President Harden, before you begin today's meeting, I would like to read a few announcements. Good morning. Welcome to the March 4th, 2026 agenda review committee meeting. Before we start the meeting, I would like to share a few safety points and next meeting announcements. Please note
that the primary exit and entrance to the boardroom is the door which you use to enter this morning. If you are leaving the room, please use this door. The restrooms are outside the boardrooms to your left. During the meeting, we ask that you keep all aisles and exits clear. If you need any assistance during
the meeting, please wave the attention of one of our security officers. Please mark your calendars for the upcoming meeting. The next board meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 19th, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. 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, cpsboe.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 Board of Education Agenda Review Committee
meeting. Today is March 4th, 2026. I'm President Shan B. Hart and 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 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 review committee meeting of Wednesday, March 4th, 2026 is hereby called to order. Board secretary, please call the role. >> Thank you. Member Lozano, who is joining us virtually via Zoom, >> present. Member Lopez,
>> present. >> Member Wallace, >> present. >> Member Kuster, >> present. >> Member Pope, >> here. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> here. >> Member Rivas, >> present. >> Member Brown, >> member Rio Sierra,
>> present. >> Member Bannon, >> present. >> Vice President Bautista, >> present. >> Member Gutierrez, who's joining us virtually, via Zoom, >> present. Member Biggs, >> present. >> Member Blae, >> present. >> Member Zacha,
>> present. >> Member Deberry, >> present. >> President Harden, >> present. >> 17 members present. We do have a quorum. I'd also like to recognize Dr. Meline King, interim superintendent, chief executive officer. Elizabeth Barton, acting general counsel. Dr. Alonso
Carmona, acting chief education officer. Charles Mayfield, chief operating officer. Well, before we begin today's formal meeting, I'd like to take a moment to recognize my esteemed colleague
and board vice president, Olga Bautista, who has announced she will be stepping down from the board. >> She didn't listen to me at all. Today will be her last board meeting before she embarks on an exciting opportunity
after receiving the inaugural transition with justice award from the Chicago front lines fund. >> So I want to commend Olga's consistent commitment to our work here in the board. uh we faced a lot of challenges. Her years of service towards
environmental justice, educational equality, and working families on Chicago Southeast side shine through her passion and support for the district. She's been clear on her mission. Ensure every student and their families have
access to highquality, joyful, culturally responsive learning environment. And you've not been silent on that at all. On behalf of the board, I extend my deep gratitude to you, Olga. Congratulations on your exciting new
chapter. I'm a little upset that you're not taking me with you. Uh, but it's been a true pleasure to work with you alongside you and I deeply appreciate my first board meeting when I was a deer in headlights. >> You grabbed my hand and and showed me
the way. Um, I'm going to open it up to board members if you have any comments and then you'll close us out. >> Member Brown, is there a way to like veto this or >> Yeah.
>> No. Okay. Um I I would just share that um when you want a better world. Uh there's something that's called like connected spirits. And even though OGA
is from the far southeast side and and I'm all the way in Austin, when we started working together, I can feel that connection, that demand for a better world. and how sometimes you're called to do it because there was no I
don't know if somebody came to your school and did a career day about being a community organizer. That didn't happen to me. It was it was a calling. It was it was seeing things wrong and wanted to do whatever you could, whatever little you could to make a difference. I want to thank you for
mothering us. I want to thank you for your courage. I want to thank you for your humility because despite how brilliant and courageous you are, you are humble. Um, so this world is better with you in it. This struggle is better with you in it. I love you. I'mma miss
you. And I just want to commend you for your work. Member Wallace. Uh, I agree with board member Brown. We should have been able to veto this, but since we can't, I want to say I really appreciate the handholding that I also
got in doing this endeavor. Uh there were many of times that I was scared and you were a rock for me to lean on. I appreciate you taking my calls late at night. I appreciate you checking in with me to make sure that I after I've asked some questions that I got the answers
that I needed. And I sincerely hope you don't think those late night phone calls are going to stop. I I'm very happy for you. I'm sad for us, but I'm very happy for you. >> Member Blaze.
Um, this one's a tough one for me. As you know, um, there there was one point where the entire CPS board left and there were a few of us that are still up on this stage that um, jumped in to take their places. Olga and I and Debbie
um, were on that team. Who else is anybody else left? >> Nope, that's just going to be us. Ma, >> it's just us. Okay. Um, and we were thrust into a storm of epic proportions. Um, I didn't know Olga at the time, but
we were immediate sisters. Um, I've got to know her family and friends. Um, and you can always tell a lot about a person by the people who are around them. Her children are amazing. Her mom, her family is wonderful. She's
welcomed me in with open arms and she too has met my family and um and we talk about her on the southeast side. But let's let's be real. She was making national and international headlines with the
work she did um about cleaning up the air on the southeast side about the making sure that they weren't putting manufacturing into neighborhoods um that didn't typically complain about it. Olga Bautista changed the world. We were
lucky to have her for as long as we did. And I wish you the best of luck even though I booed your exit. Um, but I love you very much and I'm so glad to have gotten to know you. Thanks, >> Member Paul.
>> Yeah, I'll try to make it brief since uh everybody else has said the things that I really wanted to say. I didn't know Olga although we had many friends in common and getting to know Olga and her dedication
and her single-minded clarity about causes and about issues and about the impact of things not just in her community on the southeast side but throughout the city have been an inspiration to all of us. I really
appreciate the time and effort that she has put into this role and I wish her the best in her new endeavors. It's really exciting that you uh won this honorable award and I really hope that
it leads you to an inspiring career in the future. >> Member Bennett. Uh, Olga, I I just want to point you out as an example of somebody who uh is trying to change the world and doesn't need to sit on a board
to do it. Um, Olga before she even came to the board was a champion in environmental justice. Uh, when ICE came to her neighborhood was even though she was busy with this board and with environmental justice, she still fought uh the ICE injustices in her neighborhood. Um, and I expect that
she'll do even more um, when she leaves us. Um, and I just want to call her out as, you know, she's an extraordinary example, but everybody can do that. Everyone can pick a cause and fight for it, uh, whether you sit on the board or not. Um, and I think Olga is going to continue to be an example of of that type of person. And now that you're not
on the board, we can uh, play more poker together. No worry about any concerns. >> I want to recognize U board member Wano who's joining us virtually. Thank you uh Mr. President. I also want
to say felicadesa and I want to thank you so much for you know your dedication your commitment to just justice in general but also to to the people who need you. So
congratulations and it was a pleasure and an honor uh working with you on this board and thanks for all the teachings. Muchisimas gracias. Thank you. >> Also member Gutierrez, >> Vice President Bautista, I will remember
us going to Chinatown for tea. And one of the things I could always appreciate about you even though we had our differences on things that we can both have a conversation and uh I think uh board member Bla1 said it right. Right.
You can tell about a lot about a person by the people who are with them and uh you had your daughters with you at that day and uh and and and I got to know and learn a different side of you. um and I had already known the things that you
did on that southwest side for economic uh and economic justice out in that community. So, I want to wish you the best uh in this next endeavor and congratulations on receiving this wonderful, wonderful
prize and uh I know that you will continue to uh to pave the way and fight for your community as you always do. So, cheers. Cheers. Member Zako, >> Olga, you've been just such a shining
light on the board. Um, I also knew of you before getting here. Um, knew of your work uh in environmental justice and I actually used to teach about your work in my environmental science class. So, um I was exceptionally thrilled to
know that I was going to be working with you on this board and every interaction just confirms, you know, what a dedicated um amazing person you were that I had known from your other work. Um I've really personally learned just so much
from you. Um, like Sydney, I'm not going to lose your phone number and we'll be calling on you for advice, but also just to hear about your amazing new adventures and um, you know, and other environmental justice work. So,
congratulations on a very welldeserved award. Um, and we're going to just miss you so greatly. and member Lopez. >> Thank you, board president. Um, vice president, I think it already has been
said. Uh, I also heard about you. I heard about the Olga about theista because of your environmental work in the city and also strong advocating when um, unfortunately the Hilco situation in the southwest side. Uh, so thank you. Thank you for your work in serving with
you in this capacity has been a pleasure. I've learned a lot from your leadership. Thank you for engaging in various conversations. I know some of the conversations you and I have had are have not been easy, but you have given me time to be able to express where I'm coming from and the same where your
thoughts are on things. So, I appreciate that. I look forward to continue working with you in future projects. Thank you, >> Dr. Uh thank you, Mr. President. girl.
She will call me all the time and that's the phrase that she would use and my masculinity wasn't affected. Um, I will actually welcome it. Um, you know, it it is rare to see somebody
that, you know, it is straight as an arrow. Um, and somebody who's so consistent. you know, over the past few months, I've gotten to speak uh to speak to you all the time and uh and it's almost like we're the same person
and I really enjoy our time together. Um, you know, even when we went to uh the Illinois football game, I um and and it it was just uh you know, the the the love that you give, you know, when I first went to your home, you you took
out a spread of guacamole and and I was like, "Yes, you're speaking my language now." Um, but but everything you do is is always wi with a with a straight mindset and I really enjoy uh working with you even with the late night calls and your commitment to justice. Uh, and
that's why we have such a like great relationship because we're able to talk about issues impacting our marginalized communities. And the reason, my friend, why you are attacked is because of that. The reason why some of us are attacked
is because you know because we put justice front and center and that speaks volumes when you see people in this board and and we are attacked is because you know we are in the right side of history. So yeah, >> Vice President Bautista.
>> Wow. Um, you know, I've left other jobs and before, um, but none that, um, matter so much like this position. Um, I do want to say I prepared a little
statement in in Spanish first. I'll start. Uh, das chicago. Chicago. Chicago Transition with Justice, Chicago Front Lines Fund. Chicago.
Good morning. Before I conclude my time here on the Chicago Board of Education, I just want to thank the people of this great city for the opportunity to serve. This past year has been a significant moment for the Chicago public schools. As our city moves now towards a fully
elected board, it has required thoughtful conversation and careful decisions and a deep commitment to the public trust. I am grateful to have been part of that moment and to have worked alongside all of you. Uh the educators,
the teachers, the district staff, the board staff, our families, our students who care so deeply about the future of our schools. I also want to share that I'll be stepping away from my professional work also for a period of rest after being selected as the
inaugural recipient of the Chicago Frontline Funds Transition with Justice Sbatical Award. I'm very deeply grateful for the recognition and the chance to take time to reflect and recharge after 25 years of community work. Public
service is never easy, but it really matters. Our students deserve schools that are wellresourced, communities that are heard, and leaders who remain focused on the long-term future of our city. It's been an honor to serve the students and the families of Chicago.
Thank you. Congratulations. We'll miss you, Oga. It's not too late. I'll still take a motion to reject that. >> The order of meeting will be as follows. a poll participation, a discussion of of agenda review committee meetings items 1
through six. We'll then go into recess, reconvene from recess, discussion of agenda review committee meeting items 7 through 12, discussion of public agenda items. We'll vote on public agenda items going to cold session, reconvene from cold session, and then adjourn.
So, we'll begin today with public participation. Thank you for joining to share your comments with the board in compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act. Public participation, sometimes referred to as public comment, is the portion of the board meeting or hearing that grants district stakeholders the opportunity to address
the board with their concerns and comments. Note that public participation is the time for the board and CPS senior leadership to listen and hear from you rather than a time for dialogue with board members during or after your remarks. And while we can't discuss
personnel matters, whole 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 poll 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 may have a conversation. So, please use our website cpsb.org if you want to meet with the board member during our during office hours.
We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunity to meet with board members outside of a board meeting. Thank you for your attention and consideration. And as a reminder, union representatives will be allotted five minutes to speak before poke participation and any elected officials
will be allotted five minutes to speak after the conclusion of poke participation. Board secretary, please share the rules of p participation. >> Thank you. Before I do so, I do want to acknowledge acknowledge for the record that board member joined the meeting at
10:41 a.m. and board member Smith joined the meeting at 10:43 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 preferred to attend via an electronic format, they were given
information to access this meeting by dialing a number and using their phone. We did this so that speakers with limited or no access to the internet or who may have weak internet connection could still participate using their phones. Also, members of the public may submit written comments for board of
education meetings via the written comments form on the board's website at cpsb.org or mailed to 42 Westmass 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 cpsbee.org. Speakers, please listen while I provide directions for public participation. I will call your name and number when it is your turn to speak. For speakers joining us virtually, as a reminder to
unmute, please enter star six. Once you hear your name, please state your name for the record. I will then start the 2-minut 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 a speaker, note
that in order to comply with the city's fire code, please stand along the glass partitions on the marked spots to keep aisles clear. Thank you. President Harden, before we begin calling registered speakers from the speakers list, we do have union reps who would like to address the board. We'll begin
with Vicki Chris Croidlo, recording secretary, CTu recording secretary, who is here in person. Good morning. I want to begin by thanking Vice President Olga Batista for her
extraordinary leadership and service on the Chicago Board of Education. What the public may not know is that schoolboard members serve without pay. They spend countless hours reading reports, meeting with families, visiting schools, and
making decisions that shape the future of the third largest school district in this country. That is that is an enormous responsibility. And Vice President Bautista stepped into that responsibility not for recognition
and not for compensation, but for the children of this city. She chose students over politics. She chose stability over chaos. She chose service over self-interest. And right now, that kind of leadership
is not optional. It's essential because we are not in normal times. Everyone across this country, public education is under coordinated attack. The United States Department of Education has been stripped down to the
bare bones. As a special education teachers teacher, I see the consequences of that every single day. Special education has been riddled, understaffed underresourced destabilized. Students with disabilities are not line
items in a budget. They are not political pawns. They are children with dreams, with rights, and with immense potential. And when the federal government walks away from its obligations, local districts feel the impact immediately. At the same
time, we are told to celebrate vouchers. We watched as Donald Trump is promoting public dollars into private schools. The carrot is a distraction. The stick is disinvestment. You cannot starve public schools and
then blame them for being hungry. And here in Chicago, we are living through the local version of that same playbook. Right now, because Chicago I'm sorry, right now because CPS has not moved quickly and comprehensively, Aspira students and
teachers are getting updates from management over the school intercom. Seniors are worried that they will not graduate together. Educators are wondering whether a last day is coming without warning. And looking backwards tells us all of this
was preventable. Looking at this moment tells us CPS is not moving fast enough. And let's be honest about how we got here. Andrew of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools submitted a federal grant describing the
CPS funding model for charter schools as, and I quote, guaranteeing equitable funding. But now that the charter experiment they have been waging on black and brown children in Chicago is collapsing under financial mismanagement
and property schemes. Incoss like Edler Lopez want to shift the blame. Now they claim that they are underfunded. Now they say the system is unfair. You can't have it both ways.
You cannot call it equitable when you are applying for federal dollars and call it inequitable when your management can't balance its books. They want all the benefits and all the funding of our public schools but none of the responsibilities.
They do not want to follow the same laws. They do not want to pay into their teachers pensions. They do not want to contribute to the services the district provides. They want public money without public accountability.
And while four charter operators have gone belly up, has Inks offered to fund raise to help these schools finish the year strong? No. They have been making campaign contributions in Springfield. They have
been hiring anti-UN lawyers. They have been going on to court for the right to use public education dollars meant for classroom on litigation instead of instruction. Parents are going the extra mile.
Students are trying to stay focused despite uncertainty. The school board must urge CPS to CPS to act swiftly and decisively to keep the Aspir community whole. Families deserve
clarity. Students deserve continuity. And staff deserve stability. Stand up for the students of this city. That means doing the due diligence and providing the oversight so Inks and Brouble talk has no room to stand.
That charter CEOs know that they have to meet their responsibilities instead of misappropriating funds and then treating CPS as a piggy bank. It means being a present and loud voice in Springfield for funding for the schools our students
deserve and standing against vouchers that would rob from them. It means this moment with the urgency, clarity, and courage our students deserve. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. Before I
call the next uh union rep, I want to recognize for the record that member Thodakura has joined the meeting at 11:05 a.m. The next union rep is Caroline Rutherford, CTU Charter Division Vice
Chair. >> Good morning, board members and CEO King. At last week's board meeting, CPS proposed to compress the current 8 to 5:00 p.m. model at Shy Arts into a 7.25 hour day, stating guardrails from CPS policies and labor agreements are
standing in the way of maintaining the 8 to 5:00 p.m. student day. However, CTO has provided a proposal to CPS that takes into account every concern the district has raised with us and preserves what is valuable to the school community. We've asked for more
specifics beyond vague references to policies and have not been provided with any additional hurdles to our proposal. Parents, educators, and students understand change is necessary for a transition to the district, but cutting staffing, programming, and access to
quality arts education will fundamentally alter the structure of the school and what drives the students to attend. Dr. Carmona talked about the importance of both quality and quantity in arts education at the last board meeting. What is being proposed to the
shy arts community is roughly the quantity of hours but not the quality of programming we have built in both our academics and arts. Compressing both into a 7.25h hour day would result in a massive decrease of arts courses
provided to students while simultaneously slashing academic instruction. And there may be some confusion on how we cover staffing for a full 9-hour student day, but the answer is not complicated. Our staff workday does not
mirror our student instructional day. Our proposal m allows for maintaining the following 15 hours of pre-professional conservatory training each week in three-hour blocks. the 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. structure with the arts education being from 2:00 to 5:00
to maintain the intensity and access to our teaching artists and to maintain academic and conservatory teachers and teaching artists who built this model with the programming that is at the heart of this school. The question of whether it's equitable to fund a school
like Shy Arts has also been discussed. Is it fair to give this school additional funding as the only tuitionfree school like this in the city of Chicago dedicated to artists, dancers, musician, actors, and writers? Is it fair to take
it away? As an elementary art teacher for 15 years, my middle school students talked to me for hours about their dreams of one day attending a school like Shy Arts. And several of my former students attend Shy Arts today. and the heartbreak on their faces when they ask
me if their school will still be what it is today, next year, is devastating. Do not take away a school that students dream of attending. We should be striving to make more schools like this one. Onto Aspira, we know that Aspira does not have enough
money to run Aspira business and finance and Aspira Early College high schools through the end of this school year, running out of funds sometime in April. The district has said it cannot provide additional funding as it will have reached the funding limit provided by state law. If Aspira cannot continue to
educate these students, CPS must step in. Simply telling families they can transfer to whatever school they want is not sufficient. Students deserve better. Students deserve a real detailed plan, one that allows for seniors to graduate
together, for students to have familiar staff faces at their new school, to be guaranteed they will receive credit for their classes and and assurances they will be able to continue their AP dual enrollment and credit recovery classes and to graduate
without issue. Aspira is currently telling students they won't get credit for their classes if they transfer. CPS, you need to step up and communicate with families and let them know they will. CPS needs to create a centralized way for students to
transfer. Ensure everything in their student file is provided to both the family and to the receiving school. Connect counselors at receiving schools with a bi counselors to help with the transition. Making families navigate this system individually is unacceptable. CPS owns part of the
responsibility for Spir's inability to finish the school year and CPS should have systems in place to spot the extreme financial issues and should have worked at a windown plan with Aspira much sooner. Aspira management has repeatedly lied to families stating that
their school would be open until the end of the school year no matter what. >> You have 30 seconds remaining. They have presented no concrete plans and they have repeatedly changed their story or gone back on their word. Instead of taking responsibility for the mismanagement of millions of dollars and then working with all of us on solutions, they've pointed fingers and
paredited the line coming from the charter chiefs at Inks claiming they are underfunded because they're required to file the law and make basic contributions to the district and their own teachers retirement. They have blamed their teachers, blamed the CTU, and they have blamed you and CPS. CPS,
don't be like them. You must step up, take responsibility for these students. Families say they're not receiving communication from CPS. So, please don't just rely on emails. Send paper copies of communication and make robocalls. Set up a booth at ABF and ABC to answer question. Announce the district's
and reassure that you are making reassure the families you are working with them to make sure their current teachers and staff follow them. And Olga Bautista, you will be missed. Thank you for being such a fierce fighter for all of our students.
>> Thank you for your comments. >> The next union rep is Kia Banks, CPAA president, who is here in person. >> Morning. Uh first to Vice President Bautista, many blessings on your next journey. I
am sure that God has purposed you for the journey ahead. We have been fortunate to work with you. Our members salute you and we thank you for your commitment to the students and the families of CPS. Many times you've heard me stand at the
podium before talking about governance and budgets, planning cycles, the work that adults must do to keep the system running. But today, my heart wouldn't let me start there. Right now, we have families that are bracing for ICE return
to our communities. They're watching programs disappear and resources shrink. And they're watching what appears to be yet another charter closure. this time involving a spir. And what I see is fear. Fear that
children will lose the relationships that they depend on. Fear that children will lose community. And fear that children's access to academics will be threatened. But now I stand here as a union president and my union doesn't represent
charter leaders, but my heart is with our charter brothers and sisters and families. So what I stand here today is an offer of promise. When your child transitions into a CPS school, they will be in good hands.
Understand that neighborhood and CPS schools or district manage managed schools have always welcomed children from every walk of life, every background, every language, every circumstance. That is who we are and our leaders are
proud of it. for our partners at Shy Arts. Under the district managed model, let's work together so that we can ensure the preservation of our students who are empowered and committed to the arts. We know what it means when a child walks
into a building unsure, scared, and trying to figure out where they belong. And we know exactly what to do in those moments. We've been here before. So to many to the many apir families holding fear, I hope my message today
helps to alleviate some of that. When transition becomes necessary, I want you to know that CPS's school leaders will do what we have always done. We will open our doors. We will
welcome those students. We will work alongside our teachers and our staff to make sure every child and every family feels safe, supported, and com uh connected to the school community. We ask of you board members to ensure that
when these transitions occur that the resources that are necessary to make those welcoming and inclusive environments possible come with them. When those children, our children, walk into our schools, they become all of our
children. And all of us, from teachers to principles, social workers to classroom assistants, district chiefs, and board members, we will do everything in our power to make sure all children succeed.
So to the Aspira families and all of our families experiencing transition from across the city, your children are welcome in our CPS schools. And now I want to take a quick moment to acknowledge also President Harden.
President Harden, Chief Volunteer, we value your partnership, not just for partnering with the CPAA leadership, but for your commitment to the school leaders of our district. When you assumed your role, you made a commitment to us. And when you took your
position, you vowed to create spaces for our school's leaders where we would feel valued, respected, and authentically engaged. Through your monthly Tuesday talks with our leaders, through answering the tough questions and educating our members on board
governance, you have kept your commitment and we appreciate you. This is the type of partnership we expect to continue as we navigate the the days ahead. So with that, I say next month I'll be
back to revisit the budget, talk about our governance and our working conditions. But for that, for now, my promise to all of our students remain that the work we do is in service to our students, to all of our students, and
your students will be in good hands in our schools. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments, >> President Harden. We are now ready to call speakers from the speakers list. And we will begin with the um speakers from the Chicago High School for the
Arts. Philip Loendow Loendowski, speaker number one. Hello, my name is Philip Leandowski, an English teacher at Shy Arts for over 11 years. Shy Arts was founded to provide pre-professional training to novice artists, to expand and diversify access
to arts education in Chicago, and to diversify the arts themselves. Students student growth as artists is possible precisely due to our conservatory model which we are imploring you to preserve. Students
spend protected dedicated consecutive hours in their arts classes every day training together in ensembles and being instructed by professional artists experts in their fields. This uninterrupted, intentional conservatory
time is crucial to developing and nurturing young scholar artists, and it gives them an authentic preview of professional arts spaces, but your proposal completely erases that. We are grateful that you stepped in to save our arts, but saving us should not
mean dismantling us for lack of innovative solutions. You promised to preserve the conservatory to the greatest extent, but you haven't done so. You are fumbling opportunities for diverse young artists, weakening the quality of arts training
and severely bottlenecking the already limited pathways into our city's arts communities. Your boilerplate narrow uh proposal will result in students losing the ability to impact the arts and culture >> of our city.
>> How is this equitable? Compressing our school day also inevitably means cutting both arts and academic classes to make everything fit into that 8 to 3:15 schedule. Fitting 150 minutes of arts into that time means students will lose opportunities to take
science, social studies, uh, world language electives, not to mention arts classes that we already offer. Your proposal is not feasible and it does not take or respect the whole student. Does not take them into account. Invest in the arts. invest in shy arts, preserve
the conservatory model, and preserve the opportunities for our diverse young artists to continue to learn and grow at the best public arts high school in the city. Shy arts forever. >> Thank you for your comments. The next
speaker is Rebecca Rebecca Dalvo, speaker number four, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Rebecca Dalvo, speaker number four, please enter star six to unmute. Rebecca Dalvo, speaker number four,
please enter star six to unmute. Good morning, members of the board. Chai Arts is the flagship high school for the arts in the city of Chicago. Our students know it. Our parents and families know it. Our teachers know it.
Artists across this city know it. So why doesn't CPS see it? Right now, parents and educators feel like we are speaking into the void. Both the parent community and the Chicago Teachers Union have done exactly what this board has asked of us. We presented plans. We showed up
prepared. We came seeking feedback and collaboration. What did we receive in return? vague guard rails that effectively dismantle the conservatory model. A proposal that turns rigorous pre-professional conservatory into an
optional afterchool pathways program. That is not preserving the conservatory to the greatest extent possible. That is redefining it out of existence. At last week's board meeting, there was a focus on the positive outcomes of arts education. The executive director of
arts education, Cesar Terrell, said, "Arts education and CPS is not an elective. It's not an enrichment program. Arts and CPS is the core component of our students education." Acting Chief Parmmonus stated, "Arts are not an extra at CPS. They are the core
drivers of equity and excellence." So, please explain how diluting arts education at Shy Arts meets those metrics. How does reducing protected conservatory time strengthen outcomes for students who chose this school? >> 30 seconds remaining
>> because of its intensive pre-professional model. Let me be clear. We are not resisting change. We are not being inflexible. We understand that systems evolve. We understand the need for sustainability and accountability. The Shy Arts community is asking you to
maintain what makes this school exceptional. 15 hours of pre-professional conservatory training, an 8 am to 5:00 pm structure. The academic conservatory teachers and teaching artists who built this nationally recognized model programming
that demonstrabably drive student success and most importantly work with parents and educators to design the structure going forward. We are not asking simply for a seat at the table. We are asking to help build the table.
Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Melissa Arning, speaker number nine. This is my 10th year teaching music at Shy Arts. I actually started as a long-term sub as a favor to a friend who taught at Shy Arts. He was going on tour, needed someone to cover his
classes, and knew that I had teaching experience. I wasn't looking for teaching work. I had given that up years ago in order to focus on my career as a classical singer. I had no desire to resume teaching, but I thought, "All right, a couple of months, I can help you out." And then Shy Arts sucked me
in. I got those students. They got me. All of us resonated in the same key of weird that makes us all feel at home in Shy Arts. And with the conservatory schedule falling outside my normal rehearsal and concert hours, it worked with my busy career as a musician. So, I joined Shy Arts as an actual faculty
member and went on to create and teach Voice for the Stage, a scenes program in the Vocal Music Conservatory. In that class each semester, my students are all assigned multiple scenes from operas and musical theater. Everything from Mozart to Lin Manuel Miranda, which we then research, stage, and choreograph to
perform with costumes and props. At the end of the semester, students learn about role preparation and how to research works. But most importantly, they gain confidence to collaborate and be more engaging performers on the stage. As with so many aspects of arts education, these lessons also translate into many other parts of their lives,
helping them feel empowered to make bold choices and move through the world with confidence. Like so many of the classes we offer at Shy Arts, voice for the stage is not something that students this age can find anywhere else, especially not in a public school. And with the proposed schedule we were shown at last week's community meeting, I
don't know how this class would possibly fit either in the students day or around my outside work as a musician. If we destroy the Shy Arts model and cut all of the things that make it unique, what was the point of saving it? We have presented you with options that would allow for Shy Arts to preserve our conservatory model within the necessary
guardrails. It's on you to think outside the box with us. Something something we talk about a lot in my class is the idea that if you don't feel at least a little ridiculous on stage, you're probably boring your audience. So don't be boring. Keep shy arts weird. Be bold.
Fully commit. and let us show you what we can do. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Caitlyn Ryan, speaker number 12. >> Okay. Um, good morning. My name is Caitlyn Ryan. I'm a visual arts teacher
at Shy Arts and a CPS parent. I'm also a practicing artist who makes films and ceramics. I I've been shown internationally uh through film making and uh other galleries around Chicago. Um choosing to be an artist is not an easy choice.
Oftentimes going to a specialized art school, sorry, I need glasses. Um specialized art school to work with the best of the best costs a lot of money. but not shy arts. Why should only children of the elite have access to pre-professional learning? Why can't public school also
offer that? Having a leg up in life shouldn't be a luxury, especially when the wage gap in America continues to expand. Myself and my visual artist colleagues teach because we know how important art is to us and to be able to have access to it. We believe that art
is central to creating the world we want to see. When officials presented a schedule that compressed an arts instruction into a typical school day, it was clear to me that CPS either does not understand what we have at Shy Arts or is not interested in protecting this career path for students in CPS. As a
CPS parent of a high school student, I'm very familiar with all the high school options. As an educator at Shy Arts, we provide the most direct path for students to become professional artists, something that the board recognized as deeply important just last week. Choosing to be a pessimist is easy, but
choosing to be an optimist is hard. It requires grit and problem solving. Today, I'm choosing to be an optimist, and that you'll not only recognize me and my colleagues as artists that make our city unique, but also recognize that the next generation of artists through the institutional funnel provided by Shy
Arts requires support, too. Please sit down at the table with our representatives so that we can do some creative problem solving together to center future artists in our community. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Darra Miller, speaker 17.
Hello, my name is Darra Miller and I have been an English teacher at Shy Arts since 2011. Many things about Shy Arts have changed since then, but our dynamic arts program has remained constant. Our conservatory is the beating heart of the school. It's why students from all over
the city uh come to Shy Arts and they don't come here for an extra arts elective or two in a standard school day. They come for classes like stage combat with the national rec nationally recognized fight choreographer David Blix who has been with Shy Art since the beginning and who is up for yet another
Jeff award right now and who last October reunited with three of our alumni to stage the off Broadway debut of an award-winning play that saw its first draft written in a Shy Arts classroom. To keep this level of artistic excellence, we need to preserve our conservatory program. Keeping
conservatory classes as part of our official school day demonstrates that the arts are a vital and equal part of our curriculum. If these classes are relegated to 90 minutes of activities after real school, that narrative changes. Our professional artists are directly involved in our programming and
curriculum d development and they are able to work with us because our structure is built with the schedules of working professional artists in mind. Our track record shows this model works. Our scholar artists are uniquely positioned for post-secary success. Every year I inevitably have alumni
report back that oh college is easy compared to shy arts. In an 8 to5 school day they learn perseverance balance and how to authentically collaborate within a diverse community. These skills are reflected in our results. And our students enroll in college rates up to 25 percentage points higher than the
district a. These statistics don't even account for those who move directly into artistic fields. We cannot afford to lose this conservatory that has driven student success over the past 15 years. This model takes students largely without formal training and produces incredible arts and civic leaders, even
including the newest director of arts education at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Lamar Gails, class of 2015, my advisory student. We are creative problem solvers and preserving our programming does not have to come at the expense of any other
arts education in CPS. Please work with us to protect the future of our conservatory while uplifting arts across the city. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Allison Filin, speaker number 20. >> Hello, my name is Allison Filin. This is
my seventh year at Shy Arts, 11th overall. I teach financial algebra where students learn how math is used in real life to make important everyday decisions. Students learn to balance their priorities with their means. We can apply these lessons to the challenges of funding shy arts. CPS
officials have repeatedly stated to families that the shy arts conservatory model is not sustainable. This claim betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what went wrong at CHI arts and worse an unwillingness to innovate and build an actual viable solution. The failed
leadership of adults is what was unsustainable at Shy Arts. Our board overspent on unnecessary leadership positions, redundant third-party services, excessive legal fees, and we're overrelying on a few wealthy donors. Regardless, our enrollment grows
annually. The conservatory model is what brings students to shy arts from every ward of Chicago and beyond. If incoming students cannot count on this model, they won't come. Enrollment drops and you will lose the only public pre-professional art school you have.
CPS officials are trying to convince both the sharts community and this board that funding our conservatory model means taking something away from other CPS schools. These schools are not in competition with each other. You did not vote unanimously to acquire Shy Arts because you wanted to give other schools
less. You did it because you know the arts are vital and what Shy Arts does is special. Yes, you are tasked with with funding schools equitably. But what is equitable about slashing education? What is equitable about letting the worldass training we offer become exclusive to those who can afford
tuition somewhere else? Why is it that whenever the adults can't find the dollars, the childrens are the ones to go without? CPS officials are and board members. Equity means finding a creative funding model that allows all of our students to thrive. CTU reps have suggested the district hire fundraisers
to supplement CPS funding. We are not naive. We will need some fundraising, but it should not be in a 501c3 that has no obligation to our students and community. Transparency, creativity, and dedication are the solution to funding problems, not cuts. Let's find a creative path to funding it together so that all Chicago students can keep
access to the arts. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Megan Pete, speaker 23. Good morning. My name is Megan Pets and I am an English teacher at Shy Arts. I am also the chair of the CTU council at
Shy Arts. As the council chair, I have spent many hours besides my CTU representatives at the bargaining table coming up with unique solutions for our school. Our contract has always required that we think outside the box in order to both serve our members and to ensure
our school supports our students through its 8 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. school day. When CPS officials presented the proposed schedule to our community last Tuesday, I was surprised to hear that one of the quote unquote guard rails of the schedule was labor agreements. As someone who has helped rethink and
reimagine our school schedule through a rotating cast of administrators, I knew that our transition would mean needing to be creative, but should not have to involve completely changing the core tenants of our program. I understand that there are hard and fast sticking points of many labor agreements, but
there is also room for negotiation and coming to the table. In our solutions, we have been able to create staggered work schedules, allowing students to receive services throughout our full school day and ensuring safety and security until building close. This
has taken work and creative thinking, but it has been done and there are models that we can use to guide our work together. I am here asking that we all sit together and look at past work to see if these can guide solutions for our school in this moment of transition. We
know that our existing CTU proposal meets state requirements and exceeds CPS requirements. It helps maintain our current academic teachers and teaching artists and it also helps maintain our current course offerings. If we can meld all of these pieces together, we meet
each other's needs and most importantly our student needs. Thank you. Additionally, I also have um some packets of student notes uh organized by our student government to talk about why our students really want to keep uh our school as is.
>> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Janet Ramos, speaker number 27, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Good morning everyone. My name is Shannet Raml. I would like to take the thank I would
like to take the time right now to thank everyone on the board. Thank you for assisting our children who care so much about their conservatories and their beautiful high schools. And again, thank you for visiting our school and sharing with our children.
Um, it's unfortunate that we had to meet this way. I don't want you guys to think that we're being ungrateful or believe that we are privileged. What we're asking for is perhaps maybe to come back to the drawing board to see
where this is all plays out. I specifically want to speak about one thing. Can the school please keep their name for our students? It's the least that we can do for them. And one more thing that I have with this proposal
that you all have made, the transportation that is provided right now for the kids, will that continue to be a resource for them or because of this proposal, will the children have to find another way to transport themselves
to the school? I recently took a little girl back to West Pullman and it was a little journey and I couldn't imagine her having to go back and forth like that without transportation. We're not asking for much. We're just
asking to be heard and again to go back to the drawing board and try to figure out >> 30 seconds remaining >> the best way that we can for the kids for the community and just a allaround
better schedule and I know that if we sit down at the table we can come up with something a little bit better than what we have right now. Thank you so much. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Sean Wallace, speaker number 29.
>> Greetings and good morning. I'd like to believe that I'm preaching to the choir. Okay. And and I say that in appreciation of the support that we've gotten from the CPS board. Okay. I believe I look in your eyes and I see like we you want to
do this. Okay. You want to do this. Our conservatory model already meets the ISBE and then exceeds the CPS standards for minutes of instruction. We're already doing it. But what we miss
with those numbers is the qualitative of of things of what we're providing our students. I've got small class sizes. I'm able to do individuated instruction. I've got seniors getting ready to do auditions and I'm able to
work with them, get their their audition packets together, do their videos. Uh I'm standing with a parent of one of my freshman students who emailed me on Saturday needing some sheet music and and and and Miss Oyala is like, "Oh,
well, I'm sorry. She's bothering you." No, she's not bothering me. No, she is not bothering me. Cuz I tell my students all the time, ask for what you need. More than likely, the answer is going to be yes. She's trying to audition for
something as a freshman. Just recently, I was able to go to Washington DC and do a new play festival at the arena stage. And at the arena stage, I saw the vision for where we are. >> 30 seconds remaining. >> We are headed to a very diverse
environment. And the arena stage is artistic artistically directed by an African-American woman who happens to be a Muslim. Everybody there is everybody's represented there in in that particular environment. I met a young African-American woman who was running
sound that day who went to a school in Northern Virginia that was just like Shy Arts. and she said, "Man, I didn't really get the the the level of instruction at the time, but oh my goodness, they're telling me this is our go-to sound designer and mixer, and she
makes the snot out of the show that we did." And so then I'm able to come back and work with a freshman student now, Michael, who is learning how to mix sound, not because we have a class in it, just because we're just giving it to him because he wants it. He's made that
demand >> and he's going to be mixing our production of In the Heights Thursday, Friday, Saturday 7 o'clock, Sunday at 2:00 this weekend. Please come and and check it out. So, I'm asking I'm telling him if I'm talking to this young woman
in DC and I'm looking at him and I'm saying why not you? Then I'm asking all of us why not us? Why can't we continue to prepare students for these wonderful opportunities and be the worldclass city
that deserves a worldclass arts education? We don't have to play second fiddle to anybody. We deserve the best and we want to give our children and our parents the best. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The last speaker from the Chicago High School for
the Arts group is Lisa Miranda, speaker number 30. Last but not least, and I'm hoping my third ch time here is the charm. I know the board cares about art education. I heard you speak
passionately about the Realize program last week about expanding access, building opportunity, and accelerating outcomes for young artists across the city. Realize is an exciting start. It aspires to serve 200 students,
but Shy Arts is already serving 560 students from across Chicago, choosing after a full academic day to train seriously with professional artists. If you bring Shy Arts into your as your
flagship, the artistic opportunities and outcomes across CPS will multiply. But to do that, the essential elements must remain, and feel free to say them with me, 15 hours per week of
pre-professional conservatory training, the 8 to5 structure that allows that intensity, the academic and conservatory teachers and teaching artists who built this model, the programming and the coursework that drives student outcomes.
Please, please work with parents and educators to design the structure. Do not present us with unfinished product. Finally, the department of arts education 30 seconds should be at the center of all discussions. The
architects of successful arts program likely realize should be at the head of the table when the future of shy arts is decided. You love the conservatory program. I know you do. So, what will it
take for this board to step forward and protect its essential elements? Shy Arts belongs with CPS. We strengthen the portfolio. We strengthen the arts plan. We strengthen the city. Be the voice of
our student artists. Be the vanguard of arts education in our city. >> Please conclude your remarks. has the singular opportunity to make Shy Arts the flagship of Chicago public schools commitment to the arts. Take it.
>> Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next group of spir speakers are from Aspira of Illinois, Katie Schmidt. Speaker number two. Please proceed. >> Good morning. My name is Katie Schmidt and I'm a social studies and special
education teacher. Over the past 11 years working at a Spirit Business Finance High School, the most important role that I have taken on is that of a strong advocate for my students. And that is why I'm here today. Our students face many barriers in their day-to-day life. Some have unstable living
situations or strained relationships with their parents, guardians, or siblings. Others struggle with anxiety or depression. Many face economic challenges that require them to take on extra uh responsibilities at home or jobs after work, jobs that are often
located right near our school. Some have experienced fear and uncertainty related to recent government actions. And now they are being given mixed messages and lies from our CEO and management team of Aspira, creating a false sense of hope and uncertainty with
what comes next. Their future, their education should not become another barrier. Today, I urge CPS to create a strong, supportive plan to help our students seamlessly transfer into CPS schools of their choice, regardless of attendance boundaries.
Students should be transferred together on a set date in groups of 25 to 30 students or more, so they can see familiar faces at the school they attend, many of which are significantly larger than Apira Business and Finance High School. Aspira educators and counselors should also have the
opportunity to transfer with these cohorts so students continue to have their >> 30 seconds remaining >> and trusted adults in their new environment. They should be given orientation where someone shows them around the building um and tells them about the clubs and opportunities
available to them. We need a plan that allows seniors to graduate together. a plan that ensures that none of their credits are lost for classes that they have already taken, including AP dual credit and credit recovery courses. Students should have an adviser who can help them align their
old schedules at Aspira with new schedules at their new school. If possible, this adviser can help schedule Aspira students in classes together. We also need to ensure that English language learners and special ed students continue to receive all services they currently have. Now,
>> please conclude your remarks. >> There should be tutoring or academic support available if gaps in learning occur during the transition. Students should be paired with a mentor at their new high school, a positive role model that can help them adjust to their schedule, find their new classes, and navigate social life.
Overall, giving them a greater sense of belonging. A structured and clear transition plan is needed as soon as possible to ensure stability and consistency in our students education. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Angelina Moda. Speaker number
eight. Good morning. My name is Angelina Mota. I'm here to speak not just for myself but for my classmates. It is not fair that we may not graduate together. It is heartbreaking to think we might
not have our prom, our senior lunchon, our bow fundraiser, and our Six Flags trip. These are moments we have been looking for forward for many years.
They are once in a-lifetime experiences, memories we haven't even had the chance to make them yet. It's painful to watch our teachers and counselors pack up their classrooms before it's even June, knowing they might h knowing they might have to
leave. School is more than just the building. It's our community, our support system, and our second home. Right now, we should be thinking about what dresses we're going to wear for prom, planning our senior photos, and celebrating the
final moments of high school together. Instead, we are writing speeches, organizing protests, and searching for new schools because our local options don't offer what ASPA does for so many of us.
We understand that funding is important. We understand that there are legal and financial challenges that may not be fully in your control. But we are asking you to please have empathy for us. You always tell us to
enjoy our high school years. You have 30 seconds remaining. >> Thank you. But how can we if they are being taken away from us? We are not just numbers on a budget sheet. We are students with dreams, friendships, and futures. We want you to
explore every possible solution. And if it's too late to save us, then we need you to make sure that we transfer with as much as support as possible. We deserve that at the very least. Please help us stay together as much as
possible to make this tough time more manageable. We look we look forward to working with you and making this possible. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Cindy Kamacho, speaker number 11.
Cindy, Latinos. inclusion princip. CEO Lopez. No Frank. And now I will continue with English. My name is Cindy Kamacho. I've been with Aspira for eight years and I am the
proud daughter of Latino immigrants. I began in Spanish because many of our families speak Spanish at home. They deserve to hear about their child's education and their own language, something Asbida has failed to do with intention. As Spida's founding mission was to empower the Latino and Puerto Rican community through education and
advocacy. Yet, the actions of the past year have done the opposite. They have disempowered the very community Aspa was very was created to uplift. Right now, many of our families are living with real fear. Fear fueled by anti-immigrant rhetoric and the reality of ICE raids
happening in our communities. In moments like this, ASPA should have bent their sanctuary. Instead, families, staff, students, and even our own principal are being kept in the dark. as VA has been secretive making decisions behind closed doors and we continue to learn about the
future of our school from the news instead of our from our very own CEO Mr. Edgar Lopez. Communication from ASIA to families has not aligned with what CPS has shared leaving many parents and staff without the information or support they need. Our students deserve the
truth about the future of their school, our school. They deserve transparency and answers. The confusion caused by espida is deeply destabilizing. It is unfair and quite frankly it is cruel. The community reserve is resilient. Our
families are hardworking. They are humble. They trusted Aspira with their children's education because they believed in its mission to empower the Latino and Puerto Rican community through education and advocacy. What they deserve now is respect and dignity.
That is why I urge the board of education to step in and hold Aspa accountable. CPS must require Aspira to provide the district with updated parent contact information so every family can be reached. Email alone is not enough. Families must receive robocalls,
letters, and direct out outreach at a consistent basis. CPS must be included in all communications sent by ESPA to parents, sta students and staff to ensure all of us receive the same information. ASPA must require as PPS
must require ASPA to work with the district to ensure a responsible and ethical transition that puts students first. ASPA should not become another barrier our students have to navigate. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next
speaker is Joseé Aoa, speaker number 16. Um, good morning everyone. My name is Jose Aila. I'm a senior at a speed up business and finance high school, the captain of the boys baseball team and a four-year AP and honor student. The
decision I'm here today for not for sympathy. I'm here for accountability. The decision to close our school is not just affecting a few buildings. It's affecting real families, real students, and our real futures. And while leadership may see this as a
strategic strategic move on paper for us, this is personal. Senior year is supposed to be about finishing strong. Instead, we are being asked to adjust, relocate, and rebuild in the final stretch of our high school careers. My first demand is stability. I need to
continue learning alongside familiar faces, teachers and classmates who have supported me over four years. Uh relationships matter, contain uh community matters. You cannot measure that in enrollment numbers or budget sheets. Second, I need a guarantee that
every every single credit I've earned transfers correctly and and without delay. I have taken AP classes for four years. I have done everything that I was asked as asked for. Students should not have to double check with adults to make sure our future stays intact. And
finally, I need the opportunity to continue to continue to play the sport I love. As captain of the baseball team, athletics have shaped my leadership and discipline. That opportunity should not disappear because of a decision made outside of the classroom. I hope leaders
have 30 seconds remaining. >> Like Edgar Lopez truly understand that when you make decisions about schools, you are making decisions about students lives. And we are not just a number. We are not reports. We are young people who trusted the system to support us through graduation. Thank you.
>> Thank you for your comments. >> The last speaker from Aspira of Illinois is Reginald Duan, speaker 28. >> Good morning everyone. My name is Reginald Dion. I teached 10th grade computer science and senior seminar at Aspir Early College High
School. I taught in Massachusetts for 10 years before coming to Chicago. And I've been at Aspir the past two and a half years. Over this time, I have built strong relationships with students and families. So, this moment does feel personal. Students at Aspira show up every day
ready to learn, and they deserve stability and opportunity. However, right now, communication from CPS is not really meeting the moment. Students and families need clear guidance on what their options are, what
support will be available, and for how long? Students are asking questions like, if transferring is optional, what happens if a student chooses to remain at a spir until April 10th? Will they be penalized
or will they receive the support they need to finish and end the year successfully? Many students have worked hard and maintained strong GPA. Some of my underassmen are asking if there will be opportunities for them to petition for seats at higher
performing CPS schools or selective programs. Seniors at Aspira are asking if they can graduate and celebrate together as you've heard uh Jose just say be it a senior graduation ceremony just for a
spear students a prom just for students a senior picnic just for a spear students these are some of the suggestions that they've made these students deserve to celebrate the end of high school together because none of this is their
fault last week The executive director of INI said that this is not the outcome anyone hoped for. I think we're all in agreement. Many of us appreciate CPS stepping in to support us and the receiving schools
during this transition. However, a midyear transition of this scale is deeply disruptive to students and to staff. This transition affects the educators and staff who serve these students every
day. Many of us have families and responsibilities. I'm sure you all know. And stability for staff helps ensure stability for students. What are CPS's plans for staff? How does CPS plan to support us in this
transition? I leave you with something a student told me yesterday. Mr. to do. Tell them we do not want to be remembered as the school that closed because it ran out of money. But if that's what it is, please let us
have one last big event together. >> Our students have shown up system to show up for them. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. Um, our next speaker is not Good morning. My name is Janette Mahia.
I'm a proud parent of four children who are enrolled in Aetto School. With my oldest being in 10th grade at Ato Garcia High School and my youngest being in third grade at Daniel Sizumbo. Sergio who is currently attending high school. He has developed a strong passion for
Chicago history class while my youngest three children at Daniel Cisumbo have an excellent and their math studies. I choose to enroll my my children in Aero because the school's dedication and focus on each student. The smaller class size allowed teachers to offer attention
to each of their each of their students. Uh a couple years ago, uh my family had a loss and the school was very supportive with us. Uh the social workers, the teachers, and everyone. I ask to please renew our contract because
it's not only a school for us. It's a we walk in like a family. I've been here for 12 years. I've been a parent volunteer and I received all the support I needed from teachers. Thank you.
Thank you for your comments. The next few speakers are from Clemente Community Academy, speaker 22, Blair Flowers, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute.
>> Um, good morning. Can you hear me? >> Yes, please proceed. >> Okay, thank you. Just wanted to make sure. Good morning. My name is Blair Flowers. I am a Westside parent advocate. I am here today because there are serious concerns within the local
school council, the LSC process at Clemente, I'm sorry, at Roberto Clemene Community Academy. The LSC system exists to ensure parents, students and teachers and community members have a voice in
the school governance and that process must and that process must be remain transparent and accessible. Recently, there were concerns raised about the timeline outreach for parents for the
parent vacancy seats on the LSC. When families are given extreme limited extremely limited notice, such as only one day to apply, it raises questions about whether the process truly allows
for meaningful parent participation. We are also asking that decisions involving representation for the LSC be held be be handled with care and transparency so that community has a time um to have
confidence in the process. Our request is simple that transparency apprehends that the transparency and apprehensions apprehensions of the policy and mindful community engagement remain at the center of
>> have 30 seconds remaining. >> Clemente deserves a process that reflects fairness, openness and respect for the voices of the parents and the students. Thank you so much. Thank you for your comments. The next
speaker is Ismari Faria, speaker number 25, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Okay. King Roberto CPS particip.
participate. for the director. before. Gracias. We'll now have the statement translated. >> Dear board members and CEO Dr. King, there are grave concerns regarding the
recent conduct of CPS employees serving the local school council at Roberto Clemente Community Academy. CPS policies and state laws exist to ensure equity. They are requirements, not suggestions, and must be upheld by all employees,
particularly administrators and teacher representatives. We must address a fundamental question. When did the violation of state law become acceptable within our district? The failure of LSC teacher representatives to abide by the Open
Meetings Act or OMA is a direct denial of the school community's right to public participation. Furthermore, providing parents with only a single day to submit applications for an LLS vacancy contingent of technology access while also sidelining and
marginalizing the voices of current LSC parent representatives creates a clear barrier to the inclusion CPS strives to achieve. Given the significant procedural irregularities and the current leave of absence of the non-eing staff representative, we urge the board to
defer the appointment of a new representative until the pending Illinois State Attorney's Office investigations are concluded. This new representative has personal ties with three current LLC members, including two relatives.
Clemente deserves a principal selection process rooted in a transparency and truth rather than one of con convenience or nepotism. As CEO King has stated, alignment strengthens us. We must ensure that all LSC members aligned with districts
established policies. Deviation from the path of equity and inclusion should not be tolerated. We ask that this board hold these accountable, hold those accountable who choose to bypass the guidelines and policies that protect our students and families.
Thank you. >> The last speaker from Clemente Community Academy is Jamal Williams, speaker 26, who is joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. >> Thank you. Good morning board members and CEO King. I'm Jamal Williams, a
senior at Roberto Clemente Community Academy as well as a student representative and vice chairman of our local school council. I stand here today missing quality time of school to address this board because of the dire situation that exists at Clemente. Clemente began the principal selection process last year and since then the LSA
is engaged in a variety of issues that require immediate board intervention. The LSA is experiencing a situation where board of rule of law has been abandoned. We have almost four representatives who have engaged in nepotistic activities that violate all the law as well as ethic policies
established by this board. Clemente is a school where many bright students exist. Students that deserve a principle that is selected in accordance with the law and in along with this principle who represents the school's needs. As a student representative and vice chair of the LSC, it has become abundantly clear that this process is no longer being
followed and it is being tainted. And I stand here today not only just to ask the board, but to beg the board to intervene. I stand here today to ask you to immediately intervene and overturn the two parent representatives whose vacancies were filled improperly in accordance with the LSD relations reference guide, but as well to
intervene in the constant nepatism that continues to plague our LSD in a negative way. This LSC on February 17th with the support of our interim principal parent teacher and community representatives engaged in a deliberate attempt to prevent my chairing of an LSC session in the
absence of the chairwoman in person. As the LSC vice chair, it's my responsibility to chair LSC sessions when the chairwoman is absent. Instead, the LSC was more focused on neglecting and pushing away a student leader such as myself from chairing the session. Within that same 30 seconds, >> within that same meeting, every
representative present refused to second a motion to permit three parent representatives, including the chairwoman, to participate virtually in an attempt to silence her from addressing this matter that I stand before you today to address. What took place in that meeting represents a complete and total failure. and CPS
teachers and staff to promote student leadership in L in CPS. It has come to a point where not only my student constituency relies on me but as well as staff and teachers rely on me and I now hand that burden to the board. That is why I ask the board to intervene and end this mad madness that continues to
plague my school. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next two speakers are from univers consortium. Meg Bates, speaker number seven. Good morning. I'm grateful for the opportunity to speak to the members of
the board CPS leaders and staff. I'm Meg Bates, director of the Illinois Workforce and Education Research Consortium or IWork at University of Illinois. Today, we wanted to share the findings from two recent reports jointly released by IWork and the Chicago Consortium on School Research that look
at the pathways of Illinois students into the workforce. The value of a college education has come under scrutiny. We hear many young people and their families asking themselves, "Is college still worth it? Does a degree actually offer a route to economic stability?"
Our students in CPS do still clearly believe in the potential value of college. Twothirds of the CPS class of 2024 immediately enrolled in college, but we need more evidence to help them understand their options and make informed post-secary choices. Our first
report, Precarious Pathways, provides four important insights. First, college still matters. A bachelor's degree was the shest path to high earnings for all students, regardless of their background. Second, not all degree programs and industries had equal
earnings potential. Some degree programs and some industries led to higher wages for all student groups. Third, access and attainment were unevenly distributed. The most common outcome for students from lower income families was to start college and not complete and
they were also less likely to complete a bachelor's degree than their peers. Finally, even with the same degree, major, or industry of employment, >> you have 30 seconds remaining. >> Thank you. Students from lower inome families earned less than those from higher inome families on average. So
while a bachelor's degree opens doors to higher earnings, not all doors are open to lower income students. In our second report, we take a closer look at the post-secary pathways specifically for low-income students. My colleague Jenny Nagoka from Chicago Consortium will share those findings. Thank you.
>> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Jenny Nagaoko, speaker number 19. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to share these reports with you today. I'm Jenny Nagaoka. I'm the deputy director at the Chicago Consortium on School Research, part of
the Kirsten Institute for Urban Education at the University of Chicago. Um, report two of this series focused on the pathways that elevate students from lower income families to good jobs as adults. We define good jobs as those in which someone someone's earnings are in
the top 60% relative to their peers across Illinois in the same high school cohort providing upward mo economic mobility. We had three key findings. First, building upon the prior report's findings, a bachelor's degree is the most promising pathway to a good job for
students from lower income backgrounds across all industries and programs of study for students of all racial, ethnic, and gender groups. Second, pathways without a bachelor's degree can lead to good jobs, but mostly for men. The most promising programs of study
were in construction, agriculture, engineering, health, and mechanic and repair technologies. And the most promising jobs were in the industries of construction manufacturing and wholesale trade. But these pro pathways were promising only for men and/or
specific racial ethnic groups. And there were no promising pathways to good jobs for students with only a high school degree. Finally, and again building upon report one's findings, disparities remain in access to good jobs, even with a similar degree, program of study, or
industry. You have 30 seconds remaining. >> But importantly, higher education shrinks these gaps. Among all students from low-income families, women and black students access good jobs at lower rates than men and other racial ethnic groups within the same industries and
majors. However, disparities in access to good jobs shrank as education level rose, suggesting that education helps to equalize outcomes. We've been discussing these findings with educators, counselors, and leaders across the city and state. We would be happy to discuss
them with members of the board. Um, as a district considers implications for guiding students to the most stable and remunerative pathways. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Aden Garza, speaker number 13.
Hello, my name is Alan Garza and I'm honored to be an eighth grader at the Academy for Global Citizenship. Throughout my time at AGC, I've realized it isn't just an ordinary school. It has been a place where I've grown academically, personally, and as a leader. Ever since I was young, I've
wanted to attend a high school that would challenge me and prepare me for life. AGC helped make that goal possible. My teachers pushed me to work hard, think critically, and never give up on my dreams. Because of their support, I was accepted into Walter Payton College Prep, and I feel fully
prepared for this next step in my education. ACG has also helped me develop strong time management skills. I balanced academics, sports, and extracurricular activities all at the same time. As a student athlete, the staff has supported me every step of the
way, which has allowed me to succeed both in classroom and in sports. What makes AGC special goes beyond the classroom. The school has taught me how to be a leader, how to speak up for myself, and how to give back to my community. It has shaped me into someone who is prepared not just for high
school, but for life and its many challenges. AGC truly changed my future and I want you to please ensure it can change the future of many more students by approving AGC's 10-year charter renewal. Thank you for your time and consideration board.
>> Thank you for your comments. >> Well done, Mr. Garzen. >> The next two speakers are from Hogan Elementary School. Tiffany Harvey, speaker number 15. Um, good morning. Tiffany Harvey, LSC
chairperson and parent at Hogan Elementary here again. Um, a block away from Hogan lies a half empty building on Leland Avenue built 21 years ago expressly to relieve our overcrowding. CPS gave it to Aspira against community
support. We know how that turned out. We believe this time Albany Park would be heard. Sadly, our good faith has been met with backroom dealings, concealment of public data, intimidation, and scolding. This shakes my faith in a
system that I have long believed in and denies others hard-fought access to the American dream. This past month has been rough. No magic math can fit more humans into Hoggin's overcrowded rooms.
Trailers if we're lucky. Carving up our library. Removing break and restroom space for a staff of 185. Unacceptable when the Leland building stands half empty. We still have no explanation for the denial of our collocation request. CPS says we're not
crowded, but demands we forfeit two preK classrooms or our pursuit of dual language. CPS attempted to suppress our engagement in our community LSC's and until now advised North River to ignore us. These actions are
anti-democratic and counterproductive to our shared goals of serving local students. Our schools should collaborate. >> You have 30 seconds. >> If not, the community must decide. North River approved only to colllocate as a small school has no superior claim
to the vacant space and as a lotterybased school has total control over its enrollment but CPS sees its crowding by choice as equivalent to Hogan struggle to serve all comers. If North River expands, Hogan has no good options. On February 9th, you said it
cannot and the community will decide. But the very next day, North River announced it will double its K through2 enrollment without board approval or community input. Which is it? This is urgent. North Rivers lottery offers go out on March 13th. We need your involvement now. We demand respect for
Hogan and the voices of Albany Park in local resource allocation and that Hogan is provided the permanent space it needs for all neighborhood families who want to attend. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker from Hogan is Maria
Ahmed, speaker number 18, who's joining us virtually. Please enter star six to unmute. Good morning. My name is Maria Ahmed and I'm a fifth grade science teacher at Hogan Elementary School. It is an honor for me to represent my school, which strives to serve the children of our
neighborhood and meet each child's unique learning needs, whether they are diverse learners or English language learners. My classroom is located on the third floor, which is shared with four other fifth grade classrooms, four sixth grade classrooms, and eight seventh and eighth grade classrooms. This does not include the closets and book storage
room which have been converted to a lot staff members a workspace to support our students instructional, social, and emotional needs. For our students, Hogan is their second home. Now that it is overcrowded, our children are struggling to find their own space to grow academically and personally. As a science instructor, I train my students
to notice patterns. Recently, I've noticed a troubling pattern at our school, the inequitable loss of science resources and opportunities. In order to dedicate office space to three MTSS interventionists, we emptied out our science storage closets and shipped back valuable science equipment to the warehouse, stripping our students of
their chance at a quality hands-on science education. This pattern continues now that our STEM classrooms, one of our dedicated specials classes, where our students can put their science curiosity and exper experimentation to use are in jeopardy. When the portfolio committee inquired about our STEM classes and why they weren't integrated
into our science curriculum, there was a noticeable gap in their understanding of our students needs. Our school's data exhibits a potential increase in enrollment for the upcoming school year. With this being the case, we will inevitably continue to open new classrooms despite the lack of space. This may look like converting our STEM
classrooms into classes that travel on a cart, which again aderes to this pattern. >> 30 seconds remaining. Without a viable long-term solution, I wonder how long we will need to cut quality programming for our students while the lottery school down the block inhabiting the space created 21 years ago to address our
overcrowding issue has accessibility to resources that we need. Neighborhood schools needs must be met prior to allocating space to lottery schools. We as a neighborhood school always have and will keep our doors open to every child in our community. All we are asking for, all we are asking for is the space
necessary to serve them well. Thank you. Thank you for your comments. The next speaker is Allison Jack, speaker number 21. >> Good afternoon, Superintendent King, uh, Chair Harden, and members of the board. I'm here today to f to bring the focus back to students and correct some of the
narrative that has been taken hold in in recent meetings and further misstatements made today. It's exhausting. Charter experiment. Charters have been around for 30 years. They frequently outperform neighborhood schools. They are part of the charter the CPS family. And also we are in
Springfield. In fact, I was down in Springfield two weeks ago. Some of our parents saw Dr. King. And we are also fighting to fund to ask the government the state government to fund the evidence-based formula. We know that Chicago needs more funding and we're part of that that push as well. I want
to recognize all the Spirit students have who have become before this board and asking for a simple and reasonable solution. They deserve the few more weeks so they can finish their school year with their classmates, complete their courses, and graduate from the high school they started. This board has
chosen not to act. As enrollment across CPS has declined, for years, time and again, CPS has continued to subsidize many so many of the underenrolled schools. Not doing the same for Aspira will force them to transfer to school
weeks before graduation. And you've heard of all the problems and emotional turmoil this is causing for them at such a hard time in their life. They shouldn't be the ones paying for decisions bad decisions made made by adults. For the Aspira community, this moment is doubly painful. Families have
been deeply affected by recent ICE raids and the federal immigration enforcement. You have 30 seconds. >> Stability matters now and the board has an obligation to make student center decisions. I also want to address the repeated claims that charter schools are closing because of financial mismanagement. This isn't true. The
district's own documents sha show that charter students are funded at 83% of what the state says they should be funded at. State law states that charters should be funded between 97 and 103% of the PCTC. The PCTC number is
based on audited financial statements from 2 years ago. So when the district says it can't go above 103%, it is worth remembering how deeply underfunded charter students are. At the same time, the most recent charter schools facing closure due to financial challenges are
CTU organized. We would love to stand here with the CTU to talk about student centered and teacherclude your remarks, >> including funding for charters. Structural underfunding combined with district-wide enrollment decline is a challenge for the whole system. Closing charter schools and or forcing families
into district operated schools will not solve the problems. When families lose access to the schools they choose, many will actually leave the system. Students are asking your six weeks. It shouldn't be that hard to say yes. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. The last
speaker is Julie Rivera, speaker 24. Good morning, members of the board. My name is Julie Rivera. Sorry, I also need glasses. I'm a I'm a proud alumni parent of two intrinsic school graduates. I'm here
today to urge you to grant Intrinsic a seven-year renewal. I don't just believe in the school's mission. I have seen it transform my family's life over the course of a decade. Intrinsic provided my children with more than just a seat in a classroom. It provided a launchpad. Both of my
children flourished there, gaining the confidence and the academic foundation to pursue their dreams. The impact was so profound that when my son graduated in Connecticut from college, he chose to come back home. He now works for Intrinsic, giving back to the same
community that poured so much into him. When a student returns to their school as a professional, it tells you all you need to know about the health and the heart of that institution. But my family's journey didn't end at graduation, and neither did mine. Today,
I serve as a parent ambassador. Through this program, I have the priv the privilege of walking along current parents who are navigating navigating their children's education. I'm also out in the community speaking with neighbors who are searching for the same thing I was. a school that offers not just an
education, but real opportunity. I see the relief on their faces when they realize a school like Intrinsic exists for their children. A seven-year renewal isn't just a piece of paperwork. It's a commitment to stability for our families and our neighborhoods. It allows Intrinsic to
continue the vital work of creating the next generation of Chicago's leaders and in my son's case, the next generation of Chicago's educators. Please grant Intrinsic the full seven-year renewal so they can continue to open doors for students and families
just like mine. Thank you. >> Thank you for your comments. >> President Hart, this concludes public participation. >> So before we continue, um I do want to invite uh Dr. King just to make a couple
comments relative to uh Espir and even possibly Shy Arts. There have been some comments made that are just factually inaccurate and I think it's important that the district uh respond to it. Thank you, Dr. King. >> Thank you, Mr. President. If I may
start, I want to ground the context of my response and my lived experience and having been impacted or leading a school that was impacted by the 2013 closures. I want to acknowledge the loss of the schools. Understanding that the closer
you are to the students, the impact of that closure, it is exacerbated. And I really appreciate the students coming before the board to share what it's like to actually experience and not to have their their feelings um just fall by the
wayside and to acknowledge the war words that just pale in comparison to what is their lives and what would be their high their their high school memories. So for that I want to say that I take very seriously um the impact of a school
closure charter or public. Um and I want to acknowledge that it is that that I use to lead the CPS team grounding our response and understanding that sometimes our response can feel sterile especially when you're talking about the
lives of children. So I just want to acknowledge that. However, the biggest challenge with Aspira is that Aspira has not closed. They have to elect to self-close or CPS will be in violation
of their contract. So, we are walking a very fine line to respond in a way that is humane and acceptable and and um shows that we hear all of the community members that come before us each day and
being but while honoring the contract that we cannot violate by law. So right now what would be most helpful is that Aspira would collaborate with CPS in order to ensure a smooth and there can
be no timely transition. All of the ask we definitely would love to honor and support the students at this time. However, without the collaboration from Aspira, it is very difficult. It is not even possible in some ways in order not
to violate the contract. So as you see the steps the the communication it it may not feel and I get that acceptable however we are walking a fine line and just know that we are responding to the call to the greatest extent possible and if chief if you would want to add
anything else I'll just for any further detail just to make sure that all lines are clear. >> Uh thank you Dr. a couple of remarks and 100% agree with you in terms of how difficult any of these transitions will be uh for our students and our staff. Uh let me start
by speaking about Aspira. Uh the CEO mentioned this piece about the self-closure that is something that we will need Aspira to confirm uh for the board to mutually agree that I don't think that would be a problem for us to mutually agree to that self-closure and for us to transition the students. We're
looking at every single option available. Uh I want to clarify a couple of pieces and is that when we say that this is not the outcome that we all wanted, we still looking for other options depending on what Aspira is allow allow us to do when it comes to
the contract. Um we have a meeting tomorrow with Aspira families in which we're going to present uh a plan that we have for transitioning the students. Yes, we are listening and hearing every single concern that parents have manifested in not only in this meeting but letters that we're receiving. Uh and
we are taking all of those into consideration. I want to clarify one important piece particularly for our seniors. Uh I'm not saying that the remaining um let me see if my math is correct. 372 students are not important. But the 177 seniors that we have at
Aspira are our number one priority right now because uh of the timeline for them to graduate. So we want to ensure that those students have a pathway to graduate this year. They have the credits um uh to to complete graduation based on aspir requirements. Um we will
guarantee that those students will graduate this year. So, we're not trying to um make sure or try to um balance the the credits if there's any missing credits because the credits are different for both for both systems. Uh but we are going to guarantee that every single student that is on track to
graduate from Aspira will graduate this year. I want to make sure that that is very clear uh to everyone and we are finding ways of figuring out ways in which we can actually keep them together as much as possible. Once again, we have some contractual obligations and we're trying to figure out that piece. Uh
second, we do have a meeting with Charard's families on March the 11th. Um there was a comment from uh one of the speakers that said uh we were presented with a final product. What was presented was not a final product. It was um a a a
schedule and potential model that fits what is possible today. But that doesn't mean that that's going to be the final uh schedule. It's going to be the final um decision maker. We are working to um put together a meeting in which we have
the stakeholders not only CTU, CPA, SEIU and other members of the community to come up with a plan that actually meets the expectations of what we have said publicly that we value the conservatory. Unfortunately, I want to be clear. Um
there there are some misconceptions about the finances. Um right now u it will cost to replicate that particular model $3 million just for the conservatory. Uh unless we can come up with an agreement that actually lesser
the cost of that conservatory. The last thing that we want I mentioned in my um remarks last week is a model that sustainable for only one or two years. We want a model that we don't have to come back to the board anymore because we cannot sustain it. We want to make
sure that we have a model that is sustainable for years to come. >> Thank you both for the clarification. I thought thought it was important that we not leave that without addressing it. Board members will now proceed with potential board reports to be considered
at March 19th, 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 four and begin with item number one, resolution Ray, National Board Certified Teachers. Good afternoon, President Harden, Vice President Bautista, uh board members, interim superintendent
CEO, Dr. King, acting chief education officer, Dr. Carmona. My name is Lesie Niskarn. I am the senior project manager CEO initiatives. And it's gratifying for me to come before this board each year to ask your support in honoring our
national board certified teachers. In 2025, 130 newly achieved or maintained their certification. The CTU CPS NBC program supports our teachers, librarians, counselors through a rigorous 2-year
program to achieve the highest possible state board of education teaching credential. 63 NBCTs certified for the first time in 2025. We're very proud of this accomplishment and look forward to their next challenge, which is to reertify in
three years. This brings us to the 67 maintained NBCTs who reertified their credentials in 2025 after completing the one-year maintenance of certification or mock program. The NBC program is committed to
continuing to expand its diversity. 42.9% of the class of 2025 and 52.3% of the 2025 maintained NBCTS are of a race or ethnicity other than white. An invitation has been sent to the board
office to celebrate our class of 2025 and 2025 maintained NBCTS and we request that you accept item number one, the national board certified teachers recognition and reaffirm our priority to recruit, retain, support and develop
exceptional and diverse talent at all levels of the district. Thank you. And if there are any questions, Mr. I don't believe we have any. I doubly thank you. >> Item number two, amend the pre-qualification status of and new
agreements with various vendors to provide educational technology and digital digital resource services. >> Good afternoon. Um my name is Cara Thorensson. I'm the director of digital learning and libraries um from the office of teaching and learning. I'd
like to ask that the board today please approve the addition of 103 new vendors to the educational technology products and services pool. This is the first supplemental for this pool which was designed to ensure that educational technology resources all have public-f
facing student data sharing agreements with the district to allow the district to continue to maintain SOPA compliance per Illinois state legislation. With this supplemental, we are not asking for an increase in board authority. This project will remain at the originally
approved not to exceed dollar amount of $36 million over three years. Because of the rapidly changing market for educational technology products, especially for K12 appropriate um generative AI tools, annual supplementals were established for this
pool to ensure that that a diverse and up-to-date selection of approved products was made available for schools for educational technology. >> Any questions? Member Smith? Yes. Uh so this uh these
additional vendors are in the office of teaching and learning. Uh are there any uh key performance indicators that they are required to give before uh being added and if so what are they
and do we does the board have access to those uh KPIs? Um so we we evaluated the vendors um based on we have representation from both teaching and learning and its to ensure um the data security of the different products the
vendors that submit to become part of the new pool and be approved by the board. And um we also have educational um expectations as well as like business expectations for the partners including things like history of work with other large districts or with other K12 school
districts. All of that um all of that information was in the public facing bid which I'm happy to provide to the board after this meeting. And in addition, we um the vendors who are admitted to the pool by the board are governed by um several KPIs as well regarding both their business relationship with the
district and um the you know schools satisfaction with the products. >> Okay. And then uh I guess maybe this question is for for uh Chief Carmona. Is there a a universal structure for how
our district evaluates vendors? Uh is there any alignment between departments? So, different departments have different vendor processes and I'm not sure if there's any alignment in how we're working with those different vendors
throughout departments as one district. >> Good afternoon, board members Smith. Patricia Arnandez, chief procurement officer. So our vendor onboarding processes are all the same across the different departments or schools. We have a very clear distinct procurement
process governed by Illinois school code of how we go out to market to select vendors. Um obviously every solicitation, every bid has different evaluation criteria depending on the complexity of the services or products.
um an IT project may have a lot more complicated evaluation criteria than procuring office supplies, right? But we have a standard same process for everything that we contract with. >> Thank you. And then is there uh in in that procurement of those vendors, is
there any student voice or principal voice? So I understand you all are bringing the vendors on but then how do you know what each individual school community needs if or is there principal voice in that? >> So in some of our solicitations we do
include principles to sit on evaluation committees uh such as our ERP implementation for Oracle. Uh we've done it like with retirement funds in the past. It just depends. Um most of the time is central office staff who have those direct relationships. We have
network chiefs on some of these committees. Uh but keep in mind that sometimes our principles that you know they have such a huge responsibility that they don't always have a availability or time to sit on our evaluation committees. But we do have them on on our committees or in some
cases if they're not actually evaluating or providing a rating. They are assigned as an advisor where they kind of part of the process. They provide feedback input but they don't necessarily have to score a proposal. Okay.
>> I mean I think for operations obviously has a different perspective but for educational items like that are being presented today principal voice matters a lot because they are the ones using it and so uh this vendor pool principles can say who they want to work with and
then they get submitted and Cara's team helps support them through the process. Um, so there is this this pool reflects one school's option, you know, something that just one school might want or many schools might be using.
>> Thank you, Chief Milberg. And I I'll email further questions. Okay. Thank you, >> member Zachore. >> Okay. Um, I think I have kind of a related question to what board member Smith is asking just regarding how the products themselves are vetted. I mean, I know you can look at a website and
look at a bunch of data, but that's not the same as trying it out and seeing um, you know, what it actually does. And I feel like particularly um, as we see um, you know, with AI, not all edtech is created equal. Uh, so I just I guess
have some concerns about how we're ensuring um that the products, you know, are vetted in some kind of way. And I then I have a follow-up question, but that's my first one. >> Sure. So um each vendor who submits a bid to be evaluated does a detailed
interrogatory questionnaire that talks about that addresses not just the educational focus of the product that their product or products that they're submitting to the pool but then also all the student data privacy and security components that are like carefully evaluated by uh the evaluation committee
is made up of folks from teaching and learning and folks from um IT and so and to ensure that they that they get through those gates like those are the critical gates that we consider essential for um them to be admitted into a pool which initially has no cost,
right? And then what we hope to see is that products it represents a diverse collection of products that schools have expressed explicit interest in as well as products that are relatively new to the market as long as they can kind of meet that floor of expectations regarding um educational quality and
data security. Then um you know we do make them available to schools to sort of to try out or explore their student or staff interest in those products like per the principal's discretion. >> So it sounds like you don't actually vet them. They just tell you some data like
no one sits and tries them until they're already in a school because we've approved them. >> That's correct. We do not we don't actively demo the product but we do carefully vet them through their interrogatory questionnaire and their responses to the solicitation. >> Okay. My other question is about um who
gets these. So I I know we're not voting on money, but there is money listed in this document um 12 million a year. Um is that money going to help schools um purchase these or do schools have to
purchase the edtech out of their own budgets? >> Um so the $36 million not to exceed over three years is just is a not to exceed amount. This these are no spend initial these are no spend agreements. Um any purchases with the exception of a handful of products which um are coming
out of teaching and learning which includes freckle and air those are our two MTSS products to support um math and ELA interventions for students math and literacy interventions. And we also have a small portfolio of library research databases that come out of this pool
which are district-wide deployments. Everything else comes out of um school budgets. So if schools are paying for them, what does the 36 million pay for? Just freckle and air. >> Yeah. >> Uh it's everything, right? So this
contract is for all spent across the entire district. So that 36 not million not to exceed amount would include whatever Cara and her teams pay out of their budget from central office perspective and what all the schools pay out of their own individual budgets. >> Okay.
>> So all the spend funnels up to this one contract. >> Got it. Member Rosenfeld. >> Yeah. I just have a quick question. So, you approved you pre-qualified 103 vendors. I'm curious how many applied. So, how many didn't get approved? >> I apologize. I don't have that number right in front of me. 115 vendors
applied. Patty did have that number right in front of her. >> So, 115 applied and you approved 103. So, they were all basically all pre-qualified. >> That's correct. >> Okay. Thanks. >> Well, let me clarify. not not all right
because through that interrogatory process um that Cara mentioned that's our opportunity to vet the product itself to see if it makes sense for us to use now to board members that chorus point we don't actually demo all the
products all the time because these are potential vendors that schools have already you elected interest in who they would like to work with under a master agreement contract so that they're they are not going against any of the rules
for like cyber security uh things of that nature. Um and to add to Chief Hernandez's point, I think there was a question really around how do we assess if the product is working well or not? And so sometimes within the contracts we
have surveys that are a loop back to principles. We also use our Oracle database that provides a feedback loop to let us know how the product is or service is working well or not. So each school has the opportunity not only to
um to to to rate it but to add comments within their purchase. And their comments could be like this product, it's working well, don't like this product, don't need it. And procurement vets that year-over-year to determine if we should keep a a contractor on or not.
I also want to add that this is um we also have some no cost funders on this contract. So this is the main tool we use to make sure we are compliant with SOAPA. So any agreement that has data sharing um information and it has the
software component uh we need to make sure that they're under contract. >> Thank you very much. I believe board member Gutierrez also has his hand raised. >> I apologize. I didn't see him online. You're not off the hook yet.
Board member Gutierrez. >> Thank you, board president. Um I think the question more so is I think as we are bringing on vendors and something for you to think about Patty team and group is that
many of these vendors are brought in as part of a pool and in many cases I think Charles just alluded this to this in that principles will select a particular vendor for service and this this goes for all services whether it's out of
school time, um, clinical services, all those pieces that I think what I hear continually from this body is that the scope of work has to be consistent in every type of contract that we are
negotiating with a vendor or wide variety. So, so there if there could be some uniformity to that so that a when board member Smith requests information at out of school time, he's not given information that looks
like incomplete when we know that a bulk of the dollars haven't been spent yet, but maybe in two months five other schools may use a different vendor. So, so I think that's at the bottom at at you know, as I as I
been a part of many of these discussions across the board here is that I think those are the types of things that we need to tighten up um and have that ability to be able to to look at that stuff, right? So then you're able to compare apples to apples.
Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Item number three, authorize the third renewal agreement with various notfor-profit organizations for community schools initiative sustainable community school services.
Good afternoon, President Harden, CEO King, and board members. My name is Valentina Gamboa Turner and I am the executive director of the office of sustainable community schools from the office of college and career success.
I am recom we are recommending the board to approve the renewal of the agreements for 31 sustainable community school partner agencies and additionally increase the not to exceed amount from 18 million to 25.5 million based on the
expansion of SCES through the CTUBA at the March 19th um at the March 19th board meeting. The contract would be for May 1st, 2026 through April 30th, 2027. The awarded vendors will provide
services through the SCES initiative across the existing 36 schools plus 15 additional schools selected for expansion. The SCES lead partners are responsible for collaborating with the principles and school community to transform the
school into a sustainable community school. the partnership with school leadership. Through partnership with school leadership, they are responsible for convening the leadership teams, guiding the needs assessment process, identifying resources, hiring
school-based SCES coordinator, managing before and after school programs, family engagement activities, and ensuring support for students and families are documented and tracked. The vendors were selected via the procurement request or
qualification process. I want to share how impactful sustainable community schools are for creating inclusive learning spaces for parents and community members. A meaningful bright spot for pillar one is a women's history project during women's history month
that was created to address topics that students were curious to learn more about. a CPS alum who also serves uh for a lead partner agency as the resource coordinator co-developed with teachers,
administration and community and this highlights the meaningful collaboration and demonstrates the impact of SCES. The eighth grade students researched and wrote the curriculum to then lead within fourth and fifth grade classrooms. The projects
encourage curiosity and fun for the students. In regards to documenting SCES impact, we have made significant progress towards evaluating SCEs. These contracts are in the final stages of execution. In partnership with Center for Urban
Research and Learning at Lyola University, we will be working with SCES school on participatory action research. This will allow us to engage schools and communities in self- assessing and creating actionable goals that they are
um driving forward. The practice institute will be partnering with SCES to conduct an evaluation of SCES through using both qualitative and quantit quantitative and qualitative data to help us better understand the impact of
SCES for students, families, and communities. In regards to equity focus, SCES promotes inclusive partnerships, the blueprint connection. These agreements directly support the district's vision of building trust by including
stakeholders and student feedback and increasing offerings for families through the community schools model. Thank you. >> Any questions or comments from board? Member Brown? Um, >> thank you, Mr. President, and thank you
for your presentation. Um, a couple of quick questions maybe you can answer and maybe uh Dr. King could as well. Um, are there any plans uh when we're looking at the expansion of um sustainable community schools? Are there
any plans to look at the full service community school model and how that can be molded or how that can be integrated into the sustainable community school uh approach? I mean because I think
the biggest so there's tons of research on full service community schools and why they work. Sustainable community schools in my view is like a deeper dive, right? Because as a community school, when you do a regular community school survey, you're not really giving
input on curriculum. You're giving input on things like afterchool programs and stuff like that. But with the sustainable community school model, you're act and we know that that how that impacts a school, right? Um when I was a resource coordinator many many many many moons ago at Southshore High
School, we saw the attendance shoot up just because people finally had a voice. um but was sus but we they they didn't have a voice on wraparound supports they didn't have a voice on what should our children be learning it was more like
like I said the afterchool program and things like that so is there a way if if or are we thinking about uh ways to kind of mold those efforts >> I'll have Autumn speak on that so I think there's a lot that we can learn
from both models and identifying ways that we can learn from full service because we do have some evaluation even internally on that and then also using the deeper aspects of SCES to think about how we can more be more comprehensive across all the models.
>> So we're happy to like jot that down and look at that look into that and how we can do that better across how we are implementing across the district. >> Yes ma'am. member Gopez. >> Thank you, board president. Was wondering with this program and also
just uh as a refresher, we know that in in the past the district has gotten received uh funding with in partnership for 21st century community centers, but that funding comes for the federal government that we know it's we don't know what to expect. Sometimes they will hold back that funding which leaves our
communities um wondering and also without the funds for after school programming and parent engagement among other things. Um how does having this other model serves better the district in particular making sure that financially that we are not just waiting
on the federal government. >> The the funding from sustainable community schools is not coming from federal funding. the 21st century funds do. So the sustainable community schools are funded from our CPS budget and that
is um then the number of schools in the expansion is part of the the collective bargaining agreement. So, and there was the invitation just went out to um invite schools to express interest in the next cohort and they are
pulling from interested schools but also from schools who have currently been 21st century schools. >> Thank you for reminding us. I think that is an important clear point that with the this model we have more of a say and
we are not leaving our families hanging depending on whatever DC the federal government the Trump administration feels whether they want to release the money or not. Um and the other is uh and I think I agree with some of the and looking forward to hearing more of the measuring of impact um and I know you
know having worked also in community schools and more familiar with 21st century modeled uh programming because I ran those programs in the little village area that it's often difficult trying to put data in in numbers to measure impact
right um and it's like what's the best way that we can whether it be with the stories and highlighting some of the accomplish lishments mention that we have those wraparound services for the for the parents for the students and my other question is and this is
maybe might be more for face was wondering what role did SCS and our partners play during the midway blitz operation and how they would work in partnership to ensure our communities were safe. I I want to be careful that um the the
role in supporting Midway Blitz whether it was part of the rapid response team that was not part of the SCES responsibilities. We know and I know Fanny is here as well but many of the partner organizations did play a a role
and separate from their um their role as SCS partners. Thank you and thank you for clarifying. Um I hope we know that it's important uh for the parents public to understand also board members. It is crucial that
because the these nonprofits, organizations, and I saw this in the southwest side, they already had the trust with the community because they've been, you know, have a proven record of working for the community and with the community that community members could go up to them and asking them for services, whether it be guidance, you
know, of um referrals, getting the hotline to let people know that a family member got detained um or just basic food resources. Thank you. Thank you, >> member Smith. >> Thank you. Uh thank you for your
presentation. So the to the point of uh board member Lopez, uh we know that this is a good idea and we want to support these individual stories and we do need data. We do need
metrics. We do need to be able to know where for $25 million more dollars this the the uh program lacks that we can help you know provide supports. And so I guess one of my questions is also my
concern. Uh the fact that every time you guys come and we ask for metrics you say we're almost there. We'll get it to you in a minute. Just give us $25 million more dollars. and you're hiring new
people. How do you know that what you're doing and the moves that you're making support positive student outcomes if even you don't have the metrics for it? How do you know that what you're spending money on is working if there's
no data? That's my first question. >> So, we do have metrics because we can look at all of the student outcome metrics across the whole district. What we didn't have was evaluation a formal evaluation as a program evaluation and
this is a a joint project with CTU and we have agreements and a task force and that is where the evaluation was approved and then moved through the board process. So in in terms of looking at student outcomes by school you we can
look at the these are whole school models. So th that data is available to to everyone. Um I think what is more complicated is when you look at the schools that are um part of the SCS
school community, there are specifically identified schools over the years that had highest um that had the need. And so when we see growth at a school like Richards that's doing amazing work to
counter the effects of violence and trauma, you may not see the same student outcomes that tell the whole story. And I I think that is where um we really need the qualitative data and the quantitative and the evaluation so we tell the the
whole story of the work. Um it's hard to know when you look at student outcome data by themselves if it's um isolated to one program affect or the other unless you have the formal evaluation.
>> All right. Cuz cuz uh member Bole and I have asked for what you say is available and we never get it. So if we could get any of those metrics that would be helpful. And then the last question I have and I'll I'll email the rest of my questions is 21st century schools were
$250,000 a school. SCEs schools are $500,000 a school. What significantly more services do students receive for that extra $250,000? >> Okay, no problem. So I'm the newest team
member. So I just want to share like my experience. Um you know we we're trying to we're a new office of sustainable community school. So we're making sure that all everything is aligning. We're working towards that. But what I would say that is um the biggest focus is that
it's a whole school model as opposed to focusing maybe on after school or before school programs. We're looking at the entire culture of the school, providing professional learning opportunities for the entire school. Um, so these are pieces that I think are add value, but
I'll let um Autumn also speak on that. I also think it's important to note that there is with sustainable community schools, you're able to push into the school day. So there's a lot of supports that are provided to students through um restorative justice coordinators and SCS
schools. um professional learning opportunities and then also um additional supports that we're just able to bring in through the additional funds. 21st Century is um relatively restricted to before and after school um along with um adult and parent
workshops. And while we are doing a lot of overlapping and learning from each other and doing our best to combine, there is that aspect of being able to do things during the school day that's very impactful for students that we cannot do with 21st century funding.
>> Thank you. I I'll be looking forward to seeing the impact of that uh restorative justice, professional development. uh for $500,000 per school, we really need to understand
what our students are getting. It's a significant expense and we have to know that it's working uh towards student improvement. >> Thank you. I I will suggest uh board member Smith because you bring up a good point is that as we start looking at these allocations and in the future not
only allocating funding for the programs themselves but also allocating funding for program evaluation because I want to make sure you understand this currently we don't have the capacity to do that program evaluation in the district we're building that capacity but that will imply additional investments in order to
be able to do that program evaluation. We have hundreds of programs in the district and to understand the actual impact for example understanding the impact of an afterchool program in separation for what's happening during the school day takes time and is
actually something that needs to be done for pe by people outside of those that are actually implementing the program. So I I urge the district for us to think um moving forward how do we actually not only allocate funding for the programs themselves but also for the program
evolution. >> I I get that uh Chief Carmona but it it just always seems like give us the the millions now we'll give you the results later. We we need to know the you know the results. We've been doing this.
>> Member Reus. Uh thank you Mr. President. Um thank you for your presentation. I have um I think easy questions. So um as I'm doing um my school visits um and I'm I'm seeing you know learning about different
school communities and and um you know schools vary a lot. Uh even if our geographic area is not huge. I have, you know, 33 schools in my subd district, but the needs of a school further west and further south in my district is very different from the needs of a school
that's on the northeast end of my district. Um, and so, you know, as I'm doing these visits, I'm wondering like, you know, how how do we ensure uh or what what's the evaluation criteria to have more schools be partners uh to get that sustainable community school as
we're expanding? like how do we work to ensure that um schools that we're work, you know, walking through uh getting to know are are considered for that model. Um and then as I'm working with uh and talking to community partners, you know, some community partners, maybe they're
doing the 21st century programming, maybe they're they're welcoming centers or they're doing uh the parent mentor program, but they also want to become sustainable community school partners. How do they go about that? cuz I'm I'm I think if I'm reading this correctly,
we're just um adding for the additional schools, but this is not additional partners, right? So the pool of partners that we already used, they're the ones who are going to get the additional schools. >> Yes. So um in regards to um partner
organizations, so there's actually two avenues for that. It's not only sustainable community schools, but we're also um trying to increase our partner organizations that are doing our 21st century and full service work. Um so as there are opportunities through the RFQ
process through procurement, um they can always apply through that process and go through that and be added to our board report and then that's how we kind of like make the connections with schools. >> Um and as we are opening those, >> how do how do we get how do we get notified about that though? cuz I I mean
we I find out once it's up here to for a vote, but like how do we get notified to like inform the neighborhood organizations by us that like hey look at this opportunity? >> Great question. >> So uh for our procurement we post them on our public website on the tribune we
do outreach. We do have a buying plan where we list our procurement needs for the next 12 months. So we can share that with you, okay, >> with the understanding that it changes, right? And we usually update it every month on our procurement website. And it just gives you a um it gives the public
and new board members a bird's eye view of what we're planning to procure in the next 3 to 12 months. Um and then also if there's specific um contracts you're interested in, I'd be more than willing to give you a heads up that we're
working on drafting solicitations. >> Thank you. member Brown. >> Sorry, just real quick. So then how how does a school then if I if we're identifying a school that hey this could be a really awesome opportunity, how do how does that go about selecting those schools?
>> Sure. So um we first ask if schools want to be involved. So we have some criteria that we develop to ensure that we're identifying high need school populations and community areas. Um, and then we send out emails and we ask them if
they're interested. And then we have a review process to select the schools that best meet the criteria for either 21st century or SCES. With SCES, we have a school selection subcommittee that intensely looks at the uh process and
how those um schools are selected. >> Thank you very much. >> Yep. Thank you, >> Member Burrow. Um, yes, thank you all for your presentation and forgive the hot seat, but uh, I wanted to just make this point. I think there's a lot of
learning, especially in a district where you you're hearing rumblings now of next year we're going to have to make tough decisions and there are schools that are underutilized. And one of the things that I've learned in community schools and SCS is that there is a different way
of looking at it. I'm really appreciative of the of the tone that I've heard from Dr. King and from Chief Carmona today in regards to listening to families that are telling you about what they need in in relation to this school closure. Dr. King has experienced it.
Um, and I'm I'm really appreciative of that because I think we it signals a different way way of thinking. We have to look differently at schools that are underutilized instead of just saying dollars and cents. Schools need to close. Take Drake Elementary for
example. Drake Elementary is right in the middle of the Dearbornne home projects underutilized by maybe 700 students, but they have a full medical clinic in the middle of the housing projects. They have a they have a healing room. They have a store called
Drake's Closet for children that need clothing and things of that nature. It meets They have a a social a they have a a counseling agency in the building. They've made appropriate use of school space. We have to think differently because those questions are going to be coming
up. And when people are saying we have to make tough decisions, what they don't realize is those are old talking points. Those are old talking points that said that children that look like me were disposable. And and we got to make tough decisions even though I'm not impacted by those
decisions. And so I want to I want to thank you all for the presentation. I want to thank you for the work that you're doing. But I think you have a lot of lessons to teach in this moment. And I'm asking you all not to to step forward and share many of those stories like Cameron Elementary School and how
they take use of their space there at Cameron and they feed families in a community where children are hungry. You know our job. Yes, we are the fu we have a fiduciary responsibility but we also have a moral responsibility.
A moral responsibility. Our our allegiance is not to one organization. It's supposed to be to those families. And so when those children from and from from Aspira up here testifying, it's tearing me in half. And I and I don't think I'm alone in that in that
estimation. I am not okay with that. I'm not okay with it. And and and it's it's a it is a it is a litmus test on our views and values how we respond to those type of situations that those children did not create. They should not be up
here begging for their schools. They shouldn't be up here doing that. And so, thank you all. I appreciate it. But you got lessons to teach now. So, just want to offer that. >> Member Gutierrez. >> Um, thank you guys for your presentation.
I'm super excited to hear that uh there's the evaluation uh component and piece to this because I think u as board member Brown has just alluded, right? There are many different models that
exist and anyone who's done this type of work of program development knows that a lot of that funding is blended um so that you have a greater impact in a particular school. And remember, every school that has a sustainable school is
is a district part part of the the other component to this, right? Trying to uh make sure that children who are least who are the furthest from opportunity have an opportunity to succeed. Um, and look, board member Braum, I would love
to be able to have that big conversation about how do we reimagine the use of space to create other models within the space of our schools. So, let's get that on the schedule to begin to have those conversations, I think, um, amongst the
board, but also I think within the district as well. Thank you for your presentation. >> Thank you. >> Item number four, authorize the second final final renewal agreement with Youth
Advocate Programs, Inc. >> before we go forward, I just want to remind the board members that as the district leaders come before us, they're providing us information and it's an opportunity for us to engage. So, let's be respectful and maintain our tone.
They're not on trial. You know, they're here to work with us, answer our questions, and to create a space for us to continue to work collaboratively. Thank you. You can proceed. >> Thank you for that, President Harden. And good afternoon, CEO King, President Harded, board members. My name is Leanne
Larson and I am the project manager for choose to change program within the office of college and career success and I'm here today to recommend that the board authorize the second and final renewal for youth advocate programs to provide choose to change services for
the upcoming school year. Choose to change is a six-month evidence-based intervention offering youth intensive wraparound and mentoring services that focuses on addressing each young person's specific needs along with traumainformed cognitive behavior
therapy that helps youth process previous trauma and develop a new set of decision-making tools. Youth are identified for programming by school-based teams and referred to the community- based organizations for outreach and consent into programming. Um, the latest results from the
randomized control trial study from University of Chicago Ed Labs continues to show that this program is highly effective in reducing violence in the short run and reduces overall engagement with the criminal justice system for youth up to four years after the start of the program. The combination of
mentoring and cognitive behavior therapy has been proven over and over again as a model to engage hard-to-reach populations, and it's cost-effective in reducing criminal justice contact um for our youth. This year, the choose to change program transition to our office
in July. Our goal is to serve 625 youth across 21 schools, and to date, 944 youth have been referred for those spots. 290 youth participated in cohort one from October through about right now February early March and we are
beginning cohort 2 later this month. Currently 187 youth have consented already to cohort 2 which will span through August of next year. As of January 31st youth had received over 31,000 hours of programming this year or
approximately 107 hours per consented youth. Youth have participated in over 1,200 hours of cognitive behavior therapy support provided by a Breitpoint clinician. And the majority of this the clinical work happens during the school day during lunch when youth are pulled
together both with their community- based um advocate and their clinician to work on these skills. As students discharge this month, we'll be able to measure growth on their pre and post clinical assessments as well as track their school engagement outcomes.
Preliminary data already shows that average misconducts for our cohort one decreased over the course of programming. As part of our goal to integrate choose to change with existing CPS support systems and to improve collaboration with some of our teams like the soore and juvenile justice team, uh we
streamlined the referral tracking process into shared Google spreadsheets. As the program moved to our office, we wanted to ensure that we are um maintaining fidelity to the model that was studied by the University of Chicago. Community- based organizations are able to perform outreach immediately
upon school refer referral to the program and we are able to ensure that refer referred youth meet the criteria for choose to change services. We've aligned our student-based billing um so when the CBOS submit their invoices, they submit student ID numbers and hours
served, which is how we can provide that data earlier. The research shows this program reduces crime and improves school outcomes for our youth of highest promise. Our network chiefs, principles, and school behavioral health teams continue to refer more schools than we have slots
for and more students than we can serve. We've increased our data transparency and accountability for our CBOS this year to ensure implementation aligns to that evidence-based model. We recommend that the board continue to support this program for the upcoming school year.
>> Questions or comments from the board? >> Member Zach. >> Um, thanks so much. Uh, sorry I didn't write fast enough. Could could you just say one more time um how many uh young people were served and and how many hours of support they got?
>> Yeah, so 290 youth were in our cohort one and they got over 31,000 hours of support which translates to about 107 hours per youth and programming started for most of our students in October. And then you
have another group that is coming >> another a second cohort will start midmon this year or yeah in March. So it's a six-month program. Um the program transitioned this summer to our office. Contract got
signed in September and students started shortly thereafter. Member Bannon, I I appreciate you trying to spare us the uh extra reading, but could you share with the board, you know, by email uh the research and the the data you referred to in your
presentation just so we can peruse it in our copious free time? >> I will for sure send that. >> Thank you, sir. >> Member Lopez. somewhat similar. Just wondering who's eligible for the program and also in which communities is the program working
with. >> Yeah, we service um 21 schools across 17 different communities um a total of eight district board or school board
um service areas. Um and they are identified based on um communities most impacted by violence. the schools that are selected to receive the program year-over-year um because funding has decreased from prior year to this year. So, we had
several planning meetings this summer with our network safety managers, our social emotional learning teams, um our juvenile justice teams to identify the schools that had the highest needs um and youth most impacted by violence.
Yeah. Yeah, and I can provide the breakdown of by community area as well of how many students and then within the school, the community, the school-based health teams, the principles, the counselors, the deans, they refer the youth um for the programming.
>> Thank you for your presentation. Board members, we will continue with information and technology items numbers five and six and the subject matter expert will present on those two items. Five, authorize the first renewal agreement with Active Internet
Technologies LLC. Six, authorize the first and second final renewal agreement with Converge One, Inc. >> Good afternoon, Dr. King, President Harden, and board members. Um, I am Katie Zeleleski. I am the um director of telecommunications and I brought our new
CIO, Chief Wagner, with me today. Our first um item that we are asking the board to authorize a one-year renewal with an agreement for our district-wide communications solution through inter interactive technologies goes by the
name Final Site. What this solution does is provide the ability for our schools and our CPS comm's department to send robocalls, emails, text at will. >> Now, at the school level, they send
messages to their school community only. The typical people who have access at the schools are our principles and our our APS. the principles have the ability to ask for additional staff to have um access to send comms. And of course, you
want to you want to be careful of who's sending out comms. We do not allow just anybody throughout the district to send comms to everyone. So, it is controlled in that way. Um it is a web-based software that um is used right through your computer. It um is on single sign
on encrypted very very secure. The solution does interact with our Aspen student information system. It's updated every night so we have as much fresh contact information as humanly possible and it does interact with our Service
Now um solution. Um on a yearly basis across the district, we send over 4 million different individual messages. That could be anything from our comm's department sending out, oh, you know,
there's a a snow day or something's happening or sending something out to staff that remember, you know, open enrollment is coming to a school sending out a message saying remember testing is coming up. Make sure your students are wellfed, well rested, and on time for
school. um through our our focus and our vision is to provide equitable and timely communications to our parents, our guardians, our staff, and even times um
our students if need be. Um we are asking for a one-year renewal here and it's about $700,000. It is a software renewal. So from a meiw weebi perspective, it's excluded because it's proprietary software. In this case,
I do want to mention that we are doing an upgrade of our current solution which is called blackboard connect. Same vendor platform. It's just the next level. Our new version is called messages XR. And final site did engage
um womenowned business to do our training which is going on right now for our platform upgrade. Any questions? Wonderful. Thank you. Our second um request from IT that we are asking the board to renew our first and second
renewal with converge one which provides our cloud-based call center managed service solution. We as CPS we use a nice in contact for our call center solutions. The departments that are on our call centers are children and family
benefits, our student safety center, our new federal activity center, payroll, transportation, crisis management, HR for you, our sub center, our benefits, our talent
benefits office, access and enrollment otherwise known as gops, our IT IT operations center of family and community services, Um we are also going to be adding our background check team onto the call
center solution. Um what what happens here is our call center solution we have agents. So it is a managed service. The beauty of this is you can have agents um sitting here at central office working
remotely working out at a school working at a network office. They sign into the solution. Once again it's very encrypted. They do single sign on. Every agent has a specific license. So, it's not anybody willy-nilly can't get on. Um, the goal of our call centers is when
you get a call from a parent, a staff member, a community member, they're they're getting their calls answered in a timely manner and they are being addressed in one phone call, which phone call could last anywhere from 5 seconds
down to a few minutes depending on which call center you are calling. Um the overall cost for the two years is $1.3 million and again this is proprietary software. So they are um converge one is
excluded from meweb. Do we have any questions? >> It's it's more of a comment. Uh I appreciate the um given the exclusivity of it. It's a challenge on the minority engagement.
Um, but I do want us to think about, and I've talked to Chief Mayfield about this just broadly on just about everything that we contract, that we try to be intentional about creating opportunities for our students, be it internships, exposure opportunities, you know, I
think there's something that can be be done by each company um, at different scales, but let's have a larger conversation around making sure that each time we go down a road of uh contracting with these groups
that they understand that ultimately they should be providing some opportunities for our students. >> Absolutely. >> Thank you for your presentation. >> Thank you. >> This concludes the first portion of board reports on the public agenda item. We'll now move into a short recess or
members of court. Do you have motion mo1? >> I move that the board take a 30 minute recess. >> Is there a second? >> I second. >> Thank you. >> I second. >> Thank you. I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes.
>> Member Smith. >> Yes. >> Member Lopez. >> I. >> Member VeZ. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. Member Brown.
>> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. >> Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President Bautista. >> Yes. Member Gutierrez. >> I. >> Member Bixs. >> Yes. >> Member Thorakura. >> Yes. >> Member Blae.
Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. >> Yes. >> 19 eyes zero naz. This motion is adopted by the board. This meeting will now go into a 30 minute recess. Oh, there she is. Hey, >> yeah.
>> The meeting of the board of education is reconvened. Board members will now proceed with the second group of potential board reports to be considered at the March 19th, 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. >> Thank you, President Harden. I do want to note for the record that board member Lozano, who was um here for the roll call, has al joined in person as of 1:24
and board member Bole has joined the meeting as of 1:41 p.m. Board members, we will continue with the following capital items number seven and eight, and the subject matter expert will present on those two items. Seven,
authorized extension of the lease agreement with Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Church. Eight, authorized extension of the lease agreement with 4600 SouthKey LLC. Good afternoon, board president Harden, members of the board, and Dr. King. My
name is Steven Stoultz, director of real estate for the Department of Capital and Facility Operations. We recommend the board authorize the renewal of a lease agreement with Messiah Evangelical Lutheran Congregation to permit the continued use of the building located at 6200 West
Patterson Avenue by Smiser Elementary School. The property consists of approximately 8,700 ft building that is used by Smiser as a primary education education center serving preK and kindergarten classes.
We are seeking to renew the lease for a 5-year term commencing on July 1, 2026 through June 30th, 2031. Annual rent during the first year of the renewal term will be $216,898 payable in equal monthly installments of
$18,74.91. That concludes my presentation for this item and I'll be happy to answer any questions. Moving right along. The next item, we recommend the board authorize the renewal of the lease agreement with 4600 SouthKed LLC to permit the continued use of the building
located at 4600 South Kenzie Avenue. The property consists of an 11,800 ft building that is used by Colombia Explorers Academy as a high school prep center. Over 200 7th and eighth grade students use the facility for classroom
space on a daily basis. The continued use of the space is needed to ensure seventh and eighth graders have classroom space. Otherwise, the main building is currently at capacity. We are seeking to renew the lease for a 5-year term commencing on July 1st, 2026
through June 30th, 2031. Base rent will remain unchanged for the first 2 and a half years of the renewal term at an annual rate of 393,27 $277 payable in equal equal monthly
installments of $32,767. Rent will increase by 5% at the 2 and 1 halfyear mark for the last 2 and 1/2 years of the renewal term. The board will also be responsible for reimbursing the landlord for real estate taxes in excess of 2009 real estate
taxes as well as water and sewer charges which are estimated to be $36,000 per year. That concludes my presentation for this item and I'll be happy to answer any questions. >> No questions. Mr. Schultz, >> thank you board president.
>> Try not to bring us such difficult authorizations in the future. Board members, we will continue with the following facilities items numbers 9 through 12 and the subject matter expert will present on those four items. Nine, authorize the first final renewal
agreement with various vendors for medical related equipment and supplies. 10, authorize the first and second final renewal with Herk Rentals, Inc. 11, authorize the pre-qualification status of a new agreements with various vendors to provide various trades work. 12.
Authorize a second final renewal agreement with Jones Langel America's Inc. >> Good afternoon, board president Harden, board members, and Dr. King. My name is Caleb Rberg. I'm the director of facilities management operations in the department of facilities.
We recommend the board to to approve the first which is the final renewal for medical related equipment and supplies protective uh personal protective equipment and the purchase installation and maintenance of services of automated external defibilators also known as ads.
The two vendors are school health corporation and pocket nurse enterprises. I do want to note that school health is a family-owned company that started in the Chicagoland area in the um 1950s. This contract is utilized by both the office of student health and wellness
and facilities. For facilities, we utilize it to procure AEDs and maintain those devices with technicians provided through school health. The period for the renewal is May 1st, 2026 through April 30th, 2028 with a not
to exceed of 1,880,000. I'm going to talk about the AD program itself. Before we purchase any AEDs, school health will do a site visit for us to ensure compliance with placement in accordance with the state of Illinois. Um, the maintenance portion of this
contract is a two-year maintenance plan that is paid every other year, which is why you see increases and decreases in the year-over-year historic spend. Um, this program has a manufacturer technician inspecting each AED, replacing expired batteries and expired
pads, um, registering AEDs with EMS, and they also respond if an AED is utilized to make sure that a device is functional if there's another incident. Um, Chicago Board of Education policy 508.3 mandates AEDs must be serviced
annually by manufacturer or vendor technicians. This contract does satisfy that clause within the policy. Um, this is tied to the 21st century learning environment vision. We need to provide safe spaces and if there is not an AED functioning AED, it is not a safe space.
Um, and if it is not approved, we will be out of compliance with the board's AED policy until we do secure some other type of contract for a manufacturer technician or a vendor technician to come in and service these annually. I'm available for any questions on this
item. >> No questions. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> We recommend the board to approve the first and second which is the final renewal with Herk Rentals Incorporated for the purchase or rental of heavy equipment. We primarily utilize this
contract for renting custodial equipment when custodial equipment is broken and there's long lead times to repair it or for summer project work. Since taking over equipment management from the private contract, we partnered with Herk through this contract and they have been extremely responsive. They built a a
fleet to meet our needs through this piggyback contract. They are there's also rebates and last fiscal year we received over $30,000 in rebates and savings. The period for this renewal is July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2030
with a not to exceed of $5 million. We do need a rental contract in place to help mitigate disruption in the custodial program when equipment goes down. Um, this is vital to maintain a 21st century learning environment and from an equity perspective, we need to make sure that rentals are available
based off of needs of that specific school. Um, and if this is not approved, we will not have the ability to rent equipment needed for summer and next school year until we find another contract or some other solution. I am available for any questions for this
item. >> Member Banner, >> could you just describe a little more detail what kind of equipment is being rented? >> Yeah, so for the custodial program, it's your floor scrubbers like T3s, T5s. Those are the big machines that are used
in corridors. We do rent vacuums if we have to. Um, carpet extractors for really deep cleaning of carpets. Those would be the most common units. >> Thank you.
>> Becky, you could continue. >> Okay. Thank you. Uh we recommend the board to approve the new RFQ uh qualified pre-qualified pool of V various vendors to provide various trades work for operations and maintenance which is used by facilities, capital and other departments. There are
64 trades categories in the solicitation and respondents were able to add additional categories underneath the other option. This comprehensive roster of trades constitutes a full spectrum um of operational maintenance framework providing the specialized technical
expertise and multiple disciplinary labor required to maintain, sustain and repair existing facility infrastructure, mechanical and fire systems throughout their life cycle. And the historic spend represents over 5,700 purchase orders
for various projects um throughout the district during that time frame. What we are bringing to the board is 104 vendors, 46 of which are MBE or WBE, across a total of 78 categories. 72% of the vendors are being awarded one to
four trades. The period for this vendor pool is April 1st, 2026 through March 31st, 2029 with a not to exceed of $95 million. This not to exceed is not a guaranteed payment to any of the vendors. All work
to proceed with is determined by CPS. This pool of vendors just ensures that we have vendors that have been pre-qualified to do the work in their approved category and that they have the appropriate level of insurance to complete that work. I do want to note we will be presenting a supplemental to
this RFQ in the fall. There was one category that did not receive any responses, eight categories with only one awarded vendor and 10 categories with only two vendors. This agreement is tied to our vision through the 21st century learning environment. Um there are repairs that
cannot be performed in house and when we come across those we need pre-qualified people um to complete that work. If this is not approved, we would not be able to perform any new repair work that we are not able to do inhouse until we come up with another solution. I'm available for
any questions regarding this item. >> You may continue. >> I'm sorry. I got one question, >> member Banner. >> How how does this contract mesh as far as repairs and minor improvements go with the JLL contract? Are these
separate kinds of repairs? >> So, the JL contract provides engineers and the engineers will perform work inhouse. If they're not able to do the repairs themselves, then we have to rely on this pre-qualified pool of vendors to
complete that other work. >> Am I misunderstanding? I thought the JL contract provided for hiring outside trades >> when necessary. >> Is that am I wrong on that? >> Point of correction on that one. The JLo
contract hires engineers and provides the engineers for the schools and they do maintenance and they do some in-house work. They do manage projects that are done through these external contractors but they don't hire contractors directly
to perform work. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Member P. Just a point of clarification. So, if example, we've got a a a clogged pipe, right? The engineers will go out together to try to relieve that clog. If
they can't because it's larger, the pipe breaks, that's when we come to the various trades pool to bring in a plumbing contractor to take care of that work. Um, same thing if a drinking fountain, sometimes the engineers can come in and take care of that. But if it gets to be such a large scale or a larger scope than we they can handle in house, that's when we come to the various trades.
>> I got Okay. Thank you. You've magically answered my question. Thank you. >> Please continue. >> For my final item, we recommend the board to approve the second, which is the final renewal with Jones Lane Lasell for facility management and building
engineer services. The term period is July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2028. The not to exceed for this term is $328,870,000. For their MWBE participation, their actuals have exceeded the aspirational
goals for both MBE and WBE. Minority actuals are at 41.36% which is over 11% above the goal. Uh WBE actuals are 11.59% which is 5% over the target. So over 50% of the spend has
gone to MBE and WBE companies and we would anticipate the same high levels of dedication from JL during this renewal term. They utilize three sub vendor partners to reach their goals. All three of their sub vendor partners are registered as
minority business enterprises and one of them is also registered as a women business enterprise. Between the three vendors, they currently provide 45% of the engineers. Engineering operations is a 247 365day operation. While most other departments
are off on during breaks and holidays, we continue to have to be aware of what's going on inside and outside of our buildings. If there are break-ins overnight, freezes um that can cause pipes to burst, fires happen that are both large and small, regardless of the time of day or the year or how many
hours have already been worked in the day, we respond and we're on call. During the course of this contract, Jones Lane has truly provided peace of mind for us. They respond, they act, and we don't have schools being completely
shut down when something happens overnight. Um we have provided the requested KPI data. There will be more discussed in depth during the 5x5 next week. Um if this approval is not approved come July, we don't have any engineers to maintain
our buildings. I am available for any questions regarding this item. >> Surprise, surprise. Member Blow. >> Hi. Surprise. Um, I'm just curious. Do you
know how many operating engineers we employ? >> So, our target number is 697. And that does include trainees. >> So, around 700. >> Yes, ma'am. >> And they make what about what a year?
Somewhere around 100,000 or 80? I heard 80, but I'm I'm thinking might be more than that. >> Typically around 100,000. >> All right. So, because I'm an English major, I have a calculator.
Even though these are nice round numbers. So, that's $70 million a year. This contract that we're approving is for two years or three years. >> This contract is for two years. And the 100,000 is the take-home. So, there's also the benefits. Yeah.
>> Um CDA requirements. >> All right. So let's say 700 700 times what? 125 something like that. Maybe 150. >> We'll we'll have all of those figures for you. >> Will you?
>> Yes, ma'am. >> All right. So that puts us at $105 million and um and two years puts us at 210. So the contract is for 328.
So my assumption is a lot of that is management and I I don't doubt that they're a good partner. Um it's a 200 year old plus publicly traded company with $74 billion in assets. They're obviously doing something right. Right.
Um but that seems like quite a bit off the top. um if we're at 210 $210 million and um in actual like if we brought those those
people in house um but I assume there would be another layer of management that would add add into that number. Um so a few more million for that few few more million for HR expenses. I'm still having a really hard time of getting to
328. Um, and I know when we talked before, um, there were y'all conceded that it's possible that we could bring them back in house. So, what I would love to see is a plan for that. What that involves, I understand
that there's residency requirements, but I know we can grandfather folks in. I know that there's where there's a will, there's a way. And for me, there's a a will to save a hundred million dollars. Um so
that's where I'm at. Um, and I would feel way more comfortable. I'll say this, I probably won't agree with moving forward on this without being able to understand what what a
what an endgame for it looks like. um because of the deficits that we're in. If I've got to go back and explain to my constituents how I let their $15 an hour
safe passage workers go, um I let them go without jobs, but I let hundred million dollars just sit on the table by some lovely people probably. I don't This is no shade on JLL. Um, I just want to make sure that we are making the
right decisions for us at this time. Um, and can you tell me how long ago was it that the the engineers were inhouse that we were paying them directly? >> So, we actually moved away and I have this information for the 5x5, but
>> um, we moved away from in-house engineers in 2017. Actually, there was a pilot back in 2014, an IFM pilot with Sedexo Magic and Aramark, very small group of schools. >> It was determined at that time that it was successful and they wanted to scale it up.
>> So, the IFM contracts, integrated facility management, >> they took effect in three phases. Starting July 1st, 2017, >> a portion of the district went privatized >> and then um a larger port portion went in 2018
>> and then it final went 100% privatized in August of 2019. Um so the last time we had engineers on our books was actually August 2019 in a small population, but pretty much districtwide was prior to July 1st of 2017.
>> 17. Okay. So that was probably when Rahm was mayor, this was his idea. Um, okay. So any information you could give me on on an exit strategy I think would make me feel more comfortable. Um,
and also obviously you've got to layer in that management piece. I'm not assuming that all of these people will just answer to I or Ivan's got to take calls from all these folks, right? there has there's obviously some other layer in between,
but um I think I think there's some savings to be had here and I think um that that that's something that we should really consider. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you, board member Blaze. Appreciate that. The following slides list the standard monthly reports and motions that are listed in the agenda review committee meeting agenda and posted online. Uh this concludes the board reports on the public agenda. Are there any comments or
questions on any other items? If not, we'll now open the floor up for questions or comments on the public agenda. I'd like to note the following item is unfinished business from February 26. 26-0226-PR1.
Amend board report 25-1023-PR2 authorizes second and final renewal agreement with various vendors to provide out of school time and student health and wellness products and services. Are there any comments or questions on the item?
Member Bannon, >> where are we going to get a little more information on this item? That's why we tabled it to get wait for more information for at this meeting. Do we have that information? >> We did gather the information. I will follow up. What we did find is that some
of the services um the vendor services do not directly support students but I'll make sure that you get the detailed. So the the spreadsheets that you all received um the conversation was making sure that the data is uh more easily interpreted. But um I will flag
Cliff. Would you please uh come to the front for me so I can make sure you get this information because I specifically requested this information on Monday and I thought it was forwarded to you all. >> Member Smith, did you withdraw your comment? >> Yeah, I I withdraw. I just wanted to uh
highlight that some of these vendors again they have good names for their programs but what we found is that they do not directly support students and if this is about supporting students uh $16 million was
paid and uh I I just want to ensure that before we begin adding new vendors that uh we're taking accountability as a board to have all the information. Thank you. Member Rivas. >> Um, I'd actually like to make a motion to table to our next meeting so that we
have the information provided to us by the district. >> Second. >> So, the U motion on the floor is to defer the item to the March 19th meeting. Is that correct? Okay. assuming that we'll have that
information to us by then. >> Point of clarity. Uh, Mr. President, I'm not clear what we're tableabling. I'm just trying to follow. >> So, it's it's unfinished business from last week. Member Smith asked for this item to be tabled.
The last item we just spoke on page eight of the script. >> It's out of sc out of time school out of school time and student health and wellness products and services. >> I'll proceed. Dr. King, what
um is it just descriptions on each of each of the vendors or what is it? Does it also link to what schools those >> No, it was a breakdown. I believe that board member Smith asked for the um there was the accountability of
services. It was a survey that the vendors are expected to complete and it looked like I believe 22 or 20 only 27% of those vendors had completed the the compliance as far as services rendered and so we did follow through and collect that information. I apologize. I thought
you all had received the information. I have requested um for Chief Carmona to send it to you. We did discuss this and so we did we even talked about the manner in which data is sent to you all to make sure that it's easily
interpreted and relying less on your ability to take some you know data that's just kind of like a a spreadsheet but we provide some summary of what we're seeing to kind of help you look through the lens of what
they have analyzed. And if we could get both the data and because sometimes the the summary um slides make me feel like I'm not like I'd rather look at the data too. So if
we could get both that's helpful. >> That's fine. I understand. So you don't want to be guided in your interpretation. >> I don't want to be guided in my interpretation. But also if we can get what um which vendors go with which schools, we can I could also call some of the schools and see how or or go or
show up or something like that and see how those >> um we should do that >> programs are running. Is that possible? >> That might be a little bit more challenging. You're asking for every vendor for every school >> or maybe just the ones in in my district. I don't know if everybody's
going to do that, but I I sure would. would be helpful to me. >> So, the matter on the on the floor though is deferring. I think it's simple enough. We'll defer this until the board has had the opportunity to review the the data. So, the motion is on the floor
to defer this until next board meeting >> to March 19th. >> I did push. >> It's been moved a second. We just need to do a roll call. >> Yes, I need to um proceed with a roll call. >> Have a point of clarification though. >> Certainly. So, isn't the data we're going to get for the companies that
already are vendors nothing to do with the vendors we're adding? Correct. >> Correct. >> Okay. So, I don't see how having that information will change whether we add the vendors. I
>> I think the trend here is just us trying to have more information and accountability. And I think this will help us um make sure that we're we're leaning toward that and not just passing it on because okay, we need to vote on it. You know, we want we want ask for the information and I know it was a
really tight turnaround time. So, I appreciate being able to see the information before us voting on it. >> I mean, I'm a thousand% for accountability, but it won't be accountability for that's relevant for this vote. >> And hopefully this will prevent this from happening in the future where we
presented the information prior. Yeah, I think if we come up with a policy related to that, I would support it strongly, but I see these as disconnected frankly. >> Thank you. >> Point is taken, but still, let's respond to the motion on the floor, please. >> I'll proceed with a roll call um to
table this item until the March 19th, 2026 board meeting. Member Lozano, >> yes. >> Member Smith, I. >> Member Lopez, I. >> Member, nay. >> Member Bole, >> yes. Member Wallace.
>> Hi. >> Member Kuster. >> Hi. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown. >> Nay. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> Nay.
>> Member Bannon. >> Nope. >> Vice President Bautista. >> No. >> Member Gutierrez. Member Biggs, >> yes. >> Member Thodakura, >> no. >> Member Blae,
>> no. >> Member Zachor, >> no. >> Member Deberry, >> no. >> 10 eyes, nine nazs. This motion is
failed of adoption. We would go back to We did respond multiple times. >> You didn't respond. We will go back to the motion on the floor uh for the unfinished business item from 26022 from February 26 um
board meeting board report number 260226 PR1 amend the second and final renewal agreement with various vendors to provide out of school time and student health and wellness products and services. President Hart in this amendment is
necessary to add 25 new vendors. For the record, I'd also like to note an extension for board member Gutierrez on PR1 as a whole and an extension uh for board member Lopez for the following vendor on PR1. SGA Youth and Family Services vendor number 45.
>> Is there a motion? >> So moved. >> Is there a second? >> Second. >> I'll proceed with a roll call. Member Lozano. >> Yes. >> Member Smith. >> Nay. >> Member Lopez with the uh noted
abstension on the vendor. >> Hi. >> Member VeZ. >> Yes. >> Member Bole. >> No. >> Member Wallace. >> I. >> Member Kuster.
>> Hi. Member Pope, >> yes. >> Member Rosenfeld, >> no. >> Member Rivas, >> no. >> Member Brown, >> yes. >> Member Rio Sierra, >> hi. >> Member Bannon.
>> Hi. >> Vice President Bautista. >> Yes. >> Member Gutierrez. I'm sorry. He did abstain from the vote as a whole. Member Biggs,
>> yes. >> Member Thodakura, >> yes. >> Member Blae, >> yes. >> Member Zachor, >> yes. >> Member Deberry, >> I. >> 15 eyes, four nazs. Uh, board member
Gutierrez was not on for the vote. He uh would have abstained. This matter is adopted by the board. We'll now move into executive session. Board member throw the court. Do you have motion MO2? >> I move for the passage of motion number 26-0304-2
and the commencement of a closed session to consider matters permitted under section 2C of the Open Meetings Act subsections 1 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 VeZ. >> Yes. >> Member Bole. >> Yes. >> Member Wallace. >> Hi. >> Member Kuster. >> I. >> Member Pope. >> Yes. >> Member Rosenfeld. >> Yes. >> Member Rivas. >> Yes. >> Member Brown.
>> Yes. >> Member Rio Sierra. >> I. Member Bannon. >> I. >> Vice President Bautista. >> Yes. >> Member Biggs. >> Yes. >> Member Thodakura. >> Yes. Member Blae. >> Yep. >> Member Zachor. >> Yes. >> Member Deberry. I
>> 19 eyes, zero nazs. This motion is adopted by the board. This mean we'll go into close session. Do we have a Okay. Yeah, that's fine. >> Is there a motion to adjurnn?
>> So moved. >> So moved. >> All in favor? >> I journ.