>>> SOME PARENTS ARE CALLING ON LAWMAKERS TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD .

THIS AFTER LAWMAKERS RELEASED A DRAFT OF CHICAGO'S ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT.

THE PARENT SAY THE MAP DOES NOT ADEQUATELY REPRESENT THE MAJORITY LATINO POPULATION IN CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

IT SAYS THE MAPS ARE BASED OFF OF CHICAGO'S OVERALL POPULATION, MEANING LESS MAJORITY.

JOINING US NOW WITH MORE ARE SENIOR MANAGER OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER AT KIDS FIRST CHICAGO AND VANESSA ESPINOZA, CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS PARENT.

I WANT TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

I WANT TO START BY TALKING ABOUT THE STUDENT POPULATION , WHICH IS MAJORITY LATINO POPULATION.

47%.

WE SEE THE GRAPHIC HERE.

LATINOS MAKE UP 28% OF THE CITY POPULATION.

LAWMAKERS BASE THE MAPS OFF OF THE CITY POPULATION.

VANESSA, WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION TO THAT?

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US, FIRST.

SECOND, I THINK BASED ON THE FIRST DRAFT, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FIRST DRAFT THAT THEY PUBLISHED , I THINK IT IS VERY UNCONSCIONABLE.

IT IS NOT REPRESENTING OUR POPULATION .

I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU GAVE THE STATS AND NUMBERS FROM THE CITY, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DISTRICTS THAT ARE GOING TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT THE SCHOOL.

THOSE DECISIONS AFFECT OUR STUDENTS.

THAT IS WHY WE ARE LOOKING FOR OR ADVOCATING FOR DISTRICTS THAT LOOK LIKE A CPS DEMOGRAPHIC.

>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE PROPOSED MAP.

THIS WAS THE LATEST RELEASED AT THE TIME OF THIS RECORDING.

WE SEE IT HERE.

THE PROCESS IS 70 MAJORITY WHITE DISTRICTS , SEVEN MAJORITY BLACK DISTRICTS AND SIX MAJORITY LATINO DISTRICTS.

WHY DO YOU THINK THE MAP SHOULD USE CPS OVER THE CITY POPULATION?

>> THE MAP SHOULD USE CPS DEMOGRAPHICS STUDENT DATA BECAUSE WE ARE ELECTING SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS THAT ARE GOING TO BE REPRESENTING OUR STUDENTS .

OUR KIDS IN OUR SCHOOLS IN CPS AND OUR FAMILIES.

SO IT SHOULD REPRESENT -- THAT BOARD SHOULD REPRESENT THE STUDENTS AND FAMILIES OF CPS.

IN ORDER TO DO THAT, YOU WOULD HAVE TO USE THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF CPS OR THE CITY'S DEMOGRAPHICS.

>> VANESSA, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MORE SPECIFIC NEEDS YOU SEE FOR LATINO STUDENTS AND PARENTS?

>> WE HAVE BEEN WORKING FOR SOME MONTHS -- FOR SO LONG -- A COUPLE MONTHS.

I WANT TO SAY THAT ALL THE PARENTS -- WE AGREE THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD IS NOT REPRESENTATIVE OF CPS DEMOGRAPHICS.

THAT MEANS THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENTS -- I'M THINKING ABOUT HOW YOU'RE GOING TO KNOW WHAT A PROGRAM NEEDS.

WHAT ELSE DO THE STUDENTS NEED TO?

THAT IS WHY WE NEED BOARD MEMBERS .

IT IS KNOWN THAT BOARD MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY , THEY ARE GOING TO REPRESENT IT BETTER BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEIR NEEDS.

>> SO YOU WOULD SAY THOSE PROGRAMS SUFFER FROM LACK OF RESOURCES.

>> THAT'S CORRECT.

>> KIDS FIRST-HAND HAVE ALSO POINTED TO ISSUES WITH NONCITIZENS ABILITY TO PARTICIPATE IN THE BOARD.

WHAT ARE THOSE ISSUES?

>> WELL, AS THE LAW IS WRITTEN, NONCITIZENS CAN NEITHER RUN TO BE A SCHOOL BOARD MEMBER, NOR VOTE IN THE PROCESS, WHICH IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM LOCAL SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS.

WHERE IMMIGRATION STATUS DOES NOT PLAY A ROLE.

ANYONE CAN VOTE OR RUN IN THEIR LOCAL COUNSEL.

SO WE ARE CALLING FOR SOMETHING SIMILAR FOR ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD TO FUNCTION THE SAME WAY .

FOR EVERYONE TO BE ABLE TO RUN AND VOTE REGARDLESS OF IMMIGRATION STATUS.

>> WHAT EFFECTS DO YOU SEE IF THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN >> >> THEN YOU HAVE A LARGE PORTION OF STUDENTS AND FAMILIES NOT REPRESENTED IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS.

THE ABILITY TO ELECT THEIR SCHOOL BOARD REPRESENTATIVE.

AND WITH BOTH HAVING FEWER DISTRICTS ALLOCATED TO THE LATINO COMMUNITIES AND CITIZENS NOT BEING ABLE TO PARTICIPATE.

THAT IS GOING TO TAKE A BIG BLOW ON LATINO REPRESENTATION IN THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD.

>> VANESSA, IN THE CURRENT PLAN, IS IT ACCESSIBLE FOR PARENTS ACTUALLY TO RUN THESE POSITIONS?

>> I DON'T THINK SO.

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THERE IS NOT GOING TO BE COMPENSATION OR ANY TYPE OF STIPEND FOR THE PARENTS.

IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PARENTS RUNNING FOR THOSE KINDS OF SEATS OF THOSE POSITIONS IN THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PARENTS WHO ARE LOW INCOME PARENTS.

THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO RUN.

ESPECIALLY IF THERE IS NOT LIMITS IN THE CAMPAIGN SPENDING.

THEN THE MONEY IS GOING TO DICTATE WHO IS GOING TO WIN.

AND THEN PARENTS DON'T HAVE ANY CHANCE AT ALL.

THEY WON'T HAVE A VOICE.

>> JESSICA, WHAT OUR KIDS FIRST ASKING FROM LAWMAKERS?

>> WE ARE ASKING THEM TO HAVE A TRANSPARENT AND INCLUSIVE PROCESS IN THE CREATION OF THE ELECTORAL DISTRICT FOR THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD.

WE'RE ASKING FOR THEIR RACIAL REPRESENTATION AND CREATION OF THOSE DISTRICTS.

WE ARE ASKING FOR NONCITIZEN PARTICIPATION .

CAMPAIGN SPENDING LIMITS.

AND WE ARE ALSO ASKING FOR ALL OF THIS SO THAT PARENTS CAN BE REPRESENTED ON THE BOARD.

BOTH SERVE AND RUN AND VOTE SO THAT THEIR STUDENTS AND THEIR KIDS CAN GET THE RESOURCES THAT PARENTS KNOW THAT THEY NEED.

>> WHAT WOULD BE THE NEXT COURSE OF ACTION?

>> SO, WE ARE WAITING TO SEE IF ANOTHER MAP IS RELEASED BY THE LEGISLATORS.

AND WE'RE WAITING TO SEE WHAT THAT MAP IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.

IF THEY DID TAKE INTO ACCOUNT PUBLIC FEEDBACK, WHICH WAS TO INCREASE THE DISTRICTS FOR LATINO COMMUNITY SITES WHILE MAINTAINING THE SEVEN DISTRICTS FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITIES AND REDUCING THE DISTRICTS FOR THE WHITE COMMUNITY BY TWO.

SO WE WILL SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF THEY RELEASE A NEW MAP.

IF THEY DO AND IF WHAT THE PUBLIC HAS ASKED FOR , THEN WE WILL BE REALLY HAPPY WITH THAT.

IF THEY DON'T, WE WILL HAVE TO KEEP MAKING OUR VOICES BE HEARD, GIVING THE GUY FROM THE PARENTS SO THAT THEY CAN VOICE THEIR PRIORITIES.

>> ARE YOU HOPEFUL WE WILL EVENTUALLY SEE A NEW MAP?

>> YES.

I THINK THEY ARE GOING TO PUBLISH THE SECOND DRAFT.

I AM HOPEFUL THAT THEY ARE GOING TO LISTEN TO WHAT THE PUBLIC IS SAYING.

ESPECIALLY IF WE ARE THINKING THAT THEY ARE GOING