What You Need to Know
Did you know Chicago now has a partially elected school board?
In July 2021, Governor Pritzker signed a new law that puts Chicago's Board of Education on a timeline to transition from an appointed board to a fully elected board. The Chicago Board of Education will transition from 7 members appointed by the Mayor of Chicago to 21 elected members by 2027. The law also creates a Non-Citizen Advisory Board and a Black Student Achievement Committee.
In the spring of 2024, Illinois lawmakers passed the final bill, SB15, which finalized the election districts and clarified how the transition will take place. Click here to see the final districts and subdistricts.
On November 5, 2024, Chicago voters elected the first 10 members. 11 others are appointed by the Mayor.
Role and Responsibilities
What the Chicago Board of Education Does
The Chicago Board of Education (CBOE) is one of the most powerful and far-reaching governing bodies in the city, and is often one of the most misunderstood. The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) notes that a school board “establishes direction, goals, and priorities for a school district and determines policy, budget, leadership, and administration.” The implementation of these items, in turn, is the responsibility of the district’s management team, under the leadership of a Superintendent/CEO, whom the board hires and evaluates.
As such, the CBOE’s actions and influence impact every school and every classroom in Chicago, ultimately reaching 316,000 students and 46,000 employees.
Some particular areas of responsibility include:
Financial Stewardship: The Board approves the district’s annual budget of roughly around $10 billion and levies approximately 50% of all property taxes in Chicago, making it one of the most significant fiscal decision-making bodies in Illinois.
Labor Contracts & School Policies: The Board approves all district policies, labor contracts, and charter school applications and renewals, directly shaping the conditions in which students learn and educators work.
Data & System Accountability: The Board approves accountability policies, district strategic plans, and goals — and is responsible for ensuring the district meets them.
Governance: The Board hires and manages the Superintendent/CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and confirms other senior district leaders, setting the tone for leadership across the entire system.
Our Students, Our School Board
Led by the parents of our Fair Governance (aka Elected School Board) Task Force, we have held dozens of information sessions to educate parents about the law and the pending changes, hosted town hall meetings, and spearheaded the campaign for districts that fairly represent the demographics of our CPS community.
Here are some highlights:
Read the Reflections on Advocating for More Racially Representative Districts from Blaire Flowers
How lawmakers can create fair voting maps for Chicago’s elected school board (Op Ed by K1C Parent Task Force Members Melanie Lopez and Claiborne Wade)
Some Chicago School Advocates Say Proposed Elected Board Map Doesn’t Accurately Reflect Latino Population (WTTW Latino Voices, featuring K1C parent and staff, Vanessa Espinoza and Jessica Canas)
School Board Map Criticism (WTTW Chicago Tonight)
What parents want
We surveyed 300 CPS parents in early 2021 and polled over 700 Chicago voters in 2023, and have presented to thousands of parents in between. Their priorities for the future elected school board have stayed the same for the past few years.
Fair racial representation
The school board should reflect the student body it serves.
Parent seats on the board
Some Board seats should be reserved for CPS parents.
Non-citizen participation
Parents should be allowed to vote, regardless of immigration status.
Campaign spending limits
Money should not determine who wins.
Compensation
Board Members should receive some compensation for their time.
What can you do?
Many CPS parents still do not know much about the transition to an elected school board. Print out our flyer or share it with parents in your school community to help educate the public.