Board Meeting Preview

Hello from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where my high school sophomore daughter is about to dig into some cool rare books! This is also my apology for a more rushed than usual board meeting preview. Here are a few key items on today's agenda.

CTU contract. The board has the last two steps to finalize the contract on today's agenda: vote to ratify the deal and pass a budget amendment putting the $139 million in TIF surplus to work to pay for it, and to pay for the forthcoming contract with Chicago principals. That contract is still being negotiated.

There is no mention of MEABF. In a recent interview, Sean Harden reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring Chicago Public Schools picks up a share of that pension payment proportionate to the number of CPS employees in the fund, and suggested it might be time to lobby state lawmakers to grant the school board taxing authority.

Black Student Achievement Committee. The board will vote to appoint Aaron "Jitu" Brown as chair of the committee, for an indefinite term. He'll have power to appoint the rest of the committee, and the resolution promised the group will be "diverse in skills and geography" and include parents, educators, and advocates for students with disabilities and experts in juvenile justice, among others.

Charter contracts and renewals. There is a resolution on the agenda that would make substantial changes to how CPS contracts with charter schools. Reema Amin breaks it down over at Chalkbeat Chicago. The resolution would require charter school operators to give 18 months' notice before closing a charter school. Amin shows the varying perspectives board members are bringing to the fraught question of what to do when a charter operator decides to close one or more of its schools.

There's also a hot debate between district leaders and charter operators about the length of renewal periods. In recent years, CPS has moved to shorten renewal terms, arguing that holds charters more accountable and gives the district more leverage to push for improvement or end an agreement with a low-performing school. The Illinois Network of Charter Schools, a pro-charter advocacy group, counterargues that high-performing charters benefit from the stability of longer renewal terms, which benefits their students.

A batch of charter renewals come before the board today. Most are for two years, and all come with at least some conditions. Most involve improving services for students with disabilities and English learners, and separating charter boards from charter administrators to prevent conflicts of interest and self-dealing. Here's the full list of schools and renewal periods.

Alain Locke: two years.

Passages: two years.

Aspira: two years. (It is closing Aspira-Haugan, a middle school, that was one of its three campuses. The other two are receiving a two-year renewal.)

Catalyst Schools: Circle Rock campus, renewed for two years. Maria campus, renewed for three years.

EPIC: two years.

Erie Charter: two years.

Horizon (5401 S. Western): four years.

Instituto School of Health Sciences: three years.

Moving Everest: two years.

North Lawndale College Prep: three years. It's campus currently sharing space with Collins High School will move to the former Howland campus on Christiana, which comprises three buildings. The two campuses will remain separate schools.

Perspectives Charter Schools: four years.

Providence Englewood: two years.

Rowe Elementary Charter: two years.

Urban Prep Bronzeville & Englewood: two years, with the most stringent renewal conditions, including barring former CEO Tim King from school grounds.

Sustainable Community Schools. The board is expected to authorize up to $11,800,000 for the 2025-26 school year to pay 17 community-based nonprofits that serve as lead partners for the district's sustainable community schools program. Partners include: BUILD Inc., Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Blocks Together, Chicago Arts Partnerships for Education (CAPE), Chicago Youth Centers, Family Focus Legacy, Enlace Chicago, Kenwood-Oakland Community Organization, Metropolitan Family Services, New Life Centers, Northwest Side Housing Center, National Museum of Mexican Art, Scholarship & Guidance Association.

Superintendent Search. A board resolution outlines the process for community engagement in the search. For starters, each school board district will hold at least one gathering to solicit community input on what to look for in the next CPS leader.

The super search was a prominent topic at a Far South Community Advisory Council conference held last Saturday. "The new interim will have a superintendent's license, as well as the permanent hire." board member Che "Rhymefest" Smith said during a panel discussion between Smith and fellow board member Frank Niles Thomas. The panel was facilitated by Bridget Lee, executive director of the Academy for Local Leadership (ALL).

I'll dig on this much more next week.