Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices
CPS Board President Resigns Under Pressure
Clip: 10/31/2024 | 3m 34sVideo has Closed Captions
A series of antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial social media posts generated outrage.
Chicago Board of Education President Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson resigned under pressure Thursday after a series of antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial social media posts generated a wave of outrage that stretched from the Chicago City Council to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices is a local public television program presented by WTTW
Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices
CPS Board President Resigns Under Pressure
Clip: 10/31/2024 | 3m 34sVideo has Closed Captions
Chicago Board of Education President Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson resigned under pressure Thursday after a series of antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial social media posts generated a wave of outrage that stretched from the Chicago City Council to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>> The Chicago Board of Education is once again without a chair.
After today's resignation, a re-brand Mitchell, I Johnson, Robin Johnson stepped down after reporters uncovered doesn't social media post he made that were Anti-Semitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial less than 24 hours before asking for his resignation.
The mayor expressed confidence he could make a meant.
Let's listen.
In.
No way reflects.
>> You know, I believe is.
You know, commitment to ensure that every single child and our public school system is seen and heard value.
He You know, expressed his sorrow for those statements and he will release a full statement in.
He will continue to seek a tome.
It in the coming days, working with the Jewish community and really working across the city of Chicago to make sure that that voices are fully heard.
>> The Sharon joins us now with more.
Heather, we have some breaking news.
Tell us what changes.
The mayor told reporters Reverend Johnson could continue to serve as the CPS board chair will still more social media posts made by Johnson were uncovered.
These were misogynistic suggesting that women were only out to get money from men in child support cases.
We know that Johnson has in court over child support issues.
He also suggested the 9/11/2001 attacks were, quote, an inside job.
So that made his position untenable, especially after Governor JB Pritzker Pritzker issued a statement this morning calling on him to step down.
Hours later, Mayor Johnson put out a statement saying he had requested Johnson who is, of course no relation to the mayor, his resignation.
And now, as you said, CPS for the second time in less than a month has no board chair.
And the question is, why didn't the mayor his team find his post before making him the CPS board and giving him this president position?
Well, reporters asked the mayor exactly that yesterday and he really didn't answer, but it's not clear.
It's and it's not clear why this this information wasn't found or wasn't sort the mayor wasn't prepared to answer these questions.
There's been a lot of turmoil at CPS, all 7 members of the board resigned early in October.
The mayor announced 6 members, including Johnson and then annoyance to 7th.
So there's been a lot of chaos.
Perhaps this just got lost in the in the cracks.
The first meeting now for the CPS board is set to take place tomorrow.
What happens next?
Well, that meeting will go forward.
It's not clear who the mayor will appoint to replace Johnson.
does have that power to do so.
The board could also start moving toward terminating CEO Pedro Martinez, has resisted the mayor's request to resign.
But this amount of sort of cast, as I said, for any school district means it's not clear what happens next in voters went to the polls Tuesday to elect 10 new members of the Chicago Board of Education.
Now, what does this mean with this resignation?
What Mitchell Johnson was not running for one of the 10 seats that is up for grabs on Tuesday's elections.
So until that new board takes office in January, it will be totally controlled by the mayor.
After January, the mayor will have 11 appointments on the school board to serve on a 21 member board who those people will be is in the hands of Chicago voters for the first time in Chicago's history.
Well, thank
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Chicago Tonight: Latino Voices is a local public television program presented by WTTW