Recaps and New Beginnings
Board Rule celebrates its first year of covering the Chicago Board of Education.
Here are some highlights from yesterday's board meeting. Full video here.
Committees seek applicants. The Black Student Achievement Committee application deadline has been extended through 5 p.m. on Monday, December 22. You can apply here. The Special Education Advisory Committee application is open through Monday, January 12, at 5 p.m. You can apply here.
Special education violations. Instituto Health Sciences Career Academy is under investigation for failing to provide special education services. The Illinois State Board of Education opened the investigation in 2023, but problems persist. According to an official letter read at the board meeting by Josh Long, chief of the CPS Office of Students with Disabilities, the state now requires CPS to monitor Instituto more closely. Read more in Reema Amin's story for Chalkbeat Chicago.
Community center advances. The school board voted to sell three closed schools, the first step in a long process to repurpose them. While developers plan to demolish the school buildings at Bontemps in Englewood and Henson in North Lawndale, the Peace for Preston Foundation plans to rehab Shedd Elementary in Roseland and turn it into a community center with a full suite of activities for young people.
Dionne Mhoon, executive director of the foundation, is the mother of Aréanah Preston, a Chicago Police Department officer who was killed during a robbery attempt outside her home. During the board's December 3 meeting, member Carlos Rivas gave emotional remarks remembering Preston from her high school days, when he was her teacher. WBEZ's Emmanuel Carrillo has more here.
Happy Birthday, Board Rule!
One year ago today, Board Rule launched with a column predicting we'd see a more independent and feisty school board than has been typical for Chicago, even in its hybrid form, with a majority of mayor-appointed members.
That prediction came true when the school board defied the mayor and approved a budget that rejected borrowing and made a controversial pension payment to the city dependent upon a large TIF surplus. Though city budget negotiations are going down to the wire--with a New Year's Eve deadline--the TIF surplus is not in dispute.
As we mark Board Rule's Year One, there are more numbers to celebrate:
60 issues published.
Three report cards tracking board activity, with thanks to Adam Parrott-Sheffer. (Watch for the Q4 2025 report card in January.)
Eight interviews with board members, including President Sean Harden. (More to come!)
245 subscribers. About 15% of you are paid subscribers--thank you! You provide the power that makes Board Rule possible. Special thanks to our founding subscribers from December 2024: Adam Parrott-Sheffer, Brian Brady, Laura Singer, Mark Smithivas, Marvin Hoffman, Beth Hawkins, Gordon Mayer, and Cassie Creswell.
If you're reading this because you found it on social media, please consider subscribing, so you'll never miss an issue. Five more subscribers at any level (including free) would reach our goal of 250 for the year!
Thousands of online viewers.
Two scoops: one alerting folks to a state hearing on the CPS budget; the other capturing the universal community opposition to the proposed co-location of Acero Cisneros inside Shields Elementary. CPS chose not to move forward with the proposal.
Testimonials: From Greg Michie, retired CPS teacher and beloved author of Holler if You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students, "I continue to appreciate your commitment to Board Rule. Today's review of TIFs was timely and informative... . I loved your interview with Destiny Singleton. Great to get student voices in the mix."
From Charles Whitaker, dean of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University: "It's quite impressive. I'm so glad to see we still have smart, talented people like you keeping an eye on CPS. We need those watchful eyes on the proceedings now more than ever."
Concrete Impact: For months, Board Rule has been pushing publicly and behind the scenes to make board members' official emails public. As of late last week, they are now listed with their bios on the board's website. Board members are listed here; click on each member's photo to see the full bio with email address.
If you've benefited from Board Rule in any way this year, tell us about it. You can email maureen.boardrule@gmail.com and share your story. Story tips are always welcome, too! Speaking of tips, you can make a one-time gift to support Board Rule through our tip jar.
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Thanks to all of you for reading and sharing Board Rule! Wishing you all a restful winter break. Board Rule will be back on January 7, 2026.
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