Menu

City of Chicago School District 299 board meeting, Dec 18, 2025

5 h 04 min · 2 videos · 25 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 5 h 04 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Board approves agenda items including bonds not to exceed $1,800,000,000 4:07:09

  • The board heard a recognition of the district's curiosity classrooms, the interim superintendent's remarks, a student roundtable report on mental health, public comment and an academic update. 3:17
  • The board voted 20⁠-⁠0 to approve a slate of items that included a resolution authorizing general obligation alternate bonds in an amount not to exceed $1,800,000,000. 4:08:56
  • The board voted 19⁠-⁠0 to table local school council appointments for Hancock and Owens and then approved the remaining appointments 19⁠-⁠0. ~4:33:01
  • The board voted 14⁠-⁠5 with 1 abstention to table the item to the January board meeting. ~4:35:18
Item by item (13)
  1. Opening and roll call 0:01
    • The next board meeting was announced for Thursday, January 29th, 2026 at 10:30 AM. 0:01
    • The board secretary reported 19 members present and a quorum. 2:54
  2. Curiosity classrooms recognition 3:54
    • A district chief recognized the district's 25 curiosity classrooms, which serve students in pre-K through 2nd grade. 3:54
    • A presenter from the Chicago Children's Museum said the first 10 classrooms were installed in the fall of 2022, followed by another 15 in 2024. 12:29
    • In response to a question about a 3rd cohort, a speaker said funders would allow expansion next year to 5 additional schools. 28:23
  3. Charter school special education sanctions letter 38:35
    • A district chief read a state sanctions letter required at a public meeting over unresolved special education violations at a charter school. 39:43
    • The letter said the school had not documented correction of 5 of the 10 identified noncompliance areas and that over 100 students likely missed between 12,000 and 80,000 minutes of instruction and/or services. 39:43
    • The letter said the district must carry out an oversight plan including biweekly check-ins and monthly on-site visits. 50:33
  4. Interim superintendent remarks and discussion 52:09
    • The interim superintendent said changes to SNAP eligibility take effect February 1st, 2026, and that every student will continue to have free breakfast and lunch at school. 52:09
    • The interim superintendent said the city must pass a budget by December 31st, 2025, and that the promised TIF revenue would prevent mid-year classroom cuts. 57:15
    • A board member asked for an update on school signage saying ICE cannot stage at schools, and a district chief said all the signs had been placed. 1:24:07
  5. Board committee updates 1:34:14
    • Members said the Black Student Achievement Committee application deadline was extended to Monday, December 22nd at 5:00 PM, with 14 members to be appointed in early 2026 and over 100 applications received. 1:36:49
    • Applications for the Special Education Advisory Committee will be accepted online through Monday, January 12th at 5:00 PM. 1:39:18
  6. Student roundtable on mental health 1:41:34
    • A student presenter reported on a September 16th roundtable on mental health attended by 12 students from 9 CPS high schools. 1:42:32
    • The presentation called for advertising mental health resources on CPS social media and exploring an official mental health day. 1:47:52
    • A district staff member said a roundtable in early 2026 will focus on mental health and the current impact on immigration. 1:51:35
  7. Public participation 2:00:20
    • Union representatives raised attendance declines tied to immigration enforcement, charter school finances and a custodian worker deficit. 2:04:01
    • Several speakers at public comment asked for charter renewals of various lengths and raised space needs at Hagen and the transition of Chi Arts to district management. 2:23:51
    • An alderman addressed the board about the city budget and TIF surplus funding for schools. 3:02:53
  8. Recess 3:08:41
    • A motion was made for the board to take a 30-minute recess. 3:08:59
    • The motion was adopted 20⁠-⁠0. ~3:09:51
  9. Academic update 3:10:05
    • A presenter said 41% of K-2 students were at or above grade level in reading and 40% in math at the end of last year. 3:13:52
    • A district staff member said 40.6% of students in grades 3 to 8 were proficient in reading in English language arts on the IAR. 3:17:40
    • A board member asked why rising proficiency was not translating into SAT scores, and a staff member said the district does not currently have a district-wide attendance plan. ~3:35:55
  10. Minutes, consent agenda and legal items 4:02:57
    • The board voted on records of proceedings for meetings in October and November 2025. 4:05:52
    • The items voted on included the bond resolution, public comment periods for five policies, fund transfers, property sales and vendor agreements. 4:07:09
    • A second vote covered legal appointments, outside counsel spending and workers' compensation settlements, with an abstention noted on certain law firms. 4:11:24
    • The items requiring a vote and the acting general counsel's items were each adopted 20⁠-⁠0, with an abstention noted on law firms in AR5. ~4:10:47
  11. Personnel resolutions 4:13:31
    • The removal passed 19⁠-⁠1, and the warning resolution and dismissal resolutions each passed 20⁠-⁠0. ~4:16:49
  12. Local school council vacancy appointments 4:19:47
    • A board member asked to table the item until the next board meeting so the board could review the policies and procedures involved, and later said they would be willing to limit the tabling to the schools affected by the concern. 4:20:27
    • A district chief said an internal committee with its own criteria reviews candidates to fill vacancies, and that a total of 29 schools had vacancies presented to the board. 4:28:47
    • The board voted 19⁠-⁠0 to table the appointments for Hancock and Owens and then approved the remaining appointments 19⁠-⁠0. ~4:33:01
  13. Closed session and adjournment 4:36:55
    • The board voted to keep the minutes of closed sessions held October 8th, 2025, October 30th, 2025, November 4th, 2025, and November 10th, 2025 confidential. 4:37:16
    • The board voted to go into closed session, and the secretary said there were no items to vote on from it. ~4:39:51
    • The confidentiality motion and the closed session motion each passed 20⁠-⁠0, and the meeting was adjourned. ~4:38:39

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

Other meetings

Other meetings of this board

Video: posted by the district as “Chicago Board of Education December 18, 2025 (Board Meeting)”