Chicago School Board Members Speak on Leak Investigation

This week, school board President Sean Harden's continuing investigation into who leaked board-related information to the news media returned to the headlines. On Wednesday, Fox32 reporter Paris Schutz received an email from the law firm of Salvatore Prescott Porter & Porter, which is handling the investigation, asking to speak with him. In a Fox 32 story about the incident, Schutz said he had declined to speak with them.

On Wednesday afternoon, Board Rule emailed 19 school board members (all sitting members except President Harden, and not recently-resigned former Vice President Olga Bautista) asking if they support the investigation and asking them to respond by Tuesday. As of this morning, seven board members had responded. Here are their answers. Any additional answers will be published in Board Rule's regular edition next week.

Carlos Rivas, 3b: “I do not support the waste of limited tax-payer resources on an investigation into the announcement of a public meeting.”

Ellen Rosenfeld, 4b: “No, absolutely not. It’s a distraction from the work we need to do on behalf of our learners.”

Jitu Brown, 5a: "Yes."

Jessica Biggs, 6b: “No, I do not support the investigation into the 12/29 leak.”

Angel Gutierrez, 8a: "NO" 

Cydney Wallace, 8b: “I wholeheartedly agree with the investigation into the leak.”

Therese Boyle, 9b: "No."

In late December, Chicago Board of Education President Sean Harden launched this investigation into two instances where confidential information reached the news media. The first leak occurred in November, when the names of the superintendent search finalists were made public. It is unknown whether a school board member or someone else leaked the names. School board members had signed a nondisclosure agreement requiring them to keep the names confidential.

In January, board member Che "Rhymefest" Smith told WBEZ, "CPS could alleviate leaks with a little more transparency." (If you missed the WBEZ story in January, now's a good time to catch up on it.)

Chicago Education Alliance Selects "Co-Design Team"

Yesterday, the Chicago Education Alliance announced it has selected 17 Chicago organizations as partners in developing and communicating its education agenda over the next seven months. The organizations will receive $10,000 each in exchange for serving on a policy and engagement design team, hosting three community meetings to test policy positions and gather feedback, and, if they choose, representing their communities at public events launching the agenda, to be held this summer.

The partners include:

Breakthrough (Garfield Park)

Bright Star Community Outreach (Bronzeville)

BUILD Inc. (West Side)

Chicago Learning Exchange (Citywide)

Claretian Associates (South Chicago)

Enlace Chicago (Little Village)

Gads Hill Center (Pilsen, West Side, Southwest Side)

Greater Chicago Alliance of Black School Educators (Citywide)

Latino Leadership Pipeline (Citywide, statewide)

Northwest Center (Belmont-Cragin, Northwest Side)

OneGoal (Citywide, statewide)

Phalanx Family Services (West Pullman)

Project VISION (Chinatown)

Southwest Organizing Project, (Chicago Lawn, Gage Park, West Lawn, West Elsdon and Ashburn)

Start Early (Citywide, national)

Teach Plus Illinois (Citywide, statewide)

VOCEL (Citywide)

News Bites

WBEZ: High school students who took part in One Million Degrees and went on to community college were more likely to earn an associate's degree and on average, earned $14,000 more than similar students who did not participate.

Block Club: Parents who pushed for the STEAM partnership among Collins Academy STEAM High School, Chalmers Elementary and Johnson Elementary win a Parent University campus.

Chalkbeat Chicago: CPS and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office are piloting a new program to keep teens charged with serious crimes in school and out of detention. The pilot focuses on West Side teens, who must attend school daily, plus attend behavioral health sessions and mentoring.