Three weeks after the entire Chicago Board of Education resigned, the board’s new president on Thursday lauded Mayor Brandon Johnson in a politically tumultuous time and indicated he’s willing to take the school district in the direction Johnson has ordered.
“This is a moment in time that we can not afford to squander,” the Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson said at his first meeting as board president. “My opinion is the mayor has a clear vision for public education here in Chicago: A fully funded school district that gives every Chicagoan a world class public school in their neighborhoods. A transformation of our public education is a critical piece for Johnson’s vision for transforming Chicago.
“I am proud to not only align with this vision, but I am proud to be chosen to work to start implementing,” he said.
The new president’s comments seemed in direct response to the controversy that led to the resignation of the entire school board earlier this month and the appointment of seven replacement members.
The conflict initially was over how to address a budget shortfall this year, with Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez rejecting the mayor’s plan to take a short-term loan. Martinez and the board that resigned also refused the mayor’s demand to take on a contribution to a city pension fund that includes non-teacher CPS staff.
The mayor’s office then made moves to fire Martinez, but instead of remaining in the middle of the situation, the entire board resigned. Martinez refused, leaving his fate up to the board.
Thursday’s meeting, held in the auditorium of a South Side district office, was a monthly preview of school district proposals. The next full board meeting is scheduled for Nov. 1.
The new board members huddled in prayer on stage right before the meeting. And the board president, the Rev. Johnson, no known relation to the mayor, began with religious remarks.
“All the work of this board and boards before it have required strength from their faith,” he said. “Because we all understand on this board that the children we’re responsible for are not our children, but the children of him who made each and every one of them.
“Notwithstanding your faith walk, most of us believe that someone created these children and we are the stewards to guide them through the early portions of their life,” Johnson said.
Johnson said his top priority is improving the city’s education of Black children, who he said have been failed for years by a lack of resources and care for their needs.
The board members did not address Martinez’s future in their comments but did refer to the financial controversy.
The president declared that CPS must take on the $175 million pension payment from the city. He also said the mayor has gone “above and beyond” to provide record city tax increment financing dollars to CPS and will continue to do so. Martinez recently called on the mayor to double last year’s record TIF surplus in order to plug CPS’ budget deficit.
While Martinez maintained a smile and clapped while other board members introduced themselves, his apparent excitement faded during Johnson’s comments. Martinez put his head down at times.
Chicago Public School CEO Pedro Martinez at Thursday’s Board of Education meeting with the new board members.
Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
One of the new board members, Michilla “Kyla” Blaise, brought one of her two children to the meeting to watch her be sworn in. Blaise said she was a first generation college student and being named to the board is a “really big deal.”
She also bemoaned how politicized the board has become and said her intent is to bring calm.
“We are here for the kids and for the students,” said Blaise, a longtime political consultant who’s now chief of staff for Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar. “I want to make sure we stay focused on the work. We make sure that the stage is set for greatness.”
Two of the new board members have connections to Benito Juarez High School, Martinez’s alma mater.
One, Rafael Yañez, is a Chicago police officer who investigates hate crimes. He said wrestling helped keep him on track as a student at Juarez, which he attended about 10 years after Martinez. Yañez vowed to be a good listener and a “champion of people, especially those who have been on the periphery, that have not been heard, that have been wounded, that are in pain. I want to be that advocate for the community.”
Several alderpersons, including some who have voiced concerns about the board turmoil, phoned into the meeting to congratulate the new members and offer help.
“The City Council is willing to be a partner on everything we’re doing on behalf of our parents and students and the staff and educators there,” said Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th). “I think there’s a lot of concerns right now about stability.
“Making sound financial decisions, that’s obviously front and center for us all in these next few months as we build the system that can be sustainable for the future.”
Ald. Nicole Lee (11th), said she wanted to learn more about the new board members’ ideas for the school system.
“I am here to offer a partnership in terms of our desire to work with you to ensure that we’re supporting the district in every way that we need to make the vision for the schools work as best it can,” Lee said.
“Understanding the great financial burdens and challenges that both CPS and the city are facing, I hope we can work together to ensure that anything that we do is done … in a financially and fiscally responsible manner so that we’re not mortgaging the futures of our children to make short-term financial promises here,” she said.