy Arts is here confronted about the instability and not wanting to
know just the fact that these votes will not move forward will cause instability and concern. And it may seem like to us that it's just two weeks, but for a child that could be a lifetime. So I'm
just asking two things. As a district, as one, we have the conversation, we process, and we come back and just be respectful to one another as we are having the discussion. I very rarely weigh in uh but I feel
compelled to do so as well. I want to ask the board to consider continue to work collaboratively with the district to resolve the outstanding questions but not hold up today's activity.
Um it's important that we move forward and if there is a small window which it appears that there is I haven't heard any dissension away from what has been presented to us. So two things can be true. We can work on resolving the
outstanding issues and we can also move forward with the recommendations that have been presented. So, I'll make an appeal to the board that they consider moving forward with today's actions and continue to work with Dr. King and her
team to adj to um resolve the outstanding questions. It's clear that there is a commitment to be responsive, but what is also clear to us is that they have worked diligently to come up
with different strategies to make sure they are not just responsive to us, but to responsive to students. So, at the end of the day, it's not about just satisfying our questions. That can't be the centerpan. the end of the day, our responsibility is to make
sure that these schools are operating optimally. And so I just needed to say that uh we'll continue with additional comments and then we'll move to a roll call vote. Member >> Bole thought was waiting when you then called
on member Brown. >> I I I'm I'm corrected. >> It's like it's a late night. Um sorry, I'm I'm a little torn. I appreciate what you're saying, Dr. King. I think that it's really important that we trust our CPS team members and the work that they
put in to everything, not just these recommendations, but the the yearslong process before then. At the same time, it's not we are up against this deadline at the end of the school year. I think it is very challenging to have kids go home and not know about the renewal length. But
that's why it's important for us to consider these matters months in advance so that we have the opportunity to deliberate a little bit earlier. I know that can't be done for this moment that we're in right now, but I would appreciate a commitment that at least for the next school year that we would be able to have um not just information
as board members. Of course, we got this information ourselves before, but if my inbox looks like my colleagues inboxes, we are getting additional communications after these renewal links have been made public on Tuesday asking for longer renewal lengths or um concerns about
specific charters and the renewal lengths. that that is what's really challenging to navigate in these in these two days. Um I believe there's board members who are planning to make motions to adjust the renewal lengths on the floor today to extend or decrease the renewal length times a and I don't
know how to consider that information on the floor when the information that I've been digesting and reflecting on is what INI has presented us with in 5x5s. So, you know, if we're voting today, I would be voting on based on the recommendations from INI, which I do
trust. At the same time, if there's plans from board members to increase or decrease renewal lengths, that's very challenging to consider on the spot, which is the only reason I would consider looking at um a little bit of additional timeline. Um, and even the the first uh school that's on the
agenda, I believe that almost all of us have visited and what what I thought was a very generous term length, there seems to be a request for an even longer one. And for us to be able to give fair consideration for for myself personally, I would say for me to give fair consideration for anything that is not
aligned with INI recommendations, I would need a little bit more time. But if we're voting today, that that's the information that I would have in front of me to vote on. So it depends on what folks are planning to do in terms of uh adjusting renewal links or not. Thank you.
>> Member Bole. >> Yeah. I I wanted to understand um what the plan is going forward. L So we're if we extend this for another 12 days,
Monday is my 5 by5. Are we planning in two days to get more information in 5 by5s? Like what what would the plan be for getting the information to us that board members are requesting the the
delay for? Like what are we having a special 5x5 about about the midyear financial reporting? I I don't I don't I don't know what like where we're going to get this extra information. When is it coming? Would it be coming Monday for
me in two days? Um, I guess I don't understand the the request for the extension or could we as as President Harden said, could we continue and vote now and then
just get the added extra information at our 5x5 next week and then that would be good. Member Kuster, >> I feel like there's been a very concerted effort from board staff, from
board members, from outside groups to educate us for the last two years on what is governance and what is management. And everything that I just heard as a reasoning on why we are delaying this vote from board members a core is an act of management. And that
is not what we on this board are tasked to do. That is their job. We have all now said at nauseium they do it well and they do it well and they take a lot of flack from us and they stand there with smiles on their faces. They come to every meeting and they do their job and
could not be more grateful. But our job is to govern. It is not to visit schools and come back with critiques and and rate schools and say what they're doing well and what they're not doing well. That does not build trust. That's the other conversation we're constantly having as board members is how do we
build trust? No one's going to want us have us come through their doors if they think we're coming in to evaluate how well their school is doing, charter, contract, or otherwise. We are here to govern. Our job is to make sure that the operations of this
district continue. And actions like this do not do that. And this is the third meeting that I have had this conversation with all of you about what is governance. And we continue to shy away from acts that are governance. And we continue to do things that are either
political in nature or in this case management in nature. And I I I think we have heard now from Superintendent King that she wants to move forward. And I think we've heard now from President Harden that he wants to move forward and we're still having
this argument. You know, Dr. King took the feedback from the rubric and made an executive decision not to move forward with it. And if everyone's going to sit here and talk about our trust in our leadership, then you need to trust that she made
that decision for a reason. We need to accept it. We need to accept the autonomy of her decision and we need to move forward. Delaying these votes even when we agree with the terms is an absolutely pointless exercise in power and control. We need to keep the
operations of the district moving and I would like to honor both Superintendent King and board me or board president Harden's request to continue moving forward with votes. We'll close the discussion now. Member Pope
>> member dear >> in the last couple years since I've served on this board we've lived in unprecedented times with school closure after school closure. I've heard from families that it's our fault as a board that we didn't see this
ahead of time. What we're asking for is a few more days to determine whether or not we can have some power beforehand to make sure that doesn't continue to happen. I don't think that's
unreasonable and I believe it's within our power to do. This is not a threat. This is not a disruption of work. This is us trying to be as careful as possible to maintain the structures that
the families trust. so dearly. >> We'll now move to a roll call vote. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with a vote on the motion to postpone board report 260528EX6 to our next meeting on June 10th, 2026.
Member Lozano, >> yes. >> Member Smith, >> no. >> Member Lopez, >> nay. Member Bole, >> no. Member Wallace, >> I. >> Member Kuster, >> nay. >> Member Pope,
>> yes. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> no. >> Member Ripus, >> no. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President Vez.
>> Hi. >> Member Gutierrez. Hey. Member Biggs, >> no. >> Member Thodicura, >> yes. >> Member Blae, >> yes. >> Member Zachar, >> yes. >> Member Deberry,
>> yay. >> 11 eyes, eight nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. That's what we have to do. >> President Harden will now proceed with a separate vote as noted earlier with a
separate vote on EX7 authorized renewal of the Sarah Charter Schools agreement with condition. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Right. Doesn't it get moved first? >> Yes. >> Is there a second?
>> Second. The matter is now open for discussion. >> I move to postpone board report 26-0528-ex7 to our next meeting on June 10th, 2026. >> Second. So open for discussion. Member Blae.
>> Member Zachor. >> Sorry. >> We'll go to a roll call vote. >> Thank you. I'm taking a roll call vote on the motion to postpone 25 260528 EX7 uh to postpone the vote for
Aero to June 10th. Is that the um same date? June 10th, 2026. Member Lozano, >> I. >> Member Smith, >> nay. >> Member Lopez, >> nay. >> Member Bole, >> no.
>> Member Wallace, >> I. >> Member Kuster, >> nay. >> Member Pope, >> yes. >> That's a yes for the court reporter. Member Rosenfeld? >> No. >> Member Reeves? >> No. >> Member Brown?
>> Yes. >> Member Brown? Yes, ma'am. >> Me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me me member Rio Sierra. >> I >> member Bannon. >> Hi. Me. >> Vice President BZ. >> I. >> Member Gutierrez. >> No. >> Member Biggs. >> No. >> Member Thorakura.
>> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> Yes. >> Member Zachar. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 11 eyes, eight nazs. The motion to postpone EX7 to June 10th has been is
adopted. President Harden will continue with a separate vote on EX8 authorized renewal of the Chicago Collegiate Charter School Agreement with condition. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second?
>> Second. >> I um I'm sorry. Which board member mo moved or motioned? Lozano. Thank you. >> Matter is now open for discussion. >> I move to postpone board report 26-0528-EX8
to our next meeting on June 10th, 2026. >> Second. or secretary will move to a vote. >> Vote is on the motion to postpone EX8 to June 10th, 2026. Member Lozano, >> I. >> Member Smith,
>> nay. >> Member Lopez, >> nay. >> Member Bole, >> no. >> Member Wallace, >> I. >> Member Kuster, >> nay. Member Pope, >> yes. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> no. >> Member Rivas, >> no.
>> Member Brown, >> yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra, >> I. >> Member Bannon, >> I. >> Vice President BZ, >> I. >> Member Gutierrez, >> no. >> Member Biggs, >> no. >> Member Thorakura,
>> yes. >> Member Blae, >> yes. >> Member Zachor, >> yes. >> Member Deberry, >> I. 11 eyes, eight nazs. This motion to postpone EX8 to June 10th, 2026 is adopted.
President Harwell will now proceed with a separate vote as noted earlier with a separate vote on EX9 authorized renewal of the Chicago Mathematics and Science Academy Charter School Agreement with conditions. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion?
So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> We will now open this matter for discussion. >> I move to postpone board report 26-0528-EX9 to our next meeting on June 10th, 2026.
Second. Any discussion? Being none, uh, please proceed with a roll call. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with the roll call on the motion to postpone EX9 to June 10th, 2026. Member Lozano,
>> yes. >> Member Smith, >> no. Member Lopez. >> Nay. >> Member Bole. >> No. >> Member Wallace. >> Hi. >> Member Kuster. >> No. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld.
>> No. >> Member Rivas. >> No. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Vice President VeZ. >> I. >> Member Gutierrez. >> No.
>> Member Biggs. >> No. Member Thodicura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae, >> yes. >> Member Zachor, >> yes. >> Member Deerry, >> I. >> 11 eyes, eight nazs. This motion to postpone EX9 to June.
>> Point of order. I'm sorry. Um I I have a question about Robert's rules. When the board chair leaves the board seat and the board vice president becomes the chair, does he have voting rights? by law, the board chair is not allowed to vote, but since he's not there and
this person is stepping in as the board chair, we need clarification on that. So, I will speak on past experience now that you've mentioned it and when the vice president or somebody else speaks sits in as the chair, we have not
allowed for a vote. Thank you. >> How would you like us to proceed? >> The motion fails of adoption because it's 10 eyes, eight nazs. Point of order. Um, we are being per Robert's rule of
order, we have 19 seats uh because um former board uh vice president Olga's seat is vacant. So, we should only need 10 votes to pass. >> That's not correct. The law states you
need 11. The law states you need a simple majority. A simple majority of of we needed 11 when the simple majority was 20. Well, now we have 19 seats. >> It's the fullity of the majority of full
membership which is 11 votes. Doesn't matter. The board chair has returned. But do we need to retake that vote or does that vote stand as not passed? >> We can retake the vote. Member Lozano.
>> I. >> Member Smith. >> No. >> Member Lopez. >> Nay. >> Member Bole. >> No. >> Member Wallace. >> Hi. >> Member Kuster. >> No. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> No.
>> Member Rivas. >> No. >> Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. Member Bannon, >> I. >> Vice President Vez, >> now I
>> member Gutierrez, >> no. >> Member Biggs, >> no. >> Member Thodakura, >> yes. >> Member Blae, >> I. >> Member Zachor, >> yes. >> Member Deerry, >> I. >> 11 eyes, eight nazs. The motion is
adopted to postpone EX9 to June 10th, 2026. President Harden will now proceed with a separate vote as noted earlier for EX10 authorized renewal of the Christopher House charter school agreement with conditions. This item does require a
vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> Matters now open. I move to postpone board report 26-0528-EX10 to our next meeting on June 10th, 2026.
>> Second the motion. >> Was that Pope that seconded the motion? >> Yes, ma'am. >> Thank you. >> We'll move to a vote discussion. >> My mic is on. No discussion. >> If if if you must. >> Yes. Uh
>> I must thank you. Uh no, I just want to acknowledge that uh our Christopher House families and admin team are here this late in the evening. Um I want to thank you for being here and for your advocacy and I want to apologize on behalf of our board uh that this has been pushed and that this uh creates
uncertainty for you and for your families. Uh but I do hope that uh we will have clarity uh on June 10th and obviously before uh your contract expires on June 30th. So, thank you so much for being here.
>> Roll call vote. Uh, this is the roll call vote on the motion to postpone. >> I'll be real quick. >> Just a shout out to Christopher House family. I'm a Christopher House kid. We got you in two weeks. Promise. >> I'll proceed with the roll call vote on
the motion to postpone exly. I'll be abstaining from this vote due to a conflict of interest for the record. noted. You too, you can vote as far as the motion. I just wanted to let you know that you can vote on the motion to
postpone because you're voting on those postpone um postponing of the item to June 10th. But that's your choice if you want to abstain. I'll go ahead with the roll call vote. on the motion to um postpone EX10 to
June 10th, 2026. Member Lozano, >> yes. >> Member Smith, >> no. >> Member Lopez, >> abstain. >> Member Bole, >> no. >> Member Wallace, >> I >> member Kuster, >> no. >> Member Pope,
>> yes. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> no. >> That's no for the court reporter. Member Rivas, >> no. Member Brown. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Yes.
>> Member Bannon. >> Yes. >> Vice President BZ. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. >> No. >> Member Biggs. >> No. >> Member Thodicura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachar. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry.
>> I. >> 11 eyes, seven nazs, one abstension. And this motion is adopted by the board to postpone EX10 to June 10th, 2026. I'll proceed with a roll call vote on I'm sorry, President Harden, we will now
proceed with a separate vote with a um EX11 authorized renewal of the intrinsic charter school agreement with conditions. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? So moved. >> Is there a second?
>> Second. >> Matters now open. >> I move to postpone board report 26-0528-EX11 to our next meeting on June 10th, 2020. >> Second. >> It's been second. We will go into a roll call vote.
>> Thank you. This vote is to vote on the motion to postpone EX11 to June 10th, 2026. Member Lozano, >> I. >> Member Smith, >> nay. >> Member Lopez, >> nay. >> Member Bole,
>> no. >> Member Wallace, >> I. >> Member Kuster, >> nay. >> Member Pope, >> yes. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> no. >> Member Reebus, >> no. Member Brown.
>> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> Hi. >> Me. >> Vice President BZ. >> Hi. >> Member Gutierrez. >> No. >> Member Biggs. >> No. >> Member Thorakura.
>> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> Yes. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 11 eyes. Eight. Nays the motion to postpone EX11 to June 10th 2026 is adopted.
President Harden will now proceed with a separate vote um with EX12 authorized renewal of the University of Chicago charter school agreement with conditions. This item does require a vote. >> Is there a motion? >> So moved.
>> Is there a second? >> Don't d me now, folks. Second. >> Second. proceed with the roll call vote, >> please. >> This is a roll call vote on Emma motion to postpone EX12 to June 10th, 2026. Member Lozano,
>> I >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> Nay. >> Member Lopez. >> Nay. >> Member Bole. >> No. Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> No. >> Member Pope.
>> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> No. >> Member Rivas. >> No. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Thank you. Member Bannon. >> Hi.
>> Vice President BZ. >> Hi. >> Member Gutierrez. >> No. >> Member Biggs. >> No. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. I >> member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I
>> 11 eyes, eight nazs. The motion to postpone EX12 to June 10th, 2026 is adopted. >> President Harden, this concludes the um public agenda items. The first part of the public agenda items. >> We'll now move into executive session.
Vice President BZ, do you have motion MO4? >> I move for the passage of motion number 26-0528- MO4 and the commencement of a close session to consider matters permitted under section 2C of the open meetings
act subsection 11 as specified in the motion. >> Is there a second? >> I second. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. Yes, >> member Smith. >> Hi, >> member Lopez. >> Hi, >> member Boy. Boil. >> Yes, >> member Wallace.
>> Hi, >> member Kuster. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Reebas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Thanks. Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon.
>> I. >> Vice President Veles. I. >> Member Gutierz. I >> member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes.
>> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 19 I zero naz. This motion is adopted by the board. We'll now go into cold session. The board meeting of the board of education is reconvening. Board secretary, please proceed.
Thank you, President Harden. I do want to note for the record that the vote for EX12, it was a separate vote and this was authorized renewal of the University of Chicago charter school
agreement with conditions. The vote that was taken was actually to vote on the item that was um posted on the agenda. So this item ex12 authorized renewal of the University of Chicago charter school
agreement with conditions is actually adopted. There was no motion of order. >> Point of order. There wasn't a motion, but you when you read it out loud, you read it that it was the
um motion um to push back. If you go back in the tape, it was confusing, but I voted on what you said, Susan. >> Correct. But the live motion on the floor, because there was no motion to postpone, there was no actual motion to
postpone, no second. So the live motion was to vote on the item that was posted on the agenda. >> That was the live motion. >> Point of order. Mr. Chairman, um I heard a motion to postpone and a
second. This matter has been reviewed by the recording and so I think they are affirming based on checking the recording. We checked the recording and we looked
at the transcript. >> So let's proceed. This matter has been adopted. >> I will continue with the general counsel item. This item does require a vote. AR8 authorized retention of the law firm Laam and Watkins LLP.
>> Is there a motion? >> I so move. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> There's been plenty of discussion on this matter. We'll go to a roll call vote. >> Thank you. Member Lozano. >> I. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez.
>> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Reebas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra.
>> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. Me. >> Vice President Vez. >> I. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> Yes. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes.
>> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 19 eyes's zero nazs. This item. This matter is adopted by the board. President Horn and there are no further items on the agenda. >> Thank you. Is there a motion to adjurnn? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> So moved. >> All in favor?
>> I. >> We are journ. Thank you.