The meeting began at 3:02 pm. You can follow along as I tweet and see the agenda here: cpsboe.org/content/docume…

As always, there are open comments. Some things to look forward to are presentations on Progress Monitoring: Early Childhood and Charter School Renewals.

Quorum is met; 18 members, including the honorary student board member, Carolina Carchi. Member Lozano is joining virtually. The rest are present physically.

Quorum is met; 18 members, including the honorary student board member, member Lozano is joining virtually) are present physically.

Board President Hardin congratulates member Carchi on completing her term: "You've represented yourself with grace and professionalism[...]I believe she's done a marvelous job representing & elevating the voices of all CPS students." She will be moving on to attend @NorthwesternU

@NorthwesternU "Each of you has been an inspiration to me in your own way, and I'm grateful for the wisdom and encouragement you've shared." Carolina Carchi continues, "I want to thank Chicago Public Schools for enriching my life and meaningful experiences that have truly shaped my character."

LSC Community Events were scheduled in each of the 10 CPS elected school board districts to bring together students, families, educators, and community members to provide input during the search process. There is still time to participate! The next one is Mon 6/2, at Nettelhorst.

The last in-person event is scheduled for Thursday 6/5, at Marsh Elementary, 6:30-8:30 pm. Doors open promptly at 6 pm. There is a virtual community gathering on the books for those who couldn't make it in-person. The details will be shared once finalized.

You can find that info here about supporting the CEO search: . You will also find a link to the community survey here too! cpsboe.org/supt-ceo-search

That is a great link to bookmark to follow updates, the schedule, and RSVPs for either of the last 2 in-person gathering sessions this school year. 6/2 (North Side) RSVP link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI… 6/5 (South Side) RSVP link: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

To continue in a celebratory fashion, Board Member Jitu Brown congratulated the Kenwood Lady Broncos for their first state basketball win. Kenwood has been a top academic high school for over 50 years. hpherald.com/evening_digest…

10 years ago this time of year, Walter H. Dyett High School was closed. So it seems warming for Brown to congratulate them for their recent 2A Championship win. chicago.suntimes.com/high-school-ba…

learn more about the strike that saved the school here: chicago.suntimes.com/education/2020…

Board Member Martinez shares, 6.6k students will be graduating with some college credit this spring, including some of those young men at Dyett. 1k with at least 15 credits (translates to a full semester of college). This number is up 21%.

211 students will graduate with an associate's degree. "This number is up almost 47% from last year" - CEO Martinez

Chicago Builds is accepting applications for school year 2025-2026. Applications are open to all current 10th and 11th grade CPS students. Priority is given to 10th grade applicants (rising 11th graders). Deadline for applying: June 2, 2025 cps.edu/academics/work…

The Teach Chicago Tomorrow Program offers academic, financial, social, and career support to help CPS graduates earn their bachelor's degree in education. Questions: Email teachtomorrow@cps.edu docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAI…

3 CPS educators received the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching this year see the 13 finalist here: cps.edu/press-releases…

Now we are going on to talk about progress in the 5-year strategic plan. One of the goals was to do some literacy work to combat the effects of COVID on reading levels. "Today's CPS 8th graders are just 2 points off the national average when it comes to reading" - CEO Martinez

The city's working to expand pre-K options. CPS currently holds the highest reported number of full-day enrollees in district history. This is a 53% increase since 2020, according to Martinez. With 1,000s of slots still open, families are encouraged to enroll their students!

K-2 readers are currently exceeding reading benchmarks. This may be attributed to the stronger foundation of HeadStart. cps.edu/ChicagoEarlyLe…

On to Budgets, principals received their budgets on May 15th and are currently working with their local school councils and school communities to get those solidified by June 6th.

Each school received the minimum, then additional resources based on student needs. These can shift year to year due to changes in enrollment and programming. However, Martinez says, "principals do not reduce the overall amount to be less than what was provided the previous yr."

CPS is facing a structural deficit of $529 million next school year. $229 million in cost savings has been identified in central office operations, admin functions, and vendor contracts. This does not reflect the $500 mil in reductions this school year. chalkbeat.org/chicago/2025/0…

"There's more to economic development than tax breaks and subsidies for private projects. The cornerstone of many truly equitable & sustainable economic development strategies is a fully funded public education system." - Martinez The board's response: bit.ly/wbezcpsboe

CEO Martinez is moving on to Massachusetts. His emotional farewell was met with indifference, frustration @ a lack of actionable steps, & admiration for his integrity. Hopefully, evidence-based decisions that lead to helping children can be implemented in filling the deficit.

We are on to open comments. Union reps raise concerns over the overdisciplining of Black youth and the need for more charter school oversight on operation and renewal. The goals are to curb unexpected closures and establish accountability structures. wbez.org/education/2025…

SEIU Local 73 asks for transparency during the hiring process of the next CEO.

Nurses + educators want vaccination in the schools. We are experiencing measles, meningitis outbreaks, and multiple moving cough diseases in circulation. There is also a request for proper indoor air quality as part of the green plan. The current purifiers are inefficient.

Some solutions provided by the public include maintaining Safe Passage funding as a form of violence intervention, the dissolution of TIF to solve funding issues, and more thoughtful responses to dual language learners and schools.

Urban College Prep and Perspectives are looking towards the future, making strong cases for renewals. Black and Latino families are asking for more niche resources tailored to their varied needs. Could Local School Boards fill the voice disparity?

Alderman Jeanette Taylor closes us out with advice to the new board, "it is your responsibility to talk to every constituent, every school [...]be silent. Allow those principals and teachers, and parents to make those decisions."

The board broke for a 30-minute recess around 6:08 pm.