Chicago's New School Board: A Fresh Start

In a recent turn of events, Mayor Brandon Johnson has made some new picks for the Chicago Board of Education. The mayor introduced a new leader, Sean Harden, for the 21-member team that will take their seats in January. Among the nine new appointees, three are fresh faces, while the rest include people who lost their bids for school board seats in the last election. The mayor has to appoint one more member to meet the state law's requirement, which asks for representatives from each of Chicago's ten school districts and a board president. These new appointments come at a tough time for the mayor, who has been dealing with a power struggle between the city, teachers' union, and Chicago Public Schools leadership. The appointment of Harden is notable because he is a former deputy CEO of community affairs for CPS. He was sworn in last week after the previous board president, Rev. Mitchell L. Ikenna Johnson, had to resign due to controversy. The mayor chose people who are passionate about public education for these roles. One of the appointees is Edward "Ed" Bannon, a former community organizer and parent of three CPS graduates. Norma Rios-Sierra, an artist and activist, is also on the list. She has done excellent work bringing communities together for education in Logan Square and Hermosa. Two more appointees are Karen Zaccor and Anusha Thotakura, both of whom were backed by the Chicago Teachers Union but didn't win seats in the recent election. Zaccor is a retired teacher who advocated for community schools, while Thotakura is a progressive advocate who also has teaching experience. Four current board members will stay on, including Debby Pope, a retired bilingual history teacher, and Michilla Blaise, a parent and political consultant. Frank Niles Thomas, a grassroots organizer, and Olga Bautista, an environmental activist, will also continue their service. These new appointments join ten recently elected members from each district. The full list includes Jennifer Custer, Ebony L. DeBerry, Carlos A. Rivas, Jr. , Ellen Rosenfeld, Aaron "Jitu" Brown, Jessica Biggs, Yesenia Lopez, Angel Gutierrez, Therese Boyle, and Che "Rhymefest" Smith.