IF THERE WERE ANY DOUBT how Mayor Brandon Johnson feels about an elected school board making decisions, we now know the answer: He wants mayoral control. Strong-arming: Johnson has convinced the current board, which he appointed, to step down after the group refused to fire Chicago Public School CEO Pedro Martinez or approve a short-term, high-interest loan to pay off a pension debt — which has been described as taking out a loan to pay off a maxed-out credit card. That cash would go to give raises to school employees. School Board Coup is how The Wall Street Journal’s editorial headline reads. What’s next: The mayor’s office didn’t return our request for comment, and neither did the outgoing board members. But in a few hours, Johnson will announce replacements to the public schools board at a church on the South Side. Context: The mayor has a right to appoint board members, but to do it so close to the first board elections is raising concerns that he doesn’t respect the electoral process, which he fought hard to put in place. City Council fury: 41 members of the 50-member council have signed a letter calling for hearings before Johnson moves ahead with replacing the board. Among those signing are progressive caucus members and some of Johnson’s floor leaders. Their letter is here. "Chicagoans deserve a voice when it comes to decisions that will affect our school system and city as a whole," they wrote. "A school board full of lame-duck appointees carrying out only a few months of a term before residents get a chance to elect representatives is not what is in our best interest." More context: The board upheaval comes in the middle of contract negotiations between the Chicago Teachers Union, which funded Johnson’s campaign, and CPS. “It’s like a Saturday night massacre,” said someone within City Hall, referencing resignations that came during the Watergate investigation into President Richard Nixon’s administration. ‘Disappointing and irresponsible,’ is what Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), a mayoral ally, called Johnson in a letter to constituents. “There is nothing progressive, transparent, or accountable about such a move.” Demanding oversight: Ald. Gilbert “Gil” Villegas (36th) is calling for an independent arbiter because, he says, it’s a conflict to have the mayor, who is a former employee of the CTU, making decisions that benefit the union, via NBC 5. The business community’s two cents: The Chicago Civic Committee and Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce urged the board “to keep CEO Martinez in place” and reject “the misguided proposal” to borrow more money. Their statement is here. State lawmakers are watching, too: “I have been inundated with calls and texts from constituents — parents and otherwise — who are extremely concerned about the instability at CPS and what it means for CPS schools,” state Rep. Ann Williams, who sponsored the Chicago elected school board bill, told Playbook. “I anticipate there will be many conversations about the future of CPS with elected officials at all levels of government, including my state colleagues in the coming weeks.” Her public statement is here. Progressives see it differently. They say previous mayors wouldn’t be getting criticized for such a move. “I caution white electeds threatening to undemocratically take local control of a majority Black and brown school district away from the local community,” said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) in response to Williams’ statement. Trying to ease fears: Martinez, the CPS CEO who is likely to operate as a lame duck once the new board is in place, sent a letter to CPS families: “I want to assure all families and staff that this change will not result in any disruption to the day-to-day operations of our schools,” he wrote. Maybe it’s a strategy: There’s a question as to whether Johnson and his CTU backers are trying to accomplish as much as they can at this moment because they could lose the mayor’s office in two years. Ideology at the heart of it: For those who know the mayor or have heard him speak, it’s clear he believes he’s doing the right thing by the people who elected him. He’s grounded in Black empowerment and defending the disenfranchised. Johnson also sees any pushback as coming from an elite class that doesn’t understand his progressive agenda to shift the city. The irony, though, is that his allies are pushing back, too. Sounds familiar: Johnson isn’t the first Illinois lawmaker to stick to his guns, hoping he can leverage support for his way of thinking. Former Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner similarly held firm to his ideals while trying to get a state budget passed — but he only created chaos. And where Rauner fought the unions, Johnson is working hand in hand with the CTU. RELATED CITY HALL NEWS The resignations “will create a potential embarrassment” for the mayor, one education expert told Chalkbeat’s Reema Amin Johnson’s city budget timeline delay spells difficult months ahead for Chicago’s financial conundrum, by the Tribune’s Alice Yin Hamas attack, Gaza war continue to divide City Council a year later, by the Tribune’s Jake Sheridan AND A SCOOP: There’s an effort to bring back ShotSpotter. Watch for action during Wednesday’s City Council meeting. It follows a Tribune editorial that points out: “We’ve seen cases of gunshot victims in areas previously served by ShotSpotter discovered by first responders only when they were dead.”
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment