Announcing a new round of appointments to the Chicago Board of Education on Monday, Mayor Brandon Johnson named Sean Harden as the 21-member body’s new chairman who will sit in January. Three newcomers are among the nine other appointees, the mayor’s office announced Monday. The list also includes an assortment of sitting members and candidates who lost their bids for elected school board seats in the November general election.
An appointee has not yet been announced, in accordance with state law that requires the mayor to appoint one member in each of the city’s ten newly designated school districts, as well as the board president.
Along with the ten winning elected candidates who won their district elections last month in each of the city’s newly drawn school districts, the appointees will each serve a two-year term until a board of directors The fully elected administration will be seated in 2027.
Declared following a long-delayed City Council vote that saw the mayor’s fourth budget proposal narrowly passed, the appointments come amid a difficult few months for Johnson — and mark a new chapter in the fight ongoing power struggle between the mayor and the teachers union. and the Chicago Public Schools leadership that has dominated board discussions in recent months.
During a late press conference Johnson held Monday evening to discuss his budget, Johnson stressed the importance of education to his term as mayor. Johnson, swept to power by the Chicago Teachers Union, made education one of his highest priorities.
“We want every family in this city to have a fully funded neighborhood school. I talk about it a lot because it’s important to me, especially because we know the federal government’s impending attacks on public education are serious,” he said.
The mayor’s 2025 budget plan includes a short-term solution to declare a record $570 million surplus from the city’s special tax increment financing districts, known as TIFs, which will bring in city a total of $132 million and will provide $311 million to Chicago Public Schools. .
Johnson said Monday night that his commitment to education is illustrated not only by the TIF money, but also by the nature of his appointments, people who “truly love and believe in public education.”
“So we’re looking for people who understand the urgency of the moment, people who know that they need to organize and work collectively to fight for progressive revenue in the state,” Johnson said.
Harden, the new president, is the newest addition to the current board, having been sworn in last week to replace the Rev. Mitchell L. Ikenna Johnson, who was forced to resign days after his October appointment by the mayor due to controversy. A business consultant, Harden previously worked as CPS’ deputy CEO of community affairs about 15 years ago, according to his profile on the social media site LinkedIn.
In a press release sent out Monday evening by the mayor’s office, Harden congratulated his fellow appointees.
“Each of these leaders brings a unique perspective and an unwavering commitment to the success of Chicago’s students,” Harden said. “Together, we will prioritize equity, amplify community voices, and create opportunities that unlock the potential of every child in our city.” »
The mayor’s remaining choices include:
Edward “Ed” Bannon, who the mayor’s office says is a parent of three CPS graduates and a former member of the local school board, lost his bid in the 38th Ward aldermanic race in 2023. A veteran community organizer in On the Northwest Side, the press release sent by the Mayor’s Office stated that Bannon has “consistently demonstrated steadfast leadership in guiding school governance and fostering parent engagement.”
Norma Rios-Sierra also has organizational experience. As an artist, activist and CPS parent, she brought the Logan Square and Hermosa communities together, according to the city’s press release. His work “underscores his dedication to inclusion and community-based solutions in education,” the release said.
A longtime leader of the immigrant rights organization Centro Sin Fronteras, Pastora Emma Lozano has been a champion of bilingual education and immigrant rights, connecting “faith and activism to create lasting change for Chicago’s most vulnerable communities,” the mayor’s office said.
Also among Johnson’s picks are two CTU-backed school board candidates who failed to secure seats in the fall, despite overwhelming union support:
Karen Zaccor is a retired CPS teacher and former parent and member of several local school boards, according to her campaign site. An organizer for Northside Action for Justice, a local grantee organization of the Chicago Teachers Union Foundation, Zaccor has advocated for the implementation of sustainable community schools, a model in which CPS provides $500,000 grants to community groups that partner with the CTU to ensure global coverage. support services for students and families in each of the 20 current schools. Zaccor lost the District 4 race to Ellen Rosenfeld, a CPS parent who will resign from her role as a family and community engagement specialist for the district in early January, in accordance with rules barring employees from serving on the board. administration.
Anusha Thotakura is the director of Citizen Action Illinois, a progressive statewide advocacy organization that has sought policy change in favor of affordable health care, retirement security, and stronger health care protections. environment and food safety, according to the organization’s website. A former bilingual teacher in the Teach for America program, Thotakura lost the District 6 seat in November to independent candidate Jessica Biggs, a former CPS superintendent.
Four of the current board members, whom Johnson initially appointed after an upheaval in October, will remain in office, according to the announcement. The mayor’s list of appointments Monday did not include current board Vice President Mary Russell Gardner or member Rafael Yáñez, a hate crimes officer with the Chicago Police Department. Due to rules that each appointed member must come from opposite sides of the district from their elected counterparts, Gardner, whose home address is in the same district as elected member Aaron “Jitu” Brown, is not not eligible to stay.
Among the current members, four will remain on the board of directors:
Debby Pope, a retired bilingual history teacher, previously served as CTU’s class size coordinator and grievance correspondent. Pope lives in District 2b, across the street from CTU-backed candidate Ebony L. DeBerry, who won the race for the far north seat in November.
Michilla Blaise, a parent of two CPS students, is a longtime political consultant and current chief of staff to Cook County 16th District Commissioner Frank Aguilar. Blaise previously fought for the West Side’s District 5 school board seat, before dropping out of the race, which CTU-backed candidate Aaron “Jitu” Brown won uncontested.
Frank Niles Thomas is a grassroots organizer who lives in Washington Heights and the father of four CPS graduates, according to the city. He worked as the 21st Precinct’s streets and sanitation superintendent for more than a decade and served on the local school board at Dunne Elementary School. Niles Thomas lives in District 9 where Therese Boyle, a dissident CTU member who ran as an independent candidate without the union’s endorsement, won the far southwest district in the general election.
Olga Bautista is a CPS parent and former member of the John L. Marsh Local School Board. As co-executive director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, Bautista organized against industrial facilities like General Iron and Ozinga and fought to bring a new green school to the Southeast. Last year, she served on Johnson’s transition team on the Environmental Justice Subcommittee. Bautista lives in District 10, where Che “Rhymefest” Smith won the far south seat, without support from either the CTU or pro-school choice interest groups.
The mayoral appointments announced Monday will join ten other members elected in each district last month. The full list of elected members: Jennifer Custer, Ebony L. DeBerry, Carlos A. Rivas, Jr., Ellen Rosenfeld, Aaron “Jitu” Brown, Jessica Biggs, Yesenia Lopez, Angel Gutierrez, Therese Boyle and Che “Rhymefest” Smith.
The Chicago Tribune’s AD Quig, Alice Yin and Jake Sheridan contributed.
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