Everyone can kindly take your seats. We can begin the meeting >> like this. Thanks, President Harden. Before you begin today's meeting, I would like to read a few announcements. Good morning. Welcome to the May 13,
2026 agenda review committee meeting. Before we start the meeting, I would like to share a few safety points and next meeting announcements. As you may have noticed, there is a QR code on the corner of the screen. If you scan the code, it will direct you to translate
live, which is which is a translation tool that will allow you to listen to the meeting in your choice of 230 languages. Please note that the primary exit and entrance to the boardroom is the door which you use to enter this morning. If
you're leaving the room, please use this door. The restrooms are outside the boardroom doors to your left. During the meeting, we ask that you keep all aisles and exits clear. If you need any assistance during the meeting, please wave the attention of one of our security officers. Mark your calendars
for the upcoming meeting. The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, May 28th, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. Please note the later start time. The board meeting will be held at 42 West Madison Street Garden level boardroom. For details on how to
register to speak or observe at the meetings and to learn about the speaker lottery process, please visit the Chicago Board of Education website, cpsb.org. If you have any questions about registration or public participation, please contact the board office for
assistance. Thank you for joining us today. President Harden, we are now ready for you to begin the meeting. Good morning everyone. Welcome to the Chicago Education Agenda Review Committee meeting. Today is May 13th, 2026. I'm President Shan B.
Harden. On behalf of my fellow board members, thank you for joining us today. We're holding today's agenda review committee meeting in the boardroom at the CPS Loop office, 42 West Madison Street and Garden level. I'd like to note that the board members and senior leadership are physically present in the
boardroom. Registered speakers may join us in person or virtually if they've opted to do so and registered observers are joining us in person. The agenda view committee meeting of Wednesday, May 13, 2026 is hereby called to order.
Please, board secretary, call the role. >> Member Lozano, >> present. >> Member Smith, >> present. Member Kuster >> present. >> Member Pope >> here.
>> Member Rosenfeld >> present. >> Member Rivas >> present. >> Member Brown. >> Yes ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra >> present. >> Member Bannon >> present. >> Vice President BZ >> present. >> Member Gutierrez >> present. >> Member Biggs >> present.
>> Member Thorakura >> present. >> Member Blae >> present. >> Member Zachor >> present. President Harden >> present. >> We have 16 members present. We do have a quorum. I'd also like to recognize Dr. Maline King, superintendent, chief
executive officer. Elizabeth Barton, general counsel. Dr. Kareem Assaf, chief education officer. Charles Mayfield, chief operating officer. Thank you. >> The order of the meeting will be as follows. We'll begin with public participation, go into discussion of
agenda review committee meeting items 1 through six. We'll go into recess, reconvene from recess. There'll be a discussion of agenda review committee meeting items 7 through 18, 27 through 28 and a board item.
We'll go into coal session. We'll reconvene from coal session, vote on the public agenda item, and then we will adjourn. We'll 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 a portion of the board meeting or hearing that grants district stakeholders the opportunity to address the board with their concerns and comments. We should also add compliments, too. We'll accept those.
Note that public participation is a time for the board and CPS senior leadership to listen and hear from you rather than a time for dialogue with board members during or after your remarks. And while we can't discuss personnel matters, poll participation is a key component of
transparent governance and it provides us as board members as well as senior leadership an opportunity to listen to everyone who has signed to speak. This board takes equity of voice very seriously and while we may not address your comments directly during public
participation, CPS leadership is always present at our meetings and are able to address concerns as follow-ups after the meeting. As a district and as a board, we also have many other spaces for authentic dialogue. For example, each and every one of our board members hosts
board office hours so that we can have a conversation. And we invite you to use our website cpsbee.org if you want to meet with the board member during office hours. We encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. Thank you for your
attention and consideration. And as a reminder, union representatives will be allotted 5 minutes to speak before poll participation and elected officials will be given five minutes to speak at the conclusion of poke participation. Board secretary, please share the rules of
poke participation. >> Thank you, President Hardin. Before I begin, I do want to note for the record that member Deberry has joined the meeting at 10:36 a.m. Members of the public who registered to speak were given the option to attend in
person or via an electronic format. For those who 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 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 mailed to 42 west Madison Street Garden level. Written comments received
between the day the public agenda was posted through 5:00 PM the day after the board of education meeting will be submitted to the board and published within five business days on our website at cpsb.org. Speakers, please listen while I provide
directions for public participation. I will call your name and number when it is your turn to speak. For speakers joining us virtually, as a reminder to unmute, please press star six. Once you hear your name, please state your name for the record. I will then start the
two-minute timer. When there are 30 seconds remaining, I will inform you so that you can proceed to conclude your remarks to allow for the next speaker to begin. For anyone standing with the speaker, note that in order to comply with the city's fire code, please stand along the glass partitions on the mark
spots to keep clear. Thank you. President Harden, before we begin calling speakers from the speakers list, we do have union reps who would like to address the board. We'll begin with Stacy Davis Gates, CTU president, who is here in person.
I'm late to class. Good morning. Um, so I'm going to make this quick. Um, yeah, we have this conversation with you all every year about this time. Um, we talk about a budget that is not going to do enough because it can't do enough.
Um, structurally it can't do enough. But something is happening this year too that I think is unusually cruel. Um the fact that last year we had a very similar budget picture at this time of the year. And by the time we passed the
budget, um the mayor of Chicago had surplus tiff, right? So why didn't you start with that? Because what's about to happen in school communities and households all over this city is completely unnecessary. like have a conversation with the people
who already work to narrow these gaps. So like the union, the place that I get to run, all of your stakeholder groups and the fifth floor of Chicago, how about we all come together and figure
out how to minimize trauma based on what we did already? Yeah. club for that whole room cuz everyone in here is anxious right now. They're anxious because they are running programs that work. They're anxious
because they have class sizes that work. They're anxious because they have personnel in their buildings that actually help them carry out public education in this city. So, this is something where I think everyone in this room should agree that there's a
structural deficit from Springfield. So instead of telling us that we can't send our educators down to Springfield today to actually lobby for that was wrong. CEO cancelled the trip of teachers who were supposed to go down and lobby
today. Something about something. I don't know but they're not able to go and we're facing a billion dollar. How about this? How about you tell everyone in CPS that they can get a bus and we all go down to Springfield together? How
about that? How about we show the might of the city and school district 299 in Springfield? Because every single year I have worked for the Chicago public schools. This has always been the spring that we have. So what CPS can do in this
moment is figure out how to bring the mayor and the city council on board for another large tiff surplus. We need that. Count that. Right. So that minimizes where we have to go to Springfield and look at numbers. In fact, tell the governor and the general
assembly, we coming down here for what we need because the mayor can give us this other half of it. And then in an intervening time, especially those of you who are running for office, you should figure out what the stakeholders need to look like in order to win
progressive revenue because honestly, this is a structural issue. There's not enough cutting of teachers. How do you have school without teachers? How do you have clean schools without custodial staff? How do you have classrooms that work without assistance? How do you have
school without the necessary supervisory staff in the building? How do you have it without recess monitors? How do you have school? That's what you have to ask Springfield. And that's what we have to do in chorus. So leadership is the thing
that I'm asking for in this moment. Leadership. Leadership that finally plays athletic directors and coaches who have been waiting for paychecks all year long. That's so tacky not to pay people and illegal
but structural deficit, right? But I've heard nothing except for today. Thank you all board members. And that should have been a whole board activity. You got enough time to play the politics of the election right now. The house is
on fire. You get water. You figure out how to make people safe. You put back petty grievances and you create the opportunity for solidarity and unity. So that's what we're going to need because if that's what we don't get, then this
is a completely different summer. I would like to have a summer of collegiality, of unity, of clarity, of purpose for all of us at the same time. If there are no children in the Chicago public schools, none of us are here. And in order to sustain children in the
Chicago 30 seconds remaining, >> we're going to need a school district that works. So if you have to be against mega projects, be against mega projects. If you have to be for the wealthy paying their fair share, be for the wealthy paying their fair share. But don't tell me you gonna have school next year
without teachers and pair professionals and clinicians and principles and after school and before school because it's impossible. So the budget as announced yesterday is unsatisfactory
and dead on arrival. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Caroline Rutherford, CTU charter division division vice chair who is here in person. Good morning. It is May and CPS actions are shaking the Shy Arts community's
hope for the future of this remarkable school. 22 current staff were informed during teacher appreciation week they would be fired at the end of this school year. President Harden, you stated how much confidence you have in the new Shy Arts principal, and he's working hard to
find pathways to maintain as much of the school as possible. The community is feeling very differently today with CPS choosing to dismiss 75% of the current staff. Half the academic teachers are being fired and the entire arts program and all teaching artist positions have
been cut. We have no reason to believe the arts conservatory will exist in the fall. It doesn't seem like CPS or this principal are actually trying to save the school, but instead dismantling it. Look what we were able to accomplish with Aero in saving their schools from
closure or our partnership with CPS to ensure that more than 500 Aspira students were able to find new schools mid- semester. We are asking CPS to be real partners in saving Shy Arts as the board of education promised to these families. We know there will be train
changes during this transition, but the Shy Arts community has been consistent in its priorities. All of which we have shown you are possible under CPS to retain Shy Arts current school staff and the teaching artists who make up this worldclass arts training program. To
maintain the diverse academic offerings and electives, and to preserve a block of time for all students to attend the conservatory arts classes at the end of their academic day. Every one of these priorities is possible if we partner together on a path forward. Our students
and teachers have built a community together at Shy Arts. Replacing current staff with external hires means students will lose their trusted adults. Students last week were asked their beloved teachers if they would be back next year only to be told no. There are a lot of tears. This has been a difficult year
for the Shyards community and CPS has a choice to maintain the staff. Yet they choose to cut the staff and our students are the ones to suffer. Our schools need more stability during this transition, not less. Every student deserves access to highquality arts education. The
district says they want to invest in the arts across the city. But their first step when our given this opportunity is to say it's not worth the money. We have been asked to wait for answers and while we wait, we are watching our school being stripped of everything that
matters. How can we continue to ask parents and students to stay committed to our school when we see that there is nothing left? We need CPS to partner with us in this vision now to make sure Shy Arts thrives and expands arts to more schools across the city.
This board will be voting on seven charter schools up for renewal this year. Last year's renewals were all four years or less and many were problematic and failed to identify or prevent oncoming crises. Epic Charter School was granted two years and then cost the district additional funds to prevent the
mid-year closure. Aspira received two years and then closed two high schools mid- semester, disrupting the education of over 500 students. We have heard charter operate operators and their lobbyists from Inc. stand here and ask for five, seven, up to 10year charter renewals, linking the length of their
renewal to the stability of their school, claiming the longer the renewal term, the more stable the school. But this is backwards. During Aspira's previous seven-year renewal term, there was almost no oversight from CPS into their finances for years. No early
intervention, no accurate financial assessment until it was too late. And then Aspira spiraled out of control until they closed their schools in the middle of the year. This was avoidable. A better renewal system, shorter renewal lengths, and better oversight would have meant a review of their finances much
earlier. The intervention sooner. Reasonable renew renewal terms offer more support, more stability and accountability, not less. And over the last couple years, we have seen charter schools struggle with finances. CPS released school-based budgets yesterday
that show massive cuts in funding for next year to due to the district's underfunding by Springfield. If CPA CPS faces a deficit, how can we recommend longer renewal terms knowing we don't have the finances to support these schools? Has the district taken into
consideration uh and the instability that will be caused by the charter school budget crisis into all of the renewal recommendations? Here are a few other things that we hope CPS will take into account with this year's specific renewals. One, as >> you have 30 seconds remaining.
>> As closed half their schools in the middle of their contract, creating chaos, disruption, and devastation to every community they serve. Christopher House had only two special education teachers for much of the school year when they needed five. Students are not receiving their legally required IEP
minutes. A quarter of the staff has left in the middle of the year, three principles in two years. The culture there is toxic. And Intrinsic has more than a full year of operating expenses held in reserves. They are choosing to withhold educational funding and resources from the classroom and their
students. Chicago Collegiate has seen a 16% decline in enrollment over the past four years with only 233 students remaining. Their budget submitted uh last summer predicted increases in enrollment, which is the same thing that Aspira and Epic did and could lead to
another crisis. >> Your remarks, >> are all of these things taken into consideration when determining the length of the renewals? Charter operators who put their students first should see no harm in a shorter renewal. It does not threaten enrollment or operations, but provides further
support. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next union rep is Kia Banks, CPAA president, who is here in person. Good morning. Yesterday, the CPAA issued a cease and
desist regarding the proposed budget and any implication um that any foundational assistant principal currently staffed in a CPS school is anything other than essential and foundational. CPA urges this very board to stick with
their legal obligation to keep the status quo on staffing assistant principles while we remain in active bargaining. We received a response that this very district and this board have denied our demand to cease and desist in accordance
with the law. CPAA will therefore continue to take all legal action to protect the existing foundational assistant principles in each of our buildings. Yesterday, after months of long waiting, Chicago school leaders finally received
budgets. And what we saw was disappointing, frustrating, and sad. And it is actually selfdefeating. We didn't plan to rebuild. We didn't receive a plan to rebuild this district in confidence. We did not build a plan
that restores the confidence in our district. What we see is more instability with decision decisions that move critical supports away from the children, the people who are boots on the ground, showing up, interacting, and
engaging with our students every single day. This is why I'm standing here with my colleagues by my side today and hundreds watching at their schools because they are too essential to get away to stand here before you today. Our
assistant principles keep our schools safe, support instruction, respond to student crises, work with our families, and keep the entire school community functioning. And that's just a part of the list. At a time where the needs for
our students are enormous and are continuing to grow, you all are reducing the leadership support and it is the wrong choice. That in itself is self-defeating. Let me be clear. resources,
humans, not just your programs, not just your curriculum, not just buses, but the humans that are competent and trained to meet the needs of students every single day. I do not have to be any clearer
than the research that shows right now students need more academic recovery. They have more behavioral and social emotional needs. They they add more complexity due to living situations, multilingual needs, imminent situations
and dangers that are facing our children in the schools every day. So why did why doesn't this budget acknowledge those realities and address them? The district continues to point to enrollment as the reason itself that this budget is so
self-defeating. We understand financial pressures, but families do not leave this district because we are overly and too well supported. They leave when schools are unstable. They leave when the resources disappear. They lead when they cannot have
confidence and trust the individuals that they interact with every day to create a safe and nurturing environment where they are free to learn. School leaders wanted to believe that this would be a budget reset or a reset
for our district, but instead this too much feels like business as usual and the old familiar. And there's nothing reassuring about this. Our assistant principles stand beside us here today because when
leadership support disappears, when resources are pulled, the work doesn't change. The compliance doesn't change. The needs aren't eliminated. It does eliminate the responsibility of the district. It does put you at
jeopardy of not meeting legal obligations, contractual obligations. It shifts the burden because the expectations remain the same. Families are not leaving this district because schools have too much support.
They leave when they are feeling strained and when there's no trust. >> What are we doing for our students? When are you all going to Springfield? When are you going to find new sustainable revenue? When are you going to ensure that we're not black back at this space
every year fighting the same problems where the needs are growing and the resources are shrinking? Our members were surveyed for those who are seeking reelection and those who seek to run for this board. Our members have have determined that the most important
criteria for them is that this board finds the new rea renewable sustainable resources to ensure that we have what we need to serve the students and produce the outcomes that you're asking us for.
and that is teachers, assistant principles, principles, security, lunchroom workers. >> These remarks run schools >> and we need them in the buildings. Thank you.
>> Thank you for your comments. >> President Harden will now um call speakers from the speakers list. We'll begin with Rosita Auo, speaker number 15. one to two. As the next speaker approaches the
podium, I do want to note for the record that member board member Lopez has joined the meeting as of 10:40 a.m. Thank you. >> Hi, good morning everyone. My name is Rosita Ahro and I'm honored to speak today as a proud parent and alumni
family member of Intrinsic schools. I have two children who attended Intrinsic and I can truly say this school has played a life-changing role in shaping their futures. From the moment they started here, they were given not only a strong educ education but also guidance, support,
encouragement, and a community that truly believes in them and prepare them for the life after high school. This past Saturday, my youngest, um, a member of class of 2022, graduated from Illinois State University. My daughter, who graduated from Intrinsic in 2020,
also attended Illinois State University and graduated in uh, 2024. Today, she has come full circle and returned to Intrinsic as a teacher. As a mother, seeing my daughter give back to the same school that helped her grow has been one of the proudest moments of my life.
Watching both of my children succeed after graduation from Intrinsic reassures me that this school truly helps students build a strong foundation for their future and give family hope and confidence in what is possible for their children.
Because of the positive impact Intrinsic had on my family, I decided to return this year as a parent ambassador. I wanted to give back to the community and support other families the same way intrinsic supported mine. I would also like to personally invite
each member of the board to join us for our intrinsic scholarship event on May 18 at 7 p.m. at Chicago. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> Where we will be celebrating intrinsic students being recognized as scholarships recipients through the incredible opportunity that in of the
intrinsic scholarship which helps support their postse secondary education. Intrinsic has changed lives, including my families, and that is why I strongly support and ask for a seven-year renewal contract. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments.
The next two speakers are from Noble Schools, Robert Amy. Speaker number two. Right. Uh, good morning board. My name is Robert Amy. I am the director of network operations for Noble Schools. Uh, today I want to talk to you about a problem
that is 4 years old and still has been unresolved. Butler College Prep and Corass High School shares a building on the Chicago Southside. In 2022 2023 when CPS completed its initial assessment, Butler College Prep had 652 students and
was operating at 113% of ideal capacity. Corass High School had 291 students and was operating at 30% of ideal capacity. Today school year, Butler has grown to 734 students and is now at 130%
capacity. Corus has 311 students and sits at 32%. In 3 years, that gap has not closed. It has grown and there has not been any decision. CPS has a seven-step process for exactly this situation. It starts at the school
level, escalates to the district, and concludes with a designated chief issuing a recommendation and updating theou. The process was followed. CPS own INI team completed the assessment and concluded that Butler needs more space.
Every person who has visited a building agrees that there needs to be more space. I become involved in this three years ago and I want to be honest with you. While this process has moved slowly, our students have had the luxury of not waiting. They are in overcrowded classrooms, overcrowded house hallways,
Bulla College Prep does not even have an efficient bathroom on the first floor. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. There is no student uh excuse me there is no student restroom on the first floor of that building. This is not a scheduling problem. This is not a scheduling problem. This is a dignity issue. Step
six and seven of the CPS process calls for designated chiefs to reach a consistent issue of recommendation. This has not happened. We have had meetings, visits, we have had an agreement to the problem, but we have not had a decision made in four years. So today I am asking
for the board directly. Who is the final decision maker when two principles cannot reach an agreement? And when can students and families of Butler College Prep realistically expect a resolution? Four years is too long. >> Thank you for your comments. The next
speaker is Darko Shimanovich, speaker number 25. >> Thank you. My name is Aar Shimunovich. Um good morning everybody. Since no one else has done it, I'll start with a little bit of gratitude specifically around this uh issue on Corus and Butler to board member Smith who walked the
hallways with us um around Butler College Prep. Um and actually saw a teacher sweeping her own classroom, picked up that broom and started sweeping the classroom for her. Right. That level of proximity, that level of involvement, we really appreciate um and firsthand. There are other board members here I know who have seen the space
issues that we are faced with at Butler. So, I appreciate it. I invite the rest of you to come see it. And our uh I passed around two documents. One that shows the full system, the se the sevenstep process and then the actual space utilization that Robert just talked about. Our issue here is that we
are not against coral by any means. I think that our our resolution actually provides a space for both schools. It provides additional classrooms for Butler College Prep and it actually provides a fully outfitted community center for coralists built completely to
their um to their specifications, right? That we would fully cover. So, we're trying to find a balance to actually to really do what's best for both schools. But what we're seeing is a stall at that at that step six and seven, right? when there's a leadership leadership change like there is currently a coralist and
we can't find an agreement between the two principles we need to see the process calls for a chief at CPS to intervene and come up with a decision we haven't seen that happen yet and we don't even know who the chief actually is who is in charge of doing that so we are just simply asking one can we get
who the decision maker on this issue actually is we have 30 seconds and then can we please just get a date by which we can know right so we can either move on and not process this any longer or just know and actually get the process started so kids can benefit. So again, just need to know who the decision maker is and anyone who wants to come visit
and see the actual space constraints for themselves, I'm happy to take you on a tour myself. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it. >> Thank you for your comments. The next group of speakers are from Aero Schools, Lzette Ilios. Uh speaker number three who's joining
virtually, please enter star six to unmute. President Harden directivist. US 2023. Gracias. Okay, >> we'll have the statement translated. >> Good morning, board president Shan Harden, CEO Dr. King. Members of the
board, my name is Gilis Ilikox and I represent Victoria Sto and Brighton Park, both parts of the Aero network. I'm the mother of three which attend 11th, 9th and 8th grade. At their schools, they feel safe, listened to,
respected, and included. My experience at Asetto schools has surpassed my expectations. From day one, teachers and administrators have given us support and a welcoming environment. Their commitment to academic success and the well-being of our families has
confirmed that we have made the best decision for our children's education. Thanks to this experience, I've become more involved in my children's educations as a volunteer, attending school meetings at participating at the Padres Compados program and the Unidos
US 2023 conference. I am grateful for the resources and opportunities ASET offers families. I'm proud of being part of this community and I hope to continue this journey with Acetto Schools. I also ask this board to continue supporting and
keeping open our charter schools. Aetto schools don't just educate our children, they strengthen our families and communities. Thank you. Thank you. The next uh four other speakers are also from Aero
schools all joining virtually. Ruby Mendoza, speaker 14. Jasine Tobar speaker 23. Valeria Vario, speaker 24, and Isaac KR, speaker number 30.
Ruby Mendoza, speaker 14. Hello, distinguished board members. My name is Ruby Mendoza. I am a senior at Sto High School. During my time at this school, I have developed strong connections not only with classmates,
but also with teammates. I have always been a shy person, but this school has helped me open up and shape the person who I am today. We have supportive teachers who help us with our academic and personal lives.
The opportunities to participate in a team sport has allowed me to build my connections and helped me open up and find the confidence as who I am as a person. Playing sports is a coping mechanism,
a place to be able to let my emotions out in a healthy way with the support of my coaches. Soda is a school that doesn't give up on students when they are struggling. They keep pushing us because they see the potential we have no matter what the circumstances are.
Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Jasine Tobar, speaker 23. Hello distinguished board members. I'm Jasmine Tovar, a senior at Victoria Sto. I have spoken to you all before and here I am again to express my gratitude to
Sodto. The staff here genuinely wanted to build a strong connection with me and all the students. They have constantly supported me in growing as a student but also as my own person. They have pushed me when I needed them to and supported me when I needed time. Sodto has also
helped me branch out from being shy. I joined academic clubs and sports with the support and push from the staff. I have changed in many ways since my first year at Sodto and it's been a great journey. The staff here at Sodto are amazing and I couldn't have asked for more supportive people. I asked the
board to consider giving a 5-year extension to the charter schools so that other students can have the same opportunity to find the same community I have. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Valeria Variel speaker 24.
>> Dear esteemed board members, I'm Valer Va and as a student from as a graduated student from Hovitar and soon to graduate from Victoria High School. I have always been comfortable with the network. One of the main things I love about these schools is the amount of
support and communication I get from teachers and staff. When I first got to Victoria Sto High School at 14 years old, I didn't really have an idea of who I was or wanted to be. But through the support of my peers and especially my
teachers, I know what I want to major in college and I know how to get to my goals in life. This school has made it possible for my parents and me to choose which college to attend. And one of the main reasons for that is the charter the schools receive. The charter that CPS
gives to Aero has been such a relief to my parents through my whole life and education. This school network has helped me in so many things such as self-improvement and reflection, great support system and amazing bonds with
peers and teachers, relief from my parents focusing on other payments and such things and many opportunities for the present and many more opportunities I didn't think were available for my future. which is why me and my peers are asking you to help us reinstate our
charter so the lowerassmen in NATO can have the same and if not bigger and better opportunities and better education. Thank you for listening. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from um the Asero group is Isaac
Kar speaker number 30. >> Hello distinguished board members. As a student from my experience over the last four years has been really great. This school has showed me a lot of things. It has showed me how to get along with people. It has brought a lot of kids together and it has taught me how to
work in a team. Our teachers and staff are the best. They have given us all. They have given us nothing but the best and given us a clean and safe environment to study in. Our teachers are really fun and they try their best
to teach us whatever everything we know so far. They never give up on us. Even if we're having a bad day, they push us through it. They have motivated me to do something after high school. I know I
didn't know what to do at I knew I did not want to go to college, but they encouraged me encouraged me and taught me that there are other alternatives so that I could have a better future. I decided to go to trade school and I am
planning to go right after high school. I would like this opportunity to continue to be available for my siblings in my community. I want my community to have the same chance as I did at this high school. I ask our charter renewal so that those younger in my community
can have a great high school experience and an amazing opportunity. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next three speakers are from the Academy for Global Citizenship. Baron Solace, speaker number four.
>> Hi board members. It's me, Benisa Sales, the principal of Academy for Global Citizenship. Um, I'm here to speak about our charter renewal and ask for a 10-year charter renewal at AGC. AGC has demonstrated nearly for two decades academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, and
deep partnership with Chicago families and with CPS. All of you have visited our school. Thank you so much. And I thank you for taking time to engage in dialogue with myself and our team. Over the past three years, AGC has earned um the state of
Illinois commendable designation, which that growth reflects our continuous adaptability commitment for continuous improvement. In the UFC's five essential survey, AGC has consistently been rated in the green as organized and well organized, demonstrating strong
leadership, ambitious instruction, collaborative teachers, supportive environments, and involved families. This year, 99.9% of our students participated in the survey. That's an extraordinary reflection of our student voice and community trust. This year, 100% of our eighth graders will graduate
with our dual language IB program. And I'm proud to announce to all of you that 100% of them earned this Illinois seal of biiteracy. And 100% of them have a choice of where to go to their high school, including IB and selective enrollment programs. Most importantly, AGC delivers these outcomes while
serving students through the dual language and IB framework that is both rigorous and inclusive. All while ensuring that our kids become the best ancestors as they immerse themselves in environmental stewardship. On Monday, we received our CPS OSD's charter renewal
recite visit report and AGC earned an overall rating of 95, which identifies a strong performance, which further validates the strong operational excellence, compliance, and impact. Beyond academics, we serve as a sustainable community school model and innovative incubator for practices across the district from dual language
to wellness sustainability initiatives. Our renewal would provide us the stability for continuing to make long-term investments in our students, families, and community, and the broader CPS community. We're more than just a school. We're a community anchor, a trusted partner, a model of what's possible with high expectations spread
with equity, innovation, and deep community partnership. Believe me, this is the community that I was born in. This is what I still reside in, and this is the vow I've made to continue to serve in this community. I respectfully urge the ver the board for a 10-year charter renewal for AGC. I thank you for
your continued leadership and advocacy for all of the Chicago's children and families and shout out to Karim for her wonderful leadership. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Sadi Kulquit, speaker number nine who's joining us virtually. Please
enter star six to unmute. the D callquit speaker number nine. >> Yes. Can you hear me now? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Thank you. Good morning board members. My name is Sadique Kquit. I am a former staff member at the Academy for Global
Citizenship. I am also um a lifelong resident of Chicago, a product of Chicago public schools and have a unique vantage point in terms of being a product uh of the school system, both
public and private here in the city. But as a staff member, I served as the plant-based program coordinator. But I want to speak to the school culture, the student voice, and uh the diversity uh in the school. And I have just a few
points here. One, because you can't see me, I think it's important to note that I am uh an African-American male and I am also uh above the age of 50. And so I think that is important in speaking to
the school culture and even the embrace that I felt as a member of the staff. So one uh is cultural intentional inclusion. AGC does a great job and one of the things I appreciated the most about my time there was the
intentionality behind the school culture. Um diversity wasn't just acknowledged, it was really celebrated. uh and space was created for students, families and staff members of different cultural backgrounds to be feel to be
felt, seen, heard, and respected. Also, student voice was encouraged. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> Uh in my experience, student voice wasn't just uh something that we talked about, but students were encouraged to ask questions, share perspectives, and
engage. uh education was connected to real life and real community um with the parents, staff uh and uh members of the community involved and it is a model worth celebrating in Chicago and I think
something that should continue uh and the staff and the people that put together the uh the daily culture um do an excellent job. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from Academy for Global
Citizenship is Ivan Sar Sarabia, speaker 22. >> Thank you. Uh good morning board. Uh my name is Ivan Sarabia. I'm a lead dual language teacher at the Academy for Global Citizenship. Uh AGC is a special environment where educators are
supported uh to teach the whole child hands-on every day. Uh we're located in the southwest side of Chicago and uh we're part of our hardworking community. Our curriculum reflects a rich culture and lived experience of our students and families. The core of our academic model
is the international balari at the IB framework in both AMP and PYP. Uh we also have inquiry based instruction as well as a two-way immersion dual language program. We support bilingualism, biiteracy and
biculturalism. Our program starts at 8020 in our K1 classroom and uh we deliver uh our instruction through multi-age village structure. So K1s are paired together. My classroom is a second and third grade classroom where I
have both second and third graders and I find that this allows uh for collaborative inquiry and mentorship. We have eighth graders that will come down and do some mentor times during their like recess if they don't want to go outside so they can support the younger learners. Um, our whole child focus also
does uh we have teaching kitchens in all of our villages. Um, so this past unit I just did uh ancient civilizations. So with my students we made a a handpull noodles to represent China. We ate uh quinoa and potatoes for the Incan Empire
Empire. We did uh squash and maple syrup for our indigenous people here in America. Our 30 seconds remain >> middle school students earn food handler certificates so that they can connect academic learning to employment skills. They helped make lunch for us and they
can work on a market we have on site and um this collaborative environment mandates uh we have strong co-planning with our diverse learners and our ESL teachers and it gives educators the flexibility and space needed to make a real impact. Thank you for supporting our mission and
our community. >> Thank you for your comments. The next five speakers are from Chicago High School for the Arts, Gustava Cortina. Speaker number five Good morning. My name is Gustavo Cortinz. I'm a drummer, composer,
producer, and educator. I was deeply honored to be named the Chicago One of the Year 2025 by the Chicago Tribune. And one of the greatest privileges of my life has been serving as a drum set instructor at the Chicago High School
for the Arts, where I have worked alongside extraordinary artists and educators since 2022. At Chai Arts, we do a lot more than just teach artistic technique. We cultivate vision. Year after year, we help young people grow
beyond what they believed was possible. I have traveled around the world sharing music and I can say with complete conviction that what happens at Shy Arts is rare, beautiful and deeply important. And it is from that perspective that I
stand here today with uncertainty, distress and profound disappointment. We are now three weeks away from the end of the school year and there is still no clear path forward for pre-professional arts training at Shy Arts. no meaningful
initiative and no demonstrated urgency to preserve the hours of conservatory training. Retain the expertise of over 50 teaching artists or protect the countless bonds of mentorship, partnership, and inspiration that Shy Arts continues to provide to our diverse
communities every single day. Our incoming principal is talking of adding a six conservatory, but we haven't even heard about the funding for the five that we have right now. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. I cannot stress enough how urgent this is. CPS and incoming leadership claim that there
will be pre-professional arts training taught by working artists next year. But what concrete actions have we been have we seen to make sure that this happens? Please do not jeopardize the future of this institution a moment longer. Commit funding for our conservatories. Work
with our teacher leaders to build schedules and course offerings that suit the needs of our students. And start the hiring process for teaching artists. There's no time left to lose. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Dara Miller, speaker number
six. Hello. Last fall, this board called Shy Arts a gym and committed to preserving our conservatory to the greatest extent practicable. Yet with only weeks left in the school year, our community is still waiting to see that commitment in action. The conservatory is the heart of
Shy Arts. It is why students want to come to Shy Arts and why families want to send them. Yet, there is no clear indication that any teaching artists will be hired into a conservatory program next year. Without a clear hiring path, we are on track to lose the very experts who built this school and who make it the gym that it is. Last
Friday night, I watched the best freshman theater performance I have seen from ninth grade students in over a decade of watching Shy Arts performances. It is devastating to wonder if those students will have the same highc caliber mentors to guide them in their artistic journey next year.
This uncertainty extends to the scholar half of our scholar artists as well. Reduced staff allocations leads to fewer course offerings as I have seen before in our scheduling committees. This week, as I celebrated with my juniors in AP literature, many of whom just earned perfect scores on their ACT reading and
English and felt confident in their AP exams, I've also been thinking about their academic options. Our students deserve choice and challenge, not at a fault of a bare minimum graduation requirement because we lack the staff to offer variety. As of today, we have no finalized course catalog and no bell
schedule. So, we don't know what opportunities may be available to our students. Our students and families deserve to end the year with excitement for the future, not anxiety over the unknown. We need CPS to prioritize decisions that align with our community's priorities. The lack of progress shows it is not enough to
merely collect surveys and periodically check in with teacher leaders. CPS must engage us with as real partners in this transition. As we make decisions about schedules and hiring and outline a clear pathway for maintaining our conservatory program, we are asking you to honor your word to our students and school
community. Please work with us to ensure Shy Arts continues to shine for the students who call it home. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Lisa Miranda, speaker 16. I have begun to suspect that I will never win the actual lottery due to my
luck that's been used up winning this one. But 6 months ago, you approved the transition of Shy Arts to a CPS school and committed to preserving our unique conservatory model as much as practical. Today, the Shy Arts community feels like
a family standing in a hospital hallway during a medical crisis, waiting for someone to tell us whether the doctor will provide the resources needed for the patient to survive. And the hardest part is I believe most of you think this
patient is extraordinary. Our children found something rare at Shy Arts. For many students, this school is the first place they have truly felt seen. But when families still do not know what next year will look like, when staffing is uncertain. When the future
of the conservity conservatory feels unclear, anxiety spreads. And in a medical emergency, the anxiety itself becomes part of that injury. Every day, our children are coming home crying because another mentor, teaching artist,
teacher, counselor, or support staff member will no longer be at Shy Arts next year because they can no longer wait for CPS to decide if their position will be funded. Parents are being told to stay calm and
be patient while watching our school's vital signs drop in real time. Our community should not still be wondering whether the leadership responsible for this transition to do what is needed to protect the thing that is giving our children life. So today I
am asking this board to make good on its intended preservation of the Shy Arts Conservatory model and academic rigor including the budget allocation needed to maintain the professional teaching artists, teachers and staff necessary. So Shy Arts will continue as a
preeminent public arts conservatory open to all CPS students regardless of neighborhood or family income. our school and our community cannot survive indefinitely on life support or your
best intentions. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Phoebe Peterson, speaker 26. >> Hello, my name is Phoebe Peterson and I'm a special education teacher at Chai Arts. Last week, half the special
education department was laid off for next year. It's difficult to imagine how we will service all the IEP minutes for our growing population of neurode divergent students with reduced staff even if external hires are brought in. Many of our scholar artists with disabilities have already been
experiencing gaps in services with long-term Kadra substitutes filling co-eing and self-contained positions. While our guest teachers have done a wonderful job, they are not LBS1 certified. We also started the year without a case manager to support our team and facilitate collaboration
regarding our students needs which delayed IEP meetings and pushed us further out of compliance. Continued IDEIDA violations could jeopardize our school's future, risking due process hearings, lawsuits, corrective action plans, and further loss of state funding. We must ensure our most
marginalized students right to a free and appropriate public education. Equitable access cannot happen without an adequate number of staff trained to serve neurode divergent children. Among the beloved educators let go last week, our department lost two special education teachers who have just won the
OMI scholarship for their bilingual endorsement. This is a disservice to our multilingual students with IEPs who require both language and disability supports. Our young people are devastated that the teachers they've come to trust and rely on won't be returning. and our diverse learners are
the most vulnerable to such disruptions. We need to do right by our neurode divergent and multilingual students. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> That will require a commitment from you to allocate more special education positions for next year and to prioritize the teachers who already
understand our students needs providing stability for our learning community. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from the Chicago uh High School for the Arts group is Shannon Harris, speaker 27, who's joining virtually.
Please enter star six to unmute. >> Good morning. I have many titles. My mom named me Shannon Harris. My nine plus years as an early childhood educator named me Miss Shay. My two plus years as a par profofessional have given me the name Miss Harris or Miss Shay.
The name I'm most so proud of is Mommy. Speaking of being a mommy, I'm here today to share my concerns about the recent layoffs at Shy Arts that my daughter is affected by, that her friends are affected by. She is part of what used to feel like a community, a family, and now feels unsure, traumatic,
and like a bad divorce. I want to know why only 25% of our current staff has been invited back. I want to know why didn't we get a chance to have a say so as parents. I want to know why we didn't get a chance to have a say so as an
educator. It is clear that the district did not take our community into consideration by not prioritizing making these decisions. We've known since November that the school was transitioning. And as an educator for CPS, I know how it feels to be in the dark about laid off and in the middle of
a workday is terrible. And to be let go during teacher appreciation week, wow, that's distasteful. As an educator, I don't like it. As a parent, I was disheartened to have to have my daughter come home crying about her teachers that she will not be able to continue to grow
with. Please have a heart. Please do better. Please include us. We are community. We want our conservatory. We want the kids to be able to grow up with who they had. She's a junior now and she's unsure about her senior year. She's been told to be shut her school to
be shut down. She's been told that her teachers won't return. Please, please, please, district, if you have a heart, think about the community that we have built these many years. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. >> The next two speakers are from Clemente
High School, Milton Tanko, speaker number eight. I am here today to address months of defamatory and malicious attacks in the Clemente LSC from multiple groups specifically orchestrated by our very own LSC chair Ismari Fia and her
translator Karina Bahra Tabon. Many false voices spoke here to this body with hollow rhetoric. But those voices cannot change the fact that leadership is humble. It is patient. It listens and it does not use totalitarianism as its anchor. These allegations have now
prolonged our principal selection process to over a year and is still not yet complete. The chair has attempted to use tyranny in order to install loyalists into the administration of Clemente. She is using the back and pack which she also chairs in effort to make
her arguments seem genuine. This is an abuse of power and a betrayal to those that trusted her and those leadership rose. All decisions ever made were done under her supervision. She delegated every meeting and voted on all items, yet now refuses to add principal
selection to our agenda. On May 8th, seven members united to have a special call meeting with the agenda item of principal selection vote. The same day, the chair emailed our ESP rep and told her that ethic violations were under review and that she could not vote, yet failed to tell the member that she had
already received email confirmation on April 23rd from the ethics department, that no ethics violations were found, and that voting could happen unobstructed. The chair then proceeded to attack the ethics supervisor, claiming that her messages were harassment, that the ISP rep would not be voting. The chair feels empowered by
a meeting that she claims you have 30 seconds with an unnamed elected school board member, a message that is unclear and has led to confusion in our process. The ask is that this board and that that member revise statements that are not consistent with ethics department guidelines and reassure the chair that
principal selection vote can be placed on our next LSC regular call agenda next week because the democratic process must not be further obstructed. Thank you board for your leadership and thank you Dr. King for your leadership. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments.
The last speaker from Clemente High School is Kataria Salgado, speaker number 12, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. >> Good afternoon board members. My name is Katya Salgado and I am a member of the Roberto Clement Community Academy LSD.
I'm here today because our school community continues to face the unnecessary delays and instability in the principal selection process despite the fact that the majority of the seated LSC members want to move the process forward. Unfortunately, the current LSC's chair has repeatedly refused to
place the necessary principal selection and voting items on meeting agendas, preventing seated members from carrying out the responsibilities and preventing the democratic process from moving forward. I also want to respectfully state that this process likely would have moved forward already had the board
not intervened during the previous board meeting regarding the temporary appointment to the non-eing staff vacancy. That appointment had already been vetted, supervised, and approved through the proper LSE relations process. Instead, the board chose to pause the appointment based on the understanding
that once a non-eing staff representative returned, the principal selection process will resume. Since that time, however, the process has remained stall. Additionally, guidance from the CPS ethics has already clarified that there were no findings of nepotism or ethic violations preventing
seated LSC members from participating in the principal selection voting. I also want to respect respectfully note that during the previous board discussion, a board member stated that the conversations had taken place with both sides before the decision was made to pause the appointment process. However,
neither I nor other LLC members and stakeholders actively working to move the process forward were contact were contacted for input regarding the onsing the actions of the current LSC chair and the repeated instruction of the principal selection process. As a
result, many members of our school community feel that the board may not have received a complete picture of what was what has been occurring at Clemeni and to the extent of which procedural delays and conflicting public narratives have prevented the school from moving forward. Today, we are respectfully
asking the board to intervene constructively by working collaboratively with the LSC relations and the CPS ethics office to help ensure that the principal selection process is allowed to move forward in accordance with established procedures and democratic authority of the local school
council. Our students and our community deserve stability, transparency, and leadership. We simply want the opportunity for the duly seated members of the local school council to vote and allow the process to move forward. And we thank you for your time.
>> Thank you for your comments. >> The next speaker is Walter Granberry, speaker number 11. Good morning, Dr. King, President Harden, and all the members of the board. My name is Walter Grandberry and
my colleague Allison Jack and I are here on behalf of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and the tens of thousands of families in Chicago who rely on Chicago's public charter schools every day. In two weeks, this board will
vote on renewal terms for 15 charter campuses that are educating more than 6,000 CPS students. The charter community strongly urges this board to grant 4 to 10year renewal terms for all 15 campuses.
Charter schools indeed are community schools. They are anchors in their communities, places where students feel safe, where families build lasting connections, and where communities are strengthened. By voting for four to 10year renewals,
this board will take a step to ensure that Chicago's charters are indeed sustainable. We've seen a trend in recent years of short-term renewals for all charters, regardless of school performance. These short terms do not improve school
quality, but instead divert precious time, resources, and staff attention from the real work of educating and serving students. The hamster wheel of endless charter renewals creates instability for families, uncertainty
for educators, >> 30 seconds remaining, >> and unnecessary operational strain for schools. Now, contrary to remarks that you've heard from previous speakers, longer renewal terms do not reduce accountability and transparency between charter schools and the district.
Charter schools by nature are already held far more accountable than neighborhood schools. Charters are required to submit academic and financial metrics each and every year, not just during charter renewal. Our community values accountability just as
much as the district and longer renewal terms should be part of this accountability framework. In closing, we ask this board to protect school sustainability by awarding all 15 charter campuses four to 10year renewals. Fair renewals are essential
for helping strong schools to thrive and keep serving their communities for years to come. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next two speakers are from Educators for Excellence. John Weaver, speaker 13.
>> Hello and thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is John Weaver and I'm an organizer at Educators for Excellence Chicago and a proud CPS graduate. Last month, I testified before this board and spoke about the importance of passing a resolution calling for a district-wide
strategy on educator mental health. In the last two weeks, Educators for Excellence has met with over 200 teachers throughout the Chicago area with the goal of over 400 by the end of this month. We've gathered almost 500 petition signatures in support of this
mental health resolution. From Rogers Park to Rosland, the message is clear that educator mental health must be a priority. It is foundational to student success. As a teacher once told me, "How can I ensure my students are okay if I
am not?" When educators are supported, students are more energized, feel safer, and achieve at higher levels. The adult in front of the classroom shapes whether a student shows up, participates, and believes that they can succeed. If we are serious about serving our students, then we must be just as serious about
supporting the people in front of them every day. Now, since my testimony, board member Rivas has brought the mental health resolution for legal review, taking a vital step to move this resolution forward. So, I'd like to thank him for his effort to address the pressing issue of educator mental
health. So I urge this board to ensure that this resolution as well as any feedback or suggestions from legal is on your next meeting agenda. Educators throughout the city are counting on you to move with urgency and the next meeting provides an opportunity for them to give updates on legal re
recommendations and ensure that there is adequate time to implement them. Let's work together and make CPS a national leader in educator mental health. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from Educators for Excellence is Marlina Little, speaker 18.
>> Good morning and great day. I am Dr. Marina Little and I serve as the executive director of Educators for Excellence Chicago. But before that, I am and will always be an educator. As a former principal, I am someone who lived
the realities of our schools alongside the educators who serve our students each day. And that is why I am also here to speak about educator mental health. Over the last several months, this board has heard directly from those educators.
You've seen the petition signatures and you of course have reviewed the draft resolution outlining how Chicago is perfectly positioned to become a national leader in how we support educator mental health, how we can
strengthen educator retention and ultimately how we definitely improve the outcomes for all students. Thank you again to board member Rivas in advancing this resolution for review and we anxiously await feedback and suggestions on how to continue to move it forward.
After speaking with educators across the city, I can attest that the action that Mr. Rivas has had has already communicated the support and it's very important in a time like this that educator voice does matter. The
encouraging reality is also present that this resolution is actionable. It is concise and it is also thoughtful. It builds upon the supports that are already present. >> 30 seconds remaining >> and it is not about creating an impossible lift but strengthening the
systems and holding it accountable to the humanity of the people who serve our students every day. So today, I urge you to continue building on the momentum, move swiftly in the legal process, and place the educator mental health
resolution on the agenda for the next board meeting. If you take nothing away, it is that educator mental health is not separate from student success and Chicago has an opportunity right now to not just respond to the challenge, but
to lead in it. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Nelson Jeru, speaker 17. Good morning, President Harden, Vice President Zez, members of the board, and
Dr. King. I'm Nelson Jeru from the Chicago Public Education Fund. As other speakers have already noted, yesterday's release of school level budgets starts a difficult phase as school communities make tough decisions about positions, programs, and services in a challenging
fiscal environment. The budget guidance identified a gap of more than $700 million. With a hundred million removed from school budgets, that still leaves a 600 million shortfall. And I want to highlight three considerations as you determine how to
resolve the gap. First, there may still be local revenue options. The current budget assumes only a 100 million in TIFF surplus revenue. That would be the lowest such surplus in seven years. Even after record surpluses in the last two years, Chicago TIFF district balances
have reached all-time highs. An assumption of 550 million in TIFF surplus level with FY26 would reduce the gap to 150 million. Even half that surplus would reduce the remaining gap to around 325 million.
Second, for FY26, CPS made 250 million in reductions to centralized spending. Even after those difficult choices, there are over 1500 central and network office positions. That's an increase of 32% since FY19.
As schools make difficult trade-offs, it's important to examine what additional efficiencies >> You have 30 seconds as well. >> Finally, facing deficits, borrowing to close operating gaps may seem attractive in the short term, but it carries long-term consequences.
CPS is spending a billion dollars on debt service in FY26, and any additional dollar borrowed today only increases pressure on future budgets, leaders, and students. We all know CPS cannot continue operating with persistent structural deficits. Addressing this
challenge will require long-term solutions, shared responsibility, and collaboration across the city and state with careful attention to both revenue increases and expenditure controls. Thank you very much. Thank you for your comments.
The next speaker is M. Brunson, speaker number 19. Hello everyone. How you doing today? It's just Brunson. Just Brunson. Um I um some of you know me and all of you I
think eventually will. Uh I just want you to know that as long as you are committed to helping the city create a worldclass I prefer the term exemplary public school system. I am here to support and
to help you. I will, but I will always be committed to grassroots participatory democracy. And we have a model of that here in the city of Chicago, an exemplary model that we've had since 1988
that called the local school councils. I want to commend each and every one of you so far that has visited and attended a local school council meeting and walk through the halls of your school. And I
want to encourage every single one of you to do so. I think the local school councils have a lot of promise. They've been around for a while, but there are some um some that are pretty much against them.
So, I just wanted to bring that up and um remind you that there is something called the local school council advisory board which is a council of the councils. Uh they have a meeting.
>> You have 30 seconds remaining. >> I'm almost finished. They have a meeting every third Monday at I think it's from 6:00 to 8. It's at the uh building down there on Washington. you know where it is better than I do, but uh you have a
quorum um commitment of no more than five can be in a place at a time, but I strongly encourage you to attend the next meeting. I think it's Monday the 18th, something like that. I had written it down, but just look up local school council advisory board and hopefully I
can see you can come in and see what's going on with that advisory board and attend your local school council meetings. And I hope look forward to meeting with each and every one of you personally. So I will know you and you will know me and Dr. King. I would
really like to meet with you as soon as possible if that would be possible. If not, I'll see you out there. Okay. Thank you everyone. Y'all take care. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Diane Kirsy, speaker number 20 who's joining us virtually. Please
enter star six to unmute. Good afternoon board members. For nearly three decades, Youth Connection Charter Schools has been outfront leading Chicago's re-engagement and alternative education movement since 1997. We're not
simply a school network. We are builders of futures designed for students whose life has required them to navigate disruption, responsibility, and resilience long before adulthood. Why CCS exists because we recognize a truth
many young people live every day. Life doesn't always follow a straight line. Education shouldn't require perfect circumstances in order to be accessible, meaningful, or successful. When students face real life challenges,
violence exposure, housing instability, trauma, work obligations, and interrupted learning, YCCS doesn't treat those disruptions as disqualifiers. We build students through life's disruptions. With 17 community-based
campuses across Chicago, YCCCS creates pathways that meet young people where they are and move them forward with dignity through traumainformed educators, flexible academic models, culturally grounded practices, and
wraparound supports. Our students regain momentum academically, socially, emotionally, and in their purpose. And the results speak clearly. More than 29,000 YCCS graduates now
stand as professionals, parents, public servants, and leaders. Proof that when systems are designed for real life, students thrive. Our educators educators are deeply rooted in communities we serve. many of our alumni, advanced
degree professional, mentors, and neighborhood leaders who bring both expertise and lived understanding into every classroom. YCCS is proof that when investments align with equality, excellence, and community leadership,
transformation follows. Thank you for your time. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Tamara Fouche, speaker 28. Good morning. My name is Tamara Fuche. I'm a community member who has lived in
Albany Park for 10 years, a member of 33rd Ward working families, and a professional auntie. I am asking the board of education to use their broad authority to grant temporary limited access to the third floor of a CPS school building one block away from Hogan Elementary. I am just one of many
community members, parents, teachers, and staff who are advocating for relief for overcrowding in Hogan. I do not stand here alone. I am representing 162 plus others who have signed our community letter demanding relief and our numbers continue to grow every day.
I've become endeared to the school community while doing ice watch in my neighborhood where we are especially targeted for the high number of immigrant families living here. What we are targeted for is one of my favorite things about the community. Pagan Elementary was the destination for hundreds of new arrival families with
children where as a neighborhood school they enroll anyone who shows up at their door who lives within the attendance boundaries. They have welcomed those students with open arms and are part of a thriving school community. The school, if you look with your eyes and experience it yourself, is overcrowded. I am aware of the fact that
CPS calculations claim that is at 90% utilization, but the fact of the matter is is that special minutes are being held in storage closets. School counselor conversations happen in hallways and the library is no longer being used as a library because every spare inch is being used for students.
There is a common sense solution one block away on the third floor of the 3729 North Leland school building currently owned and operated by CPS. There are 16 classrooms available and empty. I and 162 plus other community members are asking the board of
education to use their broad their broad authority to grant temporary limited access to the third floor. You have the power to alleviate this overcrowding in time for the coming school year. Please use the more the May board meeting to fully discuss this issue and give Alan Park students the attention and
resources that they deserve. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from the speakers list is Rona Bryant, speaker number 29. >> I'm sorry. Is it Ronald? >> It is Ronald. >> My apologies. The list hasn't been
correct. the problem at all. Good morning, uh, President Harden, Dr. King, and, uh, Chicago board members. My name is Ronald Bryant, and I am the principal of Urban Prep Charter Academy campus. I'm here to celebrate Urban Prep
for what it is, a beacon of hope and achievement in Chicago. For two decades, Urban Prep has shown what is possible when a school family commits to high expectations, rigorous preparation, and unwavering belief in every student's
potential. It is more than a school. It has become a movement that has redefined what black and brown boys in our city can become when they are educated with intention, care, and purpose. From its earliest days, Urban Prep set a bold
mission to empower young men to lead, to excel, and to pursue higher education with vigor. This mission has been put into action year after year through a comprehensive model, strong father mentors and male
role models, datadriven instruction, college ready curriculum, and a climate that prizes respect, resilience, and accountability. The result is a culture where boys who might have been uh counted out are
instead counted in, counted on, and counted up toward futures that resonate hope within our city and its black and brown population. This year, we celebrate a remarkable milestone. >> For 17 consecutive years, 100% of Urban
Prep's graduating class has earned admission to four-year colleges and universities. This is not luck. It is the fruit of intentional systems, early exposure to college courses, targeted tutoring, and a network of alumni and community partnerships who open doors
and broaden horizons. This record is particularly vital for black and brown boys who often face disproportionate barriers. Urban Prel has built a pathway where their talents are recognized, nurtured, and translated into opportunity. Beyond the statistics,
there is the daily impact, the confidence we see in our young men who raise their hands in class, the leadership they demonstrate in their communities, and the pride families feel when their sons walk across the stage ready to contribute to society.
I myself ran through several boxes of tissue last week at our annual mom prom due to mothers being uncontrollably overjoyed seeing their young men be selfless growing from young boys to young men. CPS, as we look ahead, let us
both recommmit to supporting Urban Prep's mission to equip every student with the tools to thrive in college and in life, to transform neighborhoods, and to remind our city that when we invest in our boys, we invest in the future of our communities, its citizen, and
Chicago's future. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments, President Hardin. This concludes public participation. Thank you. We'll now proceed with the potential board reports to be considered at the May 28, 2026 regular meeting.
After each item is presented, board members will have the opportunity to ask their questions and make comments before proceeding to the next item on the agenda. >> Board members, we will begin with the following education items numbers 1 through five, starting with number one.
Authorized first banner renewal agreement with college board. >> Good morning, President Harden, board members. Dr. King, uh Dr. Anise Lewis, uh acting chief of teaching and learning on behalf of the office of teaching and learning and the assessment department.
We have determined a need to move uh item one authorize the first fi and final renewal agreement with college board for SAT suite of assessment and advanced placement testing and services from May until the June board meeting in
order to present both SAT and ACT assessment items together. Um updating both the usage data will be provided at that time so we can present both items together. Thank you for your patience and flexibility with this move.
>> Item number two, amend the first renewal agreement with Illinois Institute of Technology. >> All righty. Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Nicole Billings and I am the manager of for access and enrollment testing in the office of teaching and learning. We are recommending that the board
authorize an amendment to the first renewal agreement with the Illinois Institute of Technology, IIT, to continue providing selective enrollment elementary schools testing administration services. We are requesting in an increase to the not to
exceed amount by $100,000 to accommodate increased testing volume resulting from changes to the accelerated placement act policy. This amendment is needed because recent policy changes expanded access access to accelerated placement testing
resulting in near resulting in nearly a 3,000% increase in the number of students eligible for testing for 2023 to present. This growth reflects the district's commitment to ensuring that more students have access to advanced
academic opportunities based on their demonstrated potential. These changes included expanded eligibility by adding local criteria so that students in the top decile of their grade level are eligible rather than being limited only
to those who exceed benchmarks. Removal of the Iowa acceleration scale screening for single subject acceleration and also in addition to an in addition to an appeals process as well.
As a result of these changes, more students are eligible and expected to participate in both C's administration um testing and also accelerated placement. Amending this agreement will allow the district to continue administration of C's admissions exams
for students applying to kindergarten through 8th grade, including regional gifted centers, classical schools, and academic centers, as well as accelerated placement for students in grades four through 7. The current contract begins
September 1st, 2024 and ends August 31st, 2026. We anticipate returning to the board in August for the next renewal. IIT was selected through an RFP process and has demonstrated the capacity to manage testing at this scale. As a
nonfor-profit organization, IIT is exempt from MEB and WB participation requirements. In terms of stakeholder experience, we collected um survey results from parents whose children attended testing sessions. The feedback
indicates that indicates that staff at IIT were professional and welcoming, answer questions effectively, and provided clear, easy to follow instructions on site. These areas were rated within the 94th to 99th percentile.
In addition, IIT administered approximately 16,800 exams this past application cycle for students applying to selective enrollment schools and for accelerated placement. One of our key performance indicators is
100% accuracy in in exam administration. This means that every testing session is conducted in a full alignment with standardized testing protocols. Specifically, this includes ensuring that students ro that student rosters and testing material are accurate,
approved testing accommodations are provided as documented, and all timing and administration procedures are followed consistently across all test sessions. The vendor is held accountable through multiple layers of oversight, including CPS staff presence during
testing, required documentation such as ro rosters and irregular irregularity reports, and post administration validation of data and materials. Any discrepancies are tracked, reviewed, and addressed in alignment with CPS's
protocol. Based on last school year's data, approximately 90% of testing sessions were completed without any reported irregularities, meaning about 10% had some form of documented issue. It is important to note that this
includes all irregularities, many of which are minor and procedural, such as environmental notes, only a small subset of cases rarely impact scoring or re or require action such as a retest. We use this data to monitor how close we are to
to our goal of 100% accuracy and to ensure that the vendor is consistently meeting expectations. This amendment is necessary to accommodate increased participation resulting from policy changes under the accelerated placement act. If this
agreement is not approved, the district risks non-compliance with accelerated placement policy and the admissions policy for magnet selective enrollment and other gops programs. More importantly, students may lose access to testing opportunities which would pre
which would prevent them from being considered for selective enrollment or accelerated placement. Additionally, charging families for accelerated placement testing will violate state law. This work also aligns with CPS's success plan 2029 success plan vision by
expanding equitable access to rigorous academic opportunities and ensuring that all students have access to highquality standardized experiences. For these w for these reasons we respectfully recommend approval so that we can continue providing equitable
access to these important educational opportunities. Thank you. Are there any comments for questions? >> There being none. Thank you. >> Item number three, authorize the first renewal with National Lewis University.
>> Good afternoon, members of the board. My name is Jamie Bright and I'm the director of prek programs in the office of early childhood. Today we are recommending the board authorize the first renewal agreement for preK class observations with National Lewis University. The proposed not to extend
exceed spend is just under $1.7 million for FY27. The McCormick Center at National Lewis University conducts observations of preK classrooms using the class observation tool. NLU has provided these observation services to CPS since SY20 and has
regularly met all KPIs. The class observation tool provides valuable feedback to teachers, school leaders, and the office of early childhood on the quality of instructional and emotional support interactions between teachers and students within a pre-K classroom.
The data from these observations is used to inform and improve teacher practice through coaching and professional development. The data obtained from class observations allows the Office of Early Childhood and External and Common Lens to determine the impact of our critical investments. This perspective
enables an objective lens of effectiveness and informs intentional distribution of resources for the following school year. If not approved, CPS risks incomplete or outofdate school ratings for Accelerate Illinois, which is an ISBY requirement. The proposed
spend ensures CPS has funds to complete observations for all classrooms. However, we anticipate observing approximately 50% of classrooms in SY27 per the current CPSCTU agreement. The proposed spend also includes allocation
for increased salary and training costs for the vendor's assessment team. National Lewis conducts program quality observations not only for CPS but also for community- based organizations currently under the purview of DFSS and other programs across the state.
utilizing a common vendor supports alignment throughout and beyond Chicago early learning programs. Finally, NLU is the only local organization that measures quality for Accelerate Illinois and has the full capacity to provide these services for CPS preK classrooms.
Thank you, >> member Zakor. >> Thank you. Um, thank you for the presentation. I just have a question. This is more like moving forward, not not for right now. Um, so this item says it's the first renewal and that suggests there will be more in the future. Um, so
I would just like to know um what the cost estimate is if we were to bring it inhouse and so I know that would involve training and all and maybe the cost would be higher the first year, but could we get an estimate on what that might mean over the years moving
forward? And if the cost is the same, um would there be a potential for us to get additional services from the people that got trained and hired? >> So, um at this time, um the Office of Early Childhood has conducted an initial analysis of shifting observations in
house, and it does offer a potential long-term savings. I will name that this will require at least a one-year lead time for the planning that's required for this. Um, at this time I don't have the exact dollar amounts, but we can work to ensure that you have those.
>> Thank you very much. >> Item number four, authorize the public comment period for the amendment and renaming of the education of homeless children and youth policy. Good day, President Harden and members of the board. My name is Simone Mosley
and I am the executive director of the office of student support and engagement. This department sits within the office of college and career success and among other work streams, we oversee the district's federallymandated supports for students experiencing
homelessness. Today, I am requesting authorization for public comment on the proposed revisions to policy 702.5, the education of homeless children and youth policy. This policy was last
updated in 2016. Our primary goal with this revision is to move our commitments beyond mere compliance with the McKini Vento Act and toward a model that proactively fosters rightful presence, student
connectedness, and student well-being. Central to the proposed amendments is the explicit shift from deficit-based framing to people centered language. We incorporated updates to facilitate immediate enrollment by reducing
documentation hurdles. By defining immediate enrollment as same day seating, we are guaranteeing that students start learning right away while staying consistent with the CPS enrollment and transfer policy.
Additionally, we clarified provisions establishing equitable access to school activities. The equity framework was embedded throughout the entire revision process, specifically applying an equity lens to identify and remove economic
barriers to extracurricular activities. This ensures that a student's housing status does not limit their participation in the joyful experience of school. Ultimately, this revision is about consistency as an inroad to equity,
ensuring that the standard of care and resources available to a student are not dictated by their zip code, but are guaranteed by district policy. Another proposed shift is to require the identification of private spaces for
confidential STLs intake conversations. This ensures that families can share the details of their circumstances with the dignity they deserve. Our intent is to underscore our district's commitment to ensuring these
students are deeply connected to their school communities. We're also proposing language that strengthens protections and facilitates the rightful presence of unaccompanied youth. These are students aged 14 to 18
who are navigating life without a parent or an official guardian. This revision allows them to consent to their own enrollment and transportation services. By removing the requirement for parental signatures that these
students often cannot obtain, we are eliminating a significant barrier to their education and ensuring they have the tools to stay in school and stay on track. This recommendation reflects insight gathered through an extensive
partner engagement. We have spent the last several months listening to frontline implementers like STLS advocates and liaison, principals, clerks, and school counselors. Thank you so much um for your support through this
process. We have heard from community partners and advocacy groups and most importantly, we heard from families and students with lived experience. We also gathered feedback from internal
collaborators within CPS, other CPS departments um and external collaborators like the Department of Family for Family Support and Services and the Chicago Housing Authority. With them, we identified bureaucratic hurdles and clarified definitions. Now, we're
hoping to gather more feedback from Chicago at large. Our focus for this revision is also based on what we've learned from our data. With the significant growth of our newly arrived families in recent years, more of our students have lived in shelters than
ever have before. This peaked in 2024 when we saw 8,461 students who were living in shelters, cars, parks, and motel.
Today, that number is closer to 2,300 students, but we are combating the increase in chronic absence still um since the pandemic. It is imperative that this policy is strong enough to meet the moment. This revision is about
consistency um and we hope that this is an inroad to equity. It ensures that every student in these circumstances is met with the same standard of care regardless of which school they attend. If not approved, the district will remain under the 2016
framework, which operates with some ambiguities and leave us vulnerable to federal non-compliance and legal challenges. This outdated structure lacks the consistent framework needed to move away from localized processes
toward a cohesive district-wide approach. While the proposed update clarifies alignment with federal protections, its primary value is ensuring a uniform standard of care that
reduces variability across schools. Without these changes, we miss the opportunity to center on the student experience and provide a system where every family receives highquality support and dignity regardless of where
they live. So, in closing, um I respectfully recommend that the board authorize this revision for public comment. And now my colleague Miriam Hill who um is the STLS manager and I am happy to address any questions or
receive any comments that you have. Thank you. >> Member Paul. >> Yes. Thank you very much for the update and report. I just have a question and a comment if I may. Uh, have you worked in
developing this with organizations such as the Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness and other uh, community-based groups? I heard you mentioned the various uh, parties within CPS and the various governmental agencies, but obviously there are
important organizations on the ground serving these communities. My other question is I thought we had moved away from saying education of homeless children and we were talking about children who are experiencing homelessness or children
who are unhoused. So I was a little puzzled to see the title there. Maybe you could explain and I appreciate your answers. >> I'll start with the first for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. They are one of our strongest partners and actually they partnered with us for
families and students with lived experience because they have um groups of families that they already work with. So partnered very closely with them and they had a lot to do with um helping us form this policy. And the current name of the policy is
homeless children and youth policy. But if you look at the redlinined version, you'll see that we have done our we've made our best effort to sweep that and remove um any language that centers on the that the students experience rather
than the person. So we um consistently have tried to use the term students in temporary living situations and in situ in in circumstances where it was too confusing to use that term, we um put the student first and then um name their
experience. >> Thank you. >> Member Thor. >> Thank you. Um I think it's uh very exciting to see some of the changes to this policy specifically around immediate enrollment and access to enrichment activities. Uh so thank you for your work in um making all these revisions and especially those two
components. Um I have a couple questions. One is are there any concerns from advocates or students and families with lived experience that um weren't able to make it into this proposed revision? Like any suggestions or feedback that is not um that you ultimately decided
wasn't able to be a part of this uh proposed revision? No, most of the responses that we got from families were around the experience of identifying themselves at the school level and um and just you know finding
the person who can support them with help. Um I I will add that throughout this process which was what was really beneficial was that we got an opportunity to um inform our implementation even though it didn't necessarily mean that it needed to be in
the policy. So just thinking about some of the additional things that we can do on the ground to make the experience better. >> Thank you. And um my second question is about uh transportation supports and stipens. Um, there's a part of this
policy that says that if services are necessary, the district will strive to provide um, CTA transportation assistance, and I'm wondering why that language is a little more flexible of strive to provide rather than the district shall provide. >> Yes, I'll take a closer look at that.
Thank you for calling that out. I think um, that one was supposed to be around striving to provide within a specific period of time rather than at all. Um, right now we are reliant on receiving physical cards from the Chicago Transit
Authority and sometimes there's a back like we just can't get them in time. Um, and you know getting physical cards to schools requires like a pretty big operational lift. So that's why we um wrote the words strive to provide and we
hope that we'll have some adjustments in the future that will mitigate that. >> That makes a ton of sense. Thank you. It does say um no later than three school days. So maybe if it could say shall provide assistance and we'll strive to provide it within three school days. I think that would help um clarify. Thank you.
>> Thank you. >> Member Smith. >> Thank you. Uh thank you for this report. you know, um, my father was unhoused for 30 years, and so this this topic really, uh, affects me, especially when it comes
to students because I've dealt with unhoused people in my own family. Um, do you all work at all with a Safe Haven or Heartland Alliance? >> Y, not directly. We don't. >> Okay. Those are really great
organizations on the south and west side that I would be uh happy to make connections with that help people not only receive housing but furniture uh and help them get their lives back on track and I don't see any reason why this shouldn't be an assistance to our
students as well. >> Thank you for that comment. If if I might add, at the local level, at the schools, they might have deeper connections with local um community based organizations, but I I'll take your comment, especially given um centralized collaboration with those
>> and any help I can give you. Please reach out. >> Thank you. I'll take you up on that. >> Member Brown. >> Thank you. Uh Mr. president. Um, similar to board member Smith, um, I was sitting thinking like, should I
be vulnerable in this moment, but I will. Um, I was homeless for two years in my life. I lived in my car and um, it was the wraparound support of a friend of mine who uh,
taught me uh, how to hustle on Maxwell Street, which got me off the street. Um, and I'm very concerned about um I Let me ask you this question. If you
if you could dream, what would you want to be able to address the needs of young people that are homeless immediately? What would you What would you want? What what are some barriers to you being able to realize because you
all are in that position because there's something tugging at your heart to do something for this population. So, if you could dream, what would you want? >> That's a very long conversation. >> Yes, ma'am. >> Um, but in a few words, I would say
better systems alignment. Um, we have several systems that are approaching this at different angles and um and we're a pretty large city and so uh if I were to wave a wand and get something right away, that would be that would be
the thing. >> I um mentioned something in an event this morning and I said and it's something that someone taught me a long time ago and they said all you need to make change is time, space, and will. And
often in bureaucracies that will gets lost, right? Because you and I think but I do think that there is an environment in Chicago now with the political will is different
to do for populations that have long been neglected. Um so I also would like to just offer my support. Um I'm connected with community organizations around the city. uh that population
um and I was a young adult, but I know what it's like to feel hopeless and feel like you failed and feel like nobody's there for you. And so, one of the things that attracted me to
working with young people was one of my first interactions with a child at Revis Elementary who was homeless. And um so I want to commend you for the work that you do, but I I would just ask you to do
this. Uh there's an old saying that that we must be bold and daring, push our possibilities to the limit, but the only limitations we have are the ones we accept. Don't accept the limitations of the bureaucracy because the work that you're
doing is holy work. It's holy work. So I would I will offer myself as a partner at the very least somebody to make connections with possible resources. Thank you. Member Wano. >> Yes. I want to thank you for your report
as well. Uh when you mentioned the 8,000 or so uh youths were that came uh probably the Venezuelanos. Um my question is documentation.
Uh many of our mixed status families have issues with documentation and you mentioned that it was going to be easier for them to enroll even though they did not have uh proper documentation. I'd like you to elaborate a bit more with
that because I know for a fact that documentation can be an issue at all levels and a lot of times people come in from other countries because they're fleeing danger or violence or you know hunger or opportunity and they're here
and they're homeless for a while and or they're just couch surfing or trying to figure out how to get around and I'd like to know how we can be more lenient with documentation because I know for a fact that's an issue. So could you
explain a little bit more about that? >> Sure. Thank you for your question. So we tried to simplify the approach here by just simply stating enroll immediately. Um which means don't if they don't have the documentation that is not a reason
to deny enrollment. Um, we also tried to align it as cleanly as possible with the recently revised enrollment and transfer policy which um tries to facilitate enrollment um more quickly.
uh my team uh so Miriam's team and several other teams in OSSE have been working closely with schools with different types of checklists and incorporating that language in as many places as possible so that students who are in temporary living situations um
that there those rights are enumerated in as many places as possible. So hopefully that answers your question. This is a obvious area where many of us either directly or indirectly have a lot of uh connections and concerns. So we invite you just to use the board as a
support and resource as we deal with this very serious issue. Thank you for your report. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Item number five, authorize the public comment period for the option school academic accountability policy.
>> Good afternoon board members. My name is Molly Mlichek. I'm the director of authorization and school options in the options network which is part of the office of network support. >> Good afternoon. I'm Bridget Swinson. I am the acting chief of the options network. We're housed in office of
network support and we're also tasked with the authorization of our charter contract and alop schools um that serve option students. All right. So today we are recommending the board to resend board report
230928-P3 and post for public comment the adoption of a new option school academic accountability policy at the May 2026 board meeting. The proposed policy applies to charter contract and alop schools serving options the option
student population. The Illinois school code requires authorizers to identify schools that meet or make reasonable progress towards academic achievement standards and the ISBY summitive framework can't be equitably apply or appropriately applied
to alternative schools because it doesn't account for the unique population that that is served. So the option schools that do receive the ISBY summitive designations are perpetually earning the lowest rating due to the metrics that are used. In turn, CPS has
always had our own policy for evaluating academic performance of option schools. CPS recognizes that a tailored accountability policy for measuring academic performance is necessary in order to ensure that we are equitably and appropriately evaluating school
performance for option schools. The new policy provides a more equitable and transparent tool for measuring academic performance. The new policy will replace the temporary policy that was adopted after the school quality rating policy or the SQRP was rescended
in school year 22. So as I mentioned this applies to our charter contract and alop option schools and its primary purpose is to inform renewal recommendations. The board will vote to post this this
policy for public comment in the May board meeting. The board will subsequently vote to officially adopt this policy at the July meeting. I want to highlight that school agreements mandate that the academic accountability policy must be finalized no later than August 1st. Therefore, if it's not
approved or if it's postponed, this policy cannot be implemented until school year 2728 and we'll be forced to continue using the temporary placeholder policy during that time. In alignment with the CPS equity framework, this policy is designed to
present transparent expectations for our charter contract and ALOP option schools. The standards within this policy are attainable, but they're also aspirational, ensuring that the portfolio of district authorized option schools contains academically high
quality choices for Chicago students and families. If approved, this policy will go into effect beginning the 2627 school year. This means that we would begin collecting school data under this policy next school year and the first
performance designations under this policy would be released in the fall of 2728. There are no financial implications for this item. Um I do want to share uh the stakeholder feedback and the research that really grounded the development of
this policy. We conducted extensive engagement with our stakeholders involving 100% of the option school communities impacted by this policy. Our outreach included uh well we started with a landscape scan of best practices
for academic performance evaluations for alternative settings across the country with a focus on large urban districts. and the knowledge that we gained from this landscape scan um kind of informed our approach to the framework as well as
to how we approached gaining feedback from our stakeholders. We worked with center forward which is an external partner to uh facilitate small group listening sessions with about 70 participants. This included current students, inactive students,
graduates, parents, and community members to better understand what they value in an option school and what they believe drives student success. We also conducted empathy interviews of 14 school leaders across all governance types. These were in-depth interviews to
understand the challenges of the current policy and ways to uh and explore ways to improve. We held three 4-hour intensive feedback sessions with about 20 school leaders where we explored and gathered feedback on the different metrics, frameworks, and calculation
methods. So, the major themes that came from stakeholder engagement that informed this policy work was a recognition of the importance of relationships in our schools, an acknowledgement that our students face more barriers than their counterparts in traditional schools, but
not all these students face the same barriers. It's not it's not a one-sizefits-all. So, this really highlighted the need for flexibility. We also heard that this policy serves as the northstar for driving school priorities and practices. We are hosting two town hall meetings.
One took place on May 5th, one will be on May 19th where we're providing a comprehensive and thorough review of this policy with the option school communities um so that they have a thorough understanding of this policy. Um throughout this process, we have had
a lot of ongoing collaboration with lots of CPS departments to ensure alignment with district priorities as well as ensuring that there's involvement from the subject matter experts. We've worked a lot with school quality management, um the equity team, student health and
wellness, Oscapa, the Black Student Success Initiative, um legal and the data leads across the district. Um, lastly, I'd like to highlight and summarize the key updates in this policy from the last version. Most of the updates reflect the standards in the
CIDT policy and they're also grounded in those national best practices that we've learned about. Um, they also are all reflective of the stakeholder input. First, um, the final designations. So, we have expanded from two final
designations to five. This is in alignment with the ISBY summitive framework. And this also provides a more uh precise distinction between schools that are performing above or below the threshold for making reasonable progress. Um schools below the threshold for
making reasonable progress have always been put on the intensive academic support list. Um this policy has replaced the previous single tiered support model with two distinct tiers of intensive academic support. So by categorizing schools based on their
performance, we're able to ensure that the interventions and supports are tailored to each of the schools unique needs. Um some of the indicator definitions have have been updated. Um these were adjusted to align with CDT and slight
modifications have been made to ensure that the indicators more accurately reflect the outcomes that they're intended to measure. The updated indicator weights were heavily informed by stakeholder input as well as district priorities and data analysis.
Um and lastly, we had the subpopulation adjustments. We're really proud and really excited about this addition to the framework. This has never been done before. Um it is heavily rooted in stakeholder feedback and recognizes the unique work of the option schools. So
the subpopul adjustments f function exclusively as a score boost to incentivize and reward high performance with the most vulnerable students. Schools that achieve the performance benchmark for each subop earn a plus.5
points for that indicator. Um, so in relation to the STAR reading and math indicators, schools will receive a bonus point if they achieve a performance benchmark for students identified as urgent intervention. So
this is students that test at or below the 9th percentile in their first testing window. Next is this um related to the credit attainment indicator. Schools will earn a bonus point for achieving a performance performance benchmark for
students that are 19 or older. We know that um accelerated credit attainment is really important for our older students that are close to aging out. Um the stabilization metric um looks at a school's ability to graduate or hold on to students and make sure they're
enrolled at the end of the year. And so, uh, related to this metric, schools will will receive a bonus if they can hold on to or graduate students that have previously dropped out in either of the last two school years. And then lastly, we have attendance. So, schools will
earn a a bonus point if they reach the performance benchmark for students that were at or below 45% attendance for the previous year. We believe that implement implementation of this policy will drive school practices to more equitably serve
students with unique barriers resulting in better outcomes for our students and I will open it up for questions. I just have one question more of a clarifying. Did I understand Molly that uh ISBY's summitive framework does not
align with uh our current evaluation of alternative schools? >> So the ISBY summitive um framework by ISBY's own admission is not designed to measure performance at alternative schools. Um so not all of our schools
even receive the designation, but those that do will never come out of the bottom tier. And ISBY has recognized that. Um, and so that's why we've CPS has always used our own policy to evaluate our schools, our option schools.
>> Thank you for your presentation. >> I got a quick question. >> Sorry, member Bannon. >> Just a quick question. Are do options schools currently have a CIWP framework or is this a new >> um
>> um uh options accountability framework? >> A continuous improvement work plan? >> Yes. All options schools. >> They already have that >> complete CIWPs. Yes. >> Okay. All right. Thank you. >> Now we're done. Thank you. Okay. >> Thank you, board members.
Before I um read the new the next item, I do want to note for the record that board member Bole has joined the meeting at 12:40 p.m. Board members, we will continue with the following equity item number six. Authorize the renaming designation of
schools. Good afternoon, President Harden, board member, CEO King. My name is Eva Kovaruvius, and I am the acting chief equity officer in the office of equity. I am joined here today by subject matter expert Rachel Parnell, who leads the
naming and renaming policy for the district, as well as Dr. Captain Tippet Egleston, principal of Air Force Academy. >> Thank you, Eva. And good afternoon, board members. I am Rachel Parnell. The
Office of Equity is recommending that the board approve the renaming of Air Force Academy to Tamara L. Holmes Arrow Academy. I am joined by Dr. Megan Hogard, chief of college and career success, and Dr. Captain Yoshika Typicen, principal of Air Force Academy,
to answer any questions. In September of 2025, school leaders at Air Force Academy inquired about the renaming process through the office of equity. After their engagement in board approved processes for renaming, host, including hosting community stakeholder meetings,
the board of governors of Air Force Academy approved the top three names for consideration. They are number one, Tamara L. Holmes Arrow Academy with 46.9% of the vote. Number two, Bessie Coleman Aviation High School with 44.4%
of the vote. And number three, Cornelius Kofi Aviation High School with 8.6% of the vote. If not approved, the requested action from the US Air Force will go unsatisfied and inaccurately imply the school's affiliation with this branch of
the US Armed Forces. The cost of renaming will vary based on estimates of the marquee and other items such as murals and sports uniforms that have to be rebranded to reflect the new name. The effective term of this new name will be July 1st, 2026. The Air Force School
community leveraged the CPS equity framework dimensions of of inclusive partnerships, resource equity, and liberatory thinking to choose a name that reflects their values and commitment to the aviation program started by Dr. Tamara L. Holmes.
Pursuant to the established community engagement commitment as outlines in the renaming and naming policy, four public meetings were conducted to facilitate community input regarding potential names for the Air Force community. These names occurred on February 18th,
February 21st, February 23rd, and February 26th, 2026. At their April 13th open meeting of 2026, the board of governors approved the top three names as mentioned previously by a vote of 12 to zero. This
renaming is connected to the district's 5-year strategic plan by emphasizing both school connectedness and communities. We thank you for your time and your attention and now welcome any questions. >> Member Smith. >> Yes. Uh I don't have any questions. I
just want to talk about for people who don't know what a hero Tamara L. Holmes was. Uh the fact that she wasn't just somebody who was flying airplanes. If you have a chance to just look at a YouTube, she talked about airport
redesign and how designing airports would be the future of the world. And she really did a a a grand job of getting young people involved in not only being pilots, not only being aviation technicians, but designing
airports. So when you look at the airport in Dubai or in Atlanta or any of the greatest airports, this is the type of activity Tamara El Holmes was involved in. And we are so fortunate to have had her in our life and our young
people's lives and our schools. And I think that that is an excellent uh example and modern name for young women and men to follow. So just thank you for for coming forward with that particular name. I just have one one question. Uh given a
historical spins on renaming, do you have an estimate of what the cost will be for rebranding >> for um Tamara Homes? There will be the marquee. So um like to share what you like,
you know the cost. So the the cost will vary depending on all of the items. So including the marquee, the mural, the front door. Um and so there are several things. So the school is collecting estimates for each of those items that they are wishing to rename immediately.
>> So you don't want to tell me. Okay. >> You were working on >> member Bandit. I understand. Member Bandit, >> could you just inform us what the next step in this process is? After approval, um we will meet with marketing. Those means have already started as well as
facilities and capital to um re to get estimates for all of the things that we wish to rename. So those are the next steps as well as welcoming the new name to the community at large. >> Everyone clear on the next step on the approval of the actual name. You had you had the vote. Are we voting at the board
meeting next in at the end of the month on which name it should be? >> Yes. >> Gotcha. Thanks. Put that on us. Thank you. This is exciting. Appreciate your presentation. >> Thank you. >> This concludes the first portion of the
board reports for a public agenda. We'll now go into short recess. Board member Rio Sierra, do you have motion mo1? >> I move the board to take a 30-minut recess. >> Is there a second? >> There is a second. Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll
call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rias.
>> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yay. Boom. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President BZ. >> Hi. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes.
>> Member Blae. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 17 eyes zero nays. This motion is adopted by the board. This meeting will now go into a 30 minute recess.
group of potential board reports for consideration at the May 28, 2026 regular meeting. After each item is presented, board members will have the opportunity to ask their questions and make comments before proceeding to the next agenda item. >> Board members, we will continue with the
following student health and wellness item number seven. Authorize the public comment period for the concussion concussion management policy. >> Good afternoon. My name is Tashanda Green. I'm the deputy chief for the office of student
health and wellness. We are recommending that the board resend board report 18-0822-P3 concussion management policy and authorize for public comment the new concussion management policy. This new
concussion management policy will move from primar primarily being student athlete focused to an equitable focus on all students which includes the creation of a district level concussion oversight committee to ensure concussion
guidelines are updated in a timely manner and consistently adhered to across the district. As part of the board's bienial review process, the concussion management policy, which was last updated in 2018,
was reviewed. As a result of this review, ownership of the policy was transferred from the sports administration to OSHW to strengthen it and align it with current evidence-based practices that provide pathways for concussion
management with a focus on all CPS students. During this process, multiple sources of evidence and feedback were sought, including peer-reviewed articles and meetings with various internal and external stakeholders such as
specialized physicians, athletic trainers, parents, coaches, nurses, sports administration, OSD risk, and representatives of high-risisk settings where concussions are most likely to occur.
This process led to a comprehensive policy that also entails a structure and process for the reporting of concussion and the support that CPS should be should be providing.
If this new policy is not approved, the district would lack clear evidence-based guidance on best practices for supporting students who experience concussions and how to support students returning
to school or play after a concussion diagnosis. This amendment provides for direct resource equity and fair policies and systems by increasing the knowledge of lifesaving methods across the district
and creating safer school environments for all students by ensuring consistent guidance on responses to injury. OSHW conducted 20 stakeholder engagement sessions with a total of 64 participants.
stakeholders included school staff, community partners, medical providers, and parents. This is connected to our overall vision through connectedness and well-being and safety and support. And at this time, I'll take any questions.
>> There being none, thank you. Thank you >> board members. We will continue with the following office of students with disabilities. Item number eight. Authorize the first and final renewal second final renewal agreement with various vendors for assessment and
evaluation tools. >> Good afternoon. My name is Jacqueline Estrada. I'm one of the directors for related service providers with the office for students of disabilities. I'm here to recommend the authorization of the first and second final agreement for the assessments and evaluation tools for related service providers with our
specific vendors MHS multialth systems Pearson NCS and Riverside Assessments for the purchase of digital assessments utilized by related service providers to evaluate identify disabilities and plan treatments for students. Related service
providers include school psychologists, social workers, occupational therapist, physical therapist, speech language pathologists serving approximately 60,000 students. Our data indicates that from school year 22 to school year 26,
20th day enrollment data for the district management of the school shows that nearly approximately 23% increase in the number of students with IEPs and 504s. If the agreement is not approved, CPS students who are legally entitled to the
required evaluations and multi-tered support systems may experience a delay in gap in receiving academic and social emotional services. This would put the district at risk of non-compliance with state and federal laws and students may fall behind on academic and social emotional goals impacting the rightful
presence within the district. Specifically, these delays can result in a denial of free and appropriate services, which is a legal right guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Act. In accordance with the CPS equity framework, the district will practice
direct resource equity by consistently prioritizing and allocating funds to align with the levels of need and opportunity. This proposal specifically ensures that the students with the most significant needs have immediate access to the highquality non-discriminatory
evaluations required to bridge opportunities, ensure equity, equitable access to services, and receive individually designed instruction as necessary. In alignment with our OSD vision, we aim to ensure that rifle presence of every student with disabilities eliminates
barriers to the evaluation and resources needed. facilitating the full engagement of v vigorous grade level instruction with the general education classroom and utilize datadriven IEPs to provide the same opportunity as their non-disabled peers by empowering educators with the
specialized tools and trainings necessary for precise clinical evaluation and the district's ensuring a responsive instructional core that prioritize students well-being and equitable access to the highquality assessments required to meet every students learner's unique needs.
To fulfill this, we hold our vendors to the following key performance indicator standards. Operational reliability, educational reli vigor, and staff capacity. Within operational reliability, we uphold 100% uptime, ensuring that
RSPs can evaluate and score assessments without technical barriers meeting the legally mandated timelines. Educational vigor standard tools including multi-ultural and multilingual assessments provide multiple data sources necessary to move students from
identification to impactful highquality instruction. staff capacity, 100% access to robust professional development opportunities for all related service providers to ensure assessments and digital platforms are used with clinical fidelity.
The basis of our recommendation is to fulfill the requirements of the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Act and the Illinois State Board of Education. The district must equip RSPs with immediate access to comprehensive standard evaluation tools, utilizing multiple data sources, including
multilingual and multi-cultural assessments, ensuring the district supports its diverse students population, while maintaining compliance with childfind and special education mandates. This investment further supports students receiving MTSS and existing special education services by
ensuring that they accurately monitored with mandated timelines, securing their rightful presence and the right to FAPE and fostering rightful presence in general, including in areas of academic and social settings. At this time, I'm open to any questions.
Thank you, Riverorn. Yeah. Um, thank you so much. I'm just wondering if you could maybe send information that breaks out uh what exactly each of the three companies is providing. Um, just so we can understand why we need three companies since, you
know, this is an exclusion one where they don't have to follow uh, MW, MBE and WBE standards. >> Yes, I could definitely provide that and I can also speak to that as well. these specific vendors um are for lack of a better term in terms of Pearson
definitely Monopoly. So the publishers only provide certain access especially to digital access platforms for certain companies. So for example Pearson we are only able to access their digital assessment library for specific assessments that are required whereas Riverside provides access to our
multilingual assessments that are only allowed through their platform according to the publishers agreement. The same thing for MHS in terms of our specific rating scales that focus on autism and other areas. They're only allowed um in terms of scoring and access for our clinicians using those particular
platforms. So that's why we can't really rely specifically on one vendor. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you >> board members. We will continue with the following finance items numbers 9 and 10. We'll begin with item number nine.
Authorized placement of the board's FY2027 excess liability property and specialty insurance programs with various insurance companies through Alliant Insurance Services, Inc. >> Hi, good afternoon everybody. Waldy
Stock the district treasurer and acting CFO and I have this next item for the board which is the authorization and the placement for its FY27 insurance. This is for property liability and a number of different special policies and
we place the insurance through Alliant Insurance Services. I come I most commonly refer to this uh item as our annual insurance renewal. It's all the insurance essentially that we purchase outside of the employee benefits like health insurance. We ask the board to
consider this each year. This year we're asking for an amount not to exceed $17.5 million. As I indicated, we utilize the service of an insurance broker uh Alliant Insurance Services to purchase the insurance. They were hired by an RFP
through our procurement process. Alliant was previously known as Mezero Insurance Services. They were merged together and this is the first year we're seeing Alliant, but they were hired under contract by Mezero. Um, this is a non-procurement item. Um,
we're required to use the insurance broker to purchase the insurance. We cannot go online as most of us can do as consumers and purchase our insurance. We have to enter a more sophisticated market uh for the types of insuranceances that we purchase.
We started the process already back in early March. Uh there's 20 or more policies that we need to renew and a lot of applications and different data that we must submit. So we're we're well along the way and we're hoping to put
the insurance in place by July 1st. That's what we typically do each year. We come to the board in May, seek the authorization amount and then execute before the end of the year so that there's no gap in insurance. Some of the policies specifically that we're looking to renew would be things
like student travel, auto, special events, officers and directors, fiduciary liability, cyber liability, and catastrophic student injury. And the insurance is just generally
purchased uniformly to protect all of the students and all the assets of CPS. Probably the general liability is the one that's facing up to be the most difficult. So we're going to seek the lowest cost of the insurance. We hope to not hit the
$17.5 million. We're going to be bidding out with the insurance broker the markets to be able to secure the different lines of credit. Uh, we ideally try to get the same coverage each year. We have something like $200 million for property
insurance. We currently have something like $40 million for general liability insurance. So, with all the things considered in the marketplace, the various increases that are out there, there somewhat things that we can't control, that's where we're
seeking the $17.5 million. I don't know if there's any specific questions. I'm glad to answer. >> Member Bennett, >> what um is the budgeted uh number for fiscal year 26
uh or the actual year to date? So in 26, we we asked the board to authorize $18 million in insurance policies. So this is 17.5 million. So, we've reduced it and we were able to actually execute on um just over $14
million in costs. So, we have some room to go up on. Um >> don't do that. >> We're trying to not do that. I mean, just for a point of of reference, uh back in FY25, we sought $19 million for insurance. And so, we've pushed very
hard. Some of the successes that we've had have been in the property insurance. have been able to cut that and increase the coverage, but some of the pain points that we've had have been the general liability. We have a lot of litigation that's out there. We have a lot of other external factors that are just themes that are going on and bad
actors across the United States um that kind of factor into to what it is that we're paying. So, we're looking at that very closely and if we can even afford to to continue with the same types of policies that we do. But certain things like we just had the policy on um on
concussions, right? So we have an insurance policy for student catastrophic injury that we have to we have to legally buy that. Um so there's certain things that we have to do. We have autos. We there we need to have auto coverage for some of our autos. >> Um but some of these other policies that
have we also have higher deductibles, too. Um so for our general liability, we have a $10 million deductible before anything can be paid. Yeah. >> Um, so we're looking at everything very closely and of course we'll I'm very conscientious of fiscal responsibility as you know. >> Yep. Yep.
>> Thank you. >> Okay. >> So can you explain the the RFP process? How how does how is that connected? So the RFP solicits an entity such as Alliant to representatives. >> Exactly. Yes. Yeah. For sure. Uh there's
a limited number of brokers out there that are able to get into the markets that we seek. So we we go with larger uh insurance companies like a like a a chub or a um you know it's not a Geico,
right? Or it's not even a State Farm. They're hire more AIG. Um and and so there's certain brokers that are prominent in the United States that do that. So Alliant is one of them. Gallagher is another one of them. And so we put an RFP out uh every four to five
years and have responses. And then um we pay a fixed fee. Also, a lot of the brokers want to work on a percentage and we've pushed back on that because a percentage of buying $15 million of insurance would be quite substantial. So, um yeah, there we've negotiated that
with them. Um and you know, I think they're in the final year of their contract if I'm not mistaken. So, we'll have to go through that process again. But essentially then they have a fiduciary responsibility to go to these marketplaces and with the applications bring back options for us to choose from
and we go with the the ones that best service fit our needs and are the lowest costs. >> Got it. Thank you. >> Thank you for your presentation. >> Thank you. Item item number 10, authorize the first renewal agreement with various vendors
for financial professional services. >> All right. Good afternoon. My name is Almond Turner. I'm the director of financial reporting for CPS. I work in the office of the controller. Um, I'd like to say again, good afternoon board members and President
Harden and CEO Keane. We are recommending the board approve the first renewal agreement for 17 qualified vendors who shall provide financial services to the board in an effort to ensure the timeliness, accuracy, effectiveness, and efficiency
of financial and non-financial operations and financial reporting. Uh we are requesting that uh $2.5 million is the proposed spend. Uh this will be a one-year renewal agreement starting August 1st, 2026 and ending July 31st,
2027. The vendors were selected through the RFQ process and uh meet the goals for MBE and WBE participation. The actual MBE is 50.99%.
The actual WBE is 7.59%. uh vendors are these vendors are qualified and have extensive experience in financial projects, grants, fixed assets, property taxes, the annual financial report and the single audit.
Um if it's not approved, this item if the agreement is not approved, this would negatively impact the day-to-day operations. It would reduce the support for the district's financial projects, including AP and AR automation, grants, fixed assets, property taxes, and the
annual financial report and single audit. If if these services are not in place, it will increase the chances of audit findings. So, as you know, we just finished our audit and we have no audit findings for FY25. This speaks of FY26.
Okay. Uh the equity focus resource equity the this pool was designed to ensure resource equity by providing support to the departments with equal access to pre-qualified vendors that have been ver vetted and other offer
competitive pricing and have contracts. I can answer any questions if you would like me to. >> No questions. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you very much. Board members will continue with information and technology items numbers
11 and 12. We'll begin with item number 11. Authorize a new software license agreement with Kerasoft Technology Corporation. >> Good afternoon. My name is Ryan Fitzer and I'm the manager of enterprise service management from the Department of Information and Technology Services.
We're recommending that the board approve the service now licensing agreement at the upcoming May board meeting. This investment establishes a single integrated platform to streamline enterprise service delivery, IT operations, project and asset management, and workflow automation across the organization. We're
requesting a not to exceed amount of 12 million with Kerosoft Technology Corporation. This agreement is for a three-year term beginning June 1st, 2026 through May 31st of 2029. Their service now platform was selected via the piggyback process. If this agreement is not approved, our ability
to service tickets will be severely impacted and our problem resolution will be hindered. This could lead to a breakdown in service desk pro processes directly impacting classroom teaching and essential administr uh administrative functions districtwide. This request centers on uh resource
equity. It provides the technological tools necessary to ensure equitable performance of core student services across all schools and allows us to consistently identify and address non-performance services. This project aligns directly with the modernization of technology and systems
within our strategic plan. By building robust technological infrastructure, we can more efficiently support the diverse needs of our students, staff, and schools districtwide. Uh as far as the key performance indicators are concerned, we have a 99.9 system uptime
which promotes reliability and continuous service delivery. We have a 98% change success for reduced risk and reduce technical debt. And also we have 15 minute uh 15minute recovery point objective and a 4hour recovery time objective for data integrity and robust
disaster recovery. Our basis for recommendation is that we're mo moving to a multi-year agreement to leverage capital funding for any additional service now implementations that we would undertake going forward. And also we're moving to a multi-year agreement because it locks in pricing and avoids contractual uplift which is historically
seen upon our annual renewal. At this time I'm open to any questions. Member Bennett, >> how would this system improve upon whatever the current system is to make a $12 million investment worthwhile?
>> Sure. So um essentially the workflow practices within the district and the ability that we have to coordinate with one another um it is very helpful to have a system where we are all present on this and passing work between each other rather than sometimes in chats and
emails and those kinds of things right so it provides an efficient way for us to connect the work between departments between schools between you know all of all of the folks um that are providing these services from a centralized perspective U one quick quick clarification is we've
been using the system for several years now. This is just a new uh procurement avenue that we're leveraging in order to help reduce costs. >> So so it's so it's not a new system. Uh it's it's it's the continuation of these services.
>> Okay. Thank you. That clarifies. >> Member Smith. >> Thank you. Uh has the cost for this system increased and has the system advanced for if it has increased uh the cost has
the system advanced to meet that cost and if so what are the advancements that would justify a higher cost? >> Sure. So um essentially the service now product is it's there it goes through upgrades on a consistent basis annually.
we are ma we are mandated to remain within compliance with the system. it increases the uh amount of features and functionality um across the platform each time that we do this and essentially like just as an example AI integration has been uh obviously a and
within the IT space has been very important and that's the that is something that we're going to be able to take additional advantage of uh going forward and as we continue there will be additional features and functions and capabilities provided by the platform Did you have an additional question,
member Smith? >> I guess, you know, for me, I guess it's kind of hard. I would have to look into it, but uh my my question is, you know, a lot of the AI is a push of a button. And if we're getting charged $500,000 or a million dollar like I I still didn't get an answer to what is the
increased cost that we are paying for those advanced systems like how much are we paying for that advanced system. So, so ju just like any other um software
system, there's usually annual escalators um that occur and I'll I'll have uh Ryan speak to speak to the annual escalator, but we've actually uh added more features and functionality
which does uh require more licensing and those types of things. So, as an example, we're intending to move our existing asset management system into this system um to to actually save on uh
uh operational costs uh and the licensing from that other system. So, it's it's we can't necessarily tell you like, hey, this, you know, this increased uh because it's not apples to apples as far as functionality goes, but
we do have typically a a few percentage points escalators for all of our software titles that we try to negotiate down as much as possible. Yeah, I'm I I'll write an email with further questions because I just think this type of stuff needs to be disagregated so
that we can fully understand what we're paying for here. Thank you, >> member Bannon. it. Um, so some schools have IT specialists on site, some schools have shared resources.
Are um will all the all the IT staff at all schools no matter what the status have access to this system? Um how just trying to get a better understanding of how it this will increase efficiencies.
>> Yeah, absolutely. So this is a lot of times where form submission kicks off a service from a centralized office perspective essentially, right? So hypothetically a computer breaks, you may not have the on-site staff in order to be able to manage that. It's an
escalation essentially to a person who can go out and then provide that localized service. Right? So this is actually happening today. um when folks are submitting tickets to our service desk, this is the process of um thinking through what the fix would be, making sure that it gets escalated to the
department or the person that can that can help and then resolving that issue, making sure that it is actually been resolved with the customers as well. So, it's a um as far as every uh teacher and every school, they're already utilizing the system today. they may not know that
because um it is just a form right to them where their problems are resolved. So that's the customer experience that we you know that we're looking to provide for every school all the time. >> Thank you. >> I think in these these kind of tough
budgetary times you you're going to experience from the board a desire to really understand at a detailed level the expense. I think taking it a step further is understanding also the return on investment um in a in a financial
sense that helps to understand prioritization relative to you know our continued spending in these areas. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Item number 12, authorize the annual renewal agreement with Oracle America
Inc. Right. Good afternoon everyone. My name is Praash Mupala Oracle EFS director my IT. I'm co-presenting with my CIO Ed Wagner. So we recommend board to authorize an
annual renewal of software license support Oracle enterprise systems peopleoft human resources and related services with Oracle Inc. not to exceed amount $4.7 million for fiscally 2027. So this software license support our
existing ERPs both suite and people will be replaced by new cloud ERP system once is implemented this this contract no longer is required. So both financial system people's resource are powered under the
current contract support district core financial system includes general ledger procurement accounts payable account receivable procure project accounting peopleoft business intelligence hosting control HR modules all will be patched upgraded frequently
this contract allows district obtain the all installed patches software upgrades as well as the on call support on demand. Reneual of this maintenance contract allows CPS in the secure realtime access
Oracle exports from the complete the Oracle software enrollments. This also provides we considered and proactive support the capabilities help from the Oracle resources. If this is not approved, the district
will no longer will get the any support or patches for the core financial HR systems for the district. These are the core systems. >> Have any questions? I can answer this being none. Thank you. Board members will will we will continue with the following nutrition support
services item number 13. Authorize the first renewal agreement with Trrimark Marlin LLC. Good afternoon board members, president, vice president, and CEO Dr. King. My name is Tara de Clemente. I use she her pronouns and I am the executive director
of nutrition support services. I am recommending that the board authorize the first renewal agreement with Trrimark Marlin LLC. This agreement allows the district to purchase new food service and culinary lab equipment on an asneeded basis. The not to exceed amount
is for $3 million annually. The renewal term is July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2028. Due to budget constraints, the historical spend for FY25 and 26 were well below the 3 million not to exceed.
The district remains committed to repairing and replacing equipment in a responsible manner and limiting new purchases. However, each year equipment simply ages out and it is more expensive to continuously repair items. Once the inventory of used equipment is
exhausted, the district looks to make new purchases. Trirmark has been an excellent vendor partner committed to KPIs such as on-time deliveries, order accuracy, and invoice accuracy. Additionally, by working with one vendor, the district realizes savings
through rebates ranging from 0.5 to 3% and discounts off manufacturing lists ranging from 46 to 66%. Trimark has also been meeting their MWE goals. This centers around resource equity,
ensuring all schools have the equipment needed to provide highquality, healthy meals to all students to support a joyful and equitable learning experience. This vendor also supports the CTE culinary programs which provide highquality rigorous instruction and provide students with credentials and
skills to enter the food industry. Nutrition pro programs support the needs of the whole child through healthy meals at no cost to students. And I will now take questions. >> Is this a local vendor? >> This is a national vendor. Yes, this is
a national vendor >> and I assume that they sub with locals. >> They do subcontract um but it's since these are big equipment pieces, these do tend to be more national companies um
than local. Our repair vendors, which are a separate contract, are local companies. Member Brown. >> Yes, sir. Um, thank you for the presentation and just I'm just curious. It seems like a huge jump from what's
been u requested in the past and e even in FY24 it was a little bit over $2 million but now we're going all the way to six and last fiscal year was $150,000. Why the huge jump? >> Yeah. So it's $6 million over the full
cont. Are you coming to um it's the three million annually. This is a 2-year >> renewal. We're trying to lock in >> the prices we have agreed to because with tariffs and the price of steel, the equipment prices are soaring as we're
all experiencing in our own lives. So, we're trying to bring those prices, keep those prices the best they can be, but really cannot stress enough how much we are repairing items and then even moving items around the district. So if there's
a school that had three serving lines, they only use two. We've been removing the third line and moving it to schools before we buy anything new. So that's where the not to exceed is so much higher than the spend. We just have not been purchasing new, trying to use what
we have. However, we want to maintain the not to exceed because we do anticipate some hopefully equipment grants coming out through USDA to promote the scratch cooking and all of the new nutrition guidelines that are
coming out and those will just require new equipment, specialized equipment. So, we do want to maintain that high higher amount for not to exceed should a grant or a funding opportunity come to us where we could spend that much.
Member Smith, >> thank you. Thank you for your presentation. Uh I love the fact that you said they're working with uh student culinary programs. Uh do you have a list of what schools they're working in, which programs they're working in? Uh I
know Simeon and CVS have great culinary programs. I don't know that they're working with this particular vendor. and and not only who are they working with but what have been some of the outcomes from that work? >> Yeah, so we work essentially we manage the contract and then we work very
closely with the CTE team. If a CTE kitchen equipment needs a repair, we work through our repair contract and then like I said, if the if the equipment just needs to be replaced, we have negotiated the prices districtwide that then we work with the CTE team to
help place that order. They have their own contacts with the vendor, but this is the man more the manufacturing. It's not necessarily a partnership. It's they need a new oven. We order a new oven from Trrimark that comes in. Um, so this is the equipment vendor.
>> I'm sorry. I thought you said that they work with culinary programs. >> So, the culinary kitchens have food service equipment just like the kitchens that serve the student meals. So, ovens, um, warmers, serving lines, cutting areas. So,
whatever the culinary kitchens need, we help to the culinary program to source that equipment through this contract. They're not going into those schools and working in them. They're, have you been to a culinary kitchen? They're they look just like a back of house. And so, all that equipment mirrors what would be in
the kitchen that we serve our meals out of. >> Okay, I understand it. Thank you. One more question um regarding it would be good for us to know because I think it would be helpful is what are the items that you guys are a repairing the
most and when something does reach its end of life cycle? Um what is it that you're repairing the most? >> This ties in really nicely to the last item because our food service inventory will be going into the hexagon project with it. We do not have we have many
many spreadsheets, Google sheets, paper logs from years ago of how when we bought something 30 years plus. And so this internal process of tracking will be the first time we have all of our equipment, you know, should this be adopted and move forward, we could have
all of our equipment in a ticketing system where it would show how we could enter, how old is this, we would start to see how many repairs we've done. Then we could start to have that data to say, "Hey, after 15 repairs, a walk-in is not worth repairing anymore. We need to be
replacing." And the goal would be to have a multi-year budget that we could start thinking about knowing what's aging, what's aging out, what do we need to be planning for, if we could work with our capital friends getting those things in. So that's the idea of that
system presented before to answer exactly that question. what are we repairing the most and how can we get ahead of it and then not have these total failures of equipment where we're losing food and then students are having some kind of emergency meal service because the manager came in everything's
thawed now we have to think of a new lunch for the day >> so how often do we have like that a total failure of the system where some where it's like a 911 emergency situation >> I could get you exact, but I would I would say just based on what I could say
from my email, it's at least one a week. >> One a week. And then how is that presented to the district? So like they call you in the morning like, "Oh my god, we've lost >> so the manager will call their operations specialist as well as their vendor uh FS food service manager."
>> Say, "Hey, everything's down." And then we sort of go into crisis mode. What is there that could be salvaged to serve the meal? what is around that we could move from other schools and that is partly in the need of new equipment but also in the need of budget of the
equipment repairs which was heavily impacted by budget cuts last year and still will be pretty tight going into next year. So we just have we're trying to be fiscally responsible and we have simply old equipment and we're trying to fix fix fix. We're bringing back
preventive maintenance because that was cut last year in the budget cuts. And a lot of equipment that goes down are those walk-ins because what preventive does is cleans out the fans and all of the parts behind. You're reaching my limit of equipment expertise. But everything behind a walk-in that you
have to keep clean for air to flow, those we um unfortunately had to cut that service for this year and we're sort of paying the consequences on the other end. So, we're trying to just get ahead, get back to some preventive, get and then get this data and these systems together to make these predictions and
then still keep new purchases as responsibly low as we can. But understanding we'll hit a point where we've moved everything we can move and we'll just have to buy something new. >> But up till now, we've just sort of been peacemealing it together. It's like we're
>> chasing our tail on it, >> so to speak. Okay. I think we can do better, but Okay. Thanks. >> Thank you for your presentation. >> Um, hi everybody. Tina Lori Harris, OEAD ESG. I wanted to just make two notes about the MBEWBE. Tryark is a national
firm that is located in Chicago. Um, we did have WBE participation, but the firm that was certified sold their firm. So, knowing that we're doing the 31% almost, um, we're going to exceed it and it's based on a specific amount of $600,000
versus of the total amount of the contract because of the limited niche market for these items. Thanks, board members. We will continue with transportation items numbers 14 and 15. We'll begin with item number 14.
Authorize the first renewal agreement of v with various vendors for charter yellow school buses and/or alternative models of transportation for field and sport trip services. Good afternoon, President Harding, board
members, CEO Dr. King, and CPS leadership. I am Jasmine Matthews, manager vendor operations for student transportation. We recommend the board authorize the first renewal for seven transportation vendors to ensure continued transportation services for field trips,
extracurricular activities, and sports related events. We request a one-year renewal from July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2027 with a not to exceed amount of $650,000
allocated via school spend. This estimate is based on a historical school spend and provides a necessary buffer for schools to hire transportation as needed without hitting the NTE cap. These vendors were selected via an RFQ
process that includes one MBE certified vendor. Vendor performance is consistently high averaging a 4.0 or above and our Oracle PO tracking system. Performance is monitored through KPIs such as safety records and quality of
service. Recent negotiations also secured a 25% average savings on the hourly rates. Without the renewal, without the approval of this renewal, the district cannot meet the growing transportation needs for extracurricular programs that
are vital to a high quality educational experience. The equity focus and vision connection aligns with providing equitable transportation resources to every school requiring these services. Authorizing these renewals is essential to maintaining students access to a
well-rounded educational and athletic opportunities. >> Any questions? >> Any questions? There being none, thank you. >> Thank you. Item number 15, authorize the first
renewal agreement with Education Logistics, Inc. >> Good afternoon, President Harden, board members, co Dr. King and CPS Leadership. My name is Leo Franco. I'm a transportation manager for the Department of Student Transportation
Services. We are recommending the board to renew the agreement with education logistics during the board meeting of May 28th, 2026 for routing software and vendor management. The district utilizes the application to design the most efficient routes while
balancing constraints such as fleet. Sorry, thank you. The district utilizes the application to design the most efficient routes while balancing constraints such as fleet capacity, time windows,
and driver availability. This process integrates data from district, non-public, and charter schools, managing the coordination of 19 transportation suppliers. The not to exit amount we're requesting is in the amount of $1.5 million with a
term commencing on July 1st, 2026. and ending on June 30th, 2028. This supplier was selected via RFP process with participation for MWBE and MBE 30% WBE 7% prime vendor is 100%
MBE ongoing efforts to incorp incorporate complex requirements and changes and dynamics are and taking place uh there's no financial increase the historical spend reflects no payments during 2025's year and this accounts for platform
recalibration due to complexities and system improvements. The implications for nonapproval if this agreement is not renewed uh the district would uh be paralyzed in terms of transportation infrastructure by disabling the central
hub utilized to coordinate with this mentioned 19 suppliers. the connection uh with district vision. Uh this agreement, this renewal supports operational excellence and resource equity by ensuring all students have
access to high quality educational environments by utilizing an effective transportation software. The district can prioritize students with the greater needs to remove barriers to opportunity. Leveraging data routing, the software ensures equitable
resources are allocated based on the greatest needs of students. I'm open for questions. >> Member Zach. >> Yeah. Um I'm just wondering if um there's a move towards using this software to find solutions that allow um
gened students and special needs students to ride on the same bus. I've heard reports from some of my schools that sometimes there's only one student on the bus and that seems not the best use. >> We appreciate that question and we understand those concerns. Essentially,
the application is utilized to maximize the resources. So, in this event, one school bus must and can service multiple schools provided the capacity is in terms of time and the eligibility for
the students in question. We utilize the tier approach in which we maximize those resources. Now this is driven by uh the policy at play in which we prioritize students with disabilities, students
with u SDLS under SDLS and subsequently any student that we can accommodate based on the subsequent criteria there which is the genet population provided again we can utilize the resources under the constraints explained before which
are time and the opportunities of those resources available for that population. >> Thank you very much. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Board members. We will continue with portfolio items number 16 through 18B
and the subject matter expert will present on those four items. 16. Amend the renewal of the Chicago International Charter School Agreement with conditions. 17. Amend renewal of the Row Elementary Charter School Agreement with conditions.
18A. Amend renewal of the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men High School Bronzeville campus agreement with conditions. 18B. Author Amend renewal of the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men High School Englewood campus agreement with
conditions. Good afternoon. Uh Conrad Timasar, acting chief portfolio officer. Uh I'm here with two of my colleagues who will introduce themselves momentarily uh to discuss the AFA and some amendments for our charter partners.
>> Thank you, Chief. Good afternoon, board president, vice president, board members, Dr. King, and CPS leadership. My name is Sabrina Evans, and I serve as the executive director in the office of innovation incubation. With me today is Terresa Roblass who is our office authorization manager. The items before
you um are the annual application for amendment request um submitted by charter operators seeking modifications to existing school models. These requests were reviewed in collaboration with INI and CPS partner departments um
in addition to content area experts where we assess educational operational facility and fi financial considerations of these applications. Important to note that these requests do not increase authorized enrollment at the following charter schools or expand their
footprint or create um any additional direct financial impact to the district's overall budget. The proposals before the board generally reflect um efforts to align programming, facilities, operational structures within existing charter school models
and to improve the overall student experience. At this time, I will turn it over to Teresa who manages the AFA process with the recommendations individually for items 161 17 A and B. >> Thank you, Sabrina. Good afternoon, uh,
President Harden, Vice President Buzz, uh, members of the board, and Dr. King. My name is Terresa Robles. Again, I'm the authorization manager with in the office of innovation incubation. So, now I'm going to walk through each AFA recommendation individually, summarize the current structure, the proposed
amendment, stakeholder engagement, and operational readiness. First, it will be item 16, amend the charter agreement with Chicago International Charter Schools, CICS, uh, for Lumis and Longwood. Our recommendation is to authorize the shift of third grade from
CICS Longwood to CICS Lumis. Chicago International Charter Schools operate the Lumis and Longwood campuses that serve students across a K through 12th grade continuum with adjacent nonCPS facilities in the Washington Heights community. This recommendation reflects
the operator's proposal to shift the third grade band from Longwood to Lumis, resulting in Lumis serving grades K through three and Longwood serving grades 4 through 12. This request is a grade level band shift and does not increase authorized enrollment. The
operator conducted stakeholder outreach, including family and staff, and community engagement through meeting surveys and direct communication. As Sabrina said, there's no direct financial impacts to the district's overall budget uh associated with this amendment, and if not approved, the school would continue operating under
the current grade configuration, but would be unable to implement the proposed grade realignment. Now, I'll move on to item 17. Amend the charter agreement with Northwestern University Settlement Association for Row Elementary. Our recommendation is to
authorize the shift of rose lower grades from 1420 West Augusta Boulevard into the upper grade building at 1424 North Cleaver, creating a unified K through 8 um grade into one building. Row Elementary currently operates across two
campuses in Westtown, serving grades K through 4 in a nonCPS facility and grades 5 through eight in a CPS-owned facility located on the Loausano campus. The operator is requesting approval for a unified K through8 model. This
recommendation will also reduce RO's authorized capacity from 1080 students to 560 uh to align with the CPS building operational capacity. This request does not expand the operator's existing facility footprint, nor does it increase
um authorized enrollment. The operator conducted stakeholder outreach including family, staff and community engagement through meetings, surveys, public um communication and direct outreach. I and I also engage with the Lozano leadership regarding on ongoing coordination of
shared campus operations. There's no direct financial impact uh to the district's overall budget associated for this enrollment. Without approval, Row would continue operating under its current two campus structure and would be unable to implement the proposed unification of their K through8 campus
model. And now I'll move on to item 18. Amend the charter agreement with Urban Prepmies Bronzeville and Englewood. Urban Prep currently operates two separate high school campuses. Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to say the
recommendation. Our recommendation is to authorize the shift and windown of Urban Prep Bronzeville into Urban Prep Englewood High School and to approve a name change to Urban Prep Academy for Young Men. Urban Prep currently operates
two separate high school campuses within CPS own facilities serving students in Bronzeville and Englewood. The operators requesting to move operations into the Inglewood campus and transition to a unified single school model. This request does not increase authorized
enrollment. The operator also conducted stakeholder outreach, including family, staff, student, and community engagement activities. There's no direct financial impact to the district's overall budget associated with the amendment, and without approval, the school would continue to operate under its current
two campus structure and would be unable to implement the proposed unified school model. For items 16, 17, and 18, INI partnered with facilities, the office of student safety and security, OPM, and other partner departments to assess um
implementation feasibility, operational feasibility, and stakeholder engagement, including educational impact, finan uh faculty, sorry, facility readiness, operational feasibility, financials, and the student experience considerations.
Just one question. I know that you stated that there are no financial implications to the district, but do the charters will they experience any cost savings with these uh recommended changes? >> Yeah, that's a great question. So, each school had to submit a um an AFA budget
to discuss the their proposal and what the um cost savings could be. Um and for all of them we are seeing that it this should be a cost savings for each of those >> and share with the board what that is. >> If not now you could >> Yes. >> share with the through the board office. Thank you.
>> Member Brown. >> Yes ma'am. Um has there been an assessment of what will happen to the Urban Prep Bronzeville building when if if they uh vacate that
building? It is a CPS facility, so it's going to remain um a CPS facility, >> but it I mean so that school used to be Dittle West and it served kindergarten through third graders and it was closed
early in the Renaissance 2010 um debacle. And so an empty building that creates blight, right? And so I'm I'm just wondering
if that's the proposal, you know, what conversations with the community has been had uh around what happens to that space, what are the thoughts, or is it just going to be an empty building? So, we haven't we have not had any
direct communication with the community around the the vacancy of the building, but we have had internal conversations in regards to what what happens next. Um, if the board was to approve this, we do understand um in regards to our footprint and the the aging of our
facilities as well as vacant facilities. And so we will work internally with um our facilities department um as we have done and also our capital team to address the vacant building and I believe Go ahead. >> Uh sure. That's a great question. We've
been working with with the team for a while. Again, Ivan Hans, the chief facilities officer. Um the plan as we're going through the district and we have some uh our space efficiency program. We're looking at some schools and consolidating some spaces in schools. We're finding that there are some of our
uh other uh agents or some of our other internal departments in the school. So, we're closing some spaces. We'll be looking to reuse that space for safety and security and some other uh areas and uh CPS departments we can move in there in the interim until we come up with a long-term plan for the for our entire
portfolio. But again, we do not want to leave these these buildings vacant. Um, so we will uh in the short term we're going to move our our own people in there, but in the long term we will be meeting with the community and again in the and the elected officials on on a long-term plan for these buildings. >> So So just to be clear, there's no plan
in play now that will leave these buildings vacant. Is that correct? >> That is correct. >> Okay, great. Thank you. Thank you for your presentation. Board members, we will continue with the following capital item number 27. Authorize entering into a lease
agreement with the Chicago Park District for Gateley Stadium. Good afternoon, board president Harden, members of the board, and CEO Dr. King. For the record, my name is Steven Stoultz, director of real estate for the Department of Capital and Facility Operations. We we recommend you approve a lease
agreement with the Chicago Park District for Gateley Stadium located in within Gateley Park at 10201 South Cottage Grove Avenue. The lease term will be 25 years and rent will be $1 per year. The the stadium use is used
by sports admin to host school sports events and CPS will be responsible for scheduling use of the facility. CPS will also be responsible for maintaining the premises throughout the term of the lease. That concludes my presentation and I'll be happy to answer any questions.
>> We just need you to do better on negotiating that rate. >> Well, we we'll try to get it to 99 cents if that that does it. >> Thank you for your presentation. >> Thank you. >> Board members, we will continue with the following facilities item number 28. Authorize the first renewal agreement
with various vendors for roofing consulting services. >> Good afternoon. Uh, board president Harding, Vice President Velas, uh, members of the board and CEO, Dr. King. Uh, my name is Vinnie Dy. I'm the executive director for the
Department of Capital Planning and Construction, and we are recommending that the board approve at the May board 2026 meeting the first renewal for various vendors to provide roofing consultant services. Uh, the total number is four vendors. Uh this pool of
roofing consultants provide uh roof inspections and evaluations, roof design and support services as well as field observations during construction on all roof projects for the capital improvement program. Specifically, they
provide uh detailed evaluations of existing roofs to assist with the design and construction uh management team in determining the necessary extent of the roof repair and/or replacement and the work required uh by the capital team to
ensure that uh we have durable watertight assemblies once we're complete. Uh they also provide peerreview support uh at various design completion milestones uh in coordination with our architects of record on the capital program. Additionally, they
provide full-time field observation during all construction projects um to include demolition, tear off as well as modifications and installations of new roofing components. Uh the board authority for this contract is a not to
exceed of $2 million for the multiple vendors over the two-year term beginning August 1st, 2026 and expiring July 31st, 2028. Uh these vendors were selected via competitive solicitation process and the
contract um that is and the the contract for this particular pool of vendors uh we are proposing to wave the MWBE participation goal uh because of the limited market availability uh in this
industry. Uh past performance of these vendors has been satisfactory. Uh the equity focus of this is uh resource equity to ensure that by um securing these services at the district level
that we have consistent uh uh services provided throughout the district uh that meet our standards. Uh the requested board authority is consistent with what we have spent over the years. And if this agreement is not approved, uh the board will not have a pool of
pre-qualified vendors or to provide timely and necessary design reviews and inspections for our roof projects. Any questions? >> There being none. Thank you. >> Thank you.
Board members, we will continue with the following board item number one, resolution in support of progressive revenue solutions to fund public education and essential public programs. The >> following slides list the standard monthly reports and motions that are
listed in the agenda review committee meeting agenda and posted online. This concludes the board reports for public agenda. Are there any comments or questions or any items or vivor? >> Is this the appropriate time to speak on
the resolution? >> Thank you. Um, I've been working on this resolution for several months now, but there's not a possibly more timely moment as we're seeing drastic cuts being proposed to school level budgets given our deficit
for this year. And it feels like, you know, I'm living in some kind of a nightmare where it's a recurring nightmare. And I feel like we're exactly where we were this time last year, staring down a very serious deficit. and we have not made any progress to secure
additional revenue from the state. Last year, we had to make incredibly difficult and drastic cuts to various programs affecting our students and our communities, including safe passage and custodial workers. And um this year, our
schools and our communities are bracing for even worse. The only way that we can advocate for our students to get the funding that they deserve is for us to come together and show support for progressive revenue
solutions at the state level to fully fund the evidence-based funding model. We as a school board and as a school district do not have the taxing authority to secure the revenue that our students need. And although we have to
pursue additional options from the city tiff dollars, we also need to support prop progressive revenue solutions because we cannot get out of this hole by continuing to raise property taxes on our communities. We have the eighth most
Illinois has the eighth most regressive tax structure in the entire country. That's not a list that we should be proud to be in top 10 for. And the only way to equitably fund our schools is by looking at the tax
loopholes and tax advantages that are given to billionaires and large corporations, closing those loopholes and gaps to fully fund our public schools and the other essential services that our students and families rely on.
And last year in the federal budget reconciliation bill, those exact same wealthy individuals and large corporations received massive historic tax breaks and tax giveaways to gut SNAP and Medicaid. So the purpose of this
resolution is to bring attention to the needs of our students. And while there's only a few weeks left of a legislative session in Springfield to show a united front and a force amongst us as leaders in Chicago that we want progressive
revenue to support our students and their families. Um I appreciate uh the board members who have shared interest in co-sponsoring this resolution. Um, and this resolution intentionally does not name specific proposals, but more so mentions a broad uh idea of needing
progressive revenue solutions for our students and for families. And I want to thank every single board member who has been down to Springfield and Dr. King for going down to Springfield to advocate for additional school funding.
But that's not enough. In this final stretch, we have to do more. So, if you have not yet met with your state legislators that cover your district, um whether it's in their district or in Springfield, I am going to ask you that now is the time. Thank you for your
consideration of this resolution. >> Thank you, Member Thor. Are there any other comments there? Being none, we'll >> I'm sorry. I'm I hit the little microphone thing. Um I of course in spirit I'm I'm I'm in full support. Is
there a copy of the resolution that we can >> Yes, I will circulate again via email. >> Okay. Um, I I do want to say this, um, that one of the most frustrating um, things that I've dealt with in my
career is how comfortable people are working in silos. And um so I'm saying this publicly that if Chicago public schools, labor partners, the city of Chicago,
community- based organizations do not unite around um demands for progressive revenue is dereliction of duty because it's very easy to say we're going to have to make tough decisions next year and we have
not done all we can in the way that we can to actually upset a system that is is basically structurally inequitable. The way that Chicago public schools, the way that schools in Illinois, the way that they are funded, it is sabotaged,
even going down to the point of being funded primarily by property taxes. Now, we have money to invest in prisons. We have money to bail out football teams, but we don't have money to invest in children. And to me, that is a
dereliction of duty. And so, I'm I am respectfully going to be pushing all of those different interests. Don't come up here talking about closing schools if you have not been leader enough, visionary enough, courageous
enough to tell Springfield that the status quo will not work and all these different powerful arms that we have in Chicago, everybody's go doing their own thing. That's not leadership. And and it's it's
time for us to be visionary and united. we could shake what we need from Springfield there. And and so I I'll I'll leave it there, but I want to thank you for the resolution. Um and and I I would ask
every board member like the the the differences that people that we have articulated in this space. I get all of that. But if we are not prepared to call on the state of Illinois, who we must remember for decades, we were 49th
decades. 49th in funding public education. So the improvements that we've made, as Malcolm X said, if you stick a knife in my back and you pull it out three inches, you're not healing the wound. You have to pull the knife out and then heal the wound. So I'll leave
it there. >> C. >> Um, thank you, board president. Um, I just wanted to say first like I really appreciate board member Thodicora bringing this to a discussion and us having like a process and it not just ending up on the agenda for a vote and
not being able to discuss amongst ourselves. So, thank you first and foremost for the process. Um, I've noticed over the last year and a half that we as a board like to govern sort of by resolution and we don't really leverage any of our other governing authority or governing power that we
have. Um, and I think I said this the last board meeting as well, and I'm going to repeat myself again. I don't have any issue with the spirit of this resolution. I'm in agreement with the spirit of the resolution. But I think that we as a board, as we grow into our governance and we understand better what
our role is and how we fit in with these other governing entities, we have to direct the the mission and things we're trying to do into the appropriate venue. And I think the appropriate venue is not necessarily a resolution on the floor here but part of our legislative agenda which we were presented in January and
never took a vote on. So we've never really directed the district or anybody in the district on what exactly we want to work on and progressive revenue was not in that presentation. So I think it's really important as we move forward to think about the avenue in which we present these things. I was in
Springfield yesterday. I had a great day. I talked to a lot of people um and I talked to them about these issues as well, but I think we have to make sure we're directing it in the appropriate venue and appropriate governance vein in order to see it to fruition and make it happen and then organize in those veins
to go down together and have these conversations um with our legislators and do that work. So, I do thank you though for bringing it to a process and having the discussion. Member >> Boys Sorry. Um, I just want to cosign uh what
board member Brown said about unity and us coming together to talk to our partners in Springfield. Um, member Zacher was just telling me that she campaigned on this two years ago and and here we are. Um, but also to our
partners in Springfield, please understand we see you as partners. We're not going down there to attack you. We're not going down there to demand that, you know, based on the federal or the national conversations, there's
there's people in real need for dollars all over. Um, but we need to work together to make sure that our children aren't aren't suffering for this. As board member Brown also mentioned, CPS has been
underfunded for decades. Um they by their own math they know we're underfunded. Um and and this is this is crisis management time. CPS last year I think everybody cut 15%. Everyone's
looking for another 15% right now. Um we're trimming things to the bone and this is this is going to put us back where we were. This is this is the make America great again strategy. Um, school classrooms are getting more and more crowded. The food is getting less
healthier. Um, there's going to be less afterchool programs, which leaves more time um for mischief and so forth. We already know where this recipe leads us. Um, and we we've got to stop and focus
now. um all the gains that our city has made in terms of um violence prevention, all the gains that our students made since um um losing ground during COVID. Um there there's so much that we have to
be proud of. um and and losing that revenue, losing money, not being able to fund our schools to to to adequacy is going to put us right back where we started. And we have to not be willing to accept
that. The ship will still sail even if there's $5 in the bank. We're still going to try and teachers are going to do their best and and and administrators are going to do their best and everybody's going to squeeze and the lunch program is just going to give more packaged food instead of um freshly
prepared food. Everyone's going to figure it out, but that doesn't mean it's right. So, I I just I I just want to underscore to everyone that we're all in this together. We do have to walk forward and um be intentional and have
intentional conversations and and acknowledge the history of of of underfunding and really be purposeful in and making sure that um we get our our schools and our kids what they need.
Thanks, >> Member Roseld. >> Um I just want to reiterate what board member Kuster said. I also find this board member governs by resolution more than any other board ever has. And resolutions really have little to no
long-term implications. They're one-time. They're ad hoc. I think they signal directives politically. It's like performative governance. So, I would also love a legislative agenda and love to work toward policies that have
long-term long-term implications for the district. There are a lot of ways to advocate um for more money at the city level, at the state level, but certainly going down to Springfield and telling them again what we've told them already and yelling at that doesn't seem to be
very effective. Um every single thing is going to be on the table for sure. Um we can't be as scared to talk about any of it. Um more tiff, meaningful savings outside the classroom, furlow days that save $17 million a day. There are so
many ideas and we as a board should talk about all of them but um yeah I have a problem I do appreciate your advocacy too but with this whole governing by resolution. >> Thanks Paul.
>> Obviously resolutions are not the answer. Nobody is saying that resolutions are the answer. Resolutions are a way of expressing and conveying and communicating ideas and beliefs and positions. Of course, we have to be in
Springfield. Of course, we have to examine various things. Of course, we have to fight for additional sources of revenue. That's why many of us were out there uh pushing for the millionaires tax, which would have brought a real amount of revenue into our system. And
we will continue to do that kind of advocacy. So yes, resolutions are not the be all and the end all and the answer. And yes, we need to have a multi-layered, multi- faceted strategy, but we do need to do something because
we cannot balance our budget on the backs of students, on the backs of educators, and on the backs of our communities. It's just not acceptable. We are not going to play hunger games when our children's lives are at stake.
>> Member Gopez. >> Thank you board president and thank you board member for taking the initiative on and drafting this and circulating the language. Um I know as we as has been shared tough financial situation and
also thank you for both of us going to Springfield sometime earlier this year and then last week I was down there uh two days and I will also ask board members whenever you're at Springfield feel free to take some of the community leaders I drove some of the mom leaders and we were having these conversations
with legislators I also want to thank Dr. King Dr. Asa for joining us. I know it was an amazing day with over we had a large community especially for Latino Unity Day. Um but all this to say is I think it's important that we're
signaling that we're ready to partner up and find solutions and often times when I'm meeting with community we hear about the issues right uh the problems and it's helpful when we start talking about solutions what does it mean and the legislators they keep hearing about what
the problems are and we work with them of these are what we believe are solutions and in support also of potentially what some of our other partners are seeing right? Um and what happens next after a solution gets passed is how do we follow through to make sure whether it's implementation or
next steps if we're working with other bodies of government. Um so thank you again. Um just very briefly uh I want to thank board members for their feedback. Um the only legal authority that we have as board members is to vote yes or no on
items that come before us at at public meetings. Um I as a board member, I don't have the authority to to put our legislative agenda on um the agenda. If that was within my authority, that's what I would have advocated for. I do agree with you, board member Rosenfella
and Kuster, that that's ideal. But given that that's not what's in front of us, I've been advocating for this resolution to be put on the agenda for months. So that was what what's within my control to be able to advocate for a resolution. I agree that that's not ideal, but this is what's able to be done. and timing. I
mean, it's not great either because uh by the time we have our next board meeting, there's like a couple days left of session. But I'm hoping that this allows for us to not to yell at state legislators. Many of them share I actually would say all of them share the same values that we have, but they also
have competing priorities and interests. There's a lot of things that they hear from different sides. Um and even aside from uh achieving progressive revenue, there's a lot of different folks who are looking for funding for different programs that are very essential for our students and families as well. So um
this is just us being able to advocate for for our interests on the school board for our students and our families. And if people do have any um specific feedback regarding language or framing um I invite those recommendations. Member Brown, do you have a closing
statement? >> Yes, sir. I just want to um in the spirit of what was shared uh because I think when we go down as board members again, just like if the Chicago Teachers Union is going down, if SEIU is going down, if the city of Chicago is going
down, there needs to be a united message. And so what I've heard and some of the people I've connected with there, there are very solid proposals by the Illinois Revenue Alliance, including a billionaire wealth tax, Senate Bill
3376, a digital advertising tax, Senate Bill 3353, the tax code decoupling uh bill by Senator Lkesha Collins from the mighty west side, Senate Bill 3796. Then there's several other proposals
that would bring u if fully funded would raise over $7 billion statewide. Then there's full funding of the EBF. I think we should have a conversation about what is our agenda when we go. Uh because if we're all going down there saying
different things, then none of us are going down there really because they don't feel pressure. Uh they don't feel a sense of direction. from the city of Chicago, the economic engine of the state of
Illinois. So, thank you board member Thor for bringing this forward. Um, I'm very interested and I've been to Springfield several times as w with us and um I do think we would be able to shake resources
sooner than later if we if we all practiced um if we just believed that we could and we and we did not do it in silos. We did it as a united city. I think that we could things that we
think are impossible. We realize that um they're closer than we think. So, >> thank you all for contributing to a much needed discussion. Member Thor, for your leadership and taking the initiative. We'll now move into executive session.
Board member Rivas, do you have motion MO2? I move for the passage of motion number 2600513 MO2 and the commencement of a closed session to consider matters permitted under section 2C of the open meetings
act subsection 1 2 and 11 as specified in the motion. >> Is there a second? >> I second the motion. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> I. Member Lopez. I. >> Member Bole.
>> Yes. Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Uh, yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Reebus. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Yay. Bo. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Me.
>> Vice President Vez. >> I. >> Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 18 eyes. Zero nays. This motion is
adopted by the board. >> We'll now go into cold session. The agenda review committee of the board of education is reconvening. Board secretary, please proceed. President Harden, I will continue with a public agenda item. This item does
require a vote. RS1 amend board report 260330 RS2 resolution to appoint superintendent chief executive officer and to approve superintendent chief executive officer's employment contract Dr. Meline King. >> Is there a motion?
>> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> We'll now open this matter up for discussion. >> There being none, let's proceed with the roll call. >> I'll proceed with a roll call vote. Member Lozano. Yes, >> member Smith.
>> I >> member Lopez. >> I >> member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Kuster. >> Hi. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown.
>> Yes, ma'am. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I I >> Vice President BZ. Yes, >> member Gutierrez. >> Hi. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes.
>> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blaze. >> I. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> I. >> 17. I zero naysay. This matter is adopted by the board. President Harden. There are no further items on the
agenda. >> Thank you. Is there a motion to adjurnn? So move. >> Is there a second? All >> in favor? We are journ.