Democratic control of Chicago's school board remains in question under proposed state legislation

Under one proposed bill making its way through the state legislature, more than half of Chicago's new school board would remain appointed by the mayor.

Jan 05, 2024

The Chicago school board will undergo a major shift starting this year, moving from a seven-person board appointed entirely by the mayor, to an 21-person board elected by the people of Chicago, or at least that’s one possibility.

Under one proposal making its way through the state legislature, more than half the 21-member board would still be appointed by the mayor.

If that sounds less than ideal to you, you aren’t alone.

This past fall, when legislators presented the proposal to have 10 members and the school board president still appointed by the mayor, advocates met the plan with criticism.

As a result, a Senate proposal differing from the House proposal would have staggered terms for the 20 member board, with a president still appointed by the mayor until the 2026 election, when the board president would also be elected by Chicago in an at-large seat.

While both proposals would eventually end with an all-elected board by 2027, the original House proposal does not seem to meet the spirit of the shift to an elected board. If the mayor is still appointing more than half the board for the first two years, it can hardly be seen as a democratically elected board.

Would you consider the House of Representatives to be an elected body if the president appointed half the members? Since the ratification of the 17th amendment, which shifted the election of Senators from appointment by state legislatures to direct election by the people of the states, this country has moved away from indirect democracy to more of a democratic republic.

It does not seem right to see more than half of the school board remain appointed by the mayor if the goal is to move toward more democratic representation in the body.

If the school board is to be democratic, then it should be democratic. Retaining an appointed school board president for the first term is a potentially appropriate compromise, but having more than half the board remain beholden to the mayor flies in the face of the idea of democratic control.

Either proposal would need the approval of the other house of the state legislature, so there is still time to make your voice heard in this process.

To find and contact your state representative and state senator on this or any other issue of concern, enter your home address at the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

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The Round Up

Here are the stories that caught our eyes this week and what they mean for the weeks ahead.

Thousands of Chicago students not getting transportation despite $9B budget: 'Where is the money going?'

Chicago's public school system isn't providing transportation to a reported 5,500 families this semester despite setting aside nearly $150 million for student transportation.

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced last month it will not be bussing "general education students" for the remainder of the academic year. The decision mainly targets students in its magnet and selective enrollment programs, two options CPS is considering eliminating altogether.

In the Dec. 21 announcement, CPS credits the decision to an ongoing bus driver shortage, noting it "sincerely regrets the challenges and inconvenience" the shortage has caused.

Report: Only 1% of migrants who arrived in Chicago have obtained work permits

Only about 1 percent of the 26,000 migrants who have arrived in Chicago as part of Texas’ “Operation Lone Star” have received permits to work legally in the United States.

An investigative report revealed the cost of applying, the availability of documents, and the high demand were all contributing factors.

The cost to apply for a work permit is $400, and a 31-page application is required to get the work permit. A form is available to waive the fee, but the processing time is about two months.

Construction underway on new migrant intake center downtown

The State of Illinois is working on a new migrant intake center downtown amid a surge of asylum seekers.

As caseworkers process new arrivals, utilizing warming buses at the city’s bus landing zone, construction has begun on a new heated tent complex at the site, according to officials with the state. The newly configured intake center will include six heated tents and a goal of combining city and state intake operations for a quicker coordination when it comes to newly arrived migrants.

Trucks and construction crews were on site Wednesday near South Des Plaines and Polk, where workers unloaded and prepared to erect the heated tents.