Chicago City Wire

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson communicated to legislative leaders last week his support for a proposal that would place 10 of the 21 Board of Education seats on the November ballot. He encouraged the Senate President to consider this proposal.

"I was personally involved in negotiating ... the bill you helped pass in 2021 that created a phased-in elected board," Johnson wrote to Senate President Don Harmon (D-Oak Park). "I remain proud of the work of all stakeholders who contributed to the process and my role in ushering in greater democracy to the Chicago Public Schools."

The Sun-Times initially reported that Johnson had sent a letter to Harmon, expressing his support for a plan that would enable him to appoint 11 school board members, including the board president. According to this proposal, these 11 board seats would also be up for election in 2026.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson | https://web.facebook.com/ChicagoMayorsOffice

In his correspondence with Harmon, Johnson reiterated that during the conclusion of the spring session in 2021, there were numerous discussions specifically focused on this proposal. Furthermore, he underscored the importance of state lawmakers honoring their agreement to transition towards a fully elected school board.

The Chicago Teachers Union, where Johnson was employed as a lobbyist prior to his mayoral election, is also in favor of holding elections for 10 board seats. This would allow the mayor to appoint a majority of the Board of Education members.

According to The Chicago Tribune, an April 1 deadline has been set by the state senate to decide whether or not they will proceed with the phased-in elected school board plan.

CBS News reports that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is currently the only school district in Illinois where school board members are not elected. In previous years, lawsuits have been filed against the city's Board of Education challenging the mayor's control over it. Plaintiffs argued that this arrangement violated both the First and Fourteenth Amendments by denying residents their right to vote for board members. They further claimed it represented taxation without representation and was a strategy designed to disenfranchise individuals based on race.