Grading the School Board, Q2
From Q1 to Q2, the focus of public school board discussion shifted toward governance. Board members also reduced their speaking time.
Once again, I'm grateful to Board Rule subscriber and former school board candidate Adam Parrott-Sheffer for tracking the public discussion and decision-making among members of the Chicago Board of Education. The first-quarter report card he put together sparked a lot of interest. I'm honored to be able to share a second-quarter update.
From Q1 to Q2, the focus of public conversation focused more narrowly on governance. Board members have reduced the amount of time they speak during the meetings. The average time each board member spoke over all three quarterly board meetings dropped from almost nine minutes to 6 minutes and 30 seconds. The number of questions, affirmations, and critiques from board members also dropped significantly from Q1 to Q2.
Who is speaking the most? Jitu Brown, Yesenia Lopez, and Che "Rhymefest" Smith made the top five in both quarters. Michilla Blaise and Anusha Thotakura, who made the top five in Q1, were replaced by Debby Pope and Carlos Rivas in Q2. Though the share of time Brown spoke in the meetings went up slightly, the amount of time he spoke over three meetings dropped from a total of 31 minutes in Q1 to 24 minutes in Q2. Lopez's share of the air time increased from eight to 13 percent, and the total amount of time she spoke increased from 14 to 17 minutes. Overall, board members allied with Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union dominated the conversation, taking up 72% of the airtime across the April, May, and June board meetings.
Asked for his interpretation of these changes to public discussion, Parrott-Sheffer said, "I see it as learning."
Parrott-Sheffer is tracking the amount of money the school board is authorizing for legal settlements. The $8.15 million paid so far this year includes $2.7 million to a family whose then-fourth-grader was beaten by the adult friend of a teacher at Tilton Elementary.
Budget Information and Feedback Sessions
Some new wrinkles have appeared in the school district's already troubling budget situation. At the beginning of July, the Trump administration announced it would not release nearly $7 billion in federal funds for education that Congress had authorized earlier this year, while it reviews how those funds would be spent. The freeze affects money for teacher training, after-school programs, supporting English learners, and more. The Office of Management and Budget, which is reviewing the spending plans, told Politico, "Initial findings have shown that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical leftwing agenda." Over LinkedIn, Hal Woods of Kids First Chicago told me Chicago's share of these funds amounts to $90 million.
On Monday, WBEZ reported that CPS will have to delay paying teachers retroactive raises for last year that were promised in their current contract. CPS Chief Budget Officer Mike Sitkowski told WBEZ that the district won't be able to cover those raises until Cook County sends the second installment of property tax revenue, which usually comes in August. The county says that payment will be delayed at least 30 days while it upgrades its computer systems.
In a community update sent Monday, Interim Superintendent/CEO Maquline King invited parents and community members to a series of virtual "public learning sessions" to be held the week of July 14. Local and national experts will review the school district's troubled budget history, the current challenges, and potential solutions. She also announced a set of "community feedback sessions" on the budget. Translation will be offered in Spanish and American Sign Language. To RSVP for the feedback sessions, click here.
Kids First Chicago will also hold its own virtual budget information session with experts from the Civic Federation on July 22. Details here.
Preview: Today's Agenda Review Committee
In a shift, today's agenda review committee puts closed session first. Items under discussion are Public participation will occur after the closed session ends.
The agenda shows the board is planning to formally adopt the arts education plan it announced in May, and the updated policy for allowing students to accelerate their learning, whether by starting kindergarten or first grade early, skipping a grade later in elementary school, or taking advanced coursework in high school.
Some noteworthy contracts to be approved: $2.3 million for Riverside Assessments, DBA Riverside Insights. They will provide the tests for accelerated placement as well as the admissions test for selective elementary and high school admissions. CIMPAR, S.C., based in Oak Park, will continue to provide vaccinations and school physicals, with a contract not to exceed $6 million over two years. An amendment to the Sustainable Community Schools agreement adds 14 new vendors and raises the spending limit from $11.8 million to $18 million.
Scholarship Opportunity
The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services is accepting applications for the Community Services Block Grant Scholarship, which provides $1000 to $5000 toward higher education for income-eligible applicants. More info here.
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