SPRINGFIELD (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The State Senate has passed legislation setting up a hybrid model for a Chicago School Board, with half initially elected and half appointed.
Ten of 20 board members would be elected this November. Ten, along with the board president, would be appointed by the mayor. All would be elected in 2026.
The legislation establishes the districts. Candidates would need to collect at least 1,000 signatures.
Chicago School Board members have been appointed by the mayor for nearly 30 years.
"We are making a new democratic form of government from whole cloth and getting it across the finish line," Senate President Don Harmon said.
"What I know for sure is that in 2026, in the blink of a political eye, the Senate model will actually be in place, with 20 members elected from 20 districts, a fully-elected representative school board in the City of Chicago exists for the first time."
Some wanted to see a fully-elected board now.
"A hybrid school board is not a fully democratic process. Make no mistake, this is a CTU PAC bill," said Alderman Gilbert Villegas.
The legislation now goes to the House.
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