CONTACT:
Richard Fowler | 312-329-6250 | Communications@ctulocal1.org
CHICAGO–A Statement from the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) on Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointments to the Chicago Board of Education:
The CTU applauds Mayor Johnson and Deputy Mayor of Education, Youth & Human Services Jennifer Johnson for centering the voices of students, parents, educators, clinicians and community members in their recent appointments to the Chicago Board of Education. With so much at stake for our students and their families, we need board members that represent the lived experience of former CPS educators, graduates, advocates for educational justice and residents who fought against the racist wave of school closings.
And while these appointees more equitably represent Chicago, we know that to fulfill our goal of expanding access to sustainable community schools, green facilities and well-resourced classrooms will require a fair and timely elected school board map representing every neighborhood’s interests.
This board will face immense challenges ahead to invest in green schools, to meet the needs of thousands of homeless and newcomer students and to hire effective leadership for the Office of Diverse Learner Supports and Services–all challenges that can be met when working together to make sure every voice in this city is prioritized.
For our students and their families to get the best education possible, they need to have a democratic voice in public education decision-making. For the schools our students deserve to become a reality, we need a Board of Education that believes in that vision, and we need a fairly drawn map released promptly to facilitate our communities having a say.
We appreciate having a Mayor who supports a fully elected school board and believes public education is the bedrock of our democracy. Now is the time for a democratically elected school board that can ensure that same.
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The Chicago Teachers Union represents more than 25,000 teachers and educational support personnel working in schools funded by City of Chicago School District 299, and by extension, over 350,000 students and families they serve. The CTU is an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the Illinois Federation of Teachers and is the third-largest teachers local in the United States. For more information, please visit the CTU website at www.ctulocal1.org.
