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City of Chicago School District 299 special meeting, Oct 30, 2025

1 h 35 min · 8 public speakers

This board doesn’t post agenda times. Click a board member to jump to where they first speak; we list only members whose voice our check named. Video length 1 h 35 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Board approves city agreement on $175 million payment, tables Epic Academy charter item 1:30:54

  • The board discussed a proposed amendment to the Epic Academy charter agreement that would end the charter at the end of the 25⁠-⁠26 school year and provide $1,400,000 in additional FY26 funding for a wind-down. 50:26
  • A motion failed on a vote of 2 ayes, 6 nays and 11 abstentions, and the board then voted 19 ayes, 0 nays to table EX1. 1:30:54
  • The board voted 20⁠-⁠0 to approve an intergovernmental agreement with the City of Chicago authorizing a payment not to exceed $175 million, contingent on the board receiving a 2025 TIF surplus exceeding $379 million. ~1:32:25
Item by item (10)
  1. Opening and closed session 0:00
    • A staff member announced a special board meeting on Tuesday, November 4th, 2025, and a board meeting on Thursday, December 18th, 2025. 0:00
    • A speaker reported 19 members present and a quorum. 3:25
    • After the closed session, the board secretary said there were no items to vote on from executive session. 5:23
  2. Withdrawal of recess from agenda 5:29
    • A board member moved to withdraw the recess from the agenda. 5:29
  3. Public participation 6:30
    • A union representative asked the board to vote down or significantly amend the Epic Academy proposal and asked for oversight of staffing cuts at Aspira schools. 9:49
    • Another union representative asked the board to consider the long-term impact of the intergovernmental agreement with the city and to survey parents before any move to remote learning. 20:11
    • Speakers at public comment who said they work at Aspira and Epic Academy asked for more oversight of Aspira and a plan for Epic students, families and staff. 26:28
  4. Board discussion of city agreement 37:00
    • A speaker said the IGA takes dollars away from classrooms and said the speaker would support the agreement to honor the commitments made. 37:13
    • A board member asked whether the reimbursement to the city could be reduced by the same amount if CPS did not receive federal magnet school assistance funding, and a speaker said that was correct. 38:49
    • Another speaker said the agreement would return funding received over $379 million to the city if the City Council approves the $1 billion in TIF surplus. 44:47
  5. Epic Academy charter amendment discussion 46:20
    • A district official said a town hall with Epic families was scheduled for November 4th and that about 168 students would have to transition from Epic, not counting 12th graders expected to graduate. 46:20
    • A speaker proposed adding language requiring a wind-down plan prepared in consultation with Epic students, families and staff, to be presented no later than December 3rd, 2025, and requiring Epic Academy to repay the district by December 31st, 2026. 53:16
    • A speaker asked whether legal had reviewed the amendment, and another speaker replied that it had not been reviewed; a district official said the staff employment language could be contradictory to an agreement with a principals' union. 1:06:52
  6. Recess for legal review 1:26:49
    • A motion was made for a 10-minute recess so that legal counsel could review the amendment. 1:27:07
    • After the meeting reconvened, a speaker issued a public apology for referring to anybody as a colonizer, saying it was not language the speaker should have used. 1:28:30
  7. Vote on proposed Epic amendment language 1:29:15
    • The board voted on the intervening motion to add language to the Epic Academy item as posted on the public agenda. 1:29:15
  8. Tabling of Epic Academy item 1:30:54
    • A motion was made to table the Epic Academy board report until the next meeting on Tuesday. 1:30:54
    • The board voted 19 ayes, 0 nays to table the item. 1:32:25
  9. Intergovernmental agreement with city 1:32:25
    • The agreement authorizes a payment not to exceed $175 million for the Municipal Employees' Annuity and Benefit Fund, contingent on the board's receipt of the 2025 TIF surplus exceeding $379 million. 1:32:25
    • The item was adopted 20 ayes, 0 nays. 1:34:07
  10. Adjournment 1:34:18
    • The board moved and seconded a motion to adjourn. 1:34:18
    • The meeting was adjourned. ~1:34:23

Written by software from the meeting's transcript and checked sentence by sentence against it.

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Video: posted by the district as “Chicago Board of Education October 30, 2025 (Special Board Meeting)”