Live reporting by
Ahmad Sayles
Local School Councils; drone pilots; Jones Academy
Ahmad Sayles
@ahmad_sayles
Good morning! I’ll be live-tweeting the Chicago Board of Education board meeting for @CHIdocumenters #CHIdocumenters. The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.
10:16 AM Dec 7, 2022 CST
President Miguel del Valle calls the board meeting to order. Six members are present, and a quorum is reached.
Board member Sendhil Revuluri announces his resignation. Today's meeting will be his last.
Vice President Revuluri ends his remarks. President del Valle thanks the Vice President for his service.
On to honoring excellence segment. Recognition of commercial Drone Pilot Licenses obtained by Corliss High School Students. A’Janay Lurry is the youngest licensed Black female drone pilot in the country.
Chief Education Officer Chkoumbova delivers a report highlighting principals, teachers, and early childhood education initiatives around the city.
CPS CEO Martinez delivers his remarks. He urges extra caution during the holiday break considering the pandemic, flu season, and a rise in RSV cases.
CEO Martinez encourages CPS parents to take advantage of the resources provided by CPS. That includes testing and vaccines for COVID and the flu.
The budget committee has released a reader’s guide for the FY2023 proposed budget on CPS’ website. The goal is to increase transparency by condensing the budget overview.
The next Chicago Board of Education board meeting is scheduled for January 25th, 2023.
CTU Rep. Jackson Potter is the first speaker. He's bringing attention to unclean schools and HVAC issues around the district.
The next speaker representing SEIU gives condolences to Quentine Carradine’s family and school family. Mr. Carradine was a special education teacher at New Sullivan and was lost to gun violence.
The public speaker also says that Aramark’s custodial services are lacking due to cutting corners.
Kendra Snow, parent/organizer from Raise Your Hand says that southside schools aren't being provided with proper information and lack training in LSCs.
Multiple speakers are raising concerns about the social climate at Jones College Prep. Allegations of racial bigotry and antisemitism from parents and students. Principal Powers was removed after his response to a student wearing a Nazi uniform for Halloween.
Several more public commenters have voiced displeasure with the lack of training in LSCs. Most say training has been taken off the website.
Dennis Lacewell, chief academic officer for Chicago Urban Prep shares his disappointment over the CPS decision to close the charter. He accuses board members of misleading the public about the communications between the charter and the board.
Several public commentators are advocating for their charter schools that are up for renewal.
The public participation period is over. President del Valle addresses the concerns of proper LSCs training. He asks CEO Martinez to figure out a way to verify that LSC training is being done.
Board members say Chicago Urban Prep didn't comply with the requirements for renewal. Board members also state that the charter schools are not closed.
Vote on public agenda items starts. Approval of record of proceedings of meetings open to the public October 26th, 2022 passes.
Resolutions, policy, reports, and motions on agenda page 2, 3, and 4 passed. These items include agreements and contracts with vendors.
Reports from the general counsel which include worker’s compensation settlements passed.
Reports from the chief executive officer, reports from the board of education, and motions on agenda pages 4 & 5 passed. The Chicago Board of Education board meeting heads into a closed session.
The closed executive session is still underway. This ends my coverage for @CHIdocumenters find more information through Erica Scalise’s notes at documenters.org