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City of Chicago School District 299 board meeting, Apr 23, 2026

4 h 51 min · 23 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 4 h 51 min.

  1. Who spoke · first speaks at
What happened

What happened at this meeting

Chicago board postpones vote on Pantoja campus self-closure to May 28 meeting 4:11:53

  • The superintendent said Friday, May 1st would be a full day of instruction for all students. 30:51
  • Speakers at public comment addressed the May 1st agreement, the possible closure of Antonia Pantoja High School and the arts schedule at Shy Arts. 1:12:11
  • The board voted 19 ayes, 0 nays to relocate the Chatham campus, then voted 14 ayes, 5 nays to postpone the self-closure of the Aspira Pantoja Attendance Center to the May 28th, 2026 meeting. 4:09:46
  • A resolution to appoint members to fill vacancies at Clemente High School failed, 8 ayes, 7 nays, 4 abstentions. 4:25:18
Item by item (12)
  1. Opening and announcements 0:01
    • A roll call found 19 members present and a quorum. 2:48
    • The board president said applications for the next honorary student board member were open, with a $1,000 scholarship and a deadline of Monday, May 11th at 9:00 AM. 3:10
  2. Student athlete recognitions 7:14
    • The district honored a South Shore International High School track athlete who won the 60-meter hurdles at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. 7:19
    • The athlete's coach said the team does most of its practices in a hallway and travels over a mile to a track. 8:50
    • The district also honored the Marshall High School boys basketball team, which won the Class 1A state final 52⁠-⁠44. 15:01
  3. Superintendent remarks 23:06
    • The superintendent said free full-day pre-K is available in all of Chicago's 77 neighborhoods and that bus transportation request forms are due Friday, May 8th. 23:06
    • The superintendent said the vote on the YCCS Aspira Pantoja campus was not a vote to close the school and that May 1st would be a full day of instruction. 31:34
    • A board member said the May 1st plan was a compromise reached with the teachers union and the Chicago Principals Association. 45:18
  4. Public participation 47:54
    • A teachers union representative said a directive requiring prior approval of civic engagement materials conflicts with the memorandum of understanding, while several speakers asked the board to pause the May 1st agreement. 52:58
    • A lunchroom workers union representative asked the board to sign a contract and said the starting wage is $16.78. 1:07:16
    • Speakers at public comment asked the board to vote no on a possible closure of Antonia Pantoja High School, and a speaker asked the board to fund Shy Arts. 1:14:28
  5. Response to public comment and recess 2:23:33
    • The CEO said it was not ideal for community members to hear things from their schools in a board meeting and that the district would work to improve communication. 2:24:47
  6. Board comments on May 1 2:26:40
    • A board member said the board member would attend a student-led rally on the North Side on May 1st. 2:27:05
    • Another board member said parents felt the decision was not made in a timely manner and asked the board to make decisions in public. 2:50:00
  7. Student data and multilingual education presentation 2:52:43
    • The acting chief of teaching and learning said K-2 students outperformed peer districts on iReady math at the middle of the year. 2:52:43
    • The presenter said more than 1,400 students moved out of the urgent intervention category in math. 2:58:22
    • Board members asked for data broken out by student groups, including diverse learners and English language learners. 3:10:32
  8. Request to vote on May 1 agreement 3:42:38
    • A board member moved that the board take up a vote on the memorandum of understanding concerning May 1st that was executed on April 16th, 2026. 3:44:49
    • The acting general counsel said the Open Meetings Act requires 48 hours notice, so the item could not be voted on that day but could be placed on the next agenda. 3:45:58
  9. Consent agenda and other votes 3:46:56
    • A board member asked how professional learning spending is measured for effectiveness and said the food contract should aim for better results than 60% of students eating the meals. 3:47:00
    • A communication read into the record said the fiscal year 2025 annual comprehensive financial report was being presented to and accepted by the board. 3:54:04
  10. Chatham campus relocation and Pantoja closure 4:05:10
    • A board member moved to divide the report into the relocation of the Chatham campus to 4017 South Drexel Boulevard and the self-closure of the Aspira Pantoja Attendance Center. 4:06:02
    • The board voted 17 ayes, 2 nays to divide the report, 19 ayes, 0 nays to approve the Chatham relocation and 14 ayes, 5 nays to postpone the Pantoja self-closure to the May 28th, 2026 meeting. 4:07:39
  11. Clemente local school council vacancy 4:25:18
    • A board member moved to table the appointment, saying the member on leave was returning May 1st. 4:26:16
    • The general counsel said the LSC had declared a temporary vacancy and that the appointment before the board was a temporary appointment. 4:39:25
    • The motion to table failed 9 ayes, 7 nays, 3 abstentions, and the appointment failed 8 ayes, 7 nays, 4 abstentions. 4:41:13
  12. Closed session and general counsel appointment 4:45:28
    • The board considered the transfer and appointment of a general counsel effective April 24th, 2026. 4:46:51
    • The board voted 19 ayes, 0 nays to enter closed session and 14 ayes, 1 nay, 2 abstentions to appoint the general counsel. 4:46:26

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 April 23, 2026 (Board Meeting)”