December 13, 2024
Dear Mayor Johnson:
Kids First Chicago and our CPS parent-led Elected School Board Task Force have worked since 2021 to identify and advance families' priorities for the new Chicago Board of Education. Our activities have included surveying more than 300 Chicago parents in early 2021, polling Chicago voters in the fall of 2023, hosting citywide town halls, and presenting to thousands of CPS families and elected officials.
CPS parent and voter priorities for the future elected school board have remained the same for the past few years. They want:
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 or prevent people from running.
Compensation. Board Members should receive some compensation for their time.
Following our November 21 Town Hall, petition signers from 50+ Chicago community areas reinforced their strong desire to see the new school board better reflect the students enrolled in CPS, who are 89% students of color (47% Latine; 34% Black; 5% Asian). Moreover, Chicago residents and families want to ensure that regular everyday parents can sit on the Board as they have first-hand knowledge of what their children need.
You have the ultimate authority to make sure the new Board fulfills the wishes and aspirations of Chicago families and voters.
We, joined by 200 signers, call on you to use your appointments to balance out the representation of current CPS parents of color on the school board. This will help ensure that our new leaders will bring the lived experience to understand the diverse needs and perspectives of the students and families they serve.
The promise of a more democratic and representative body lies in your hands.
Respectfully,
Your Constituents, as signed individually
Katrina Adams
Maria Guadalupe Aguayo
Luz Aguila
Rebeca Aguilar
Lavette Alexander
Nancy Alvarez
Daniel Anello
Leonor Arellano
Olga Arellano
Kristian Armendariz
Gabriela Avila
OluFisayo Awoniyi
Hilda Barrueta
Victoria Battle
Ella Blackwell
Catalina Bojorquez
Kimberly Burgess
Jessica Cañas
Maria Cano
Daisy Carrera
Yessenia Ceron
qiling chen
Marlene Chino Muñoz
Joselin Cisneros
William Anthony Claypool
Nakia Copeland
Luz Corral
Martha Cruz
Estela Cruz
Maria Custodio
Sheila Davidson
Yalanda Davis
Leticia Diaz
Maria Diaz
Socorro Diaz
Ashley Dinzey
Dulce Dominguez
Ayerim Duenas
Denise Dyer
Balthazar Enriquez
Adriana Espinoza
Vanessa Espinoza
Marcela Espinoza Bowers
Ana Espitia
Jemalyth Fabara
Zelianel Ferrer Costas
Luz Maria Flores
Blaire Flowers
Samantha Gallegos
Hayde Gallegos
Samuel Gallegos
Anthony Garcia
Graciela Garcia
Corey Garcia
Margarita García
Josephine Garrett
Amy Gjesdahl
Carrie Glaspie
Luis Gomez
Mireya Gonzalez
Erika Gonzalez
Nancy Griffin
Lilia Guevara
Maria Eira Guevara
Marisol Guzman
Marlen Guzman
Antoine Hale
Crystal Hawkins
Judith Hernabdez
Saira Hernandez
Emilia Herrera
YUNCHU HSIAO
Christian Hudson
Jameycia Jenkins
Erika Jimenez
Lupita Jimenez
Nylah Johnson
Emani Johnson
Catherine Jones
Nicholas Jones
Yereht Juarez
Asha Kuloor
Maribel Labra
Sindi Landa
Tena Latona
Paige Lee
Valeria Lenior
Clent Lewis
Xiaodong Lin
Mary Long
Norma Lopez
Wanda Lopez
Maria Lopez
Lotenay López
Lorena López
Miriam Lorenzana
Luz maria Maldonado moreno
Maria Marcelo
Paula Marquez-Vela
Victoria Marrufo
Noemi Martinez
Salma Martinez
Consuelo Martinez De Ferrer
Jessy Mayorga
Evelyn Merlos
Andrea M Meza
Claudia Molina
Michael Montagano
Kendall Moore-Fields
Alejandra Mora
Patricia Morales
Beatriz Morales
Ana Mosqueda
Maria Navarrete
Maria Nevarez
Kenneth Newman
Rufina Olivares
Gabriela Oria
Nury Ortega
Maria R. Owens
Renye Owens
Tierra Pearson
Ricarda Pedraza
Felipe Perez
Adriana Perez
Adela Perez Saldivar
Yeni Pinedo
Latrice Pittman
Jasmin Pizano Luna
Elizabeth Pollock
Kristin Pollock
Jenny Prudhomme
Jose Quiles
Yadira Ramirez
Leonor Ramirez
Rita Ramirez
Edgardo Ramirez
Pátrick Reyes
Nayalith Reyes
Sparkle Reynomds
Krystal Rios
Brenda Rivera
Norma Rivera
Amari Roberts
Jinxiu Ruan
Sonica Ruiz
Yaslin Ruiz
Teresa Sandoval
Sean Schindl
Sam Schneider
LeShonne Segura
Alma Sigala
Rachinda Smallwood
Meghan Smith
Viridiana Soriano
Juan Soto
Jessica Sullivan-Wilson
Gisela Tamayo
David Terroba
Shimera Thomas
shanekia thompson
Maria Uriostegui
Jorge Valdivia
Micaelan Valesky
Jaqueline Vargas
Lorena Vega
Julia Vega
Carolina Velarde
Jessica Velazquez
Abigail Vences
Reyna Villegas
Alexis Waddell
Claiborne Wade
Unice Waller
Max Well
Renard Whitelow
Joshua Wiggins
Minijoie Wilker
Yolanda Williams
Alya Woods
Hal Woods
Gwendolyn Wright
Vicky Wu
Brenda Zaragoza
Alejandra Zavala
Yanping Zou
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