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Next week is the deadline to get bills out of committee with session Tuesday through Friday, so we’ll have a lot more to report on once that has passed and we have a better sense of what bills remain viable and what issues might be pushed off to the fall. Once the deadline passes, we’ll do an update on bills I’m sponsoring as well as some of the items to keep an eye on as we move into the deep end of session.
It’s been fun this week to share eclipse glasses courtesy of the Illinois Optometric Association and hear about folks’ plans for viewing the eclipse. Our wedding in 2017 was just a few days before the eclipse, and we were in a town in Wyoming that was around 90% coverage. We briefly contemplated taking a short road trip to get to totality, but hearing that the Wyoming Department of Transportation had taken the unprecedented step of installing port-a-potties along the interstate in anticipation of massive traffic jams, we decided we were in a pretty good place to enjoy the phenomenon in the comfort of our home away from home. I actually really treasure the memory and appreciated the amazing disco ball feeling of having crescent shadows dancing all around us as we sat outside surrounded by the beauty of the river and the nearby mountains. All this to say, we’re staying put for this one too and are excited to share it with our neighbors here. We are working to distribute all of the glasses we’ve been given and will be sharing them with area schools, small businesses, and social service providers. If you want some glasses, please email us or call 773-784-2002.
Earlier this week we entered the official petition collection period for candidates for the new Chicago Elected School Board who wish to be on the ballot in November for the historic switch from a school board entirely appointed by the Mayor to an eventually fully elected body. While there will eventually be 20 elected members of the board, this November, we’ll elect 10 of the board members with the Mayor appointing the remaining 10. The city is divided into 10 districts, with each divided into subsections a and b. Candidates can run from any of the 10 districts, and the winning candidate in each district will determine which subdistrict will be appointed. In our case, the 2nd School Board District is roughly divided in half. The half of the district that the winning candidate comes from will determine that the other half is an appointed seat. If you’re interested in learning more about our newly elected school board process, visit the Chicago Board of Elections here.
Speaking of the switch to an elected school board in Chicago, we’ve got a couple of bills making their way through the legislature that stand to impact this process and test our commitment to empowering the new board to do their work. HB5008 and HB5766 each seek to address issues getting significant public attention as it relates to the Chicago Public Schools.
Earlier this year, the current Chicago Public School Board passed a resolution creating a process for removing Chicago Police Officers from public schools while retaining the ability to employ private security. Rep. Mary Gill introduced HB5008 which would empower existing Local School Councils to decide on the matter school by school, disempowering the newly elected school board from determining district policy on such a core issue for their mission as school safety and potentially creating an inconsistent patchwork of policies and procedures that could result in unintended consequences.
Another resolution passed by the board raised concerns that the city would eliminate the selective enrollment schools and shift funds dedicated to those schools back to neighborhood schools. Rep. Margaret Croke introduced HB5766 that seeks to limit the current Chicago School Board from making significant changes to the structure or funding of the selective enrollment and magnet schools until after the elected school board is seated.
That seemed pretty reasonable to me, unlike the other bill that explicitly seeks to undermine the future elected board’s authority, so I agreed to work with Rep. Croke on the bill and signed on as a cosponsor. As I continued to look into the issue and discussed the issue and upcoming transition with colleagues, I’ve really gotten clarity on the importance of protecting the authority of the incoming board.
We should not be dictating major policy like how best to ensure school safety, nor should we allow the current board to make changes to the current distribution of funds. The ideal language for the bill impacting the question of funding for magnet or selective enrollment schools is that no school should be closed or experience disproportionate funding cuts.
I feel strongly that families who have been able to avail themselves of our highest performing schools should not lose opportunity, but neither should underfunded neighborhood schools lose an even greater share of funding to protect those schools. As such, I support the suggestion that the bill be amended to ensure all schools are protected until the democratically elected board is seated and the governance of our school system is in the hands of the voters and I will be working to ensure that any final bill reflects that basic principle.
I’m watching the Cubs opener as I write this, and it just went to extra innings. I’m so happy that baseball is back and free baseball on day one is the best! Happy opening day to all who celebrate!
Speaking of holidays, Happy Easter for those who celebrate. We’re Jewish and don’t celebrate Easter but I never pass up a chance to celebrate with food traditions, so our family will observe an ever so slightly fancier brunch than a standard weekend, maybe one of the egg hunts up on Jarvis Square, and of course the Cubs Home Opener on Monday!
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