RYH Statement on Board of Education Resignations

Dear Parents, Students, and Education stakeholders,

 We are deeply concerned. Instead of preparing to build on the historic wins so many of us have fought so hard for, we are preparing to weather a season of extreme disruption in CPS leadership. With Chicago’s first elected school board taking office next year, we have worked diligently to educate the electorate and the candidates on the issues past and present. Our communities deserve a well-coordinated transition to an elected school board. We deserve a hand-off befitting our continued goal of ensuring every child in every community in Chicago gets a high-quality education.

 As we look ahead to the coming months, we ask that the mayor’s office work with our communities to build a comprehensive roadmap to an elected board that clearly outlines how the work of the school board will continue. Who will be monitoring to ensure the 1,200+ students in special education without bus routes will be routed? Who should families contact as their children continue to go without paraprofessionals and services? How will new board members be transitioned into their new role? Who should communities work with to refine the 5-year strategic plan from big vision into measurable change our children feel in their classrooms? 

 We have many more questions and eagerly await further details on how CPS moves through this moment of tumult to a fully elected school board in 2027. 

 We are incredibly proud of the work of the outgoing board members–from standing up a Special Education advisory committee, to hiring a new chief of Office for Students with Disabilities (ODS). We deeply appreciate the board's leadership and dedication to listening to CPS youth, educators, and community in creating a holistic approach to whole-school safety, prioritizing solutions that foster relational trust, physical safety and trauma-informed inclusive environments. 

 We have seen a glimpse of the systemic change we’d hoped for from a board of activist appointees. We are thankful for the change to budgeting which finally acknowledges that our city’s greatest assets are in the hundreds of neighborhood schools across the city. We are also thankful for the groundwork this board has laid within the resolution against school closures and the facilities master plan. We know we have been given tools to ensure our communities can continue to fight for what we deserve. 

We would also like to express gratitude to Jianan Shi, Dr. Elizabeth Todd Breland, Mariela Estrada, Mary Fahey Hughes, Michelle Morales, Rudy Lozano, Jr. and Tanya D. Woods for their leadership and dedication over the last 15 months. We appreciate the work they have done and sacrifices they have made to participate in what we believed was the last fully appointed school board. We look forward to continuing to fight with you for the schools our communities deserve. 

Sincerely,

The Board and Staff of Raise Your Hand