Johnson appoints new CPS board after resignations

Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed seven new members to the Chicago Board of Education on Monday following uproar over the resignation of the entire board last week.

The appointees include: Olga Bautista, executive director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, which has advised Johnson's administration on environmental policy, and Michilla “Kyla” Blaise, a mother and West Side community volunteer who is seeking a seat on the elected school board However, he withdrew and may remain as an appointed member after the November 5 election.

The announcement Friday of the resignations of all seven board members caused a stir and sparked concern among city and state officials.

The resignations followed a months-long dispute between Johnson, the Chicago Teachers Union and CPS chief Pedro Martinez over how to address the school system's financial deficit. Johnson and the CTU — the mayor's former employer that helped him take office — had pushed for Martinez's firing or resignation, but the school board has the final say on the CEO's contract. Sources said board members resigned because some of them were fed up with the positions they were appointed to and Johnson's desire for change.

Johnson's quick appointments are intended to provide stability and control over a situation that has shaken the city's political landscape. A vast majority of City Council members signed a letter over the weekend expressing deep concern about developments in the city's school district.

All but nine of 50 City Council members signed the letter, including several of the mayor's allies and 13 of 19 members of the City Council's Progressive Caucus.

Councilors called for a hearing before the new board members are installed, saying they want a full review of those appointed by Johnson. However, by law, city council members have no official say in the mayor's appointment.

Johnson's appointments come less than a month before Chicagoans vote for school board members for the first time. This new, partly elected and partly appointed board will be seated in January.

Given that political pressure, the new school board will likely be tasked with carrying out Johnson's orders to fire Martinez, enter into a contract with CTU and take out a loan to pay off part of the upcoming teacher contract and a pension payment.

All seven board members are expected to resign, paving the way for Mayor Brandon Johnson to appoint members to do what he wants: fire the CEO and take out a loan to fill a budget shortfall.

The mayor's appointments follow the announced departures of all seven board members last week.

Mayor Johnson needs to change his ways, writes a Lincoln Park reader. Others cover Pete Rose, Greyhound, voter ID, MAGA and history, as well as the weather.

Some City Council members question whether Johnson can push through big policy priorities in Springfield and at City Hall, including his upcoming budget.