##VIDEO ID:zMFLIowirT4## e January 30th 2025 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 used to enter this morning if you leaving the room please use this door the restrooms are outside the boardrooms to your left during the meeting we ask that you keep all aisles and exits clear if you need need any assistance during the meeting we please wave the attention of one of our security officers please mark your calendars for upcoming meetings the next agenda review committee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday February February 12th 2025 at 10:30 a.m. at the January 15th Arc meeting I noted that three standing committees would begin in February however that will now start at the March 5th meeting the next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday February 27th 2025 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 the at the meetings and to learn about the speaker Lottery process please visit the Chicago Board of Education website CPS boe.org if you have any questions about registration or public participation please contact the board office for our assistance thank you for joining us today president Harden we are now ready for you to begin the meeting good morning everyone welcome to the Chicago Board of Education meeting today is January 30th 2025 we're holding today's board meeting in the boardroom at the CPS Loop office 42 West Madison Street Garden level I would like to note that the board members honorary student board member and Senior leadership are physically present in the boardroom registered speakers may join us in person or virtually if they've opted to do so I'm president Shan B Harden on behalf of my fellow board members thank you for joining us today regular meeting of Thursday January 30th 2025 is hereby call to order board secretary please call the role I'm going to interrupt for just a moment I think there might be some issues with the mics uh we're not the audience in the back is not hearing you e how was that sound all that was just the practice I'll proceed with the roll call member Lozano presid member Dr Smith present member Lopez present member Thomas member Bole present member kuster present member Pope member Rosenfeld present member Rivas present member Rio Sierra present member Brown present member Bannon present vice president Bautista present member Gutierrez present member bigs present member Thora present member blae present member zachor present member DeBerry present president Harden present we have 20 members present we do have a quorum I'd also like to recognize Pedro Martinez chief executive officer rui Verma general counsel Bogdana shukuma Chief education officer Charles Mayfield Chief Operating Officer and kolina Ki H honorary student board member thank you the order of the meeting will be as follows honoring Excellence CEO remarks committee updates student voice Roundtable presentation public participation recess reconvene from Recess progress monitoring presentation continuous Improvement and data transparency policy update discussion of public agenda items vote on public agenda items Co session reconvene from Co session vote on Executive session items then ajour president Harden before you proceed for the record note that the following board re rep are being withdrawn rs2 resolution appointing Norma Rios Sierra to the Board of Trustees of the public school teachers pension and retirement fund of the city of Chicago RS3 resolution appointing Karen zachor to the Board of Trustees of the public school teachers pension and retirement fund of the city of Chicago and president Harden before you proceed our honorary student board member kolina Ki would like to make some brief remarks good morning everyone my name is kolina Ki and I am the honorary student board member for the Chicago Board of Education and it is with great honor that I represent over 320,000 CPS students today on this historic occasion for the city of Chicago for the first time in Chicago History we now have 10 elected board members and 10 appointed by mayor Brandon Johnson this is a significant step forward ensuring that our education system is more reflective of our City's diverse student population by making this shift we are planting seeds for a more inclusive responsive education system and just as a gardener carefully tends to the seeds to ensure they grow strong and fruitful plants we too are laying the foundation today for a future where all students can Thrive I am excited to work with every board member in this new structure as together we will nurture these seeds to Bear good fruits of success for all students thank you Chief Chum please proceed with honor and Excellence thank you president Harden good morning everyone I want to also welcome all of our newest board members to your first four board educ Board of Education meeting I am excited to restart a tradition of beginning our monthly board meetings it is called honoring excellence and it's a chance to recognize the talents and contributions of those students Educators and Community Partners who are going above and beyond to help our district succeed this month we are proud to acknowledge the outstanding work of the CT transparency committee as a reminder CT stands for continuous Improvement and data transparency and it is the new policy CPS has put in place to set a vision for Student Success for the role of the district in supporting schools and providing transparency in school quality many stakeholders have contributed to to the shaping of this policy including the diverse group of parents Educators staff and Community Partners who make up the cad transparency committee some of this team represents communities that have been particularly impacted by the inequitable policies and practices of the past giving them a valuable perspective on how to make things better moving forward the mission of the cad transparency committee has being clear first make sure the indicators CPS is using to evaluate School quality are keeping with the values of our CPS communities then take the complex content ideas and terminology and make it up so those indicators are clear and use parent and Community friendly language I am extremely grateful to this committee for their dedication and for helping ensure that our means of defining and measuring School quality remain accessible to everyone especially to our families with their help CPS is presenting an approach to school data that is clear collaborative and useful to everyone from parents and Educators to school leaders and Community Partners today we're pleased to welcome members of the cad transparency committee two of these members Mr Maurice miles and Miss Jaclyn Vargas will now say a few words on behalf of the team herand for C good morning uh my name is Maurice miles and first and foremost I am the son of a retired hardworking CPS teacher God Rest us soul my mom I am also um the pack chair at at South Shore High School um I'd like to say basically how proud I am to serve on such a diverse committee all United in one purpose and that is equity and education and the Mandate of this committee efforts are going to have a profound impact on the access to information uh provided by cidt and I'd like to also thank you all for getting rid of the last instrument as well because that was terrible okay and uh having that access will Empower all stakeholders as especially the parents in assisting our Scholars as they navigate their path to graduation and Beyond we all have a very specific why and that motivates Us in this endeavor and my why is 14 years old sitting in the class right now waiting to tell me about her day when I get out of here but we all have the same why and that's for every CPS parent to prepare our Scholars to go to the next level our why is your why we understand and we have many words CPS has an acronym for everything so after we wave through the acronyms and figure out exactly what we're looking at what we have to understand is we talk about data and data and data every piece of data has a face to it every piece of data has a future we stand in the gap for a cross-section of these parents to make sure they have the access to information to make the correct choice on where to place their most important asset and that's their children we do not take this task lightly as we know you guys don't take this task lightly we don't always disag agree as you might understand but we find a way to make it work so on behalf of all us we' like to thank you for the opportunity and we are humbled by the trust that you placed in US thank you again uh members of the committee for joining us today and most importantly for your yearslong commitment and dedication to this work we are very grateful as you're putting a very important Cornerstone in our ability as a district to continuously improve in service of our students of our Educators and our communities Mr president are there any comments for the honoring Excellence section yes I'd just like to say thank you to everybody who came out today um it's really nice to kind of put faces to these committees and see all the people that worked really hard so thank you very much for being here today and for sharing your remarks appreciate it I Echo the sentiment as my fellow board member um thank you thank you for coming out and also all the work often times done behind the scenes the long hours and also for taking care of our families in the community I I'll say briefly in Spanish thank you everyone um and please know board members and the public that I will be sharing a presentation later today our fiveyear strategic plan so thank you again for being here today board member BS just one moment board member BS I just wanted to make a quick comment and I said this in my opening remarks two weeks ago you you can't is this better no yes I can use my principal voice okay uh um I said this in my opening remarks two weeks ago but this is some of the most thoughtful work that I have seen come out of this District um this is the way that we should be holding both ourselves and our schools accountable and communicating the whole of the range of support that we're providing and what we expect back from schools to the public so I really thank you and I commend you for this exceptionally thoughtful work um and ex and I'm very excited to use it to guide our work as a district so thank you thank you very much CEO Martinez we're ready for your remarks thank you president Harden can you hear me thank you president Harden um and again I also want to just Echo the comments of the board memb MERS for the cad team uh it's just a reminder that um as our parents said eloquently every data point is a child and parents want to know how children are doing um and so I want to just thank I also want on a personal note U I always say this U remember Ki I think it's you know I think all of us are going to are going to be looking back at this one saying you know we knew her then um and who knows who who of us will be working for you but I just want to put that out there I'm just so proud that you're representing our District I want to congratulate our 20 Board of Education members that that have been sworn sworn in earlier this month this group includes the first members ever to be elected in the Chicago Board of Education by voters in our city this is a big responsibility and I know that all of you take the trust and confidence placed in You by the people of Chicago very seriously I look forward to partnering with you to help our students continue to build on the impressive gains they've achieved in the past few years I want to now change topics to I want to begin what's top of mind with for many people in our CPS Community less than two weeks ago our country transitioned to a new presidential Administration the early days of the administration had been aggressive including an attempt to place a hold on all grants loans and financial assistance from the federal government fortunately it appears that the majority of federal funding in this year's CPS budget would not be affected by this change if the funing pause is up is is in fact upheld by our legal system nevertheless we will monitor the situation closely and will'll continue to Advocate at all levels of government for the resources our students need to receive a high quality education another thing that has many of our uh School communities worried is the administration's recent actions on immigration as you know we had an incident at one of our Southside Elementary Schools last week involving federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security while these were not immigration and custom Uh custom enforcement agents or ice agents as originally thought our system uh kept our staff and students safe and they followed our protocols exactly as we asked them to follow them I am grateful to the principal and staff from this school for quickly implementing the protocols we put in place to prevent any federal agent from entering our schools without proper legal Authority it's unfortunate there was a Mis misunderstanding regarding which branch of Homeland Security we're dealing we were dealing with last week but our school response demonstrates that our system in partnership with our community organizations and labor Partners is prepared and ready to keep our students sta our students and staff safe I was so proud of how our partners stepped up on a quick call they were there and they were there standing with us there are policies in place from both the city and the state to protect their Chicago's children these include the facts that Chicago will not share immigration the immigration status of our families with ice and that we will not allow ients to enter our our school buildings unless they have a criminal warrant signed by a federal judge these circumstances are very rare and even if it did happen CPS has a team of knowledgeable High qualifi highly qualified lawyers ready to review any warrant as with any new and evolving situation we we learn valuable lessons from last week's incident and will continue to provide the the appropriate staff at our schools with the information and training they need to keep everyone in the building safe I want to remind all of our families and staff that we have gathered many resources related to the new Administration on our website cps.edu new admin guidance this includes information on immigration services and on the series of know your rights workshops that are being hosted right now around the city some of these trainings are being run by our own family and Community engagement team and others through many many Community Partners that are supporting us in this work I want to acknowledge what a difficult time this is for our families a tremendous burden is being placed on you right now and I know the tensions are high I want to assure our families that the safest and best place for your children is at school our schools are filled with adults that are prepared to go above and beyond to protect and care for their students every day so please parents as a parent myself please continue to send your children to school so they can receive the education they deserve again please parents as a parent myself continue to send your children to school so that they can receive the education they deserve school is where every child in our city belongs regardless of their immigration status and we will do everything in our power to protect them while they're in our care next I want to switch to the topic of Labor negotiations I want to provide you an update where things stand in negotiations between CPS and our labor Partners at the Cho teachers union we have for the past 10 months as we have for the past 10 months we we continue to bargain the table in good faith we have now entered into the fact finding process which we hope will help CPS and CTU align around a shared set of facts that will lead us to an agreement for those not familiar with the fact finding process let me briefly explain the concept this is a process that by which an independent uh an independent FactFinder evaluates the briefings from both sides on our current negotiation positions the FactFinder then issues a report off offering their objective analysis and recommendations this this is information our staff and families deserve and is one of the many tools that CPS is leveraging to get us to a final contract we are confident that the FactFinder will confirm what CPS has been sharing for months about the reality of our District's finances the reality is that CPS has barely any Financial reserves only three days of operating expenses in fact we're facing Rising deficits for the upcoming years we understand the role of CT is to advocate for their members and to ask for as much as they can our job in the district is to give as much as we can while making sure the Investments we commit are sustainable and affordable we've achieved this by putting in strong comprehensive Financial proposals on the table we've also responded thoughtfully to every one of ctu's proposals and work hard to get to a yes when they're asking for when what they're asking for is financially responsible in aligns with our district values We've Come Together on many critical issues including lowering class size for our youngest Learners providing more planning time for our special education teachers and expanding sustainable community schools throughout the city I'm proud of the work we've done and I'm proud of the fact that we're closer to an agreement now than at any point in previous negotiations in 2016 negotiations took 18 months in 2019 it was 14 months we're just concluding 9 months of negotiations and we're very close where we need to be because of the progress we' made all the hard work has gone into responding so because of the progress we' made all of the hard work that has gone into responding so thoughtfully to ctu's many proposals I can't even imagine a first strike we're just in a such different place even as I look at the last two contracts any work stoppage would would only disrupt our children's learning and given how close together the sides are it wouldn't make any sense to do something so drastic the FactFinder report will be available in the coming days and I'm confident that that we can leverage those objective recommendations as a as a tool to get us to a final agreement in the meantime we will continue coming to the bargaining table and working towards a contract that is in the best interest of everyone most importantly our students again most importantly our students now I want to share an update on the continued progress CPS is making around student transportation we are largely succeeding in our goal of placing students with disabilities and bus RS within 10 days of our transportation requests which continue to come all year round when this is not possible CPS provides a financial stien of $25 for every day that the student attends school while we're while we're not able to put them on a bus our goal is to provide bus transportation to as many students as possible and we're moving closer to that goal through our Hub stop program new this year this is a program where certain CPS schools act act as a pickup and drop off point for general education students who are eligible for bus transportation last month we opened the first round of Hub stops at 18 CPS schools these schools were selected using the CPS opportunity index a tool that is helping us prioritize transportation for students who face significant barriers to opportunity our first collection of Hub stops are currently serving more than a thousand general education student students I want to thank our transportation team our bus monitors our host our host schools and our families who are working together to make this new program a success as always we will prioritize our students who are furthest from opportunity while we're expanding our Hub stop program families whose students are for this next phase are being contacted by our transportation service uh Services team and so please parents no just wait for them to contact you and we look forward to getting these students on buses beginning next month this Saturday on a different topic this Saturday will turn our page to February which means the start of Black History Month our schools always always do amazing things to Mark the historic contributions of our country's black leaders artists Scholars and Pioneers for social justice this has started already with the celebrations this month Around The Life and Legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr I was fortunate to participate at both a Bright Elementary and Lim Blum High School uh at such events I look forward to similar opportunities during Black History Month I encourage all of our school communities to share what they have planned for Black History Month with our Communications Department so we can amplify those those celebrations on our District's website blog and social media channels thank you Mr board president this concludes CL my remarks thank you board members are there any comments or questions yeah I'd like to make a comment to CEO Martinez thank you thank you for your in these very very challenging times your transparency your commitment to our families and your honesty as an elected board member I'm happy to work with you and I really really appreciate you or Lopez thank you president uh echoing the same sentiment uh thank you uh CEO especially stepping in these difficult times very unprecedented for many of our communities um for Last Friday and also for your team and Leadership that they were quick to be at the school and the guidelines provided and also for providing information in various languages we know we serve a very diverse population um and to our students and families you know our students should not be living in fear right they don't have they should not be choosing between getting an education are being safe and with that I also want to mention that I do have a question um and this is just wondering if there's an update that you can provide us regarding the ongoing with assetto and theou um as many know seven schools had been mentioned to be closing um and five will be now coming to CPS with four of those being in the seven district one of them just outside the district just wondering if there's an update on what does that look like the timeline thank you yeah so member Lopez this is you know the the top priority for for chief um for chief Alonso and his team and working so we have sent a proposal um you know really just trying to be as financially responsible as possible while still addressing the needs that a settle has uh they sent a response we're we're actually analyzing that response now and so there's a little bit of a negotiation process um which I wish I wish it was a little bit easier frankly because we're talking about children in schools but uh you have our you have my Assurance that this is top priority we'll be giving the board a briefing uh in the next few weeks uh because really you know we want to come to you and and just share with you again we want to represent what they're asking for what our partner is asking for what their logic is um and then for you you know to provide us guidance but we are you know again we're in conversations now and and like I said we've we've provided a proposal provided a response and we're analyzing that right now and then we will be following up with the board very quickly I would like also uh to make a comment I want to also commend the staff of Hamlin school and using the correct protocol to keep the federal secret service from entering the school but I am concerned with the trauma and the fear that this event caused to our community the students and and uh and I just wonder uh how it's affected the attendance not just at that particular school but other schools and I also have some questions like was there some heads up was there a call made first or did they just come like surprise so I have a lot of questions in regards to that and I also would just like to uh reiterate what uh board member um said my colleague here about the assetto parents I saw some of them at a community meeting and they're also waiting on some dialogue as to what the process is of their schools thank you well um so we're monitoring attendance at all Schools board members um we we saw a a tick up specifically and U bigger declines right after the the 4-day weekend that our students had um you can imagine a lot of things happening both at you know with Federal you know order changes um we were dealing with frankly all that weekend leading into the week of constant uh you know people telling us that they were seeing agents across different communities um and of course we also had the cold this weekend we we've had so far so I so un you know the tricky part is just all those challenging factors you know all contribute to always you know contributed I think to lower tendance that first day we did see it tick up from there um and even at Hamline you know we have we're providing supports now and we've seen also again a stabilization as well we didn't see a significant tick up in in a 10 end at Hamline beyond what we're already seeing but with that um as you said member loano um we want to make sure that we're continually supporting our school um our staff really did you know again it it was scary there was no advanced notice you know I said this publicly um and there's no evidence of cards being left uh we have a video there's no evidence of it and so I think a lot of this could have been avoided uh sadly Board of members you know we deal with and president hard and I were talking earlier today we deal with with student threats sadly more common than than you than than people realize um sadly you know middle school children because of social media you know doing the all kind we always we have a very clear process with CPD with our security office it's always followed we always investigate everything um this whole process and sometimes it involves federal agencies including the FBI none of that existed last week uh none of that coordination none of that process and so again between that and the conditions that were set before that that it was just ripe for something you know for for that and so again I you know we're we're taking it as a learn as a teaching moment uh it helps us actually to continue to improve our protocols but I think you know uh thank you board members for for recognizing the the the courage and hard work of our staff because when you're in that moment you know that's when you see courage right and so the important things is that we we made sure that people were not allowed into our schools without proper authorization and again every everybody this was an elementary school so I want to just keep reminding us you know regardless of what the circumstance it was an elementary school um so again I I'm very proud of what our staff done and again like I said we'll continue to perfect and and always to look at how do we continue to you know protect our children I have a question I want to uh Begin by saying uh thank you uh CEO for your leadership and uh the guidelines the know your rights guidelines that uh our communities are being formed about I want to thank uh the family uh and Community engagement team for being out at the schools uh my question is uh do we have guidelines and protocols for parents who are dropping children off and picking them up because uh not only are the children in fear but the parents are in fear of being pulled over and taken into custody as they drop off and pick up their children that's question number one question number two uh I love that uh we're providing know your rights in different languages because I am concerned about our Muslim communities our uh African and Caribbean communities as well uh are these communities being reached out to as well in terms of know your rights guidelines so uh for our parents uh what kind of communications and guidelines do they have for pick up and drop off and uh what other uh type of Protocols are being done to reach out to our Caribbean and African communities yeah so board members um in fact um you know vice president Batista actually just sent me an email requesting some similar information so we'll get that to you so the short answer there is guidelines um as you can imagine anything outside of the school is not within our scope but we are very blessed to have Community Partners a coordination with CPD other organizations and so um I I'm I'm having our face Department and put that together for the board members and we'll get that to you uh very shortly uh I think the most important thing for us is is leveraging our Community Partners who are working directly with the families because understand the complexity board members we do not ask for the immigration status of our families and we should not be asking for the immigration status of our families um so it's just for the protection of our children right I know our teachers and counselors love our children but we got to be very careful never to make a family feel uncomfortable by the way and I say this as myself as I was an undocumented student prior to the Reagan amnesty act um some of my friends did not know they were undocumented they were in high school they did not know they were undocumented and it was a shock to them when they had to find out and so I just I I I say that to you in terms just from my own personal experience that it's a very sensitive issue it's a very personal issue um but uh the short answer is yes uh board member but it's partnership because again you know we can't we don't have the scope of the entire city we have the scope of the schools which we take very seriously but in Partnership uh we're providing supports to families and so we'll we'll be providing you more details I have a quick question um it was actually brought up by folks in the can you guys hear me okay um the face um that maybe it would be helpful since now all of the board members represent um roughly 270,000 constituents in each district that uh we should also be trained by the know your rights training so that we know how to support in situations like that so I just want to um make it official here in the meeting that it would be helpful for board members to also receive the know your rights trainings that um are is being uh done right now with security and other clerks and other Personnel in the schools I think it's a wonderful idea vice president thank you I do I do so again please we have the resources we'll coordinate that but it's a wonderful idea thank you ma'am board member po yes uh thank you uh to all who helped to protect our students at Hamline Elementary School from the CEO down to the security guards to the teachers and principal it's a vitally important thing and it sets a precedent that we will keep our students safe I have however had the opportunity to talk particularly to some uh Venezuelan immigrants under tpr that I know and they are terrified they know that the president is likely to eliminate the tpr status in the very near future and they are afraid to bring their children to school so I know in the 40th Ward we had a great know your rights training that I participated in we had over 200 people on Saturday and one of the things that we are trying to do is set up Community groups of people who would meet the children at their homes and walk the children to school and I would urge local school councils principals and CPS to work with volunteers who can help to ensure that our children can safely come to school even if their parents are afraid to leave their homes uh thank you do you have any other questions or comments thank you committee updates we have no committee Updates this month we'll go right into the first student voice Roundtable presentations for this school year honorary student board member Carolina Ki will be joined by fellow student Naomi G please begin second good morning to the distinguished members of the Board of Education CPS leadership and respected audience my name is Gina Ki and I am a senior at Roberto Clemente Community Academy and currently serve as the honorary student board member for the 20124 to the 2025 school year during my high school journey I have been a fierce ad vate for my peers whether it was being a bilingual teacher assistant for 3 years or serving in the local school council as a student representative these experiences and others have allowed me to witness and address important issues which of which have added to my testimony about the transformative power of Education in shaping students lives education H holds a special place in my heart because because it was the driving force behind my perseverance as a young girl when I was 4 years old I was diagnosed with acute lymol blastic leukemia and underwent three years of chemotherapy despite the hardships I fac there was always one thing on my mind School my teachers classmates and family were my support system and it was their unwavering encouragement that showed me the true value of Education this is why I bring empathy and compassion to my role in representing the student population in CPS I believe that every student deserves a quality education that opens up Endless Possibilities where the sky is the limit schools should be launch pads helping students reach for the stars and providing the support and opportunities needed to SAR New Heights just like I did today I have the incred rible honor of representing all CPS students and advocating for their needs alongside elected and appointed board members on this significant day in Chicago History in this presentation I will discuss how we can continue to support and uplift our students ensuring that every individual has access to the tools and resources they need to thrive as Paula frie once said education is an act of love and thus an Act of Courage I want to thank all students who participated in the Roundtable discussion for their courage and speaking up for their needs and for demonstrating their leadership in showing that they care about their education as we present the student recommendations I ask that you listen with the same courage and understanding that their voices are essential in shaping the future thank you good sorry good morning my name is Naomi glanton I use she her pronouns and I'm a senior at Jones college prep school has always been sort of a safe space for me I often get here early to chat with my teachers I spend my free time tutoring underclassman in math and of course it's where I see my friends the most it's this feeling of community that I knew my school's student voice committee would further develop and I'd be able to share this with my peers though halted by covid-19 2 years ago I co-founded my school's student voice committee back up again through this space I've learned so much from others and we've been able to develop relationships with administrators opening up conversations without the awkward power dynamics outside of school I like to run explore cafes in my neighborhood and create content with the Chicago Public Library I'm so grateful to bee here presenting today and to uplift my peers voices from the earlier Round Table for the agenda today we will start with a moment of reflection give a little insight on the student voice Round Table initiative and the Strategic plan engagement overview then we will move on to the student voice presentation where we will discuss the November 14th Roundtable and our student recommendations lastly we will end with a Q&A and a board member Reflections student voice Round Table initi the board of education has partnered with the Department of student voice and engagement to host three Roundtable discussions and three public presentations to the Board of Education during the school year 2024 to 2025 the intent of the collaboration is to work in alignment with the initiative of developing avenues for authentic student voice that Center their lived experience and allow space for inclusive partnership between adults and CPS students we maintain our commitment to build transformational learning experiences that ignite curiosity honor student identity promote agency and Elevate active participation in learning school communities and Civic life at this time I'd like everyone to take a moment to reflect on a time in your school or work experience where you felt like your ideas perspectives feedback or feelings were or were not taken seriously what felt supportive what didn't the CPS strategic plan is the 5year vision for CPS it was passed in September of 2024 this is the first year of implementation and CPS is actively working on implementing these plans Together We rise includes a commitment as stated on page seven to ensure our students their families staff and their communities are represented in our decision-making and are engaged in the design of policy and practices today's recommendations will inform CPS from a student perspective as they work on the implementation of the CPS strategic plan now we will go over the student Roundtable objectives the topics that were discussed in the student Roundtable include multilingual Pathways postsecondary success and students with disabilities the objectives were to learn from each other through intergenerational discussion and engag in dialogue about implementation of the CPS strategic plan the participation of the student voice Round Table included students from from a range of age groups backgrounds and experiences we had a balanced number of student participants which included eight high school students and eight middle school students as part of commitment to diversity and inclusivity the dynamic student Round Table included students from across the city this included newcomers who only spoke Spanish the participants of the student voice Round Table included students from 11 different schools across Chicago we surveyed the students to learn about their experience at the round table and the following slides will reflect on the data we collected we ask students overall what is your rating of the student voice round table and we are pleased to say that all students were satisfied we ask students how encouraged did they feel sharing their perspectives with adults at the table again all students were satisfied with 16 99.2% feeling very satisfied we asked students if they had enough time for discussion at the round tables a majority of students found that they had enough time to discuss although some felt that additional time would be beneficial in the future we asked the students what could be improved about the round table three students named the agenda as an area of improvement and a couple mentioned that the location and event time can be improved as as well the students were asked what is your biggest takeaway from the round table and they answered now I understand that I'm a capable thought partner with leadership to make decisions and Improvement for those who might not be able to advocate for themselves student voices are important for advocacy and we have to listen to each other I feel satisfied and encouraged because I got to meet people from different backgrounds and share my thoughts and perspective Ive my biggest takeaway is that many people located all over the city have similar disabilities it was great meeting the CEO I learned what student voice really is my biggest takeaway is all of the new experiences I can take to my student voice committee and local school council meetings my biggest takeaway is getting to know everyone's story and getting to know new people too here you will see the lessons we learned from our most recent Round Table a potential opportunity could be to host an all Spanish Roundtable and having versus having Spanish speaking students assimilate into an English dominant space another lesson we can learn is to continue to be cognizant in representing diversity of schools ethnicity background gender grade levels Etc lastly it was challenging to navigate three different different topics the outcome of the Round Table would be most fruitful if we Center on one topic now we will share our student recommendations starting with the topic of multilingual Pathways recommendation number one newcomers require enhanced support during both during school and through after school programs to help them acclimate to a new environment and practice English in a supportive community-driven environment as a result here is a need to offer social emotional support and opportunities for empowerment fostering student confidence and a sense of belonging in my experience as a former bilingual teacher assistant many of the students I worked with felt more at ease and welcomed when I spoke to them in their F native language in fact as we dove into work I realized that they knew more than what teachers were giving them credit for I enjoyed connecting with them and I learned about their culture similarities and differences New Comers have a personality and a vibrancy that deserves to be free recommendation two include and consider student voice when determining language courses and programs to be offered at district schools a resounding message at the round table was that students want to learn World languages but the Limited access and options felt discouraging they want to be given the autonomy to choose relevant courses to feel more engaged in classes and more excited to further their learning outside of the classroom recommendation three expands cultural events across all schools language is a powerful way to bring people together these events create opportunities for connection within school and Global communities last year my school began a new tradition and National Day by learning how to do henna eating polish Cuisine and watching blue Elegance perform an homage to historically black colleges in universities I felt more more appreciation and connection to all of the different cultures represented at my school as someone who is racially mixed I felt seen the event was a collaboration of cultures it showed our school's pride in our diversity which is a feeling that I believe every student should have the opportunity to experience now we will move on to the topic of postsecondary success recommendation four expand the definition of success to not only include acceptance and access to selective enrollment or forear universities diversify options and support students in developing the knowledge and agency to recognize their own needs throughout their education each student has a unique vision for their future and they deserve the support to figure it all out students are tired of the only option being to attend a 4-year University at the round table one student said not everyone is born to be a doctor or lawyer what about the other jobs like working in a salon or being an electrician students need more options recommendation number five start consistent student-friendly engagement and preparation including high school and postsecondary opportunities SL exloration earlier in students's education at least starting in fifth grade during the round table breaks eighth graders were chatting about the dread of applying to high school and as a 12th grader I know all about applications we get an onslaught of information about these processes so if we get the information earlier and at a more gradual rate we can know what to expect as students we need more time because we're navigating changes of all kinds mentally physically academically and more recommendation six encourage the valuing of neighborhood schools by amplifying their successes programs and opportunities this can be done by engaging alumni and current students to share their success stories by engaging these voices schools can become stronger and build a connection with the local community and Foster a sense of Pride and and support additionally sharing alumni success stories can help dismantle misconceptions and demonstrate that neighborhood schools offer valuable highquality education that prepares students for a variety of future paths this approach not only enhances the reputation of neighborhood schools but also strengthens Community involvement and creates a supportive Network for future Generations moving on to this topic of students with disabilities recommendation seven support schools in creating a culture of inclusivity and diversity with communal respect enforced by all through collaboration I personally know students that have lost their excitement for Learning and commitment to education because of the school conditions they have to navigate for example they are called names by their peers for being students with disabilities they're given lower standards and sometimes they are even excluded from activities we need to Foster an environment where all students specifically students with disabilities feel seen and included by doing so we can help reach help them reach their full potential and Thrive academically socially and emotionally recommendation number eight increase awareness aess of student rights and access to IEP and 504 plans school should offer sessions for all students to learn about where to go for support for students with disabilities for help and how to support their peers when I tried to get a 504 plan for my anxiety the whole process was ironically very anxiety inducing I felt like I was late in the process and I didn't know how to navigate it while everyone's experience is unique students should be informed about the support available before they find themselves in crisis or trying to power through their struggles because everyone deserves to get the help that they need recommendation number nine strengthen student ownership in the IEP process by authentically including student voice in planning and goal setting additionally provide a step for students to share feedback and partner with teachers to Monitor and improve their experience at the round table a middle schooler wished that she could have more of a working part partnership with her case manager on creating and maintaining her IEP to ensure its Effectiveness and success with teachers by elevating student voice IEPs can become a more authentic personalized support for students recommendation number 10 expand athletic programming to include districtwide access for students with disabilities so that every student at every school has access to join sports teams a high schooler mention this recommendation at the round table as sports are fundamental for him to feel a part of his high school's Community he taught me that Sports can break down social barriers between students of all different abilities because of team spirit and sportsmanship the feeling of collaboration on a sport can help students with disabilities to flourish socially which will ultimately create positive connotations with their time at school that concludes our presentation thank you during this time we'll open the floor for the board and Senior leadership to comment and ask clarifying questions clarifying questions serve the purpose of helping the better understand what was shared and presented clarifying questions should not stump the presenters they are a matter of fact or have a brief response that seeks to clarify since my mic's on I'll start with the comment Bravo ladies Naomi and Carolina you guys are what CPS is all about you guys are my why you're the reason that I ran along with all the other students in Chicago public school and I'm inspired I will take your recommendations I will listen carefully to them and I will do my best to make sure that they are understood and implemented congratulations to both of you for being brave and having courage to present in front of this sort of scary group um my one quick question might be you had a very small student population do you think a bigger student population would be helpful would be useful would be something you think about next time yes I think um yeah I think uh to a certain extent it would be good to have a bigger uh student population because I feel like it would uh mean there to be more diversity however at the same time we do want to make sure that every student's voice is heard so by having a larger group we do there is a sort of risk in U maybe minimizing certain students voices um just because there's so many but that is yeah something to think about yeah excellent point for Thomas what an excellent and comprehensive job you've done in enhancing communication for students uh you're to be commended keep up the good work thank you thank you yes let me take a moment just to say congratulations um excellent work thoughtful recommendations uh recommendations were in line uh with my own advocacy outside of this role so I was like yes yes yes um I I do have a question what's what are the next steps so is this the is this the end of your engagement with young people because I I do have a suggestion if if if it's not well yes we will continue to have more Roundtable discussions and as we engage more in these conversations surrounding the quality of students education we will we will we will help and we will work together in making those next steps because so may make a a humble recommendation I think it's important to to continue the process and like you said not to engage too large of a group but to engage many more groups right um because as you know SE 77 neighborhoods in the city of Chicago many of our young people have very different experiences based on where they live and where they come from so I want to just make two quick three recommendations one uh there's a youth council at Collins High School where those young people are very active um and I'm going outside the fifth district excuse me uh uh 10th District folk but also uh there is the bronzville youth Council which is made up of young people from like King High School diet high school Dumar and folks from that area and then there's a Citywide group called good kids Mad City and so I think those are some organizations that you can begin to connect with and and and be because there's a need for organized young people in the city of Chicago there's a critical need right to to hold adults accountable to make sure that that that advocacy is based on lived experiences and not opinions right so the work that you all are doing the the the sky is the limit thank you very much I have a question as well all right hi I'm sorry I'm just kind of jumping in here I'm mild Garcia student voice and Leadership specialist with the Department of student voice and engagement um and I actually work in partnership with the Board of Education to put on these round taes so just to answer that question question our round taes will be focused on different topics but the focus of of this Round Table in regard to these three topics is really to provide recommendations for the Departments and offices and CPS that are leading this work and so we encourage those offices and departments to continue to partner with students and this is just kind of like for them to take into consideration but we will be focusing on different topics for the rest of the school year thank you uh board member Smith I think that uh what you guys are doing is very mature very courageous and needed uh it's what we talk about as adults but it's what you guys are doing that helps us to bring our our purposes together uh my question is uh the students uh that you all were uh gathering with uh to bring us this presentation today did they come from all different types of schools so uh I I love what you said about extracurricular uh activities sports program more Sports programs needed as I'm visiting let's say Charter Schools they don't have you know a lot of them that I'm visiting don't have a lot of sports programs are you speaking with young people from Charter Schools selective enrollments in different types of schools answer um yeah you got okay uh yes so we are engaging CPS students um and actually something that was different at this round table was the first time that we had half middle school students and half high school students uh so that has been an area of growth for us with really the objective of diversifying the voices in the space uh there is a slide that demonstrates the different schools that were were represented which included selective enrollment schools and neighborhood schools for boys out of the mouths of babes like this is so exciting for me Galina you've always been impressive you know I've always been complimenting you at all the board me meetings that you've come to this is super impressive I'm really proud of you I know your mom and dads are your parents your people are beaming right now um and I want to just reiterate what everyone's saying thank you so much for your hard work this is super comprehensive this is really thoughtful I do want to include more people from around the city and you've got all these board members here that represent different areas so you guys look at your map and you can say like hey we don't have anybody from over here and talk to some of these folks and they'll find you some people we're here to help you um as well right and so I can't say enough I love that you advocated for newcomers I I love that you said more op I'm writing down all the I'm so I'm so proud of you um I um um the part about valuing the neighborhood is huge I think we don't do enough to uplift our schools and the accomplishments and as I'm going around to different schools I'm I'm blown away at how um impressive how creative the teachers are how impressive the kids are how hard they work um and even the little um I I I've got two girls so I I have to go to school events all the time and that kind of thing so but when I get to go see other kids perform I'm I'm I'm in tears so there is great things happening in schools we don't tell um we don't um uplift that enough and maybe that's some something else we can do in terms of other events going on maybe we can bring the school RS out so that people can see what's going on you you guys are super I love that you're here but if I'm being honest not a lot of people listen to what's going on here um I think everybody should hear what you're talking about and hear your plan um and so maybe we should talk about some a way that we get out things out to people over social media I mean this is isn't that how you all communicate anyway maybe there's some way that we can we can um um help you EXP expand your reach and expand your student voice over social media that's what I was thinking and then um I also am wondering if you this is just me um when you're talking to kids I I think my I did and my children had a hard time with the time between when you submit your application or um the CPS go is like October and then you don't hear till like March or April that time in there was really difficult for my kids and maybe this this is something if if you know check in with your folks and see if that's something that we should work on or not I remember being over the holidays and and people asking my little ones like oh what high school you going to and Mike it's being like I don't know you know we we're waiting to find out um so keep asking questions keep talking to people get all over town um come come by my house and try and Inspire my kids too cuz they're not they're not having the these awesome conversations um as much as you are and thank you thank you again for your presentation thank you so much thank you thank you Forman waso yes I just also was you know very inspired by your recommendations and look forward to working with you but I was wondering if given what is going on today and you know the um sentiment of you know the new Administration if maybe there should be another round table so students could express themselves and make recommendations on how they could feel safer at their schools during this time just to express themselves I think that this round table that you're you have here would be a perfect place for that to happen so I encourage you to try to reach out to those students and also educate the other ones so that they each of them got each other's back thank you gracias thank you Carina and Naomi thank you so much for that really insightful presentation and all your hard work um as someone who facilitated a student voice committee for over a decade I know how important it is um to hear from students and how much you have to offer our schools and our city in terms of what schools should should really be um I have a question for you about uh one of your recommendations regarding postsecondary success so you all were saying that um or this is what I understood you to be saying that um there's maybe too much emphasis on going to a four-year college and I guess I just wanted some clarification on that do you feel like high schools are not enough um promoting like CTE programs or um or two-year colleges or other options and um if that's the case is that across the board in all of the high schools who participated and do you have any thoughts on um what we might do to do a better job at showing students other options that are out there yes definitely with the students that we spoke at with in the round table and so it was students from all across Chicago they have all expressed feelings especially the high school students in which that they are given emphasis in their school communities on going to college or the university and there's not much emphasis in like trade routes or other optional careers like again the salon or being an electrician and so there's typically like the notion of like what are you going to be when you grow up a doctor a lawyer but then there is little emphasis on how there's other paths that you can take in life and they don't have to be the the typical Paths of going to University they could be other paths like trade and or or vocational school and we as as a school Community would like to bring those um opportunities and make them more present with the students so that they can understand that it's not just a narrow path and that there's many paths to the type of future that they want to have or Lopez thank you also Applause because what you're doing especially at your young age it's as was mentioned Brave courage and also setting the example um for everyone including myself um just and many of the items that mentioned I made a few notes uh you know just for follow-ups some of the items that I also have heard while I was cusing in the seven district from the IEP to Neighborhood schools how to be uplift our alni um and also the success which was just briefly um also spoken on and definitely it's how to be right we provide that information to our students and also to our families um to know that what are the resources available and what does success look like and not necessarily success for one person is the same as for another person or another family so please lean on us and how we could be of support and how we can help and also um you know help engage other students within our districts thank you thank you you okay all right thank You' all so much we're going to wrap up the Q&A and end with the reflection we're going to start off with board member Pope uh you all are going to answer with one word uh head heart or hands reflection uh either one word that describes a new idea or perspective that you're leaving with one word feeling that surfaced for you or one word that describes what you want to do next do next oh is mic on okay I want to pick the word collaborate because I really want us as a board to be able to collaborate with students and listen to their voices engage hopeful support strength follow up lift up partner listen cheering power feeling and its Pride inspired gratitude CTE organize enthusiastic love admiration thank Youk you thank you so much much Gra yes uh before we move into public participation I just like to take a moment of silence for those who were lost in a tragic airplane crash that occurred last night in our nation's capital thank you 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 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 and 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 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 seriously while we may not address your concerns directly during public participation a CPS leadership is always present at our meetings 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 hosts Board office hours so that so that we can have a conversation please use our website cpsb.org if you want to meet with a board member during office hour hours we encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with board members outside of a board meeting thank you for your attention and your consideration as a reminder you Union Representatives will be allowed at 5 minutes to speak before public participation and any 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 registered to speak were given the option to attend in person or via an electronic format for those who prefer 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 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 cpsb.org or mail to one North Dearborn s950 written comments received between the day the public agenda was posted through 5:00 p.m 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 6 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 please stand along the glass parti partitions to keep the aisles clear thank you and 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 Stacy DAV Davis Gates CTU president who is here in person excuse me good morning so I want to give my one word reassured you and Naomi are reassuring to people like me who fight very hard for people like you it is reassuring that we hear you and we understand you and we agree with you I would like to invite you all to participate and an engagement with our members so you can create space and transparency and amplification to the needs that you presented here as well because we agree and we are reassured that we understand your needs in part and we want to be a conduit to help your voice get Amplified even more so thank you um I also want to represent the L standing with me today they need to know um as CEO Martinez said earlier we negotiate with CPS for a very long time and they do not have 10 months they do not have eight months they do not have 18 months to get a decision from their saral schools about how next year will work so I would really implore the Board of Education to challenge the process and to expedite it because these uh families need that stability so thank you and I would also like to say um that I have spent um almost the last week trying to figure out if this is the world that I brought three children into and feeling some level of regret um because this is going to be a hard one you all it is going to be a hard one and I think everyone understands that and because it's going to be a hard one and because I understand teamwork see I'm not only the president of the Chicago Teachers Union a mother and history teacher I'm also an All-American athlete I know what it means to work on a team I know what it is to need a team and right now the city of Chicago and the Chicago public schools and every family we serve they need a team they need a team of leaders who care about the stabilization of our district and the force field that we build around it to protect it not just from the tyranny of the alphabet boys who are knocking at our doors and thank God for the procedures and the protocols put in place at Hamline which are attributable to my members going on strike in 2019 and putting Sanctuary language inside of this District see that wasn't what the district did that's what we did together see the point that I'm making here that when we're working as a team we are protecting children like we did at Hamline and not only did we protect the children there we had two counselors who went door too cuz I watch them I watch them with walkie-talkies go door Todo to check in on the spirits of the people who were in that building from the adults to the young people to the moms and the dads and the family members that came in to the community people who were there as well that too is attributable to the 2019 contract so when you hear student voice they said how do we get this implemented what is the next step when you hear teacher voice the implementation the next step is to come to bargaining tomorrow CEO Martinez we are close you said I take you up on being close and let's land it tomorrow we start at 10: a.m at your lawyer's office and let's land This Plane I know when the Tom and Jerry inter mural activities are over I know when the threat to our sovereignty to the type of History you get to teach see it was Robert Abbot that inspired my grandfather to leave Sunflower County Mississippi the Coten fields to come to Chicago that's the history I deserve to be taught my children taught in our schools right they also deserve to have me a black teacher in front of them you need to re-evaluate how we are rating black teachers how we are retaining them these two are things that are in the collective bargaining agreement see this collective bargaining agreement you have 30 seconds remaining provides our students with everything that they just told us that they want a sports program language classes opportunities for cultural emersion but here's the thing that it also provides more case workers excuse me case managers to engage with them about their needs on a onetoone basis more counselors in the building to make sure that they are checking on their Spirits we did it in 19 when we put more social workers into the school building more nurses into the school building Sanctuary that protects and has protected our young people we can do it again with everyone around this beautiful room elected and appointed to protect our children again I know when I need a team and I know when the intermural sports are over and we got a real threat thank thank you so much for your time thank you for your comments the next union rep is Jen Conan CTU Charter division chair good morning members of the board it is good to see you again I'm Jen conent chair of c2's Charter Division and like I shared two weeks ago I am a charter educator who loves her school her students and her colleagues and as a union leader my colleagues and I have fought hard to improve our school and those in our network over the last decade just like in CPS our contract wins have improved and stabilized our schools but two weeks ago I spoke to you about how the charter model is broken the charter model and belief is that competition is always a good thing and that it's fine for new schools to pop up and for other schools to close at a moment's notice this promise is fundamentally wrong Charter operators should not be able to abandon its students families and staff at the drop of a hat and given the failure and closure rate of charter schools Nationwide and in Chicago it's high time that CPS think about putting guard rails on how and when a charter operator can choose to close a school CPS has detailed contracts with each Charter it authorizes but unfortunately these contracts just require the operator to notify CPS that they are closing sometimes by a particular date and that's it that is shameful at the very least operators should have to work with the district to find jobs for its Educators that it's laying off and schools for the students who suddenly find themselves without a school home and the operator should have to return unspent funds I.E its reserves even better is when the district can commit to keeping those schools open like with AO another problem with the model is the way operators are able to use Public School dollars on things that don't help students and in fact hurt them them like fighting Educators who want to unionize marketing for business in other cities investing in real estate or defending the disgraced CEO we' have seen Charter operators use a lot of money on lawyers and smear campaigns to ensure that teachers and staff at their schools are not successful in unionizing is that how taxpayer dollars uh really should be spent no instead of union busting money should be going into the classroom we call on this board to ensure that all future contracts a district has with Charter operators include neutrality agreements that is language that states that operators will remain neutral about and not fight unionization efforts state law already requires this but CPS should codify it in its agreements with operators and if Charter operators are unwilling to agree to neutrality language it shows their intent to use public money inappropriately outside the classroom and begs the question of whether they really deserve to have a charter I also want to speak to you about Sanctuary Protections in charter schools in CG's contract with the district we have Sanctuary School language that protects our students should ice want to enter the building or gain Student Records we have similar language in all of our Charter contracts except at Namaste at Namaste the charter operator refused to agree to any Sanctuary protections for students in the contract because they do not believe in making commitments to Educators or a union about issues imp impacting their school if they aren't legally required to even if it's students that pay the price without language in the contract it means that at any point Namaste could choose policies that do not provide Sanctuary that do not protect students and there are many non-unionized Charters where there are no contracts to enshrine enshrine Sanu Sanctuary protections for students or staff in this scary political moment it is our understanding that CPS has not been direct with Charter operators about how they should handle visits from Ice they have not shared protocols instead CPS is giving Charter operators autonomy but when it comes to the safety of our students CPS should not be Cavalier and just let Charter operators do whatever they want CPS should create standards and should want to be notified and involved if immigra immigration agents show up at the school CPS has an office of student protections that Charter Schools call when they has been a report of abuse there is a CPS office of Safety and Security that responds to safety concerns that impact our students and staff both at CPS District managed schools and in charter schools Sanctuary policies should be no different the district has a responsibility to keep all Chicago public school students safe finally I want to put on your radar that Horizon Science you have 30 seconds remaining Academy in McKinley Park expects isby to go around CPS and approve a new High School location in Bridgeport and increase their student cap of 900 students by another 350 as far as we know C CPS has been silent on this development we're wondering is CPS not worried about the effect this increase in enrollment will have on CPS high schools in the area it seems deeply problematic that operators can go around this board when it's convenient and ask the state to send them CPS students and CPS funding with no oversight so we asked this board to think about how to address that in the future I want to thank you all for your time and energy for creating the best schools uh and public education system we can together thank you thank you for your comments the next union rep is staa Scott Kennedy SEIU Executive Vice President who is here in person good morning board president Harden CEO Martinez and the rest of the board my name is staa Scott Kennedy and I'm the executive vice president for SEIU Local 73 we represent over 12,000 support staff in Chicago Public Schools crossing guards custodians security officers bus AIDS special education classroom assistants subbs AIDS and sub Seekers seiu73 welcomes all of you to the board we will need your leadership in this incredibly difficult political time and financial time for the district this board will be instrumental and ensuring all children and staff are safe supported and protected s73 recognizes and thanks the work of our security officers in this moment across the district and all staff who are working diligently to keep students safe we represent 7,200 special education classroom assistants who service children with IEPs and 504 plans all children with IEPs and 504 plans no matter their ability I'm G say that again no matter their ability they service the whole child emotional intellectual behavioral and personal care needs in 2018 the state ordered an independent monitor to overhaul the Chicago public school special education department because of AG greous violations of fape Rights for children with disabilities one of the key problems was that special education classroom assistants were being pulled from students with disabilities and they weren't receiving their legally required minutes over six years two contract cycles and a hell of a fight with the district we have been able to strengthen Protections in our contract to support students with disabilities and prevent Seas from being pulled they are not to act as teachers assistants making copies and doing bulletin boards they are not to act as teachers they are not to be recess or lunchroom monitors they are there to service the children with disabilities The Proposal that's on the table from CTU effectively makes Who services students with disabilities a jump ball it could be an instructor's Aid a teacher's assistant or a sea for over 20 I got a finger up I've never had that there's a there's an issue with the sound oh I don't have that I have that I forgot my bullhorn oh you can hear me now all right can we also give the time back that was lost please where did you all lose me at uh jump ball jump ball all right so ctu's proposal effectively makes Who services students with disabilities in Chicago Public Schools a jump ball it could be an instructor's Aid a teachers assistant or a Seeker all three of different job descriptions and duties two separate unions you would violate our legally binding contract our labor board certification and effectively undo years of advocacy to improve special education services and CPS Seas now have clear training language all new hires are going to be required to be trained starting next year we have new professional development there is a state complaint last year around restraint training and timeouts for children with disabilities we were able to put new language in our contract that makes it so that our seas will be trained effectively and properly to avoid future State complaints seciu 73 sent a cease and assist to The District in November stating that we were clear if you all violate our legally binding contract we will sue this District sea submitted over 1,000 testimonies we are going to submit to the board today a sample of some of those testimonies about the work you're okay oh no are we back okay oh I was sabotaging myself all right so my notepad was turning off the mic sorry everybody all right okay back to the business all right so um we're going to submit testimonies from Seas about the work that they do the love that they have for children and what continues to motivate them to keep doing the work even though it's difficult please do not insult our 7,200 special education classro assistants who have fought for dignity and respect and to be recognized as the Educators that they truly are in this district for years please don't do that by watering down their contract and dismissing their advocacy we support a fair contract for the Chicago Teachers Union it's time that you all settle with CTU please just do not do it at the expense of our seas thank you all very much thank you for your comments the next union rep is Kia Banks cpaa Chief of Staff who is here in person good morning to karolina and your colleague Naomi I want to thank you you are a shining example of to represent the over 300,000 students that we're all here to serve so I wanted to acknowledge you thank you good morning members of the board CEO Martinez CPS senior leaders and all who are gathered here today I am Kia Banks the chief of staff for the Chicago principales and administrators Association I am also a former principal a former teacher but most importantly I am a proud CPS parent but before any of those titles I was just a little girl walking into a CPS classroom for the first time many years ago with my mother's voice in my ear reminding me to embrace this next chapter and always remember who I am and I share this memory with you today because this work is personal the work we do whether in classrooms boardrooms or communities shapes lives it determines the future of this city and as we welcome Chicago's first ever hybrid School Board we must ground ourselves in the one truth that must guide every decision we make our students must come first this is a historic moment it is an opportunity to forge A New Path one where collaboration replaces conflict where transparency replaces mistrust and where we all work together to build a world class public school system that all of our children deserve the system but we have to be honest we are not starting from a perfect place the system as it stands is broken it is the very reason why Chicago's leaders or School leaders were compelled to unionize we fought for and secured mandatory neutral arbit arbitration not just for ourselves but because the working conditions of our school leaders are the learning conditions for our students when school leaders are not supported our students suffer when policies are made without those closest to the work our schools struggle and when great school leaders are forced out without due process we all lose we cannot afford to lose anymore as principles we remember we remember the way students instinctively know what's fair and what's not the way they call it out without hesitation that sense of fairness that belief in what's right it's something we all once had and that shared memory is what should guide us as we lead we must acknowledge the burden that school leaders carry the weight of holding a crying child in our office or comforting a teacher after a difficult day of going home drained only to wake up to do it all over again we like my colleague at Hamline we remember standing beside families students and teachers who are just doing the work of striving for and creating a better future we make sure that they all feel supported we remember the students who come to school hungry unbathed or carrying burd far beyond their years we remember making heartbreaking calls about the unsafe environments that they may encounter we remember stretching our budgets that are Never Enough working undefined hours in ever expanding roles with no clear boundaries and yet too often the demands keep growing but the protections we need do process safeguards against retaliation resources and the ability to hire the right people remain Out Of Reach but still we show up because we remember who we are and who we do this work for and while we remember we must also demand change this board has the opportunity to set a new president to lead differently to govern in a way that values input over politics fairness over personal agendas and Student Success above everything else and that work starts today with how we engage with one another how we listen to those closest to the challenges and how we ensure that every policy every budget decision and every leadership change is made with students at the center cpaa cpaa is here not as an adversary but as a partner you have 30 seconds remaining we know that real progress won't come from division but from honest dialogue shared purpose and the courage to do what's right our students are watching us they are learning from us and the lessons We Leave Behind will shape the future of this city but let's make sure those lessons are ones that we can be proud of because like us they too will remember we have materials that we want to share with the board members we look forward to working with you as you assume this great challenge we are um looking to meet with you and share some of our concerns but we're also here to provide Solutions collaboration and partner ship with the board with management with our other labor partners with our parents and most importantly with our students thank you and have a wonderful day and welcome thank you for your comments president Harden we are now ready to call speakers from the speakers list and we will start with zica pittz speaker number one good morning my name is zenica pittz and I am a parent at moving everage Charter School my Scholars and I have been a part of the moving Everest Community for eight years um today I am speaking in support of a 10-year renewal for our school um a Charter Public School educating over 700 students almost all of whom receive free or reduced lunch um we represent the Austin Community of Chicago um I am here today as part of the collective Charter Community which serves roughly one and five students in the CPS schools we are asking for a 10year renewal or at a minimum 5year short renewals give us so much to worry about and we are asking for the opportunities to continue to support our families and our students without the thought of a short renewal in the back of our minds um I transferred my oldest scholar into moving ever Charter School in the second grade after hearing about the school culture and amazing opportunities in the walls of moving a um I do not regret that decision at all uh as I prolonged throughout the years uh I also introduced that school to other family members and friends moving aage is more than just a school it is a community um my daughter uh my first oldest child she was the in a first group of 8th grade graduating class in 23 of moving ever charter school which has continued to expand and grow you have 30 seconds remaining okay um I'm sorry I'm a little nervous um the community of moving aage starts at school and is brought home I also have to mention have moving a is one of the only charter schools that implements religion in the schools within our partnership with the B hand club for uh kids and I love the value that it has instill in myself and my children thank you today you all have a good day thank you for your comments our next two speakers are from Aero Steve mnam speaker number two and Caroline Rutherford speaker 29 I'm Steve mamy I'm a special education teacher at Octavio P Elementary in Little Village Aero Charter network my employer still has not said to us your schools are staying open another year this board passed a resolution compelling them to remain open five weeks ago our community is confused and Afraid and when students and their parents ask me what's going on I feel pretty dumb saying well there's this memorandum of understanding that CPS and Acero are working out that's a bad answer it does nothing to clarify or to ease their confusion but asero is silent they're keeping us confused they want to run out the clock they want us to move on we're trying to plan our lives we need to hear in no uncertain terms that these seven asero schools will remain open through the 2025 2026 school year for certain and we need to hear that now we need to hear that students families teachers and staff are staying together and we need a role in figuring out how that's going to work make the working mou public let us weigh in give teachers and parents a voice at the table now my school p is one of two schools not slated to be absorbed by CPS after the 2526 school year and that's some nonsense and if I had more time I would tell you about Aero divesting from our recruitment about them cutting our programs and about the data showing that we overperformed while we were underfunded but today I'll just point out that for us at p and cruise CPS absorbing five out of seven schools would not be a compromise it would be defeat the kids lose their school just the same as if all seven had closed so let's get it out of our heads that saving five out of seven is pretty good that deal tells my students they're disposable all School 30s all school year I've had students asking me why are they trying to close our school and now on top of that they're asking Mr Mac do you think ice is going to grab me when I leave school that's a direct quote from a student so this is trauma on top of trauma but you all can do something tell us we're staying open that we're staying together show us the you and bring us in to help plan this thing thank you thank you for your comments Caroline ruer speaker 29 good morning board members my name is Caroline Rutherford I'm a visual art teacher at aaro Marquez and the vice chair of the CTU Charter division I've spoken to several of you um before uh after the October 9th when Nero announced their Reckless plan to close seven of our schools I want to thank those board members who passed the resolution on December 20th directing ASO to keep our schools open and our community as whole thank you so much for that but I'm here today to talk to you about the urgency of the situation we are in now asero and CPS are negotiating an agreement specifying how to keep our schools open as Aero schools for an additional year which will provide CPS the time to transition them to Citywide district schools the CTU met with a Saro Representatives yesterday who claimed that CP s has yet to propose a concrete plan for assisting asero to keep the schools open for another year asero also threatened that if the agreement to keep the schools open for another year is not concluded by the end of February they're going to move forward with closing our schools at the end of the year regardless of that of the resolution this is very very urgent it is January 30th we have less than a month now to actually reach an agreement the has instructed the CEO and the chief portfolio officer to create a detailed plan for that transition and asero is reporting that that detailed plan has not been created Aero needs to reach an agreement with CPS and CPS needs to be serious about settling that agreement there are 2,000 students who are still in the dark about what is going to happen to their school next year there is a clear deal that can be made between Aero and CPS and neither should be dragging their feet uh to make that deal happen Aero can and should maintain the schools for another year instead of just tossing thousands of students out into chaos and CPS can begin to take over the leases of the school buildings and make appropriate Investments to ensure a healthy transition as they become CPS schools the following year parents and staff at these schools have been organizing and fighting since October 9th uh and we appreciate the resolution and the steps taken by this board to prevent the school closings but without the signed agreement and the steps to support our students and a voice from parents and staff was that just for show was the resolution just for show speaker 29 please conclude your remarks thank you board members you should review theou please ask for it ask to review it ask for the detailed plan find out how an agreement can be reached and quickly we cannot wait parents students and staff deserve to know and know now and have a voice and keeping our school communities whole thank you so much thank you for your comments our next group of speakers are from Urban prop Ezekiel Asel speaker number three Gerald Bufford speaker number 15 and Reverend Sabrina huy speaker number 20 hello I am Mr asab power of resilience class of 2027 I'm here today to request a 5year renewal for urban prep Urban prep has taught me so much from learning how to play the jimbe drum to becoming a man more over the teachers are phenomenal at doing their job not only in making sure that they teach but also understand what is being taught attending EP made me realize that black young men do not have to be on the streets we can uplift each other and become and be our brothers keepers at our school not only do we bring each other up but we also make sure that we all look good I have been giving so many chances and different opportunities to Bri brighten my future with programs like the hidden genius project and peacemakers with with those programs I can express myself in different ways be being able to express myself freely around my brothers and and having teachers say that they believe in me is they that they believe in me and the person I can become is very life-changing and I believe that other young men should be able to do the same and should be able to do and hear the same same thing in a space where they will never feel judged Ean pep doesn't give up on his students my teacher Mr dorsy would say to us when we are in class he will never stop fighting for us he will never stop helping us even if we are too much for other teach other teachers to handle and it's not just Mr dorsy it's also our Dean bam instructor and all of my other teachers who taught my brothers and me about social emotional learning and I learned how to control my own emotions and own up to my own faults you have 30 seconds remaining I know that Urban prep gives us us young black fabulous intelligent young men the ability to be successful so we request you to give Urban prep a 5-year Nole so that they can keep on changing the lives of young men show the world that we are powerful beyond measure at Urban prep not only do we let our own life shine we unconsciously give other our brothers the ability to do the same so please provide Urban prep with a 5-year renewal so that we can show show people that we believe in ourselves and we believe in Herber prep thank you thank you for your comments Gerald Bufford speaker number 15 good morning my name is Gerald Buford III and I currently serve as a personal counselor at Urban Prep Brownsville campus I stand before you today to speak on behalf of urban Prep Academy for boys a vital institution that not only serves as an educational center but also a Beacon of Hope resilience and opportunity for young black and brown men in our city Urban prep's importance cannot be overstated and it is crucial that this school remains open as a charter school in Chicago Urban prep is more than just a school is it it is a community grounded in core values and Empower its students to navigate the complexities of the world Integrity resilience accountability exceptionality relentlessness solidarity and Faith are not just words on the wall they are the Bedrock on which these young men build their Futures each day stud students begin with a Creed to affirm their worth strength and potential it is a Creed that recognizes the unique history culture and identity of African-American males teaching them to be proud of who they are and confident in what they can achieve as someone who attended a pwi high school being one of three I understand the challenges of feeling invisible of not having my history reflected in the curriculum and navigating A system that wasn't designated with people like me at a pwi I had to learn my own history which in fact is American history I didn't have the luxury of being acknowledged or celebrated for my identity Urban prep offers something profoundly different it affirms the students histories and cultures empowering them to understand themselves fully and in doing so it equips them to succeed both academically you have 30 seconds emotionally in a world that often marginalizes them the value of this approach cannot be underestimated when I look at Urban prep I see young men who are being given the tools to become leaders not just in their communities but in the world I've worked in many schools throughout Chicago and confid say Urban prep is special the staff and educators are committed to fostering not just academic success but emotional and social growth they create an environment where young black and brown boys can Thrive where they are held accountable for their actions and encouraged to be exceptional this is what makes Urban prep unique and is just isn't just preparing them for college but for life in conclusion Urban prep for boys should remain open because it provides a rare NE necessary space where young men of color are empowered to become their best selves grounding their identity and ready to navigate the the world it is a school that understands unique challenges the students faces and Rises to meet them for these reasons a many more urban prep is essential to the educational landscape of Chicago and we must ensure that it remains open for generations to come thank you thank you for your comments Reverend Sabrina Hui speaker number 20 good afternoon as a mom as a pastor as a social worker I've been fortunate to recognize the academic and social emotional kns of my son and that is the reason why I chose for him to attend Urban prep I'm here to advocate for their renewal they have provided him with not only the academic support but the also the social emotional support they have created a community not only for him but for me as well and as a service provider I recognize the importance of what it means to educate our young black and brown children my son has not only received the support but he also increased his confidence by being in this community as a parent I need to be able to collaborate with teachers and administration I need to be able to know what's going on with my son as he continues his academic Endeavors I can walk into uran prep and be greeted with love respect and compassion I can receive a call from a teacher to say hey I'm noticing this what can we do to support him and get him over the hump Urban prep has been a wonderful wonderful place for my son and I hope and pray that you will renew them thank you thank you for your comments next two speakers are from Erie Elementary Charter alejandr alejandrina nles speaker number four and Amy Franson speaker number five s has a little and she might have taken her daughter to the restroom I'm Amy fransen is it okay if I go first okay good afternoon Chicago Board of Education my name is Amy Franzen and I currently serve as the assistant principal at Erie elementary charter school since 2012 I have spent my career in the CPS Charter education world so as I stand before you today I ask that you consider realistic and logical renewal terms not just for Erie but for all the other schools in the 2025 renewal cohort something I often share with folks who are visiting Erie is that one of the biggest reasons I chose to leave my job at another Charter and join the team at Erie was erie's small town feel in the middle of a big city mom and pop in a sea of corporate with that small toown feel comes relationships with students and families that I have never had at other Charters events and traditions that are celebrated as if they are family holidays and a close-knit school that feels more like a family however with those come a number of operational Logistics that are also much less efficient due to our smaller scale systems things like recruitment and enrollment business operations and HR fall to our team along with everything else needed to successfully run a school this is especially significant when the subject of Charter renewal is brought to light the lift on a school especially a single site Charter like Erie excuse me who is engaging in the required renewal process can take so much away from day-to-day operations ranging from building administrators presence in class classrooms to teachers ability to spend time where it is truly needed since my first experience with a charter renewal in 2018 I have watched those renewal terms grow smaller and smaller dwindling down from seven-year terms to three-year terms now being the hope for schools within our current cohort in the time it takes for a single sight Charter like ours to prepare for Renewal and engage in the process we'll have to start all over again the moment we're complete with this one so on behalf of the community that I very proud ly serve I urge the board to please keep this in mind when granting realistic renewal terms to the school's undergoing renewal in the 2025 cohort thank you so much for your time thank you for your comments speaker number four alejandr Drina Nettles it looks like she had to step away so I think that's it for Erie today thank you guys so much for your time thank you for that our next speaker is Shauna Davis speaker number six got something to distribute to the board if someone would from me thank you so much good morning thank you for listening to my concerns My Name is shaa Davis and I am a teacher at Harland high school and an elected teacher representative of Harland uh LSC this topic is so very important to me that I took a zero day today to be here to bring it to your attention so according to the school code that you guys will be getting um I'm looking at Section 3 34-8 point4 in the fourth paragraph and it says the chief educational officer shall appoint a principal for the school and shall set the times and conditions of the principal's contract which in no case may be longer than two years our current principal um is still in our in current interm principal is there now and I just wanted to uh pass over the rest of my time to Mr Michael Brunson who's also a member of our LSC I'm sorry we don't allow for seating time to another speaker oh okay well just to say that the principal that is there has been over two years um came in August she came in August of 20202 and she's still there um principles according to this uh code should only be allowed for two years so I'm just saying why are we not allowed to or uh why our principles allowed to be longer than the law is allowing them to be in our uh schools as the principal or interim principal very simple we're just asking you to follow the law yes just right here so that that was basically it I'm just That's the basis of I feel for us to get our LSC uh power back because we are not as as a member of the LSC we are not a function working LSC we have the peep but we're not allowed to make the rules if you understand what I'm trying to say thank you thank you for your comments our next speaker is Leo Spiegel speaker number seven hello hello members of the board and CEO Martinez my name is Leo Spiegel and I am a senior in the award-winning theater program at sen high school I'm here today missing a day of school because Arts programs are unjustly not eligible for PE exemption waivers this policy is forcing sen to cut 38% of all of our arts classes the programs that are eligible for these waivers are using your language approved programs of study such as ibdp AP programs and more this such as is designated for programs that are again using your words required for entry into college I'm here to tell you that Arts programs fall exactly under that category members of the board I got into nyu's acting program last month because thank you thank you because and only because of of the training that I received at sen without the model that sen runs on I would have lost 38% of the rigorous training and technique building that I learned you talk about classes being required for College art classes are required for a college in fact multiple studies from the National Endowment for the Arts the Michigan Arts Education Association and the and the University of Florida say that students who receive a quality Arts education are get this more likely to enroll in college you are taking away classes that are proven to help students get into college at sen specifically and across the city all four of our art strands take multiple IB and AP courses have 30 seconds remaining thank you if you take away 38% of our arts classes those IB and AP classes will be cut it would make us less appealing to colleges and less prepared for college level classes completely reversing what the policy was meant to do in the first place members of the first ever elected board you guys have a chance to do something very special by Saving cps's top performing arts program please all I'm asking is that we add it to the agenda for next time I'm not asking for you to pass a bill right now just add to the agenda and talk about it and if you don't want to do that email me I check my email constantly please let's let's work together and save our Arts programs across the city thank you very much thank you for your comments speaker number four has returned alejandrina Nettles sorry Bor thank you um my name is alejandrina Litt and I am here to advocate for Erie charger school for uh renewal for a 10-year um I am a proud parent of a second grade dual language student at Erie and I have not witnessed for two and a half years the care dedication and passion that the Erie teachers and staff have for their students um hold on I place I now volunteer regularly at Erie and I have now seen that all I all of their feelings and what they do and say it is very true and I love their dedication to the community and the love and compassion and empathy and the strong education that they give to the kids um I am a proud I am sorry I am proud to support Erie as they go through their Char renewal and I kindly request your consideration because they work really hard and I wish that they would have more time instead of just like a short time because they work really hard so please kindly give them a tenure thank you thank you for your comments our next two speakers are from Providence Englewood Charter School Antoine Jones speaker number 8 and shin we Shelton speaker number 17 good morning esteemed board members and CEO Martinez I am Dr shenu Shelton chief operations officer at Providence Inglewood charter school also known as PEX for over 13 years I have been deeply committed to our mission of educating and empowering students as a proud member of the Chicago Charter School Community which serves 15% of students at CPS we take great pride in being part of the CPS family today I urge you to Grant PEX a 7 to 10e Renewal since our founding in 2006 as a k through 5 school with 198 stud students we have expanded to serve 445 students in grades prek through 8 located in Englewood 96% of our students are black and we provide them not only with a strong academic Foundation but also a safe nurturing and joyful learning environment our request is based on proven success PC students exceed State growth averages on the Illinois assessment of Readiness in Englewood we rank number one in reading and number two in math proficiency our families are engaged 70% participate in school events and we have earned the designation of organized on the five these achievements highlight the strength of our students families and school Community short-term renewals create unnecessary instability they disrupt long-term planning make it harder to retain staff and divert resources away from Student Success a long-term renewal will allow us to continue delivering the highquality education our students deserve I invite you to visit peex meet our students and families and see firsthand the impact of our work together let's ensure stability excellence and opportunity for the Englewood children thank you for your time and consideration thank you for your comments Antoine Jones speaker number 8 good morning my name is Dr Anton Jones the recruiter and the school counselor of Providence slew charter school over 15 years I've had the privilege of guiding our students and families through their educational Journey at PEX every day I see firsthand the transformative power of our school and the lives of our students in my role as counselor I've helped Usher over 470 graduate students graduate students into respective high schools which rign from Charter to select enrollment and abroad through our PEX promise program which was established in 2019 we have developed a robust mentoring system and an evergrowing Alumni network and a test prep resource that we have Center at our school that Ur that our students are well prepared for their academic Futures at PEX we do more than just educate we uplift we Inspire we prepare our students for success in our community we have stability we have opportunities our pecs we stand as a beacon of our academic excellence and unwavering support we're not just here for school we are a family our students strive and Thrive because they know they are seen they're valued and they're equipped for the tools to be successful our achievement speaks for themselves our students as Dr Shelton just said are exceeding in growth of averages of reading and math 30 seconds remain Fe our parents are engaged our cour is strong our impact is undeniable to continue this work we need stability we need a long-term renewal to ensure that our PEX that PEX remains a place where students can learn grow and achieve their dreams without interruptions so I invite you to come to PEX meet our students meet our faculty and see the difference that we're making every day let's work together to ensure that our children continue to have access to a high quality education that they all deserve thank you and we look forward to seeing you thank you for your comments our next speaker is Jennifer Wilson speaker number nine if I could not get the 30 second warning so it doesn't throw me off I promise I'll be on time um when I thought of this good afternoon board members my name is Jennifer Wilson and I'm the proud parent at CICS Irving Park CICS Irving Park is a true Community from the leadership to the teachers and staff there's a genuine effort to connect with every family and student student this is a core value that we hold dearly relationships are built intentionally and the school truly Embraces the idea that raising and educating children takes a village one of the thing that sets our school apart is our weekly Community Gatherings these events feel like pep rallies full of music and energy and celebration they highlight students staff and parents and they're designed to build Pride connection and joy one way they celebrate students is by naming a Kuma of the week a student who was gone above and beyond we have attended these events as a family since my oldest child who's now in seventh grade started at the school my youngest son is a diverse learner and it has been his dream to earn this coveted title well I'm happy to let you know that he started kindergarten this year and he recently became Puma of the week I remember his him screaming with excitement this is the best day of my life moments like this show how a school builds confidence and belonging for every child it's just a just as much about celebrating our community as it is about creating an environment where families feel invested the school's culture of collaboration strengthens the bond between teachers and parents which has a direct impact on learning teachers regularly reach out to share what's happening in the classroom and how we can support our children at home that connection makes it easier for parents like me to stay engaged and ensure that our kids are thriving I urge you and invite you to visit CICS Irving Park come on a Friday come see a community gathering for yourselves you'll see a diverse group of students and families who feel seen heard and speak number nine please conclude your remarks our school is proof that a one- siiz fits all approach doesn't work what we've built at CICS Irving Park is special and I hope we can find ways to replicate success for other schools across the city thank you thank you for your comments our next group of speakers are from Grom dilia Mayha speaker number 10 Nicole Cabello speaker number 18 sorry it's f I see thank you good morning Elementary keny Ada sorry sorry sorry we'll have our her statement translated by our Spanish translator oh good morning my name is adilia Mahia my son is a fourth grade student at virtual Grom Elementary I'm a member of the BAC and Pac at pack advisory committees and representative of the LSC my son has an IEP and participates and benefits from these Services he is in classes with Miss Salazar and Mr Kennedy and has told me that when he is with Miss Salasar it is hard for him to concentrate being that it is a shared class and very noisy it's not fair for my son to learn in a class so many people at Grom we have a problem with there being too many students in a limited amount of space the problem is bigger though it's that the school is not accessible according to Ada laws my son's classroom is on the second floor and I cannot access his events due to a lack of accessibility this is a problem in the whole building as there are no accessible restrooms as a parent I agree with and support the changes teachers want to their contract to protect our children create reduced class sizes and increase resources for Arts music Sports and extracurricular activities our school building is simply too small and we need an Annex or a renovation in order to have more space we need an elevator and accessible restrooms we simply ask for these basic necessities for our children thank you very much our next speaker Nicole Cabello speaker number 18 um good morning my name is Nicole Cabello I'm the parent of three students at Grim School in heish I have a fourth second and preschooler we have an overcrowding issue at Grom along with other CPS schools in the neighborhood my second grader has 38 students in his class one teacher and two taas it's hard for him to focus with so many people in one tiny room my child already suffers from xiety so he stresses when he doesn't understand something because because he's afraid to ask questions in front of so many people every single room in the school is being used so there's no room to split the class in half and the thing that concerns me as a parent is the safety the thought of an active shooter one day God forbid where do 40 people where are 40 people supposed to hide behind one another or even if a fire happened imagine 40 people trying to run out of one room we need a space for our students to grow and flourish not to be sitting on top of on top of each other shoulder toosh shoulder crammed like sardines when talking to friends whose kids go to school in the suburbs about the class sizes at my kids school they can't believe it but unfortunately it's our sad reality CPS should be embarrassed to have schools with class sizes this big not to mention the poor staff that has to deal with that many students for seven hours a day um cuz I have three and I can barely handle my three so you have 30 seconds remaining I've been fighting to for the overcrowding issues at Grom school for uh since my fourth grader even started school so that's seven years now with no resolution we need CPS to help provide us with more space whether that be a bigger School building or at the very least an Annex to expand our current space how much longer should my children have to wait thank you thank you for your comments our next two speakers are from perspectives Charter Schools Michelle handy speaker number 11 and darene Canada Pendleton speaker 23 president vice president members of the board and CPS staff good afternoon thank you for the opportunity to speak today my name is Michelle Hy and I am a parent slbo member I here today representing perspectives Charter Schools where for we all where we have been representing perspectives for two decades we've been transforming lives in Chicago southside since opening our first school in 1997 we have grown into four open enrollment schools serving a middle school and four three EXC excuse me three High School uh facilities today we proudly serve primarily African-American students many of whom will be first generation college students what makes us perspectives what makes us unique is our a disciplined Life Education model this is not just a program it's the heart of everything we do through 26 ADL principles perspectives teaches students not just how to succeed academically but also how to navigate life's challenges with resilience and integrity our students tackle rigorous coursework while engaging in transformative experiences from international travel to corporate internships and Community project you have 30 seconds remaining we look forward to continuing this work in that Spirit we respectfully request a 7 to 10 year renewal which will also allow us to further strengthen our programs provide stability and continue to serve our students and families with the commitment and excellent they deserve we are excited to partner with the new board as we embark on this journey together and invite you to visit our campuses thank you so much for your time thank you for your comments the next speaker is Dorian can Canada Pendleton Pendleton speaker 23 good afternoon everyone thank you for this opportunity to stand before you my name is Dorian Pendleton and I have the privilege of serving as prospectives Ry D jyn's principal I'm truly honored to be here to share what makes perspective such a great place for our students families and Community especially because this is where it all began the first Campus of prospectives charter school network over opened over two decades ago since opening our doors we've grown to multiple campuses throughout Chicago where we support students and families from across the city from various backgrounds but no matter which perspectives campus you will visit you'll find the same foundational elements a culture built on high expectations strong relationships and a deep belief that every student has the potential to succeed what sets perspectives apart is our discipline life uh education model we're not just focused on academics we also focus on developing character self-awareness and responsibility our students learn how to solve problems and think critically but they also learn how to set meaningful goals advocate for themselves and to lead with Integrity these life skills will serve them far behind beyond their time with us what I love most about being at prospectives is witnessing the growth of our students not only academically but also personally we see students come in the doors 30 seconds that have doubts about their abilities and over time with the right support and encouragement they transform into confident motivated individuals ready to Take On The World this transformation happens through meeting them where they are no matter their background and providing them with the tools needed to be successful whether it's through our dual credit program learning opportunities career Pathways or Hands-On learning experiences we prepare our students for success in college their careers and Beyond parents often talk about school choice and I can confidently say that perspectives is a place where families can feel certain in their decision despite the challenges we may face we continue to adapt in in everchanging world to offer a safe nurturing and academically rigorous environment 23 please remarks is challenged to achieve their best and we do this through our partnership with our students family and staff at perspectives we're more than a school we are a community and I'm incredibly proud to be a part of it we are excited to partner with the new board as we embark on this journey together and invite you to please visit our campuses thank you for your time thank you for your comments our next group of speakers are from Aspira Juan Elia elas speaker number 12 Samantha Samantha yuubi speaker number 16 Claude Holmes speaker number 19 Cynthia Yuki speaker 28 Edgar Lopez speaker 30 good morning president board member Harden and board members my name is C Yuki and I am honored to stand stand before you as a proud parent and board member of aspa charter schools representing the voices of families who like me believe in The Power of Choice in education I feel incredibly fortunate that I had the opportunity to choose a school that best serves my child's needs I wasn't forced to send them to a local school that consistently fell be fell below performance standards I had a choice and the choice made all the difference aspa has provided my child with a quality educ ation one that is rooted in smaller class sizes individualized attention and a culture of high school expectations but in order for ASA to continue delivering on its Mission we need stability a short-term renewal does not provide that I urge this board to support at least a five-year renewal so that our schools can plan effectively attract and retain with talented educated Educators and continue providing high quality education to our children we need more than just a renewal we need support more funding more stability more recognition for the work aspa has done in uplifting students who might have otherwise been left behind CPS leadership is new with fresh eyes and the ability to make meaningful changes you have the power to shape a system that supports and uplifts all school shter and District alike you can speak you can break from you have 30 seconds from the patterns of the past and Usher in a new era where parent choice is not seen as a challenge but as a right because at Le because let me be clear we the parents we have the right to choose the best education for our children and when barriers are put in place when limitations make it harder for our records to thrive you are not just restricting institutions you are restricting our children's future I urge you to give aspa and its families the stability they deserve invest in the schools that are working allow parents to continue making the choices that lead to brighter Futures thank you for your time thank you for your comments Juan elas speaker number 12 good afternoon members of the board it's so wonderful to see rooted members of the community on on the board uh it's it's a new day and it's refreshing and Miss uh member caralina thank you for representing my hero Roberto Clemente well my name is Juan alias and I'm am um uh chicagoan from Humble Park uh division in Rockwell to be exact and I currently reside in the greater Independence Park neighborhood uh thank you Miss uh member kuster for visiting aspa uh I joined aspa uh three years ago after 32 years of public service and 32 years of business in real estate specifically and affordable housing I made it a commitment to um show up to a school to that teaches business and finance because our students did not have that and we did not have that we didn't talk about that uh growing up and in our households so I took a personal um um made a personal decision after uh retiring what was I going to do with my time so I found myself in a school with wonderful teachers and extremely wonderful students with um um from all Latin American countries and they're committed to their culture they're committed to their education and they're committed to succeeding in life but today I want to focus on the critical role you have up prise in their in their in their in their lives uh a lot of students walk to school work nearby and my concern is if we don't get a Charter renewal for an extended period of time in my opinion what the maximum allows what is it going to be in a gentrifying area another condo Redevelopment is it going to be another potential site for uh a music venue uh because that's exactly what the prospect would be for that site so again thank you for your time it's been a pleasure and I look forward to working with you in the future thank you thank you for your comments our next speaker is Samantha yuii speaker number 16 she's joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute hi I have been a school counselor at Hogan Elementary School for 10 years and I have seen our school grow rapidly as both an educator and a parent so it's been heartbreaking to see and to work in Kamp's classroom hen is a successful growing neighborhood school we have added 300 students during the last three school years and have strong potential to grow more 1,080 students are currently enrolled right now right now only 55% of the neighborhood children attend Hogan the Hogan aspa charter school is closing we are the neighborhood school for many of its 46 non-graduating students we are preparing to enroll at least one classroom of their children so although we do not look Ed on paper we are completely full we have mandated smaller class sizes for our bilingual and special special education rooms we have no space to open the four we have no space to open the four uh so the four classrooms four additional classrooms yes so the four additional classrooms that we will need for the next school year we are overcrowded Hogan was so overcrowded that how so an extra school was built to relieve overcrowding for our school we want to work together with CPS and the North River School to find a solution that will benefit all children you have 30 seconds remaining we hope to resolve this space issu through collaboration and not competion please ensure that how the Albany Park Community is involved in this uh so decision-making process we asked to how our ideas and perspectives be thoughtfully considered so as you make your decision starting in the 2025 2026 school year we asked that how 200 to 300 seats um so in the building be reserved for hog and neighborhood students and we ask the how the building speaker 16 please conclude your remarks yes we asked how the building so that was meant to ease hogin overcrowding since we need for that purpose now thank you thank you for your comments our next speaker is Claude Holmes speaker 19 right good evening everyone my name is Claude Holmes Jr and I'm the CTU Council chair for Aspira as well as an educator from Antonio panoa high school and also the charter division secretary and I'm here here today to discuss the potential closure of aspir Hogan Middle School and the lack of oversight from CPS in the situation um spir Hogan once home to over 800 students since opening in 2005 now serves only 85 students while the staff has remained dedicated and committed the reality has shifted dramatically just before winter break both staff and families were informed by Administration that the school will be closing at the end of this term this news left the entire Community heartbroken especially given the short notice for many of the families Hogan was more than just a school it was their first point of stability after arriving in this country and a place of Hope in an uncertain situation this is largely the result of a spirit Financial mismanagement over a decade of previous CEOs including Fernando Grio in which CPS should have stepped in and helped aspir before now hogen has been losing enrollment for years and was not provided support and stabilizing the school now that aspir hogen is closing CPS must take responsibility and urge that the aspir network help in finding schools and jobs for students and staff that may find themselves displaced at the end of the year now there is an important precedent that I'd like you to consider a couple of years ago when hope Learning Academy suddenly closed because they decided it was no longer profitable to run the school CPS stepped in to assist students and staff where they found new school homes within the district not because it was necessary you have 30 seconds but it was the right thing to do this is a gesture it was a gesture of dignity for the staff to serve some Chicago's most vulnerable black and brown students now could keeping Hogan open for the upcoming school year be considered especially since it is in a New Year and has earned a commendable rating due to his outstanding staff and students who support and uh and disability of their education is CPS will not keep Hogan open the CPS should at the very least assist students and staff in finding new school homes therefore I hope that we can work together to find a solution to the situation and thank you for your time thank you for your comments our next speaker is Edgar Lopez speaker 30 good afternoon and thank you for this opportunity to speak before you the speaker before she was talking for Hogan public school and the issue that he brings up about Hogan closing I can't get into that because I don't have that much time but you're talking about three elementary schools within one block of each other what did you think was going to happen when you approved that let me go on to my notes now that just off the cuff um also want to welcome you to your critical role in shaping the future of Education in our city your leadership today will Define the legacy of equity and opportunity for generations to come for nearly three decades CPS has authorized charter schools in historically shter term renewals through years or less have only been issued when schools face serious challenges I SP on our last renewal C earned a 7-year extension today we stand before you to request a 5-year renewal reflecting the progress we are making and transformational work we will continue to do there's a lot going on in ASA a renewal few than 5 years comes at a significant cost it increases our operational expenses by 3 to 5% of our budget as funds that should be invested in students success additionally securing financing and renewing Capital Investments become far more difficult 30 Terms the renewal process alone consumes nearly a year and a half of our time and resources if we receive anything less than five years we will have barely 18 months between renewals before restarting the cycle again the reality is this aspa serves students who do not start at the same line as their peers in CPS we provide the intervention support systems and services that no other school is possession or willing to provide we are just Educators we just we we are just educator we are a bridge for students who otherwise would not have access to the opportunities they deserve especially future and first generation I'll be done in a minute let me skip something um I mentioned the word Equity equ your remarks speak word we hear often corporations policymaker use it frequently but too often it loses its true meaning and I'll finish with this Equity is action e is ensuring that all students regardless of zp code economic status or background have access to the same opportunities as their wealthier peers so again we urge they give us your five-year renewal um please conclude your remarks and I welcome anyone that will come visit us see what we're doing at aspa thank you for your comments our next two speakers are from DOI Veronica Payne speaker number 13 and Lucille Roberts speaker number 22 please proceed okay Grand Rising everyone my name is Lucille Roberts I am a parent coordinator with District Outreach industry in the partnership with the parent Mentor program in this role I support parents in becoming active leaders in their children education while also working to strengthen the relationship between families and Educators I am also a parent of two CPS students and through this program I have learned to advocate for myself and my children these programs have helped parents like myself find jobs in the school as tutors teachers assistants and Seekers giving us a strong voice in our children education but despite these progress our students still face major challenges recently my son received a three-day suspension his first ever I believe this was too harsh through the parent Mentor workshops I learned that black and minority students are punished more often and more severely which can push them out of the school to the school and prison pipelines instead of supporting them they face punishment Mak it harder for them to succeed this is why I stand for the black Student Success pillar it's so important it can help our students stay in school get the resources they need ensure that they can get treated fairly just like every other student and another big issue is the teacher turn over this year Al our school has had three different social study teachers this constant change make it hard for my son to learn and to adjust to the changes so my question today is you have seconds remaining thank you very much so my my question today is which board member would stand behind us and ensure that the black Student Success plan is carared through thank you all thank you for your comments our next speaker is Veronica Payne speaker number 13 good afternoon my name is Veronica capay and I am a grandmother of a CPS student and the program Direct director for district Outreach initiatives we are one of 40 partner organizations that partner with parent engagement Institute the parent Mentor program which is in over 240 schools with over 1500 parents in classrooms we have proudly been a part of this program for the past 5 years focusing our efforts on economically disadvantaged minority communities District Outreach currently serves 20 CPS School with a strong emphasis on parent engagement and Leadership and school and Community Partnership under the leadership of Miss Dory Collins our CEO District Outreach has also developed impactful programs including CPAC conscious parents of African-American children an allinclusive before and after school program that teaches arts and culture Civic engagement restorative justice mental health and Trauma and health and wellness to parents and community members we also participated in focus groups led by the face department where we contributed to discussions on key components of the black Student Success plan advocating for intervention programs in every school peace circles and more the reality is that at an alarming percentage African-American children are reading below grade level we need program specifically designed to help you not catch up but to thrive that is why before you today my ask is that this pillar does not become just words on paper I urge you to prioritize its functionality and real implementation so that it truly serves our African-American children who deeply need this support because all children deserve a chance to thrive my name is Veronica pay and I am with District Outreach initiatives thank you thank you for your comments our next speaker is LC Sama speaker number 14 who is joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute Academy Al Kelly Amber Galo pedonale second good afternoon my name is Luc and I return to you to call for an investigation and an audit into La Leon specifically pertaining to the school's Marine Leadership Academy and styz high school for misuse of funds discrimination and workplace harassment as well as Kash Ford of the LSC department for lying and harassing B members for the benefit of the previous administration at MLA Miss lemon altered official documents to prevent people who unlike them were not bad administrators from forming part of MLA and consequently allowing Novi to misuse funds we also wish to know what happened to the investigation done by investigator Kelly o Conor and what the consequences were to Christine Novi per Gonzalez and John rosmon they were only moved to other schools so that they could continue doing harm I call on Mayor Johnson to allow the Chicago Inspector General to be the person who carries out this investigation thank you our next speaker is Charlotte Meyer speaker number 21 good afternoon my name is Charlotte Meers and I have been with C circle rock for TW 12 years I am also a founding parent my son Charles Meyers was a student at circle rock and now he's a staff member acting as the culture coordinator relationship at Circle Rock are unique it's Central to who we are when my son was a young scholar here he often shared how much the school support meant to him that support inspired him to return and continue being part of this community giving back to the place that invested so much in him through programs like high jump and other Partnerships Charles was able able to grow both academically and personally he later attended Bradley University earning a degree in marketing today he leads our after school programs contining the Legacy and of excellence and care that defines circle rock as circle rock we are committed to teaching minds and touching Hearts providing a holistic education noted in the lalian values and high standards for all Scholars I am honored to represent our school in our Network standing as a testament to the equality I'm sorry Quality quality education unwavering support that call circle rock provides not just for my own child but for all Scholars you have 30 seconds remaining thank you every day I connect with our gradu who look back and say thank you for giving them an acate representation of high school would be like our graduates are successful in high school and can direct link their experiences to our school and what they are doing now to continue this momentum I give our Scholars and give our Scholars the same opportunity my son has had we want to partner with CPS and ask for stability that a five to 7-year renewal provides ensuring continued Excellence stronger Community Partnerships and a thriving future for our Scholars thank you for your support and have a great evening bye thank you for your comments our next speaker is Amy odonnell speaker number 24 good afternoon members of the Chicago Board of Education I'm Amy odonnell board chair of Northwestern settlement the proud operator of Row Elementary Charter School located in the Westtown neighborhood I'm joined today by Christian feeman our CFO I am strongly added advocating for the charter renewal of row which is not only an educational institution but also a vital Community hub for hundreds of students in their families row serves a diverse student body from nearly every neighborhood in Chicago the school provides children regardless of their background with access to a high quality education and comprehensive Support Services which help row alumni successfully trans ition to Neighborhood selective enrollment and charter high schools Ro benefits from being part of Northwestern settlement which has served Chicago's most vulnerable communities for over 130 years and thus allows row to offer services beyond the classroom our family cares Community Mental Health Center includes six full-time professional therapists who provide crucial mental health support in both English and Spanish and have been in our buildings for the past two weeks row families also have access to our food pantry emergency services and our family support specialist who helps connect sources we offer out of school time programming high quality extracurricular activities and sports Beyond school hours to promote the whole the well-being of the whole child I speak on behalf of our entire board who are committed to Rose long-term success we urge you to approve a five-year renewal of Rose Charter to provide the stability for our staff to strengthen and expand these critical Support Services essential to the success of our students thank you for your consideration R is a community school in every sense we are steadfastly committed to serving supporting and nurturing this Vibrant Community for many years to come thank you thank you for your comments our next speaker is Vanessa AAL avales speaker number 25 who is joining us virtually please enter star 6 to unmute hello good afternoon good afternoon please proceed hi my name is Fasa vas and I'm a parent at Sawyer Elementary School um back in October my my child school had a school shooting thread I'll pair the school the the whole investig it was done to a whole inv investigation but recently my children advised me they came home from school and they're like oh guess what the boy that did the threat came back to school and he's acting like nothing happened I was able to speak with the principal uh Miss Nelly robes uh per the principal she advised that they were following a protocol but as we as parents we do not feel safe sending our children to school um as well as we're sending the children to school what if something happens even so that the school is following protocol and he doesn't post it on social media like he did previously how are we supposed to send our children to school if we don't feel safe with him being there as well as we are parents we have fear of something happening because we don't know what could trigger this child and try to do something else against all other children um as well as we already have fear with immigration everything that's going on how do we feel safe sending them with that other child in school we as parents are requesting for the child to be removed from the school due to we don't feel safe the children don't feel safe we want something done instead of just a protocol that the you have 30 seconds remaining thank you I'm done thank you so much thank you for your comments our next speaker is Mark Kaplan speaker number 26 board members CEO Martinez board staff and guests who are left uh my name is Mark Kaplan I'm a community rep on the local school council at uplift Community High School as well as a leader um with North Side action for justice I want to touch on two things today the first is to call on the board and CPS to develop a much more comprehensive and inclusive plan to protect and organize students and families who are faced with attacks um through our federal agents we all should be clear under No Illusion that um the inhuman repressive actions that we've seen this last week will either stop or blow away and the Contin tax on our immigrant neighbors um will continue so being that that is what is going to be happening we must be prepared for more actions and while we totally um salute and respect the actions that were taken by the brave staff and community members at Hamline we feel like we need to be much more prepared in all communities several communities which uh just recently have had a large large influx of uh immigrant populations right um so we're calling on CPS to partner with Community organizations all around the city to develop comprehensive plans to spring into action you have 30 seconds when things are necessary to happen one of the things we also can do and we're calling on CPS is to immediately expand the sustainable Community Schools model this model which is based on pillars and principles that um at uplift where we are a sustainable community school has led to some real transformation um should be expanded immediately so that schools can really become the centers of community and so that schools can serve as the backbone um and to be able to6 please conclude your remarks necessary so that the equity that we talk about um it really becomes the dining principle of CPS thank you thank you for your comments and our last speaker from the speaker list is uh balazar Enriquez speaker number 27 uh good evening ladies and gentlemen and CEO Martinez uh board members uh my name is basar Enriquez I'm the president of the little village community council and um we're here to talk about uh the cluster program uh the needs for bilingual teachers and also the need for literacy teachers um I have a witness which I would like to let her speak regarding the cluster program uh she is I'm sorry we can't we don't allow you to seed your time okay so I'm going to read a letter or uh speech for Mrs uh Marisella carbahal so my name is Marisella carbahal I'm a proud parent from Gary Elementary in Little Village I stand with uh Gary parents and community members today to to present a letter we are sharing with you I don't know if the letter was given to you guys um describing the serious needs challenges of our our school's cluster program my son is nonverbal this is his disability so I so I am his voice this morning Gary and faragate are the only schools in little village with cluster programs yet our children are constantly short staff lack important resource and face othering every day we have witnessed staff members yelling at our yelling at children which is unacceptable and points to a failure in training and oversight our students Des serve a dedic uh dedicated day of Celebration a fully equipped sensory room and a classroom apartment set up for you have 30 just like other schools other schools and CPS have these resources and why not ours our students are also missing out on important learning exercise including field trips that offer actual school buses rather than relying on public transportation and After High School those needing continually life school programs must travel far away per good has unused space why not create a life skill program here in our own Community we ask for your immediate support and create learning environment our children deserve and also the uh noncitizen advisory Council has been talked about but has not been established and is representing my community little village and little village is on fire and all we have is a bucket of water so we're asking for your support so thank you and these are the parents and the community that pres thank you graas thank you for your comments president Harden we also have two elected officials who would like to address the board we'll begin with representative Anne Williams from the 11th District thank you so much good afternoon everyone I'm Anne Williams a state representative from the 11th District and it's great to see you all here today uh after working for most of my career to uh get us to a elected School Board it's pretty exciting to see you all here with my own eyes and I just wanted to be here to welcome you um congratulate you and extend an offer of support and partnership uh to work together to make Chicago schools the best they can be we do share that goal and and excited to see you all here doing the work that we've all many in this room have fought for for so many years so as you remember uh after in 2021 after years of public input negotiation advocacy and debate the general assembly passed legislation to bring elected School Board to Chicago for the first time of course we agreed you may recall if you followed us at the time or were engaged and I see many of you here were engaged in that discussion to do a 2-year hybrid before transitioning to a fully elected board my role came in 202 for where we uh established the maps and the procedure for moving forward and I'm sure our work is not done so I look forward to continuing to partner as we evolve this very important transition in governance as with anything worth doing there have been some bumps in the road certainly and uh things don't always go as planned but here we are here you are uh really being part of a historic transition for Chicago Public Schools our students and families and I hope hope you recognize what an exciting moment it is still for members of the community so uh I was proud to support the historic transition and a word to uh all the people that worked so hard to make it happen um it's it's really something to see um so really here just to thank you for your service and your commitment to restate our shared goals and I look forward to an ongoing partnership my doors open and I'm sure I speak for many of my colleagues at the city state and county level and letting you know that we are here for you we look forward to partnering with you and facing the many challenges ahead to make sure every student in Chicago has the opportunity to thrive and grow thanks for your time today and I look forward to seeing you uh in the future thank you for your comments the next elected official is representative an helica Guerrero cire from the I'm sorry 22nd District hello everybody uh I am state repres representative Angelica Guerrero quar don't worry about it happens my colleague can tell you how many times it happens in the G um I represent the 22nd District Southwest side of Chicago Midway Airport area I have three wonderful Chicago public high schools in my district um I'm going to talk about one of the high schools but before I get to that I do want to say that um I have the privilege of having a Southwest education advisory Council on my Southwest side which means that I talk to the principles and the leadership both from the element and the high schools in that District um that was something when I came into office that already existed that is how hanok high school was created and built that is how Richardson Elementary was created to alleviate overcrowding from both pek and pasture schools so what I'm saying is we work really hard not only with the Educators in the district but also the community and the constituents to talk about what education should look like um on the southwest side I can say that we have a great problem on the southwest side and we have overcrowding issues right and so we have a lot of families who move into our district and who want to raise their families and we are at the seams and my concern is um obviously the overcrowding issue which I will get to in a minute but before I do I want to say that um I applaud you um president Martinez for what you did um in terms of your protocol and your policies to be ready and be prepared um as an elected official we sometimes get snooze before it hits everybody else and we knew the raids were coming um not too far before you all knew um and at this meeting I was able to tell the principles and the Educators what to be ready for right and it's unfortunate um many of you asked some of the logical questions about what the next steps are I'm going to tell you that what my advice to them was um look at your attendance patterns look at who's picking up and dropping off the kids because that's going to change uh re send out those emergency contact informations let them know the protocols of who's allowed to pick up children and who's not um create a buddy system right we're talking about kids growing up in 24 hours right when Mom and Dad don't come home we're talking about them who are going to have to take over the mortgage the utility bills the groceries who takes care and get the kids ready this is what we're talking about right um perfect example is those college students who might have had the vision of going and staying on site at their college at their four-year University and dorming that plan might change now because you're now the 18 and over who now has to take care of your younger brother and sisters and if you wanted to go stay on campus that's going to change that's going to rip from that from that dream and you're going to have to stay home and you might have to revert to a community college because you have responsibilities that you didn't know that you had because Mom and Dad had never talked about it that's what I'm talking about um so I applaud you for having a policy and a protocol and set in place fears in the community I'm an elected official and I'm fearful I know what's coming I didn't have to have to talk to my kids I have two CPS students one in high school one in elementary school and I had to have very difficult conversations if you ever heard in the 1940s brown with papers that's what it looks like right now for us brown with papers I carry around a passport a copy of my passport because I'm Brown and no one's going to know if I'm an elected official or a mother or US citizen and we now heard in the media we've heard reports about you know people being picked up who are US citizens and permanent residents and Puerto Rican and if you've never taken a social studies class I mean Puerto Rico that's a property of the us so you need to be well educated on this right so I talked to you about that because those are things that we're going to we're going to see I'm working with the community organizations about guardianship workshops and my district property of assets Workshop your teachers are going to get asked by these parents to become Guardians you need to create some policies and sets in in place because there's going to be families that don't have family members here right and so I just want to make sure that those are things that you're thinking of um but I do want to talk about Hubbert High School I am a proud graduate of Hubbert High School class in 1999 and I just gave you my age but I'm okay with it um I have been a greyhound for a long time and when I came into this position I can tell you that one of the things I want to advocate for is a new building for Hubbert High School um I have state money and I had told the previous board before you arrive that I have state money available ready to be distributed to you because we were given a quote about how much a building would cost overcrowding we have 700 students Plus at hubard high school overcrowded when I say talk about the seams that's what we're talking about but we're talking about a school that has an IV program a CTE program has dual credit I mean we are the altim Morano is doing a great fantastic job at hubard and I want I invite you all to come out and take a look at it the reason I'm so proud so much just have so much passion about it is because and I happy to see Emma loano here I was there a long time ago when Little Village High School those parents were doing a hunger strike I was there with your organization and I saw that we don't need to tell our parents to do another hunger strike to get another high school that's not it we shouldn't be telling the Latino population hey we're ignoring you we're not paying attention to you we got it I'm working with stakeholders we got money we got a location we got money for that property we're here we're ready to go I just need you all to sign the paperwork and we're good and I'm GNA continue working with the schools I support my Chicago Public Schools I will always be an advocate I am a proud product of Chicago Public School System Southwest side I have hubard in my district I don't think a lot of my elected officials can say that have their their High School in their district and I do so I wear that very proudly until I invite all of you let's take a tour let's sit down at the table let's talk about it let's figure this out and get that checklist going I'm ready I'm here to work with you all of you thank you so much and again I appreciate all the work that you're doing for our schools thank you thank you for your comments president Harden this concludes public participation board members do we have any questions or comments related to public participation we're now moving to a short recess board member pop have a motion m mo1 board take a 20 minute recess I second the motion I'm sorry um was your mic on mine so I move that the board take a 20 minute recess second I second the motion thank you I'll proceed with a roll call member Lozano yes member Smith here member Lopez I member Thomas I member Bole I member kuster I member Pope I member roseno yes member Rivas yes member Rio s Sierra I member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president Bautista yes member of gutiz I member of bigs I member thod Kura yes member blae I member zacho I member D Barry I 19 i z Nays this motion is adopted by the board this meeting will now go into a 20 minute recess 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 the meeting of the board of education is reconvene we will now proceive the business portion of the meeting CEO Martinez we are ready for presentations please begin sorry thank you president Harden uh we're going to have our chief education officer to introduce uh this is our continuous Improvement data transparency policy and of course with a lot of work from our team as we set up more tools um again you know we celebrated the committee it's a very very uh strong committee that's represented by multiple multiple stakeholders but um I'll ask our chief education officer to introduce it thank you good afternoon board members I'm excited that we'll be to present to you what will be the first of monthly progress monitoring updates on the CPS strategic plan success 20209 Together We rise at each monthly board meeting you and the public will hear updates on the implementation of components of the Strategic plan celebrating the progress we're making and also elevating challenges where we all need to work harder at achieving the plan's ambitious Vision I'm going to start with briefly reorienting everyone to the theory of action articulated in our strategic plan where we lay out clear goals and strategies for every student every school the district and every community in reaching those goals we will be able to achieve the following vision the daily student experience will be rigorous joyful and Equitable and student learning and well-being will improve providing students with the skills and the competencies they need to thrive obtain family sustaining jobs achieve upward economic and social mobility and contribute to thriving communities for each of those North Stars every student every school district and every Community the Strategic plan spells out two sets of goals and two sets of strategies we have two sets of universal goals for every student every school the district and every Community Practice goals which are the school and District practices that must be true in order to achieve our vision and also evidence of student learning and well-being goals which articulate what we want to be true for our students we have two sets of strategies for how we achieve these goals accelerate Improvement practices which are those schools and District practices that we know are working and that we must continue as well as targeted priorities the areas we now require transformative work to support all of our students now we've or uh now that we have reoriented everyone to the plan let's start with our January updates I'm first going to provide an update on our theory of action for the district in this Vision the district resources and supports our accountability policy continuous Improvement and data transparency or cidt to help schools Implement those indicators and achieve their school Improvement goals I want to update you on the progress we are making towards Achi achieving this to start we're in the process of finalizing the definitions and the measures in our cidt policy the C articulates a set of indicators which are the prac practices and the conditions that should be present in every school to improve student learning and well-being CAD also shares a district responsibility for supporting School Improvement and we're in the process of defining the details around each of those indicators since June 2019 the district has been working on completely reimagining its approach to accountability so that we ground our approach to accountability in the district's Equity framework and its emphasis on targeted universalism to align the district policies to place greater emphasis on Partnerships between the district and school communities and also to apply lessons learned from past accountability policies the key principles of cidt are that accountability should start with the district district commitments the school accountability should focus on conditions and supportive learning environments and conversations about the above topics should be complemented by the use of student indicators and outcome data the creation of the policy engaged over 20,000 stakeholders in its creation and that engagement continues as we build out the indicators articulated within the policy each indicator goes through an interactive development cycle starting with an executive committee of CPS leadership engagement with a technical Committee of internal CPS and external Partners who have expertise in data and evaluation and the transparency Committee of parent labor Partners School staff students who help us develop these indicators and you met the transparency committee earlier today this is where we are in the process to finalize robust indicator development the indicators that we have completed thus far were launched on our new school profile Pages we encourage everyone to check out cps.edu schoool profiles each School profile includes a school overview a section that outlines District Investments and then reporting on CID indicators that have been finalized we are excited about the first step to strengthen transparency and we recognize that improvements in this site speciic specifically around usability are needed but please know they will be on the way there are currently eight evidence of student learning and well-being indicators available to explore student proficiency English learner progress to proficiency untrack chronic absence dropout rate fouryear graduation rate Early College and Career credentials college enrollment and persistent rate and there are also three practice indicators available to be explored high quality curriculum balanced assessment systems and out of school time and enrichment opportunities our immediate next step is to release our new growth to proficiency metric next month in February and we are continuing our work on indicator development for the remainder of indicators that will all be posted by the Fall by this fall the first set of indicators being tackled are around distributed leadership and teacher leaders development research-based academic and social emotional interventions and also indicator around rigorous instruction and specially designed instruction so as you can see uh we are hard at work on finalizing and sharing cadt indicators with the CPS community and meeting those implementation goals we updated the board at the end of the year on all of these student evidence indicators but let's look at how one of these indicators is doing in school year 25 want to start with the on track indicator through the indicator indicator development process which included stakeholder feedback we improved how we measure and report on track rates at the elementary school level we are replacing a very complicated measure with an easier metrix for schools to better identify when third three graders are on track when they need attendance support or they need academic support and in some instances when they need both intensive support in both areas at the end of quarter two this year 52% of our elementary students are on track 10% need attendance support 25% need academic support and 133% need supports in both academics and attendance we also adjusted our ninth grade onrack measure through the CT process to be on track nth graders must earn 6.5 total credits and can only fail one semester course this more rigorous measure captures whether or not students are actually on track to graduate but looking at performance in all courses not just the core content all courses and paying special attention to failure risks not just after the students field at the end of semester 1 this year 81.7% of the ninth graders are UNT track which means they have no failures at the semester 5% of the ninth graders are on track but on watch which means they have one semester failure and 13.3% of students are off track which means they have more than one semester failure as you can see the off track percent increased less than a percentage point from quarter one but we can definitely see the positive sign or celebration that we cut the number of students on watch in half and 4% more students are on track compared to quarter one let's continue the progress monitoring of the Strategic plan with the every school section when we think about the conditions and practices that must be present in our school schools many of these conditions and practices center around cultivating student connectedness and well-being there is a myriad research H that when students feel connected to their school Community when they feel a sense of belonging their outcomes will improve so as a district we have been working on engaging families and students who are most likely to become disconnected from their learning community and also connecting our highest priority students with caring adults or other interventions services and programs the together with r strategic plan includes many of these proven practices like out of school time strong multi-tiered systems of support and aligned Universal goals but when we shared the draft of the plan with Community the feedback from our stakeholders was clear that we need to keep connectedness and well-being in the Forefront and it also must be focused and using the targeted priorities so you will see connectedness and well-being in multiple parts of the plan I now want to start with quarter two data around two of the connectedness and well-being goal areas the first one is chronic absence and the second our out of school time as you know chronic absence rates have increased dramatically Nationwide after the pandemic and while we have been steadily decreasing our chronic absence rate since the pandemic we ended last year at alarming 40% of students being chronically absent which is twice the rate of prepandemic levels when we dig into this year currently 3 2.9% of our students are chronically absent if there is a good news is that this is more than four more than 3% close to 4% lower than it was last year this many days into the school year however our Together We rise goal is to reduce chronic absence by 15% in 5 years so we are trailing behind where we want to be on this particular goal this complex problem requires a lot of complex Solutions particularly in the second semester when attendance Rate rates tend to deep in any school year our office of College and Career Success has shared guidance to schools to support them in reducing chronic absentismo improve planning tools and strategies for school-based teams building connections at the school level so we work to empower and equip the mtss teams the behavioral health teams and the attendance team to support their students in a localized way at the district level we have improved our Data Systems so school teams can easily see which students need interventions these systems and visuals now provide information about attendance Broken Out by priority student groups comparisons across multiple years and also Trend analysis we have also build the new workflows when students call out for physical health absences and mental health absences nurses are now prompted to reach out to students who have two physical mental health days on record so they can engage the families capture information and also respond as needed or connect them with the services to support the students and then also at the district level we provide additional interventions which include individualized reconnection plans for students who have had extended breaks in enrollment or they have experienced extended absences from schools our redesigned student Outreach and re-engagement team Sor that may be familiar to some of you and also a new call center that we have stood up here in central office are interrupting chronic absentismo off track eighth graders before they actually transition to high school also um another support system that I want to elevate is enrollment in our pioneering pioneering programming for chronically absent off trck seniors at the high school who are close to graduating but cannot participate in in-person learning the tasso virtual learning program serves students in crisis who no who no longer need to choose between graduation and their circumstances very often these are students who are already working full-time or they have parenting responsibilities or any other um life situations one of our biggest connection Strate uh connection strategies is a robust out of school time programming we believe that by offering localized enrichment and academic program after school we give students opportunities to build different and deeper connection with the school staff with their peers making them more likely to attend school last year 42% of students participated in out of school time and we have a together Weise goal to ensure that 50% of all students participa in out of school time by the end of the plan in 2028 at quarter 2 last year 32% of students have been engaged in programming but this year we are down to 27 % of the students participating we do have more schools that offer programming so it's a wider spread and the attendance rate of students participating is slightly higher than last year but unfortunately we have reduced out of school time budget compared to last year due to central office spending cuts earlier this year so total programming is down because of this financial reduction lastly I would like to move to another section of our strategic plan every student one of the proven practices that we know we must sustain and accelerate in order to ensure that every student has a rigorous joyful and Equitable daily experience a student voice and you heard it loud and clear from the two students this morning who presented to you this practice that we have codified in together with rice plan is a commitment to continue to administer the cultivate survey districtwide let me tell you a little bit about the cultivate survey it was designed by our research Partners at the University of Chicago we are currently the largest District in the country administering this survey this survey is administered two times a year to students in fifth through 12th grade students answer questions that assess the quality of the learning conditions in their classrooms learning conditions like feedback for growth classroom Community teachers caring and many others the research from University of Chicago has identified that when these conditions are present it cultivates learning beliefs in students beliefs like I am valued I can grow I find class meaningful I am empowered and I am capable this data is then shared at the school level so the teacher teams can engage in learning cycles and practice changes to improve those conditions and the learning beliefs of their students School received the data from this fall Administration just before the winter break and this was our largest Administration over the past few years years 5 549 schools participated and 82% of the students fifth through 12th grade participated in the survey University of Chicago also measures what they call the impact question and at CPS 80% of our student survey takers agreed with the following statement I believe my answers will be used to make my school better I am also really excited to announce that the University of Chicago has recently shared early insights from their cultivate revalidation study which confirms that number one the survey reliably captur captures data around learning conditions for all students and there is no bias by students demographics the second one is improvements in learning conditions throughout the year does positively impact how students feel about school and students feeling valued in school is tied very strongly to their future attendance High School graduation college or career choices we are really excited about this L uh latest news Val validating that cultivate tool will continue to be a critical and important tool for us to capture the daily student learning experience you may wonder why we're not sharing the data we are not sharing the data because we believe it needs to stay at the school level we want schools to use this data meaningfully to drive their learning Cycles in their building and to give them the the the teachers the Educators time and space to make sence of this data and also to improve their practices we support schools in this work through our Universal professional learning plan for example this week our instructional leadership teams across all the schools had a meeting called iot Institute which kicked off on Monday with a keynote from zaretta Hammond on building student learning power that was the topic of the learning for our teachers iots then meet with our academic offices to build their school-based learning Cycles to empower student learning based on their school specific cultivate data and other data that gives them insight to the Daily student learning experience to ensure that is rigorous joyful and Equitable so now to underscore how critical it is that we double down on strategies like the cultivate survey to elevate and center student voice and their opinions about daily learning I want to end my presentation with a very quick video video clip from back ofthe Arts High School College Prep student voice has always been important to me ever since I got here I think communication is super important so we have to create safe spaces open the space to feel comfortable for them to talk about their lives because lives impact work right lives impact student work lives impact teachers work I see my ideas and perspectives being taken seriously and especially in classroom settings when I see it being practiced so if I have a suggestion and I see it being affirmed by like my teachers like I feel like that's when I feel seen we should create like first ofun environment before going to the serious topic or conver conversations to allow students to have a more honest opinion of issues that they see in school is like getting that idea of other students outside our small group a solution we proposed is going to advisories in person to get that engagement with other students and be like Oh I'm a senior are you a senior too or like are you a freshman or do you want to join any programs or clubs and just like letting them know what's available in our school so that they could join those programs and make sure that their voices are being heard partnership between students and teachers involves um including our personal experiences I think it helps enforce student voices because it's important for students to also share their background in order to make the school more connected so when we Center students in all that we do this is when we will achieve the ambitious goals that are set forward in the fiveyear Strategic plan I conclude my presentation I want to thank um all of our teams and please know that they're here if there are any uh questions comments directly to me or to any of the team members here we'll be happy to address them thank you board members any comments or questions I do have uh a question I think these are uh wonderful uh goals and uh aspirations set for our schools my question is what about uh extracurricular programs trade programs there are some schools that have had trade programs remov that that children enjoyed is there any plan to bring back those type type of programs that elevate their learning and also uh engage and Inspire them so so let me let me take a step firsto and then you add um just uh because this is an area of passion of mine so uh I think it's always important board members to have a baseline of understanding um our district has always been a leader in college uh supports always has decided that in the 2000s you know when we decided to increase graduation rates at that time the feeling was graduation was not enough College became the the goal um and so that was 20 years ago and we see the benefits of that by the way highest college going rates of anybody in the country of urban districts highest persistence rates of anybody in the country many districts are are very envious of what we have because they have not been able to accomplish that on the Career Tech side we are we frankly fell behind we frankly fell behind many of our programs became very outdated and so because of that uh we really there's a new and this is part of the Str plan a very you know is is to really be bold uh because there are so many examples around the country and examples that I've been personally involved with um and there's just so much potential and we're seeing you know a real energy the challenge of course is the scale um we you know the team evaluated all of our programs to look at where the quality was at um and so again there's a lot of work there I'm going to let bdan go from the rest but I wanted to start with that Baseline um and so and really the challenge us and the Str plan allows that to really be bold and almost really even go and de and see what's actually happening around our country today that it frankly is Leading Edge that we're just we're just getting started uh thank you s Martinez um Dr Smith um what I will add is that this presentation today just just scratched the surface on couple of indicators uh postsecondary success is a targeted strategy within the 5year Strategic plan we will be bringing you a comprehensive update here with a lot of information around um the current state of the programming some future you know plans for expansion but what I will let you know is that the team is looking for a more holistic view around what postsecondary success means like they're talking about integrated and connected Pathways that include both College and Career credentials certificates um actually stackable credentials as we like to call them credentials that students are while in high school continuing in two-year institutions for some students and in there for others continuing to afford institutions and so forth so please expect that we will do a very comprehensive update on this targeted strategy around postsecondary success today we wanted to elevate some data points that are actually measured at the end of the second quarter so they're more like a active data points and we'll continue to bring and U more information and brief you at every board meeting um that's been the request before that we provide these updates um monthly to thank you for b um I am absolutely thrilled to see a connectedness and well-being measure included um in the ways that we're thinking about school quality um I am wondering a bit though about other metrics that we have you know to look at to determine the level of connectedness and well-being that students have I wonder if there's an opportunity to include a supportive School certification in that in that rating as well for schools we know what we measure absolutely always gets done um and so I just wonder if there's an opportunity to include a couple of more metrics uh particularly that one yes and we are just at the beginning of you know rolling out indicators and metrics being very thoughtful uh but I don't know if Jeff or anyone is Jeff here if you want to add on um on specific timeline because we have a schedule um the CT policy actually does include uh the indicators that will be reported um but you know some of them are still in development yeah so the current timeline is we will have some out this summer some out in the fall and then by the end the Rest by the end of the year when it comes to each one we as as Chief says we are still working out specific so I think as we engage with subject matter experts in the district uh and the the folks you saw this morning uh and others what kind of questions they have about these different areas and we then will need to figure out what kind of information we need to report on to answer those questions so if so I I think there's absolutely space uh in the conversations in the coming months to talk about things uh Beyond what's there now and you know things like um uh support School certifications are actually on absolutely on the menu uh if there's a response to that yeah I'm sorry can you tell us your name and role please yeah oh I'm sorry I'm so sorry Jeff broom and I'm the director of school quality measurement research thanks thank you thank you for the presentation um my question is about um the indicator on out of school time and I would love to hear your understanding of why the percentage right now is slightly lower than where it was at this time last year and what are some of the biggest barriers to improving that um my understanding is that there were budget cuts this year is that the biggest driver are there other drivers um such as not being able to Source Community Partners to partner with throughout of school time that's my question thank you yeah thank you for the question because we do value this strategy a lot um it was unfortunate that the budget was cut um so technically the the way how we fund out of school programs for schools is they make requests we have a centralized funding and we provide them with the funding and the funding is used for local programs so School staff organizing and providing programs based on student interest based on what staff can do but also bringing in Partners to provide programming so it is in Connection in both we don't necessarily attribute the reduction in programs to lack of partnership or anything but it's just uh at this point stct funding the other one is um we did focus on maximizing the programs that we currently have in terms of number of students participation student attendance in the programs um and really uh preparing that but funding was the key driver for reducing the the number of programs board member po yes I appreciate very much this comprehensive report and I just like to follow up in a different way on what board member uh BS was just talking about and one of the thoughts I had and then it was perfect timing because she walked right back in is that it would be really interesting to have measures of connectedness as something that you discussed with the student voice members to hear what their ideas on how to measure and assess connectedness to a school and as an anchor in the community would be great thank you yes and um in connection to the students presentation this morning um you know myself C Martinez other key leaders we actually participated uh in the round table with the students and we are always looking for these opportunities to hear their perspectives and how we can think about the implementation of the plan so all of their recommendations that you saw um is something that we're seeking to to implement but I appreciate that and connectedness and well-being is something that is super important for us it is also one of the areas that we are Trailblazers there aren't many school districts that you will find out there that have developed indicators measures and metrics um to do this um so we are really open flexible we probably will identify certain things and maybe couple years from now we will evaluate them and we may have to modify them so we're really committed to uh continue to work not only with the research Partners but with our own stakeholders students teachers parents and school leaders yeah I'll just add something board members to bdana said um we all know you know in education that a student feeling connected in their school is one of the biggest drivers you know when we looked at Dropout rates 20 years ago that was the main issue was students just didn't feel connected to their school they felt that as soon as they stopped coming nobody even cared you know that was just so uh obvious what's exciting about this work and I want to emphasize something bdana said we Purp purposely are not using it as a high stakes tool we're using it as a tool for teachers to receive feedback on their own instruction right from their own students and it really and what's really interesting about the data when we look at it the measures around students feeling connected and feeling entrusted in an adult have never been hired so those measures which used to be what I would call our goals back the last 10 15 years never been higher the higher level practice IES are around students feeling there's a community in their classroom and that they are getting the feedback from their teacher to grow and so those are the higher level and so what's exciting is teachers are getting this input um and like said we're one of the few districts that's using it and it's and really the potential of us you know learning from practices right imagine imagining like model type practices I mean I think that's where we're going so remember you know to your point it's the right track of us constantly looking at this but really I want to make sure we're clear um because you know we use terminology a lot around us you know you you know making sure that this is really about um not evaluating it really is about how do we help a teacher really perfect their craft and really develop that environment in the classroom so that when you're in classrooms like bana and I I mean you can tell when students feel really connected the energy level it's just so so apparent and so so that's why we're building board members so again I just want to you know and it is Cutting Edge I mean I you know it shouldn't be but it really is we're one of the few districts that's really going deep on this for M Custer um I just wanted to say I know we kind of got a glimpse of the portal in our board member training and um as you've said before it's really in its infancy but I do see this as being a very robust tool there's lots of different measures there's lots of different things that we can look at and I look forward to kind of continuing this work together I see it as a really great tool even you know for our parents and communities um much like the CEO said everyone's looking for something different in their school and because this is a tool that is so robust and covers so many different measures parents looking for the best fit for their child the best thing for their child that connectedness piece the academic rigor whatever it might be um I do think that this really offers them a very comprehensive look at um their building and so um I look forward to continue working on this and thank you all and your team for the hard work Miss bin mcbr um thank you for your presentation I think it um there's some things that kind of clicked for me as you were presenting and I have so I have two questions one um it was interesting I was introduced to on track uh when it was it kind of applied to ninth grade students so it was freshman on track but this is an expansion of that IDE Ideology Now right you're doing on track for elementary cuz I I is is that accurate so we uh we have been um using Elementary on trct indicator but as I mentioned in my presentation we found it to be very complicated hard to understand and use in our schools so right now we with the work with this committee that you sell this morning and everyone else we revamped it so basically in elementary schools we're looking at students attending school what their grades are so this is what we consider you know a student being on track are we still doing freshman connection or is that still a freshman on track Yes we made um adjustments there too um in previous iterations of the Freshman on track the focus was only on core classes so basically English Math Science Social Science we have expanded this because we believe in a holistic educational approach so now we're looking at any course that the Freshman takes and whether or not they're completing the course requirements and also another Nuance that we included um for member Brown is that before it was either their on track or off track there was nothing in between yeah now we are starting to provide information that sort of puts this warning and watch we call it so School staff um everyone can have an opportunity to catch the students before they completely get off track so these are the the shifts that we have made in this metrix yes ma'am okay last question for me um So within this Together We rise framework where does black Student Success fit in that great question so um the black Student Success um plan we are waiting for the official kickoff of the plan and the release the black Student Success is a targeted strategy within the plan we will have specific indicators and metrics um they have their both practice and student outcome indicator goals and we will be reporting during this monthly meetings but outside of this every data point that we are looking at every measure of success whether or not is postsecondary Success what or not is attendance we must be looking at how each of our students groups is performing this is what targeted universalism calls for this is what Equitable approach calls for so we should be having this indepth for any indicator any measure um but the black Student Success plan will be officially kicked off in February in connection to the U Black History Month uh so more to come on the specific indicators and we'll be providing um updates on the progress at each of the board meetings um I agree with other everyone else who say how excited they are how useful these uh this uh this plan and U is looking to be uh and thank you for a very informative presentation um one easy question um and hopefully have this question too um there's there's bad out of school time and there's good out of school time can you talk about what you mean by out of school time in this context yeah I know I wish we we use a different term but um out of school time means learning and engagement for students outside of the regular hours of the school so when we say out of school time that means before school programs after school programs very often these are programs during the summer month so everything that falls outside the regularly scheduled day we consider it out of school time um and know it's probably a confusing term um happy to take your suggestions what we should call it moving forward thank you um my other question is um from a from a board standpoint we're trying to provide oversight the uneasy way to to do that is to kind of see the overall picture and see where the danger spots are um but I'm being mindful that we don't want we don't want to go from high stakes testing to like high stakes data transparency because it' be easy to say oh that school's a problem that school's a problem and and now we're all compar in schools and that's um another issue um but you know as you develop all the data do you plan to having a you know um suggested the problem do you plan to do some data Maps do some heat maps I mean or do um you know some how much is going to be drilled down how much are you sharing broadly um how much are we going to be shared you know so um how are we going to find these troubles spots without causing um you know more high stakes testing is type of issues so let me take a stab and then you go a little lower so at the highest level born members um the important thing about the Strategic plan uh the cons Improvement data transparency policy there is now a mutual accountability so it's no longer okay a school is performing not performing well on whatever metrics those are school what are you going to do about it right that's been the traditional way we also in the past used to highlight that to the public right and look at this other school is doing so much better right on this concept of if you do that that somehow you're going to get the school that's not doing better to do better right and we've learned from that that's not the right approach so the right approach is is making sure we're transparent with everybody about how schools are doing doing the analysis which is the the complaint that I get a lot from Community about well there's not equity in resources there's not equity in support and so first it comes to us to say okay what are those resources um how do we how do we make sure we target resources in the right areas the right strategies so that is the mutual so so really at the highest level think of this is is what we're putting in place when we present future budgets you get you can ask the questions okay based on what you're seeing how are you differentiating support how are you making sure you're targeting those areas where there's a struggle and then it also LS to the school Improvement plans because they're also building plans every year and they're up there and they're aligning the resources we're giving them they're aligning the supports and then it really is in the spirit of how do we help each other get better and so that's that's the at the highest level again I know will go can go a lot more in depth than I can but but I want you to know that's that's I want you to think of that tool and then of course the piece we still got to work on is how do we make this as as useful and friendly to parents as possible Right and that's still we I would argue we're still at the early early stages we're not there yet this is around the the first audience really was school leaders and US internally but again of course it's transparent so it is available to the public so again that's what the the parent piece we want to make sure we're aggressive on that as well I will um say um just two brief things that I hope address what you're saying we have departed from the times when we'll be ranking coloring schools red green yellow or anything to that um to that extent because that just is putting schools in competitive environment that is not necessarily Fair every one of our schools is situated differently and we believe that and we understand that the shared goal here and the extent to which we will study how each of our schools is doing is number one to elevate best practices how schools are addressing or approaching certain things and the other another one is to prompt the district to to intensify their supports and the resources in the schools that are not there yet so that's really the spirit of it that's why even currently the school profile Pages they share information but they do not compare schools against each other because that was really the charge from the board that we believe is needed to completely revamp the school accountability policy uh in a different way so no parents or School leaders or anyone else is expecting for us to deliver this heat maps and things like this um simply put um the intentions may have been good but the impact was harmful uh so we are uh staying away from that approach I just quick follow I think though maybe some sort of dashboard so the information districtwide like districtwide aggregate data not school by school data is digestible so we can see overall what goals we're hitting and which ones we're not yes we um I hope that we can have some follow-up conversations for um how we uh as a district can build our plan for data sharing with board members and what that could look like we definitely have a lot of tools we have here our director of data analytics that can support a lot of this work but um happy to Pro to to do this and um please know board members we're already organizing data sets by your areas so you can see um the school is readily um you know accessible to all of you um so we're doing a a lot of work around this happy to have some additional uh deep Dives and you will be also expecting from my teams the Academic Teams in the district to share a lot of memos and additional data points like for example one is coming around nape uh to all of you which is the national assessment um so you can see this and we are we're always happy to engage with you in small groups individual meetings uh or anything uh that you do and before I forget um the work around CAD has been really LED owned and supported by Boards um we actually had uh two board members as members of the um committees that work around uh the cad work so if there's some interest and you know um the board members are interested to participate in some of that we'll be happy to accommodate thank you board member Bo I I wanted to know how are we defining chronic absenteeism is it a number of days per quarter or yeah it is a number of days you want to you want to speak to that and the challenges with this but introduce yourself good afternoon um my name is Dr Sarah kemner I'm the executive director of insights and research um chronic absence represents 10 students missing 10% or more of the school days the way we do our calculations does account for if students are enrolled in the district for fewer than the standard 178 days that we then would capture them as chronically absent to for the period of time they were there so for most students who are here their full year it is 10 or more absences regardless of whether those are excused or unexcused yeah I'm glad that uh she mentioned this because that's one um common misconception so whether or not is excused or unexcused valid reason and we see many students being absent for health reasons mental health reasons or any others but definitely yeah for Lopez stay within this topic um the data right now and tighten it back to at the top of the meeting while we are seeing in some of our communities um you know and I also personally have having heard from families that they're afraid of sending their students to school uh seen the data what can we do as we see the numbers coming in and what can we put in place is it are we able to react and address the issue or are we just following the data and then reflecting back thank you yeah so um I will get started and um tell you a little bit about the process we have already an internal team cross functional team across multiple departments and offices that meets weekly specifically to not only monitor the data but to coordinate responses and supports for schools and for the district we are currently in the process of you know establishing and already I think started some of the first meetings with external partners and how this information continues to be shared we do two things the proactive work around student attendance and supporting families who now feel um disconnected and what that looks like from the school level teams from the district office but then also ident to find schools that may need a little bit more of the interventions that we can provide uh to help them it is um a very challenging situation for everyone school-based teams and staff continue to be better equipped but also they have the deep and the positive relationships with families and students so we continue to provide them with not only the data and the information but also ideas around strategies uh I mentioned call center that we have here we are leveraging some of this um approaches and our family and Community engagement team working with Community organizations to see how we can reassure families um around the fact that our schools are safe so this will be a combination not just of a data work but also Outreach work thank you or M um so like like other people up here I'm also very excited about the Strategic plan um I think it has the potential to be truly transformational in our schools um and I think that uh transformation of teaching and learning and of you know our students experience really requires a a change in mindset um a change in practices from the way many of us grew up and the way you know many of us learn how to teach for those of us who are teachers so um the question that I have is around um how we are supporting principles in um developing this new mindset and these new uh practices and then shepherding that into their school and I have this question as someone who you know just left the classroom not too many months ago um has been to gobs of PD run by different uh you know different entities knows lots of people in other schools and I would say that it's common for us to talk about rigor it's common for us to talk about continuous Improvement but it's not common for us to talk about Joy or an equity lens and what that might mean and just to be honest um the equity framework has been around five years but two weeks ago is when I first heard of targeted universalism so I feel like this stuff isn't really getting to our classrooms in the way it needs to and so I'm just yeah inquiring about the supports well this is a huge question I will probably just start uh this conversation and discuss this uh but the professional learning and the way how we work on mindsets needs to come from multiple places all around starting with professional learning we offer to teachers around curriculum resources and materials the content that they're teaching how students are engaged in that learning even cultivate is focused on mindset shifts right that we need to hear from students we need to adapt the way how we are structuring the learning experience of students um our um Equity office does inform a lot of the professional learning that happens you know from teaching and learning or anyone else right now we are starting to elevate more robust professional learning around rightful presence for students with disabilities right and what that looks like for you know clinicians for teachers for principles and for everyone else some of the best mechanisms that we found right now for professional learning to uh spread across the district is through the use of instructional leadership teams these teams that have the cont the context of their school being able to connect the district um learning opportunities with their school specific goals and priorities because every school has a school Improvement plan and then working collectively with the members of you know this faculty within each school to figure out what are the right approaches to move in that direction so there's this learning needs to happen from all angles it's not about one professional learning session or what needs to happen but our principles also have been engaged in a lot of learning alongside with their instructional leadership teams and their teachers um to promote some of this laboratory thinking focus on inclusive Partnerships and all of the components of the equity framework thank you brown um this is because you on the hot seat so I don't want to ask any more questions I just I I I'm I'm I'm feeling compelled to say this uh I'm I'm really concerned about uh historically and and even now the lack of sense of urgency on how to address the anti-black racism that has helped to destroy black communities in this city I I'm deeply concerned and I want to be a partner in the black Student Success program um there's a lot of great things happening in CPS there's been a lot of harm done and at harm and I'm bringing it up because if we're going to say never again then we we can't get antiz to the reality that I live in a neighborhood with several closed schools right I live in a neighborhood with no grocery stores but plenty of liquor stores I live in a neighborhood with slum Lords and poverty we tend to act as if poverty is a choice of the poor not that poverty is a manufactured State and so if we're going to truly be serious about Equity we also have to address and we have to be full with thinking and I'm saying this to this board we have to look at the fact that in the same neighborhood where we need a revitalization of our schools we also need a revitalization of housing we also need food production and Delivery Systems and that's the burden of leadership that we have to be able to look forward I live in the neighborhood where my grocery store burned down after the George Floyd murder it hasn't been replaced so I have to go to Oak Park to go shopping I got a little means I got a I got a what about the families that don't have it I live in a neighborhood that flooded and we were at one minute told you know in in July of last year and seniors who lived in their basements so the attack on black communities has been through a lens of hatred that's how we feel it it has been through a lens of hatred so if we're going going to do a black Student Success program it has to be a priority it has to be a priority I've worked most of my adult life in communities where people didn't have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of and when we were dealing with slum Lords it was our fault when we were fighting school closings it was our fault when we didn't have a grocery store it was our fault when our children would be being shot up with ritland it was our fault so all I'm saying is that I'm excited about the possibilities but we have to see beyond the obvious if we're talking about black Student Success then we have to be serious about rebuilding the basic quality of life institutions in Black communities that have been destroyed and also address the lack of ownership in our communities I come from a a neighborhood I grew up with men that owned the gas station look like me there was no liquor store in the corner of my block it was a whand pantry somebody looked like me owned it and if you talk to people in my age grade I'm 58 years old across the United States we have a common experience that in the 1980s something happened now I may be saying this you say what does this have to do with education everything everything there are people in this room that have never experienced a slum Lord there are people in this room that have a grocery store they got a a a Whole Foods a Treasure Island not Baba's liquor store on the corner of your block when milk is $6 so excuse me if I'm making people uncomfortable but those are my people that's my base and I'm going to lift those voices up in this space we I'm saying this to the CEO I'm saying this to the board we got to think beyond the obvious Miss bigs you were a principal at a school where there was no grocery store within a mile and a half of that school I know that because I worked with you so I'm a Believer in this and and I want to work with you all on it but we're not going to be shortsighted we're not going to be shortsighted it's not enough to tolerate black people address the wrongs that have been done and you all can be leaders in doing that you can be leaders in doing it we have endured so much baseless hatred so much so we stand with our sisters and brothers who are facing uh ice raids we stand with those sisters and brothers but we need some people to stand with us and that's what I'm talk it's a I'm I'm step back I'm going all off motion right now forgive me but if I understand everything correctly got a lot of horror stories to tell y'all a lot of horror stories about what this district has done to Black communities and it's G to change it's G to change and so I appreciate your presentation I'm not yelling at you I think you I think you know that I'm I'm just you know we we we have a moment to really be leaders be leaders and and part of that is you don't run from the truth you don't run from the smoke you run to it and so thank you all for that moment well thank you for sharing your experience um I will say what I heard is that there is a deep commitment on behalf of the board that this is a big priority I want to reassure you that this is also priority for the district that's why we're working on this black Student Success plan we welcome the opportunity to partner with you and other leaders on the board in the community to make that plan the strongest plan ever and also very well implemented but anything else that we need to do um together so we are not running away from this responsibility we have heard from the community I heard you today and before we have spoke about this I appreciate that these are important things to be elevated uh thank you everyone and board members just to conclude um so first of all I want to thank our amazing Chief education officer and all of our staff and of course the committee that you know really has helped us to really be thought Partners but I would ask of all of you as a Chicago Kid myself CPS kid who again you know um I'm not have I may not have been in your shoes um member uh board member but you haven't been in mine either right and so so we all have our shoes that are lived experiences um even as I think about my Al my some of my colleagues and Ben to Horus who saw graduating at that time as survival in fact we were called a survival cohort is what we that's that's how we refer to the kids in that time by the way I learned that later when I came to CPS and so I want us to hold multiple complexities up in the air together there's the past which again you know our team the Strategic plan we're very clear about making sure that we always always understand that past and understand the wrongs that have been done which is why you heard about how we shifted the accountability system First District in the country of this size to do that by the way not a small thing the other is that um our our urgency is reflected in the evidence and so we always want to always look at what is happening today while still remembering our history and making sure that we hold both things together and then really to your point B member really leverage the Strategic plan by including you know and you saw with even with our students including including everybody there to really really put this you know plan in place because I do see the I do see the the ability to transform the district through this plan board member boys um just a quick question the black Student Success um plan whe When was it conceived and and when did research begin I think it was um a couple years ago correct no there's no couple years um okay I'm trying to remember the exact days um I want to say October 2023 was actually when the engagement work around developing black Student Success began so a year and a half or so and um but then we didn't fund for it right away right we just did we just hire someone or or what's the what's the flow through of that so the so the yeah so just to understand just to level set so that yeah we can understand if yeah so so board members understand so the black Student Success plan is part of the Strategic plan which we started creating um right around I would say you know that October November period because we got parameters on the board and so that and so now it is part of the formal plan that it just got approved in September and then of course now we're in the resourcing and implementation um so so it's all aligned with the current plan that just got approved in September that um so that's this the five year strategic plan um that lines up with ctu's plan that lines up with the mayor's plan um to make sure that everything's Incorporated and Equity is is in the Forefront is that correct so there's definitely High alignment at a at a thousand foot level um our plan is driven by practices and evidence um so you know and it isn't it isn't 100% align No in fact that's some of the differences we still have but our plan is driven by again what we see as practices and evidence that is working um and then again but there's alignment overall at a high level about wanting to really make sure that we are supporting our students every student I got it and and so just just to flesh it out a little bit more so the black Student Success you're in a research phase now and then it moves to implementation or when when will we see that shift the black Student Success plan um will be fully released with the details the implementation you know goals and benchmarks in Fe February this month yes oh nice yes so this is what I said earlier um it will be kicked off during the black student the black history month so I believe it's 20 21st of February there will be the official kickoff of the implementation of the plan do we get to see it are we going to get a briefing on or did I miss something did we did we talk about it the team here is giving me U mod details I believe information is shared but if it wasn't shared um this event will be live streamed also up to five board members at the time yeah we did get that invitation we got that email with the invitation to go to the kickoff to the event do we get to have any input on the plan I'm wondering so so maybe because it's committees haven't been set up yet it's it's not so just trying to confirm can we defer these questions we're we're kind of going down a a deep path I'd like for us to defer the rest of these questions we can get answers to all of your questions from thank you from our chief of staff um thank you very much for presentation thank you board president lots of robust discussion on this topic we obviously not going to address everything here um but there are plenty of opportunities to continue to ask your questions and get them all answer from our cedo uh now I'd like to open question or comments up to public agenda are there any comments or questions related to our public agenda I have a comment down the question over here yes so um my comments or questions are related to your appointment as a commissioner to the public building commission I see that's on the public agenda I have three comments about it and one question one um it's hard when I only heard about it like two days ago from another board member so I'm wondering if there could be a process around hires and appointments I didn't have enough time to even understand what it was exactly because nobody reached out regarding that or that you even wanted it um my concern is a potential conflict of interest it it feels like it might blur the lines so and then of course time you know we're all some of us have been here a couple months but I would call us all new to this and um we don't know what we don't know so my question is or can you publicly comment on why you want it how you're going to ensure that the lines aren't blurred you know you make decisions on the oversight of building projects here for CPS and then um just more about the process of of appointments and that kind of thing can you tell me more about why you want to be on that room so it's a customary for the president to serve on this in this capacity uh I have an interest in understanding and serving the capacity of serving on public building commission I have a background in in development real estate development I'm not sure I understand where the potential conflict may be uh can you speak more about that I'm just afraid some of the lines could get blur this is so time consuming and and another board would be so time consuming I just don't know anything about why you want to do it or what what ex how you will ensure that you keep the jobs separate um you know I don't want to reduce your Effectiveness on either one of those AB boards and I know that this is taking up a lot we're learning you know there's 20 of us at the moment um so I just want to understand more about that why do you want to do it so I think there are a couple questions there though okay the the first though is you mentioned that there's a a concern or conflict speak more about that trying to understand where that where that is originating from I'm cons or I didn't say conflict I said potential conflict I don't know if there's a conflict I don't know enough about what the public building commission does but I do know that you have oversight over all of the building projects here in CPS correct do I have oversight or the commission has oversight you as a board president no that's not correct okay okay I don't know I I again I don't know anything about it Sean because I didn't even hear you wanted it I feel like I want to know more about why you want it and how you're going to manage that and this um again nobody I didn't hear about it till 48 hours ago okay it's hard for me to vote on something that I know nothing about okay well you you started with the concern so I was trying to address what the concern is over over time allocation I'm very effective in terms of time allocation so I don't know why there would be an issue with that okay that that's your comment I mean obviously there's some some basis for your concern I'm trying to understand what that is I guess I concerned about blurring the lines between the roles and the responsibilities again I don't know enough about the building public building commission to speak to it because I wasn't informed that you were even so you need you need more time to understand what the think I do probably so we should start with you want more time to understand what the roles and responsibilities are and I want to know why you want to do it I'd like to know more about what your interest is in this role you said I think you said historically the board president has always been the served in this capacity right and so it looked like an opportunity for me to serve for in in that capacity as well okay so are you asking for more time to understand what the public building commission well the VOE is today I guess I'll I'll take your answer and then decide on my vote correct no I'm asking are you asking for more time yes I would like more time the vot is pleas no I don't want to defer the vote okay well that that was the question I was asking are you asking to defer the vote no I don't okay all any other questions yes so my understanding is that um during training there was a presentation about um members of this board serving on other boards that there's a requirement for some of us or one of us I think in all the cases to serve on different bodies one was the Chicago Teachers pension fund one was the public buildings commission maybe there was another one as well could someone please remind us of what those bodies are and I this is just one of those that is customary for someone to serve in yeah a could this be a question for Corp Council I'm happy to speak this is ruchie Verma The General Counsel for the Board of Education um um so there are two boards that statutorily the Chicago Board of Education members have to serve on we have to appoint two members to the Chicago Teachers pension fund and one member to the public building convention thank you and um Rie can you also say like is there a time frame and when that has to happen by when uh I'm not aware of any time frame we we typically don't leave that um vacant for for too long but there is no uh statutorily required time FR thank you MH and then is there a process for the appointments or the board president just makes the appointments RI um I can double check the bylaws while we're um we're researching this but typically um the board president does have a say in how these appointments are made yeah I think part of it is how do we as board create a process by which when positions Andor conversations that we're having they're vetted that they don't appear on a agenda um last minute right and you know you get home you're going through stuff and you're like wait where' that come from you know that had not been any of the things that happened at our meetings you know the phone calls that we get from the district letting us know when things are changing so I think it's for us as a group to really really find to what that process is or the way we as a group are going to work together in in this process thank you for your question um I'm going to ask um our chief of staff um vincentia uh to add that to our um five by5 so that we can have like um like another pass through so that folks can understand those those processes or if you want to send the um sections of the bylaws um where those those things are maybe so then we can add when we when you send out your Chief of Staff report where we can find the information for those um those issues like when there's like aomination if so if we we need to take a deeper dive on um where this is coming from is this a statutory rule is this a board rule or is this like past practice um it would be helpful so I I did just find the section in the bylaws so um as I mentioned statutorily the board is required to uh select one member to serve on the PBC and then one two members to uh serve on the Chicago Teachers pension fund uh the bylaws simply say the board must select and approve one member to serve on the Board of Commissioners of the public building commission of Chicago PBC and two board members to serve on the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Teachers pension fund ctpf these appointments will be will be made by the board in alignment with guidelines provided by each of these bodies so the bylaws um do not have a defined process by which these appointments are made it's silent on that I think this is just part of the growing process right we went from seven members to 21 and um it was an appointed board and I think there was a lot more oversight from the fifth floor at that point and now that we're moving into this new phase we probably have to think about some different processes um but the public buildings commission um Ellen uh member Rosenfeld sorry um uh they work on a bunch of P different public projects all across the city um the meetings are um mainly updates on on um projects that they're working on and they do a number of projects for the schools not all of them but many of them and so they offered us a seat on their board um um but I I understand that typically it has been the president of the board who was there and I was I was on the public buildings Commission because while we were here we didn't have a president we only had a president for a week um so um that's how I ended up and so I think jeanan before uh me was on the was on PBC and I believe it it's just been how it flowed from from previous viously but talk a little bit about the time commitment board member boys it's half an hour it's one meeting a month for half an hour but I mean um that's not really a valid like you're you're you can manage your own time I have way too many jobs so I'm I'm not here to worry about anybody else's time but I do think um I do think you know it's all something something for us to think about and and and there's there's what has happened and there's what we should think through happening and we should all sort of approach each other um with sincerity and with maybe the the idea that we're we're not evil awful people that are up to something it's I think this is how it happened and now it has to happen differently and we need to talk about those things there's places we I think we're going to find these all over as much as legislation tries to cover all of the grounds and I know they Springfield worked on this for a really long long time there's lots of things that are going to be missing and we're going to have to find those things out and we're going to have to work together to like make it feel better so for Thomas please thank you uh Mr President I i' just like to speak uh just briefly to the roles and responsibilities on the pension board myself and Rafael Yan has served there for for a while and uh uh it was an exciting experience uh the time commitment is fairly heavy um whoever take gets the the appointment now will be greatly enhanced uh by the kinds of investment that that teacher's pension fund is doing um on on a Saturn note that they're doing so well that they passed legislation in Springfield that they didn't have to pay to the fund uh but will tell you there is continuing education uh uh what you learn is uh so enhancing you can even get college credit for it and lastly that um the teachers pension fund is so well managed that all of the areas in which they invest are uh excelling to the point they're they're overe excelling they if they wanted Five Points they're probably getting about seven or eight and and invest in about six areas and all of them are outperforming so whomever gets that uh I have a a huge family commitment couldn't continue it but whoever gets that appointment I I'm sure they'll if they've got the time they'll be greatly enhanced I would just ask that perhaps as we move forward uh to make some of these recommendations and appointments that whether it be in 5x fives or in this space we we get clear about a process so that any and all who are interested could be considered in those roles um because I think that would be useful for the whole uh I'd like to Echo that point um so um I I didn't learn about the appointments until it was on uh the public agenda which was released online um and so uh it was just surprising that we didn't have this information related to something we would be voting on until it was made public um so my hope is that we can work collaboratively as a board to think about those appointments especially to the Chicago Teachers pension fund I think it's really historic that we have so many uh licensed teachers on this board which I think is a really huge blessing and I would hope that uh we have uh folks that are interested in those type of positions to be able to express interest to get onto those types of boards um and then uh as it relates to that as well I'd also like to um just stress the fact that you know we are partly elected partly appointed I really hope that our elected members have the opportunity to be able to serve on those boards as well uh although the names were pulled um all you know with Sean being appointed to PBC the other two names that were listed for uh ctpf um these are all appointed members I'd really love to see the opportunity for elected members to be able to have the opportunity to serve in leadership capacities in separate boards um outside of here to represent us thank you I just want to follow up and uh second what member Rivas is saying uh I would like for us to all move as one body to inspire confidence in the public and what many people have helped made happen and I do believe the only way to inspire that public confidence is to move as one body is to have a diverse board and diverse positions and not just some people in some positions and other people left out of even knowing I I think something we could maybe do to move forward and kind of keep going with our agenda here is very similar to how we selected committees with an interest survey since we withdrew the Chicago teacher pension fund perhaps we could do some kind of survey for anyone who may be interested in that as it has to be on a future agenda and kind of go from there and have those conversations just so we can kind of wrap this up and maybe move forward and um approve this cuz we could have extensive discussion I think for a long time but maybe we take that step forward outside of here to move forward with that other um board appointment we do want to move along but I don't want to suppress any comments or questions that we have we're good we not proceed with the vote on public agenda V secretary please proceed thank you president Harden I'll proceed with the items on the public agenda read the board report numbers and brief titles I believe board member Rivas has motion mo2 regarding uh record of proceedings I move that the record of proceedings of the agenda review committee meeting of December 4th 2024 board meeting of December 12th 2024 and special board meeting of December 20th 2024 prepared by the board secretary be approved and that such uh that such record of proceedings be posted on the Chicago Board of Education website in accordance with section 206b of the open meetings act I second the motion I'll proceed with a roll call member Lano yes m member Smith yes member Lopez hi member Thomas hi member Bole hi member kuster hi member Pope yes member rosenfelt yes member Rivas yes member Rio Sierra Sierra yes member Brown yes member Bannon hi vice president Bautista yes member ceras I member bigs yes member aura yes member blae I member zachor I member DeBerry I 19 i z nay this motion is adopted by the board president Harden I'll continue with an item that does require a vote rs1 resolution appointing Shan B Harden as commissioner of the public building commission of Chicago president Harden this um item does require a vote is there a motion um so moved I'll second I'll proceed with a roll call member loano I member Smith nay member Lopez hi member Thomas yes member Bole yes member kuster I member Pope I member Rosenfeld no member revas no member Rio Sierra yes member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president Bautista yes member of gutiz obain member bigs yes member Sakura yes member Blaze I member zachor I member D Barry I 15 I three Nays one exstension this motion is adopted by the this matter is adopted by the board president har and I will continue with additional items on the public agenda that do require a vote RS4 ratify resolution regarding acting acting Inspector General Phil wagen neck president Harden for the record this resolution will be amended to note that M mayor appointed Philip the mayor appointed Philip wagon as acting Inspector General from January 10th through January 13 2025 and that the mayor further appointed Philip wagen act as permanent Inspector General on January 14th 2025 the updated report will be included in the agenda of action I'll continue with RS5 resolution by the Board of Education to support the district's application for the magnet schools assistance program RS6 resolution authorized appointment of members to lscs to fill vacancies president Harden these items do require a vote is there a motion so move I second that motion thank you I'll proceed with a roll call member Lozano I member Smith I member Lopez I member Thomas member Bole I member kuster I member Pope I member Rosenfeld yes member re Rivas yes member Rio Sierra yes member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president Bautista yes member guz I member bigs yes member thakura yes member blae I member zachor I member D Barry yes 19 i0 these matters are adopted by the board president Harden I'll continue with Communications these items do not require a vote co1 amend communication Ray 2024 2025 schedule of regular board meetings president Harden this amendment is necessary to one note that meeting locations have returned to the boardroom 42 West Madison Street Garden level and two updates to the speaker registration process and update references to the board bylaws and public participation guidelines I'll continue with CO2 amend communication Ray 2024 2025 schedule of agenda review committee meetings president Harden this this amendment is necessary to one note that meeting locations have returned to the boardroom 42 West Madison Street Garden level two updates to the speaker registration process and update references to the board bylaws and public participation guidelines and three note that the arc meetings will be comprised of three standing committee meetings um committees beginning March 202 I'll continue with CO3 communication Ray school year 2025 agenda review standing committee members Board of Education City of Chicago to the members of the Board of Education I hereby submitting the school year 2025 agenda review standing committee members pursuant to board bylaws rule 1-83 C agenda review standing committee membership shall have seven members and three alternates a chair and vice chair will be elected by each of the agenda review standing committee members uh president Haron for the record this item was draft on agenda and the final will be included in the agenda of action the names of the board members for the school year 2025 agenda review standing committees are as follows Student Success committee Jenny kuster theres Bole Jessica bigs eony DeBerry Karen zachor Emma Lozano and the alternates will be Debbie Pope Frank Niles Thomas Dr CH Ry Fest Smith operations committee Dr Cher Ry Fest Smith Anusha thakura Ellen Rosenfeld MAA Blaze Frank Niles Thomas Debbie Pope yino Lopez and alternates will be Carlos aivas Jr Angel gutiz and Karen zachor finance and audit committee Shan B Harden Olga Bautista Carlos a Rivas junor Angel Gutierrez Norma Rio Sierra and Ed Bannon G2 Brown and alternates will be Jenny kuster theres boil Anusha thakura president Harden I'll continue with items that do require a vote ex1 transfer funds op1 authorized the first renewal of the lease agreement with with Invesco one LLC pr1 authorize the third final renewal agreement with BNL Distributors Distributors Inc PR2 authorize the third final renewal agreement with Herz Furniture Systems LLC pr3 authorize the third final renewal agreements with various vendors for the purchase of furniture and related accessories and Services pr4 report on the award of construction contracts and changes to construction contracts for the capital Improvement program pr5 amend the first final renewal agreement with koft technology Corp president Harden this amendment this amendment is necessary to extend the agreement for one year incre increase the not to exceed amount I'll continue with pr6 authorize a new agreement with CDW government LLC pr7 authorized the first renewal was QBs LLC and president Harden these items do require a vote is there a motion I second the motion so moved I'll proceed with a roll call member Lozano can I skip until somebody I want to see how this goes with everybody else uh no you have to cast your vote uh abstain are you abstaining from all the items that I just read off yes member Smith yes member Lopez I member Thomas I member Bole I member kuster I member Pope member Rosenfeld yes member Rivas yes member Rio Sierra yes member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president Bautista yes member Gutierrez I member bigs I member thura yes member Blaze I member zachor hi member DeBerry I we have 18 eyes um exstension from Member Lozano for all the it items ex1 op1 and pr1 through pr7 president H I'll continue with items that do not require a vote pr8 Chief procurement officer delegation of authority report for October and November of 2024 and Chief Financial Officer report for October November 2024 ex2 report on principal contracts new EX3 report on principal contracts renewals EX4 report on the chief executive officer pursuant to board rule 5-4 ar1 board report I mean sorry report on board report recisions president Haron these items just need to be accepted by the board please mark received and filed president har I'll continue with items from the general councel that do require a vote a R2 amend the author continued retention of various outside Council law firms president Harden this amendment is necessary to increase the spending Authority for our firm number one ice Miller LLP I'll continue with AR3 amend board report um workers compensation payment for lome settlement for Mary Casey and president Harden this amendment is necessary to increase the settlement amount I'll continue with ar4 workers compensation payment for lumsum settlement for Linda Spence president Harden these items do require a vote is there a motion so moved is there a second second was it seconded by member zachor okay member Lozano I member Smith I member Lopez I member Thomas I member Bole I member kuster I member Pope hi member Rosenfeld yes member Rivas yes member Rio Sierra yes member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president Bautista yes member gutiz I member bigs yes member thakura yes member blae I member zachor I member Barry I 19 i0 nay these matters are adopted by the board president har I'll continue with an item from the chief executive officer that does require a vote ex5 warning resolution Michael Diaz 10year teacher assigned to johnf Kennedy High School president Harden this item does require a vote is there a motion so moved so second I second the motion thank you I'll proceed with a roll call member l I member Smith I member Lopez I member Thomas I member Bole I member kuster I member Pope yes member Rosenfeld yes member Ras yes member Rio Sierra yes member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president Bautista yes member guz I member bigs yes member thakura yes member BL I member zachor I member DeBerry I 19 I zero nay zero nay this matter is adopted by the board president Harden I'll continue with items from the board that do require a vote RS7 resolution approving chief executive officers recommendation to dismiss educational support Personnel RS8 resolution approving chief executive officer recommendation to dismiss probationary appointed teachers president Harden these items do require a vote is there a motion so moved second is there a second I second the motion thank you I'll proceed with a roll call member loano you're abstaining on um both reports member Smith I member Lopez I member Thomas I member Bo I member C I member Pope I member Rosenfeld yes member Rivas yes member RI sier yes member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president btia yes member guz I member BS yes member thuro yes member blae I member zachor I member DeBerry I 18 eyes one exstension from member Lozano on RS7 and RS8 zero Na's matters are adopted by the board president Harden I believe board member Lopez is motion has motion mo3 following with standard procedures based on the information I received I moved that the board adopt the minutes of the closed session meeting of December 4th 2024 December 12th 2024 and December 20th 2024 pursuant to section 2.06 of the open meeting act board members review these minutes and determine that the need for confidentiality exists therefore the minutes of the Clos session meetings held December 4th 2024 December 12th 2024 and December 20th 2024 should be maintained as confidential and not available for public inspection is there a second so moved I'll proceed with a roll call remember Lozano I member Smith I member Lopez I member Thomas I member Bole I member kuster I member Pope member Rosenfeld yes member Rivas yes member Rio Sierra yes member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president Bautista yes member gutiz I member bigs I member thakura yes member blae I member Zack I member DeBerry I 19 eyes zero Nays this motion is adopted by the board president Harden there are no further items on the public agenda we will now move into executive session board member Pope do you have a motion M4 I move uh that we um for the passage of motion number 25-13 0-4 in the commencement of a closed session to consider matters permitted under Section 2 C of the open meetings act subsection one two and 11 as specified in the motion is there a second I second the motion I'll proceed with a roll call I know but he but it's the problem is um I'm sorry member Lozano yes member Smith I member Lopez I member Thomas I member Bole I member kuster I member Pope yes member rosenville yes member revas yes member Rio SI I member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president Bautista yes member gutiz I member bigs yes member thura yes member blae I member zachor I member DeBerry I 19 I zero Nays this motion is adopted by the board this meeting will not go on a courot post 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 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 War secretary please begin can you strike the gab I'm sorry president Harden I will continue with an executive session item from the board of education this item does require a vote ar5 as noted on the public agenda is amend Council retention so the action for before the board for ar5 is amendo report 24114 ar1 authorized retention of the law firm Coen o Conor this amendment is necessary to increase the spending Authority the final report will be posted in the agenda of action president Harden this item does require a vote is there a motion so moved is there a second a second thank you I'll proceed with a roll call member loano I member Smith I member Lopez I member Thomas I member Bole no member kuster nay member Pope yes member Rosenfeld no member re Rivas no member Rio Sierra yes member Brown yes member Bannon I vice president Bautista yes member Gutierrez no member bigs no member zachor yes I'm sorry member Blaze I member DeBerry I 12 eyes six nay this item is adopted by the board president Harden there are no further items to vote on from executive session thank you is there a motion to journ I motion is there a second I second Lopez all in favor I e