##VIDEO ID:ebFCfjAUbtg## e e e e e e e e e e e your seats so we can begin the meeting please take your seats so we can begin the meeting thank you please take your seats so we can begin the meeting thank you board member Harden before you begin today's meeting I would like to read a few announcements good evening welcome to the December 20th 2024 special 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 auditorium is the door which you use to enter this evening if you're leaving the room please use this door the restrooms are outside the auditorium doors men's to your right and women's 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 for the next upcoming meetings the next agenda review committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday January 15 2025 at 10:30 a.m. the next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday January 30th 2025 at 10:30 a.m. cpsb.org is updated to include the upcoming committee meeting dates and we are excited to share that the Board Room Renovations at 42 West Madison Street are anticipated to be completed for the January meetings both the January agenda review committee meeting and board meeting 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 cpsb.org if you have any questions about registration or about public participation please contact the board office for our assistance thank you for joining us tonight board member Harden we are now ready for you to begin the meeting good evening everyone welcome to the Chicago Board of Education special board meeting today is December 20th 2024 we're are holding today's special board meeting in the auditorium at the Coleman office 4655 South deborn Street I would like to note that the board members and Senior leadership are physically present in the auditorium registered speakers may join us in person or virtually if they opted to do so I'm Sean Harden behalf of my fellow board members thank you for joining us special board meeting special board meeting for Friday December 20224 is hereby called to order board secretary please call the RO thank you member Pope present member blae pres vice president Gardner present member Bautista present member Thomas present member Harden Pres I'd also like to recognize I'm sorry uh six members present I uh we do have a form I'd also like to recognize Pedro martinz chief executive officer Ruchi Verma general counsel bdana shikuma Chief education officer and Charles Mayfield Chief Operating Officer thank you the order of the meeting will be as follows motion to elect the president public participation discussion the public agenda items vote on public agenda items Co session reconvene from Co session vote on Executive session items then adjourn board member Harden we will now proceed with the election of the president or P do you have a motion I do I move that the Board of Education elect Sean b Harden to the Office of the President of the Board of Education of the city of Chicago second thank you I'll proceed with a roll call member Pope I member blae I vice president Gardner I member Bautista a big I member Thomas I member Harden I six I zero nay this motion is adopted by the board congratulations to Shan B Harden president of the Chicago Board of Education thank you very much let's now proceed with today's public participation session thank you for joining to share your comments with the board in compliance with the open meetings ACT public participation sometimes referred to as public comment is a portion of the board meeting or hearing that grants District stakeholders the opportunity to address the board with their concerns and comments note that public participation is a time for board and CPS senior leadership to listen listen and hear from you rather than a time for dialogue with board members during or after your remarks while we can't discuss Personnel matters 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 assigned to speak the board takes Equity of voice seriously while we may not address your comments directly during public participation CPS leadership is always present at our meetings and are able to address concerns as follow-ups after the meeting as a district and as a board we also have many other spaces for authentic dialogue for example each and every one of our board members POST Board office hour so that they can have a conversation please use our website cpsb.org if you want to meet with board members during office hours we encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with board members outside of a board meeting and thank you for your attention and consideration and as a reminder Union Representatives will be allowed at five minutes to speak for public participation and all elected officials will be allowed at five minutes to speak after the conclusion of public participation board secretary please share the rules of public participation thank you president Harden members of the public who register to speak were given the option to attend in person or via an electronic format for those who prefer to attend by an electronic format they were given information to access this meeting by dialing a number and using their phone we did this we did this so that speakers with limited or no access to the internet or who may have weak internet connect 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 cps.org or mail to one North Dearborn suet 950 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 2minute timer when there are 30 seconds remaining I will inform you so that you can proceed to conclude your remarks to allow for the next speaker to begin for anyone standing with the speaker please stand along the glass partitions to keep 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 Jackson Potter CTU vice president who is joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute can you all hear me okay yes please proceed great board members CPS officials happy holidays and happy Friday we are at a seminal critical moment at a Crossroads we can either invest and Elevate secure and stabilize or cut and run we can fortify a contract ahead of a deporter in chief who's going to attack the most vulnerable and will stir up the Primal fears of our black and brown students their families our communities and will call for vouchers school closures a Christian nationalist curriculum that will both misrepresent the past and jeopardize the future however conversely we can secure generational benefits to guarantee a social worker in every school every day something we agreed to yesterday with CPS we can collaborate ly apply for Grants to remediate lead mold dirty energy and foul air in and around our schools that was agreed to yesterday we can decide to give more time and staff and support to servicing students with disabilities to better meet their needs that we just memorialized on Thursday we can provide more access and resources to house our houseless students for the first time ever in this agreement that we readed to yesterday we can protect our lgbtqia students and undocumented students language that we put into this bargaining Arrangement yesterday or the agreement we made to build 70 sustainable Community Schools over the next four years a three-fold increase that will ensure robust restorative justice practices culturally relevant curriculum that is deeply rooted in our school communities that we also agreed to yesterday and while there's been a lot of fits and starts a lot of off and on unresponsive responses in the last eight plus months of this drama of negotiations not so much anymore I want to thank this board for lighting a fire and pushing both CPS and the CTU to move with all deliberate speed to come to what will become a historic agreement there is light at the end of this tunnel and it is a testament to your leadership and this process must continue to accelerate because we can't afford to slow down or stall before Trump's inauguration critics will claim and have that the board should not act too soon we say you cannot act soon enough every day that anyone sits on their hands increases the likelihood that the seven asero schools will close and cause the greatest closure of predominantly Latin schools in the nation's history and also we don't cement this agreement our undocumented students and staff and families will be left more vulnerable any additional time waiting means that the mandates from the Department of Education will and can undermine civil rights human rights of both students and staff I was just at Armstrong Elementary and they were telling me that already families are panicking and nearby Chavez which is an asero School slated for closure and they are transferring their children to chave to uh Armstrong parents need and deserve certainty and support after this irresponsible action by a Sero management when they know they have the money and ability to fulfill their contractual obligations the students and families so I salute you for taking on these critical decisions in perilous times in your steady leadership amidst crisis and in doing the hard things that are required as leaders and stewards of a public education system that already produces greatness every day and must become greater still to ensure that our sacred rights and responsibilities rise to the occasion before us thank you and enjoy the holidays thank you for your comments the next union rep is Carolyn Rutherford CTU Charter division Vice chair who is here in person there's a few of us just give us a second just a couple good evening members of the Board of Education my name is Caroline Rutherford I am a longtime teacher at Aero charter schools and the vice chair of the CTU Charter Division and I'm here today to thank you for listening to the parents Educators in the community of the asero schools for the last two and a half months when even the executives at both asero and CPS ignored us so thank you we have been organizing and fighting to keep our schools open since Cero's October 9th announcement to abandon 200 students in closed seven schools we have been in conversations with parents and Educators at every school we've had countless meetings tough conversations multiple rallies and attended every CPS board meeting you've seen us before um and we've been clear about our demands since the beginning we need to save our schools 1,500 parents Educators and community members signed a petition calling on CPS CEO Pedro Martinez to make good on his promise to allow no school closings these schools mean too much to our communities just to walk away because the sar's corporate board decided they weren't profitable enough for Bond investors parents and Educators and Stu students have built communities that feel like famili in these schools and we will continue to fight to keep these families together I want to speak to you about the resolution before you today we know that there are some telling you to sit on your hands and wait for the new board to make decisions but we are grateful that you are taking action to save our schools now it's clear that waiting on this decision is the same as letting our schools close we've been fighting together to save all seven schools and we are hopeful that Cruz and PAW will be able to continue next after next year as well I also want to applaud the language that states plans should involve District support for parents and staff to maximize retention of teachers staff and students at these schools during the transition thank you for this language and the resolution the voice of the parents and the staff will be crucial to avoid disruption and avoid destabilizing our communities um Aero has is able to keep our schools open uh but that is not their plan your previous resolution said that Aero may be responsible for returning some of their unspent funds if the dis they move forward with the closures we need you it is imperative that you tell isero that they will have to pay a portion of the $46 million in reserves if they do not keep our schools open for next school year that money should be in our classrooms now we are asking asking you all to vote Yes on this resolution and to continue to create space for parents and staff to have a voice in what keeping our school Community whole looks like we need the ability to meet with you discuss what makes our schools special and what measures you can take to prevent those things the Educators our schools have fought to improve our schools through our collective bargaining agreement between asero and CTU and we've won so many amazing things Staffing supports for our students in special education multilingual education academic intervention social emotional support we won class-size limits to allow students more direct attention from their teachers we won Sanctuary language to provide protections for our undocumented students and families something that we know Namaste charter school has refused to agree to in their Charter contract there are some similar ones reflected in the CPU CPS CTU District contract and if Saro moves forward with closing these schools we are looking for the least amount of disruption to our school communities and the pathways for parents and educators to have voice the only option is partnering with CPS we are here to say we need a decision and we need it now our students cannot wait any longer every day that we wait for a decision on the future of our schools causes more harm parents are being pressured by Aero management to move their students out of our schools CPS needs to allow students to be transferred back into our schools if this resolution passes currently Aero is refusing to let any students into the schools on that list and they're pushing them out educators are looking ahead to ensure they can provide for families and each day that passes more people leave because of the uncertainty before us so we urge you vote Yes on this resolution as our schools and our families and our Educators cannot wait any longer include parent and educator voice moving forward to retain teachers School based Administration and staff you have 30 seconds remaining demand that AO return any unspent funds uh if they break their Charter agreement prior to June of 2026 and do the right thing vote Yes and give our families some peace of mind throughout this holiday season that our students have a future at our schools thank you so much for listening to us and I'd also like to know is AO here today I'm GNA go with a no thank you for your comments the next union rep is Troy I'm sorry Troy levier cpaa uh president who is here in person evening beautiful people evening I'm T ra president of the Chicago principles and administrators Association representing the unified voice of 1,128 CPS principles and assistant principles while today's agenda focuses on the CEO position what brings me here today are the provisions in the CTU contract proposal that deeply concern principles before I mention concerns I want to remind everyone of something that will make it more likely that our concerns are heard in the true spirit in which they come from many of you may remember that despite being one of the most awarded principles in CPS in terms of the principal merit awards and despite bringing my school up to be the number one ranked neighborhood School in the district the Emanuel administration had me removed from my position as a principal so that you don't misunderstand my critiques of these CTU contract Provisions let me read some of the charges the Emanuel Administration assembled against me to justify removing me quote as the principal of the Chicago Public School you owe a duty of loyalty to the board the CEO and their designes despite being warned and disciplined in the past you engaged in the following misconduct one you engaged in public actions that supported ctu's rejection of the January 29 2016 tenative agreement two you engaged in public action that supported the April 1st 2016 illegal strike sponsored by the Chicago Teachers Union three you engaged in public action supporting the teachers and staff members who participated in the April 1st 2016 illegal strike sponsored by the Chicago Teachers Union in quote when everyone else was afraid to speak truth to power I stood up repeatedly against who was at the time the most powerful mayor in America I risked everything to support our teachers and their Union because in 2016 their Union stood for something that was worth that risk so when I express concerns about these proposals please don't please know that it doesn't come from some anti-teacher or anti-ct nonsense that doesn't fit with my history our concerns come from a sense of love and duty to our students and to the entire community that serves those students including our teachers we can disagree with our teachers and their Union and still respect and support them our students need you to meet with us the Chicago principles and administrators Association to hear how these Provisions will actually impact students and teachers in schools one provision for example states that quote no principal or principal appointing committee can plan professional development or School Improvement efforts unquote but we know that teachers growth and success stem from collaboration and learning opportunities that principles organize most teachers will tell you they don't teach like they did 10 years ago they teach better and they teach better in part because of the learning opportunities organized by principles this contract provision would stop those opportunities other Provisions infringe on local school council Authority by putting CTU committees in a position above the LSC and the principal rather than with the principle and LSC these are just a few examples but there are several more including Provisions that will decrease instructional time for students that will create student safety issues and further weaponize the grievance process I would love to be able to come here and stand up for CTU the same way I did when I was a principal but as it stands we cannot support a contract that will inhibit student growth by stifling teacher development and prevent principles from making decisions that create the safe and secure learning environments our schools need so I asked this board I asked management and I as CTU to begin a series of conversations with cpaa and our members aimed at preventing mistakes at the bargaining table that will negatively teachers in the school and in the classroom appreciate you listening and I look forward to hearing your response we have U more detailed Provisions that explain some of it here in the handout we'll be getting those to you soon appreciate it thank you for your comments President hardam we are now ready to call speakers from the speakers list and we will begin with Jeff Finelli speaker number one I'm wearing my readers in public so as a CPS principle I'm here to remind us that our responsibility is to the students and parts of the current version of the CTU contract does not do what is best for students for example one part of the contract states that special education teachers will be relieved for an additional day per semester to work on IEPs on the surface it sounds positive and I agree with the that the teachers need this time however the hidden cost that you may not be aware of comes at the expense of the students themselves for instance at my school we have 13 special education teachers on staff that means students would miss out on 26 days of instruction because those teachers would not be in the classroom with their students and if you multiply that by a case load an average case load of eight students that's 65,000 minutes of instruction lost this is not what is best for students another part threatens to hinder the collaboration between teachers and principles and limit professional development time reducing this negatively impacts the uh ability to have cohesive School academic goals common best instructional practices and the ability to plan interventions for students who share teachers strong schools have strong collaboration and coherence and that is what leads to higher student achievement limiting this collaboration time is not what is best for students I'm also here to share the voice of my colleagues and the fight speak you have 30 300,000 plus students in the district I stand before you to remind you of the Oaths that all of you signed when you were chosen to be on the board as you consider terminating CEO Pedro Martinez words come up like students will have the students in the excuse me words in your oath mention students will have the opportunity to attain their maximum potential you will Advocate on behalf half of students you will work with this chief executive officer in my opinion firing the CEO at this time would go directly against those parts of your oath however this is not just my opinion please take account the voices of over 700 School leaders who signed a letter to do exactly that to not fire CEO Pedro Martinez please show all of us that our voices have power and that they matter thank you for your time thank you for your comments our next speaker is LC Sama speaker number two who is joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute lose Lama is it turn president Harden board members we will move on to the next speaker it seems like we're having some technical difficulties and we will go back to that speaker the next speaker is Anna yelli Salgado speaker number three spe [Music] for for for graas gra com we do have a Spanish translator who will translate the statement good evening my name is anayeli Salgado I sincerely thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak and be heard specifically because you have demonstrated a concern about the future of our school pass here in Little Village I know we are a small family but I want to remind you that whether big or small what truly defines a family is love connection and the fight for the well-being of each of its members numbers and statistics cannot and should not Define us we are a United Family with roots that go deep into the foundation of assetto pass was the school that gave life to assetto a place where we have cultivated dreams and hopes for our future Generations however today we are faced with a harsh reality that the cling students and the goal they have set to close our Beloved School this strategy which has been carried out for years has thegratedebate have fought for our school second by second year after year and today we will not accept being erased from the map we are parents grandparents uncles we are an integrated family that Demands a quality education for our children we firmly believe that education is essential to decreasing violence in our community and this will not be possible if they continue to close to close schools denying education to our children is denying them their future there are seven schools in danger of closing and I am here in front of you because I trust your judgment as a Christmas gift please give our children a protective future a future where they can believe in people with in position like yours we will not let you take away our voice thank you we'll go back to speaker number two LC Samo or l s Leadership Academy Amber Galos cpsel Sanders for bdana laa leemon Jerry Taylor respons we do have our Spanish translator who will translate the statement one second good evening my name is Lu Sama your time has finally come Pedro Martinez remember those who lost their jobs because they denounced the abuse of power and the insecure practices and misuse of funds of the previous administration at Marine Leadership Academy knowing about the physical and mental harm they cause students Christine Novi Andre galoo and John Roseman are at CPS so that they can do more damage and waste taxpayer money you never worry about the many complaints and proof presented to you even knowing the physical danger faced by students I hope Felicia Sanders Kesha Ford bdana Laura leemon Jerry Taylor and major Peter tamz follow you because they twoo must face a reconing due to the lies and crimes they did and continue to do as well as the Code of Silence you and your honorable team implemented at CPS perro Martinez on October 25th 2022 my job was was taken from me but I could not be silenced because I refused to be part of a team of coverup artists lies that only know how to put dangers at risk you allowed me to be stripped of my position through means of lies and false evidence created by the previously mentioned people simply for having reported the previous administration I hope you never forget any of the students at MLA and those who were affected by your lack of Integrity professionalism accountability and lack of empathy and ethics members of the board I ask you to perform an exhaustive investigation into every one of the people mentioned here especially laa leemon and Juan Carlos sayas thank you our next speaker is Roberto Mario speaker number four what Rob for we do have our uh Spanish translator who will translate the statement I'm sorry we I did not I had not gotten a statement forand uh I will trans as soon as possible but I don't have it actually thank you we will have the statement translated and then presented to the board members after the meeting that concludes uh the speakers from the speakers list we also have several elected officials who would like to address the board we will begin with Tara stamps County Board commissioner from the first district good evening I'm Cook County Commissioner Tara stamps of the first district and what I am so saddened by is that Chicago is comfortable with practicing educational apartheid from Willis wagons to the strike of 1963 to the closure of 50 schools I'm here to say that old keys will not open new doors Pedro Martinez was entrusted with the leadership of CPS to bring stability to our schools and yet schools on the west side where I live remain in constant state of Crisis how can we talk about stability when our schools continue to face chronic underfunding crumbling infrastructure a lack of resources for students and Educators and CPS knows how to do school they just don't know how to do school when it's in Black new neighborhoods how can we be in the same district and it's the Tail of Two districts where on one part of town we have some the top graded schools in the nation and just a half an hour down West we have crumbling schools in the same district with the same funding it is truly is a truly stability when Westside families are sting their children to schools with leaking rules outdated facilities empty shelves we won't talk about the lead in the pipes that impact our children's brain and ability to think and and question critically stability isn't about maintaining the status quo it's about addressing the root causes of inequity in our school system if Pedro Martinez has brought stability to CPS our Westside schools would stop wouldn't still be grappling with the same infrastructure failures that we have endured for decades resource droughts have plagued them for decades stability starts with investment in our schools and in our children I believe the children of the future is not just a lyric and a song it is the irrefutable truth and so I say that to say that I think what is missing in this narrative is that what happens to Chicago public school children is not just the responsibility of CTU it's not just the responsibility of even CPS these are all of our children so when their lives are at stake and hanging in the balance based on the disinvestment it is everyone's responsibility West high schools are in desperate need of infrastructure improvements from broken HVAC systems to buildings with unsaved conditions these schools are a reflection of cps's neglectful leadership how can we ask students to succeed when their learning environment actively works against them as many years ago you know that environment the way a building looks smells feels whether it's too hot or too cold and impacts your ability to function and do your job properly please understand that is the same situation when our babies come into these classrooms how do you all expect for our children to succeed and become all that God has called them to be with leaky rooms dirty floors crumbling infrastructure buil doors that don't open properly systems that don't operate properly how can we claim to Value education when we don't even pro pro uh provide safe and functioning spaces for our children to learn what message are we sending to the West Side the west side that often gets neglected that often gets SLE out that is often the least on the list I am here to represent that West Side when CH when schools don't have the tools they need they cannot succeed is it any surprise that families lose faith in CPS when their children are consistently underserved and their their needs are consistently ignored how can we ask students to succeed when their learning works against them resources Equity is a basic expectation for any school system but it has been ignored on the West Side Pedro Martinez's leadership has left these schools in a drought and our students and teachers are paying the price for that in closing as someone who represents the west side I know the potential of our students I know the dedic ation of our Educators what we lack isn't Talent or drive or passion or seriousness it's leadership that fights for our schools and our children that prioritizes children that prioritizes our children that prioritizes our children Pedro Martinez has failed to bring ability address infrastructure needs or prioritize the west side and anyone it is time for CPS to move forward with a leadership that understands the urgency of now and that these challenges and these fights for the schools that our children our children deserve thank you for your promise our next elected official our next elected official is alderwoman Nicole Lee of the 11th ward who is joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute alderwoman Nicole Lee please enter star six to unmute can you hear me now yes please proceed okay sorry about that uh good evening members of the board Educators parents staff um and other participants as a CPS parent alumni and as an alderman of the 11th ward I reiterate the calls on you the Board of Education members to reject the Johnson administration's efforts to fire CEO Martinez I represent the school communities of armor haes hey mini minoso Sher Ward and the Air Force Academy High School as a ward we send our children to schools as far away as Lane Tech Jones Whitney Young and Beyond I can assure you that CPS families in our community are looking for you to lead on quality of life issues that impact their day-to-day not spend your time embroiled in political gamesmanship I also represent a community where there's a strong culture around our private and Catholic schools we have some great schools in our area and with the increased in stability and perceptions of chaos at our local CPS schools I've heard from parents who are considering pulling their children out of the system the public school system entirely we can't have a thriving City without a public school system that young families trust we need you our Board of Education representatives to stand strongly and to do the right thing to ensure that we are building a system that the public can trust to build that trust the games and the drama in service primarily to political interest of the mayor's office have to stop and the focus on actually delivering for workingclass kids like the ones I represent has to begin whether you are an appointed or elected member you are accountable to the school communities you represent first and foremost thank you thank you for your comments the next elected official is Alderman Scott wagc from the 32nd Ward please enter star six to unmute thank you and good evening board members and Mr Harden congratulations on your new position I'm 32nd Ward Alderman Scott wagas and I'm glad to be able to speak briefly tonight despite the most unusual and frankly inappropriate timing called for a public meeting for CPS families as an elected official and a parent of CPS students I want to express my support for the work of CPS CEO p Martinez and I want to see him continue in the position he is in I therefore ask that you avoid any uh unethical or arbitary decisions to fire the CEO or push him out at this meeting's um in this evening's meeting starting several years ago I advocated for a fully elected School Board while we ended up with the hybrid I asked that you respect the will of Voters who took the time to vote their choices in the recent election including for the new m members of the CPS board these members were duly elected and deserve our respect for the Democratic process that took place just a few weeks ago many of us parents Civic leaders elected leaders are urging members of the board to stand firm in their support of CEO Pedro Martinez I believe it is in the best interest of our schools our students and our residents as a whole to continue the work and successes of the students under his leadership we recently spent time with the CEO and his staff discussing the Strategic plan that CPS has laid out for the groundwork to continue the recent successes and we want to keep improving on it we know that the issue of fiscal responsibility is not to be overlooked as well some people think it is merely a hindrance to doing what is best for Chicagoans but fiscal responsibility is an obligation of our jobs as appointed or elected officials and it has to be fly part of this conversation as we deal with it every day and at the same time keeping the entire city of Chicago in mind and ensuring that fiscal responsibility is one of our obligations that we carry out Chicago Public Schools need stability and consistent leadership like that of CEO Martinez and it is clearly in the best interest of both the city and our students and their families to keep him in place at this time I have been through many CEOs and CEO Martinez is one of the best that I have worked with I thank you for your time this evening and appreciate the opportunity to speak and again ask that no decision be made on his status as CEO in this meeting thank you again and happy holidays thank you for your comments the next elected official is Alderman William Hall from the sixth board who is here in person I'm here today to essentially tell the truth a week ago in my War helicopters over school a week ago in my ward kids were putting classrooms and locked down like prisoners in my ward Sixth Ward students couldn't leave because the school was on lock down and didn't get home to around this time a week ago interesting thing about this is that these kids are supposed to go to school but this feels like seems like and looks like prison kids are going to school with dreams but leaving with nightmares I find it hard that this school is named Englewood stem where my father talked at Robinson by the way principal Marl should have never been fired nevertheless this school looks like kids are being prepared for prison instead of possibilities and dreams I call this a prison pipeline experiment how do we have a school named Englewood stem there's no stem teacher how do we have Englewood stem and the current principle is having to figure out how to ride Peter to pay Paul to get buses for kids to go to sporting events after school programs and find money for a stem program that's literally non-existent so if you take away all of these resources in neighborhoods where kids don't have hospitals kids don't have grocery stores the number one economy is selling drugs you tell me that that's not a pipeline for prison when Pedro had a chance to go to the state and the same way we using all of this public money PR stuns instead of using that effort with support to stop prisons from being built which used the scores of these Inglewood kids we chose to do nothing and so I ask all of these board members tonight that will you go back to your comfortable homes will you rest your head on your pillows think about the kids that had to experience prison like conditions we are are preparing children for prison and not jobs so my question today is how long are we going to continue to traumatize students and teachers teachers are heroes not villains and at the end of the day we have essentially demonized teachers for requesting basic things that they need to teach well under his watch and so to continue the course of this prison pipeline production no funding adequate funding for schools no real State agenda in addition to being afraid and I get it board members you afraid or you might be concerned because we've seen this stump from this guy before he's been to places and been fired and sued board members walked away with $800,000 and sat in the stage for a repeat of what he did when he was at his last sh so I implore you all to stand on your faith and your courage to make sure that when we look at Englewood stem that's the only case study you need that we don't continue to repeat this cycle that has failed black kids and lent them only to prison sales instead of jobs that we say that we're going to give them once they leave school when you go home tonight when you rest your head on your pillows think about the fact that these TR children are not only afraid to go to school but they ain't learning when they get there did Pedro take none of the tests no but he signed off on the budget that didn't get them to teachers to teach them right so I say as I get ready to take my seat that we can talk about all of this destabilization talking points so forth and so on but that's what's really destabilizing schools what's really destabilizing schools is the fact that these children don't really have a chance we didn't Clos schools before we built new prisons on their watch and at the end of the day we have that we defending them I ask that we take a serious approach and looking at what does a future look like for black kids in poor neighborhoods and before you answer that question ask yourself the question did we give everything we could from the leadership down to the janitor and if the answer is no then I say tear it all up and build it the right way God bless you thank you for your comment the next elected official is alderwoman Jou guus from the 14th Ward who is joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute hello can you hear me yes please proceed I stand here today in Sol solidarity with the parents and families of the aeto charter school network your concerns are valid and your voices deserve to be heard the proposed closure will have an devastating impact on our community especially here in the 14 Ward where the majority of the affected schools are located I have met with parents and families to understand their concerns and I'm committed to ensuring that no child's education or future is left uncertain we need clear answers from aceto about the decisionmaking process parents Educators and community members must be included in any discussions moving forward I I urge CPS to step in and work with aeto to develop solutions that protect students stabilize our communities and prevent further harm as your Elder woman I will fight to make sure every student in our award has access to a stable and high quality education whether at aeto or elsewhere this is not just about schools is about the future of our children our families and our neighborhoods together we must find a path forward thank you and happy holidays to all thank you for your comments the next elected official is Alderman Derek Curtis of the 18th Ward who is joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute good evening board members uh my name is DK Curtis I'm Alman of the 18th Ward Southwest side of Chicago uh I want to congratulate um all of you uh new appointed members um and also uh our new elected board uh I represent uh Award of hundreds of teachers Seekers janitors admins and most importantly most most of our most vulnerable asset which is which is our students I've had the great pleasure of talking and working on many issues that affect the welfare of our children and our teachers I've I've uh I've been on the Battleground with CTU uh when when they went on strike I was on strike with them but also I've seen personally where CEO Martinez has handled many issues himself instead of passing off on someone else to handle if you don't know him I'll tell you he's definitely boots on the ground if you really sincere about your position and being a true servant of putting this vote off if you have to and get to know him for yourself the Bible States we' been made and do a for night and we're talking about tonight if you make the right decision and vote with your heart Joy will come in the morning thank you so much board members appreciate your time thank you thank you for your comments our next elected official is alderwoman sylvana tabaris from the 23rd Ward who is here in person good evening good evening to the members of this board let's be honest no amount of rationalization can lead to the conclusion that you are doing the right thing today politics aside there is still a difference between right and wrong and you know this is wrong by carrying out the political orders of a mayor who will personally benefit from a costly Union contract you're not just you're not just firing a CEO you are intentionally clearing a way to saddle taxpayers with billions in costs and a district and yourselves personally with costly litigation you are being used the mayor is a walking conflict of interest when it the mayor is a walking conflict of interest when it comes to CPS and CTU The Manchurian Candidate of a mayor has handpicked you not as a board members but as pets for his CTU overseers instead you should respect the Democratic process and yourselves by halting this meeting let those elected by voters assess the situation of the CEO's performance and delegate all pending contract negotiation ation to arbitration stop hiding behind Chicago students to justify the political money grab no amount of spin can obscure what you are about to do here you're advocating your autonomy and self-respect by carrying out this plan and it will dishonor your names and reputations for the rest of your careers do the right thing defer this item to the elected board thank you thank you for your promise the next elected official is Alderman Byron sicho Lopez from the 24th board who is here in person thank you very much and good evening good evening to the board can I can I get my time back thank you thank you to the board members and good evening everybody for being here first let me thank the parents the teachers on our school communities for courageously again fighting against the school closures when others have looked the other way yet again my sincere thanks to the asero parents for the courageous and a steady fast advocacy to protect the right of their children and the children and our students across the city of Chicago the applauses are to those parents when we talk about when we talk about fiscal responsibility and some of those elected officials that are quite honestly out of touch from the reality of our communities how can we talk about fiscal responsibility where our several administrators are putting $46 million in reserves and telling our parents that 2,000 children will be left without a school by the end of June next year how we going to tell how are we going to tell our parents or students or teachers that we have to wait to take action because of the political expediency of a few that continue to neglect the children of most bable communities you heard today from parents that pass I have two schools that are about to close in pilson and little village those children need and deserve your advocacy they need and deserve adults coming to the table to really truly deliver on stability for neighborhoods I've been reading these up ads of politicians have been members of the board or interims CEOs who look their by the way when 50 schools Clos in the poorest areas on the city of Chicago where was the stability then where was the stability then some of them contined to use inflammatory language to refer at individual contracts for one individual as a massacre that was certainly a massacre of our students when 50 School Clos and politicians look the other way where was the call for stability where was the call for fiscal responsibility then when it comes to our schools when it comes to the poor we see politicians coming in DRS to talk but we come to our schools and our students on our kids they we set the people standing together you see parents you have students and you have teachers standing together to protect in community to defend us for the violence the systemic violence to indeed use St dollars to developers when no schoolers are a star of St dollars $2.3 billion do to two developers in 2019 where were these people that now calling for fiscal [Music] responsibility or schools or children fished I'm not ashamed we standing up here with our parents we our children because public education is a right and we're going to be here not because it's politically convenient because our communities urgently need you to take action we cannot wait more months for some to decide that is convenient then to take action because it becomes politically convenient because today we need we need you to take a steady AC to see real leadership we said it loud and clear that we need action not plet as a word to protect our student communities and we are here yet again months after that our parents our students our teachers and not enemy are those Millionaires and corporations who continue to use our school districts as as a way as a secr crowd you have 30 seconds remaining those are the people who are riding in newp ERS and trying to manipulate us our communities are are today together to stop the school to prison pipeline we are together to make sure that our kids can dream that our kids can have a public education and that's what we need to make sure that you vote today for changes in leadership for changes in CPS for changes that kids the kids or schools open to make sure that our kids have a right to dream and a car say I this decision make us stronger are they United us please conclude your remarks then you have the decision that is right for our communities the rest is Politics as Usual it is time to act thank you very much thank you for your comments our next El official is Alderman Ramirez Rosa from the 35th Ward good evening um thank you board members I'd like to begin by stating that objectively a Friday evening when many people do not have to work the next day is an excellent time to host a meeting um I think oftentimes meetings held early during the day limit parents ability to participate um because most people have to work 9: to 5:00 um and many people have to work uh the next day if it's a late uh evening meeting and so I think it's great that you all are having a meeting on a Friday evening objectively this is a good time that allows more people to participate I come today to Advocate on behalf of assetto schools um it is a travesty that assetto parents have not heard from this District do not have a plan to keep their schools open um I have met with aeto parents I have met with uh the CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and I was very disappointed um I met with him and a number of other elected officials and leaders to hear what was the plan to keep assetto schools open and I've been an alderman for 10 years now and I can tell you I can tell when bureaucrats are lying I can tell when bureaucrats um are talking in circles and it was very clear from that meeting that Pedro Martinez does not have a plan to keep assetto schools open and the fact that assetto parents are at CPS right now at the Board of Education meeting advocating for aceto schools shows that we have a failure in leadership in Pedro Martinez I am also here speaking on behalf of parents of special needs students and um speaking on behalf of parents who are parents of magnet school students 85% of which are black and brown and workingclass um who have been without buses now for the second year in a row in January of this year I sent CEO Martinez a letter asking for Solutions asking for collaboration in addressing this issue and I received no response um parents are having to go down to Springfield and to Washington DC on their own to advocate for Solutions Pedro Martinez has not been a partner with them to address this issue and there is no plan from CPS CEO Martinez to address the busing shortage it is impacting some of our most vulnerable students in the Chicago Public Schools I'm speaking today also on behalf of parents at interamerican Magnet School I'm a proud graduate of a inter I'm a proud graduate of our Chicago public schools and it is a travesty that the principle there broke the law harming the students and Pedro Martinez refused to take action against that principle putting that in writing that he was not going to take action against that principle who broke the law and harm students and harm families at that school I'm speaking on behalf of today of parents at Marine Leadership Academy in Logan Square whose children have faced bullying and violence and Pedro Martinez has not addressed the issues going on at that school I'm so disappointed in the letter that I saw the attorney for Pedro Martinez issued today apparently anyone who speaks up against Pedro Martinez is part of a vast conspiracy apparently any parent who months said we should have busing for our children is part of a vast conspiracy it's shameful and I urge you as the Board of Education to not back down because of Pedro Martinez's threats I urge you to stand with parents who are advocating for better schools and know that while there are many politicians who stood silent while Ram Emanuel close 50 schools but certainly have all types of opinions about what's going on at CPS today know that the people that have been working working in our community to improve our schools who have been standing up to the rich and Powerful who want to privatize our schools we are standing with this board today and lastly I want to say that when people have a job they should continue to do that job just because Donald Trump was elected should not mean that Joe Biden should stop governing and doing his job as president of the United States you all are bored members and you all are vested with the authority to act in the best interest of our Chicago Public Schools so know that you have the support of so many people in our community who are looking for change in our Chicago public schools and we know you're under extraordinary pressure right now from some of the richest and most powerful people you're under extraordinary pressure right now from people who wanted to close our schools who are now saying that they want Pedro martinz have 30 seconds remaining let's not fall for the Okie do and lastly I want to say I'm also here with uh commissioner anti cada he was not sent a link which I find very suspicious uh and I think it continues to show some of the games that Pedro Martinez and his team are playing in CPS uh he also joins me in these calls for change at CPS thank you so much thank you for your comments the next elected official is Alderman Gilbert beas from the 36th board who is joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute good evening one can you hear me yes please proceed thank you and congratulations uh chairman Harden ladies and gentlemen you know it's a shame that we are here this evening the Friday before Christmas while our Jewish neighbors observe Shabbat tonight and when most of the city's preparing to relax and be with family for the holidays this is the time that the board decided was the best to discuss CPS CEO Pedro Martinez employment who in their right mind would agree with that this is a deliberate attempt by the board the CTU and let's be honest mayor Brandon Johnson to take substantial action when the least amount of residents are paying attention it is ridiculous and corrupt the same folks who cry dirty politics are now playing dirty politics where's the voice of the regular everyday Chicagoans in this mess where's the voice of the taxpayer is unfortunately not presentent how could it be but the mayor polling at 15% appointing a trans trans transitionary board to the previous one did not fall in line with Reckless fiscally irresponsible plan for a $300 million High interest payday loan not to mention the failed vetting of the former president of the board who did not last more than a week in his seat and oh and on that and add on to that appointments by the mayor to the new board for 2025 that includes individuals that Chicagoans already voted against what is going on here the community is not being heard and this process is a sham I get I again asked this board who who are we serving in your temporary capacity do not make decisions that will impact our city for years to come our residents did not elect you the mayor appointed you in a rush process after the previous board resigned they all resigned tread lightly you do not understand the legal ramifications that come about from any rash decisions and Chicagoans do not trust that you have their interest at heart any judgment you make on CPS Pedro Martinez cannot be taken with sincerity you've not been in your positions long enough to adequately assess his performance and again you are serving in a temporary capacity the previous board in the past two performance reviews for Pedro Martinez found that he had met the standard the 2022 2023 evaluation went as far as to state that under his leadership I quote our district was on the right track then suddenly the 2024 evaluation which was just shared four days ago says that Pedro Martinez quote needs Improvement the basis for this assessment vague immeasurable claims that are as phoni their fabrication as mayor Johnson's do not hire policy future board members have publicly asked this current board to wait until the new 21 member uh board takes over which is by the way they will be coming into their roles in less than a month this is the board that Chicagoans elected aside from the failed candidates appointed by the mayor these are the folks that residents actually had a voice in putting into their positions to not listen to them and ignore their ask is to ignore the community's Voice who are you here to serve special interest or the residents of the city of Chicago at this point we have heard from over 700 principles Civic leaders former and current officials and educational Advocates that they support CPS CEO Pedro Martinez again you're ignoring their voices and Chicagoans are left wondering why how can all these leaders Advocates and stakeholders not be taken seriously how is it that their voices are not heard or Worse intentionally disregarded what we are seeing folks is not an illusion it's a collusion we are far from good are far from good faith contract negotiations now and our full and our full crony Collision collusion mode the attorney general has been made aware of these actions that are occurring and we will see what the state thinks about this board firing the last remaining Voice of the public in this processed M because we know what this is all about once Pedro's gone the negotiations are no longer negotiations it's simply the CTU earmarking their own Christmas wish list on the taxpayers dollars and with that I conclude my comments thank you thank you for your comments the next elected official is Alderman Nicholas bado from the 38th Ward who is joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute okay I'm sure you all can hear me yes please proceed okay thank you very much uh thank you president Harden and member of the boards for this opportunity to speak I really appreciate it um I would like to start off uh by letting you know my name is Nicholas spado I'm an alderman who's in his 14th year now uh won four elections um and here I am uh I'm a former student myself a former parent and uh I'd like to start off by saying shame on Aero um for the way they're affecting these these 2,000 students and the Seven schools this is just a shameful action uh very disappointed I'm sure somebody from there is listening in uh you have to do something to save these schools and keep these schools open I also sh say shame on you board um you couldn't have picked like my previous colleague just said you couldn't have picked the worst time to have this meeting the Friday Night Before Christmas people are shopping people are going to parties people are preparing for the holidays so uh you know shame on you guys also uh for picking this night it's a terrible night I know people want to participate That Couldn't but it is what it is so I do want to remind you um obviously see It'll be pretty obvious what which ones of my colleagues they agree with and which ones I don't but there were 700 School leaders that did say do not do which you're going to do tonight and I'm hoping I'm wrong and hoping you're not going to do it but 700 School leaders did not want this to be done 41 Allman so you just happen to hear from three that think this is a good idea 41 Allman which means 82% of the council ask you to hold off on this and basically leave it up to the new elected board um we have an election process say I did support an elected school board but I didn't I didn't support it for something like this to happen a bunch of um well I'm going to call you political hacks that are stepping in to do some dirty work so um I just say this is a critical time in our school system we need stability I I would ask you I would beg you ask ask beg you to hold off on this decision let the new elected board assess the situation and let them make the decision that they were elected to thank you very much for the time merry Christmas everybody and happy New Year thank you thank you for your comments the next elected official is board member elect Jennifer kuster from the first district who is here in person evening my name is Jenny fer and I'm an elected board member from district one um many of my fellow members have previously made comments already but um I come here today not necessarily as an elected official but as a parent my desire to run for the school board was grounded in the idea that I could make a difference in creating a quality education for my family and so many of the other families here in Chicago my duty as a mother is to protect my children and give them the very best opportunities that I can for their success my duty as an elected board member is is to fight for all those other parents out there that share in that very same Duty in my district and Beyond it after tonight the Chicago Public Schools I'm sorry after tonight will the Chicago public schools be the opportunity for my family and families like mine across the city will it be the choice for families moving forward to give their children the best education possible or will families find another place that truly cares about their kids and doesn't play political games with their future the choice in front of you all today most of you whom will be my future colleagues is that are you going to condemn the first elected board to serve in a capacity where our sole job for the next two years is not to address student outcomes and making CPS a better place but to figure out how to steady the ship in the wake of the chaos that has created by the decision to fire a CEO midyear and inevitably agree to a contracts that we can't afford and while the district suffers financially already and in the wake of the new presidential Administration that further threatens Financial instability of our district you are setting us up to make some of the hardest decisions that CPS will ever face decisions that will change the kind of education for both my kids and all of the Chicago kids but this doesn't have to happen the public other elected officials recently elected board members and community members have asked and begged for you to wait so we can make these decisions together as a unified as a unified board we ask that we talk about these decisions and what the future looks like before you cut it off at the knes history will remember you s in two different ways tonight you can be a group of individuals who welcomed in a new era of governance with the first representative board to serve the Chicago public schools and make decisions together or you will be remember do the seven people who after years of climbing out of a pandemic hole plunged CPS back into debt and decimation so tonight I'm going to go home and Tu my kids into bed and I'm going to reflect on what the outcome is from the seven of you will I figure out how to live with the reality that instead of working to improve their educational possibilities we will figure out ways to reduce the harm of an unelected from the unelected board or will I be inspired by the courage you all had today to do the right thing will we be expanding opportunities or will we be taking away extracurricular activities like art and music and stem will we be improving our children um will we be improving how our children get to school or will be taking away transportation and services will we be putting Librarians and counselors in every school or will we be furing staff and asking them to do more with less this is the future for my children this is the future for your children your grandchildren your nieces and nephews and for the city's children you decide what we do for the next few years do we work together and expand improve and grow or do we battle to keep the essential services and experience for our students who need them the most thank you Thomas and our last elected official is board member elect G2 Brown from the 10th District good evening board members good evening congratulations President Harden good to see you brother right um name is G2 Brown I am a proud son of community organization I'm also a national director of Jour for justice Alliance and as was just stated I'm recently elected to uh serve on first elected School Board representing the fifth district along with my sister spit it up all right so um this is my second board meeting since 2014 because in 2014 I swore off coming to places like this because I I have sat with innumerable numbers of parents who were traumatized by decisions made by people who were not impacted I dve when they closette Elementary School and her and her family occupied the school I stood with parents at Carpenter Elementary a good Elementary School that was closed for real State I stood with the parents at Christ I did programs at Douglas Elementary when we went in Douglas it was 600 babies in that school and now because of District actions there 34 children in that school and a white brand voucher across the street at Key want dou as the so I say this to you ignore there's never been a commitment from a board like this to right black good scho and on grandchildren have work and they make decision our children look like so when that schools fail and they don't know I know it instant I know stop State spor sa I is look at Commercial Club and say you no longer have Place Commercial Club to CL so people Society not people so I walk W time and those parents came had to fight for 6 months to say this [Music] respect you have 30 seconds remaining respect John Michelle people that prep to now Public School Systems that's where they learn the privatization movement has it own infrastructure where is ouru and please please consider the source and the work that you got to do for a set is please conclude your remarks in 2014 I was in elementary they just closed her over for land over for two straight years had the two of the largest C of test in the city of Chicago the late great who was was doing a book grp at M I'm standing in the gym room and 30 to 40 primary AG students come to me grab my pants leg and then cry and then Mr G2 are they going to reopen over I want to say that you and I'm asking you to hear me with your heart see it doesn't matter how professional we are what matters is are we Believers are we believer I'm belie I believe in the Beauty and the Brilliance of our bab I've lived my life according to that and that's going to be our mandate it's now and as of January 15 thank you very much thank you for I do want to note for the record that uh board member elect GT Brown is from the fifth district I noted it as 10th District this concludes public participation members we are now open for for questions or comments on item public agenda are there any comments or questions thank you we now proceed with the vote on public agenda items board secretary please proceed thank you president Harden I will proceed with the items on the public agenda read the board report numbers and brief titles these items do require a vote rs1 recent then adopt a new resolution authorizing signature proxy for board president Shan B Harden rs2 resolution to maintain Aero attendance centers president Harden these items do require a vote is there a motion Mr President I move approval of rs1 to resend board report 2411 01- rs1 and adopt a new resolution authorizing a signature proxy for board president Shan B Harden Mr President I also proudly move rs2 resolution to maintain a terrot Attendance Center sentence there a second so Mo I'll proceed with a roll call member Pope yes member blae I vice president Gardner yes member Bautista yes member Thomas hi president Harden yes six I zero n these M matters are adopted by the board president Harden there are no further items on the public agenda we're now moving to Executive session or member Thomas do you have a motion I so move that we move into executive SE I I second the motion six to read the entire motion please board member Thomas in order to um move into the motion please read the entire motion I move for the passage of the motion number 241 22- m02 and the rec the commencement of a closed session to consider the matter permitted under the section two c of the open meetings Act of the subsection one as specified in the motion is there a second I second the motion I'll proceed with a roll call member Pope yes member blae yes vice president Garner yes member Bautista yes member Thomas hi president Harden yes 6 i z n this motion is adopted by the board me we now go on a call session e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e special board meeting of the board of education is reconvene board secretary please proceed president Harden I'll continue with ex executive session items and I'll begin with a board of education item this item does require a vote president hard for the record ar1 is being withdrawn from agenda ar2 as noted on the public agenda is to approved termination of chief officer officer so the action before the board is rs1 resolution approving chief executive officer's dismissal for the record this item has been updated to the board report number rs1 and the final report will be included in the agenda of action president Harden this item does require a vote is there a motion so moved is there a second second I'll proceed with a roll call member Pope I member Blaze I vice president Gardner I member Bautista I member Thomas I president Harden I six eyes zero Nays this resolution is adopted by the board resident Harden there are no further items to vote on from executive session thank you is there a motion to adjourn so moved is there a second so move all in favor I I we are Jour thank you everyone e