Joint Statement: Concession School Board Bill Not A Victory For Chicago Families

Concession School Board Bill Not A Victory For Chicago Families

Under the bill passed in the Illinois Senate, Chicago will wait 6 years for a fully elected school board. 

CHICAGO, June 2, 2021  – On June 1st, the Illinois State Senate passed HB 2908 - a concession bill that continues to disappoint Black and Brown families in Chicago Public Schools by delaying a fully elected representative school board until 2027.  The bill’s passage proves there is overwhelming consensus that Chicago’s experiment with mayoral control has been an abysmal failure, especially for the district’s Black and Brown families. 

For decades, mayoral control has resulted in massive school closures and misused funds in Chicago. As a candidate for Mayor, Lori Lightfoot promised an elected representative school board that would bring parents and stakeholders a seat at the table. In a time of instability, this  mayoral-controlled hybrid board will continue the status quo that continues to fail the people of Chicago. Students and their families deserve a truly democratic process to elect a Board of Education that will make fully informed and transparent decisions reflecting the wants, needs and dreams of students. 

“The people of Chicago have spoken for years in support of an elected school board. We deserve the same rights as every other district in Illinois.” said Rod Wilson of Lugenia Burns Hope Center. Leaders from the Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, Raise Your Hand, Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, Illinois Families for Public Schools, Lugenia Burns Hope Center, Pilsen Alliance, and Northside Action for Justice have been organizing for years to win a fully elected and representative school board for Chicago. The bill continues to allow the Mayor to control CPS as parents and students wait for democracy. 

“Parents and students in the community need to be heard. We cannot endure six more years of an unelected Board that has never cared about the well-being of our families. We need democracy right now without compromising our fight” said Moises Moreno, Executive Director of Pilsen Alliance. 

Now is the time for radical change. Families have endured massive financial, emotional, and personal loss in a year like no other. Recovery from this pandemic demands nothing less than a fully elected representative school board in Chicago now. Accepting a hybrid model is switching out one broken system with another.  Chicago should not be forced to wait for transparent and accountable decision making when all other districts across Illinois (including Oak Park, Naperville, and River Forest) hold democratic processes when choosing educational leadership.

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