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City of Chicago School District 299 board meeting, Mar 19, 2026

3 h 17 min · 33 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 3 h 17 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Chicago board adopts Aspira charter amendment to carry out emergency revocation 2:58:06

  • The interim superintendent recommended that the board revoke the Aspira Charters Network charter, saying the district had provided $2.55 million in emergency financial advances, and later corrected the effective date to April 4th. 32:50
  • Many speakers at public comment asked the board to fund the Chicago High School for the Arts conservatory model and keep its teaching artists, and the board president said no final decisions had been made. 1:43:20
Item by item (13)
  1. Opening and roll call 0:01
    • The roll call showed 15 members present and a quorum. 2:43
    • The application period for the next honorary student board member opens Monday, March 23rd and closes Friday, April 24th, 2026, and the selected student will receive a $1,000 scholarship. 5:29
  2. Recognition of National Board Certified Teachers 7:28
    • A district staff member said the district was honoring 63 teachers earning National Board certification for the first time and 67 renewing their status. 7:28
    • Teachers described their experiences with the National Board certification process through the Nurturing Teacher Leadership Program. 15:29
    • A board member said the program was an example of cooperation between the district and the union. ~24:34
  3. Interim superintendent remarks 25:41
    • A district official said the district would host 5 community meetings on its capital plan between April 14th and April 28th. 40:33
    • A district official said approximately 75% of students transitioning from Aspira schools were already enrolled in new schools. 43:03
    • A district official recommended that the board vote to revoke the Aspira charter, saying Aspira leadership had failed to provide a verified plan to fund operations despite $2.55 million in emergency financial advances. 46:45
  4. Board comments and committee updates 1:03:19
    • A board member relayed budget priorities from Lakeview High School students, including mental health, after-school programming and facility needs. ~1:03:19
    • A board member reported that the Black Student Achievement Committee planning team received 492 applications, which were undergoing a blind rubric-based review. 1:05:20
    • A board member reported that the Special Education Advisory Committee received 115 applications. 1:10:46
  5. Union representative remarks 1:12:43
    • The CTU charter division chair said there were currently less than 50 students at the 2 Aspira campuses combined and asked that Aspira staff be hired at district schools welcoming Aspira students. 1:20:52
    • A principals association representative asked the board to keep collaborating with the association as budget decisions approach. ~1:26:20
    • A Unite Here Local 1 representative said many lunchroom workers in the district earn about $18.42 per hour or less and asked the board to negotiate a fair contract. 1:29:35
  6. Public participation 1:34:16
    • Speakers at public comment asked for North River Elementary to expand to the third floor of its building and for charter renewals for several schools, including 10-year and 7-year terms. 1:36:56
    • Speakers at public comment from the Chicago High School for the Arts asked the board to fund the conservatory model, keep its teaching artists and not shorten the school day. 1:39:22
    • A speaker at public comment asked the board to defer the appointment of the non-teaching staff representative at Clemente until all formal investigations conclude. 2:37:01
  7. Board president response and recess 2:52:44
    • The board president said no final decisions had been made and that the conservatory was not going away by the board's actions. 2:52:38
    • The board president asked district leadership to provide an update on labor talks with lunchroom workers at the next board meeting. 2:52:44
  8. Minutes and consent agenda 2:55:30
    • The amendment to the Aspira charter school agreement was described as necessary to effectuate the emergency revocation, and the date in the report was updated from April 3rd, 2026 to April 4th, 2026. 2:58:06
  9. Outside counsel, tuition and personnel items 3:02:50
    • The board considered an amendment to increase spending authority for one outside counsel law firm, non-resident tuition findings and a resolution to dismiss educational support personnel. 3:02:50
  10. Closed session minutes 3:06:29
    • A motion called for the closed session minutes of February 11th, 2026, and February 26th, 2026, to be kept confidential. 3:06:29
  11. Local school council appointments 3:07:40
    • The board voted 16⁠-⁠0 to divide the question, splitting the Clemente High School non-teacher appointment from the Prescott Elementary student appointment. ~3:08:15
    • A speaker during discussion said the motion to table was not taking a position but honoring a request for an investigation. 3:10:05
  12. Separate vote on renewal agreement 3:13:28
    • The board took a separate vote on the second final renewal agreement with Jones Lang LaSalle Americas Inc. 3:13:36
    • A board member thanked staff for delaying the vote and providing information. 3:14:13
  13. Closed session and adjournment 3:15:57
    • The board voted to enter closed session, and the board secretary reported no items to vote on from executive session. ~3:16:56

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 March 19, 2026 (Board Meeting)”