Chicago Elected Representative School Board Moves Closer to Reality

On Wednesday, April 14, the Illinois Senate Executive Committee passed SB 2497. Today, the Illinois House of Representatives passed the House version of the bill, HB 2908, 71-39. This brings Chicago one step closer to an elected representative school board (ERSB).

“Chicago has waited long enough for an elected school board,” said Science Meles, Local 73 Executive Vice President.

For more than 25 years, the Chicago public school system has been dominated by the whims of just one person – the mayor of Chicago. Over that same period, the appointed Chicago Board of Education (CBOE) has a track record of ineffective governance and fiscal mismanagement. It is time for a new governance structure that draws on the strengths of Chicago’s diverse population and flips the two-decade status quo.

Local 73 members emailed their legislators and were instrumental in moving both bills.

“We will continue to push for an elected school board that puts the power back into the hands of Chicago’s parents and families and not the mayor,” said Meles.