An overwhelming majority of Chicago City Council members are pushing for a hearing to take place after all seven members of the Chicago Board of Education suddenly resigned on Friday, marking the latest turbulence for the school district.
Forty-one of 51 alderpeople signed a letter on Saturday, demanding a hearing occurs before the end of October and prior to the appointments of any new members. Johnson has intended to name the board members' replacements on Monday.
In the letter, the council members said 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."
"With the next school board meeting scheduled for late October, only days away from the general election, it would be a disservice to appoint anyone without thorough vetting - this is not what we fought for in our efforts for a fully elected school board," the letter continued.
In a joint statement with the mayor, the members of the Chicago Board of Education announced they were stepping down ahead of the start of a hybrid elected and appointed School Board in January 2025.
According to Johnson's statement, none of the members leaving their positions on the current Board of Education plan to continue onto the hybrid board nor run for election. The turnover comes weeks after Johnson reportedly asked Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to resign from his post. Johnson later denied that he asked Martinez to resign, though Martinez defended his status as the district's leader in a Chicago Tribune op-ed.
Resigning members of the school board have called on Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to intervene in the dispute, which Pritzker's office said he does not have the authority to do.
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"The Governor doesn’t have the legal authority to intervene in this situation. As he's stated previously, Governor Pritzker's focus is first and foremost what's good for Illinois students. The administration will continue to work with our partners in the Illinois General Assembly to invest in public education across the state," a statement from Pritzker's office said.
Johnson is expected to name seven new appointments to the Chicago Board of Education Monday at Sweet Holy Spirit Church on the city's Far South Side.
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