(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Candidates running for seats on a new Chicago School Board are taking part in forums Friday on the North and South Sides, as questions swirl about what will happen before the new, partially-elected board is seated in January.
Hundreds gathered at a Salvation Army center in Englewood.
Parents, grandparents and others with an interest in the schools filled a gym to hear from some of the candidates. These events were organized by the Parent Engagement Institute.
Bridgett White, among those in attendance, is a mother of two. She said she looks forward to the new board.
“Over the years they’ve been appointed. We don’t get to have a say, we don’t get to share our voice,” White said.
She said a new partially-elected board, “is a good thing because they have to listen to the people.”
Another woman agreed. She said there will be “participation, ideas, and we need a vast community of opinions.”
The board is going from seven to 21 members, 10 of which will be elected. The mayor appoints ten and the board president.
Two years from now all 21 will be elected.
The election comes after the entire school board resigned.
There are questions about whether the new board appointed by the mayor will approve a high-interest loan. That became a contentious issue between the mayor and the schools CEO, Pedro Martinez, who has refused to resign, as the mayor asked, and whose future is uncertain with the new hand-picked board.
Some WBBM Newsradio spoke to at the candidate forum were leery of the district taking on more debt.
More information about the candidates is available here.
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