>> AND IT'S BECOME A PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD WILL BE ELECTED IN THE FUTURE.

THE QUESTIONS ARE HOW AND WHEN CHICAGO LAWMAKERS ARE LEAVING THOSE QUESTIONS ON RESULT FOR THE MOMENT OF AMENDED.

NICU JUST RETURNED FROM SPRINGFIELD AND JOINS US WITH THE LATEST.

THANK HIM ENOUGH FOR JOINING US.

WHAT YOU TELL US?

WELL, AS SO TO ME THAT WE ARE ABOUT A YEAR AWAY FROM THE 2024 ELECTIONS.

AND THAT IS WHEN CHICAGO VOTERS WILL BEGIN TO ELECT MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.

BUT THERE IS A CHANCE THAT VOTERS WILL ALSO GET TO ELECT THE ENTIRE 20 PERSON BOARD.

NOW, THAT'S WHAT THE PRESIDENT OF THE ILLINOIS SENATE IN VARIOUS COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS HAVE THEIR WAY.

BUT THERE'S ALSO A CHANCE THAT YEAR FROM NOW VOTERS WILL ONLY ELECT 10 MEMBERS AND THEN THE MAYOR WOULD GET TO APPOINT THE OTHER HALF OF THE BOARD.

THAT'S HOW LEADERS IN THE ILLINOIS HOUSE WANT IT AS WELL AS THE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION.

SO MEN DO SO EITHER ALL ELECTED OR HYBRID BOARD.

WHAT'S THE REASONING FOR STARTING OUT WITH THE HALF ELECTED HAVE APPOINTED BOARD OF EDUCATION?

WILL THAT HAD BEEN THE PLAN FROM 2021 WHEN THE ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD BILL WAS SIGNED INTO LAW IN THE AD.

THERE IS TO PHASE SUCH A MONUMENTAL CHANGE.

>> IT IS STARTING A NEW SCHOOL BOARD FOR A DISTRICT AS BIG A CHICAGO IS QUITE AN ENDEAVOR IS GOING TO BRING WITH IT SEVERAL COMPLEXITIES.

IT'S CHALLENGING TO START FROM SCRATCH.

A NEW ENTITY.

>> AND AMANDA WOULD WHAT ARE THE MURDE IT'S OF ALL ELECTED WELL, THERE IS A PRACTICAL COMPONENT WITH THIS ONE IS, WELL, THE LEGISLATURE HAS STRUGGLED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO THIS.

HALF AND HALF MODEL AND BACKER THAT APPROACH SAY THAT THEY HAVE COME UP WITH A SOLUTION, ALBEIT ONE THAT COULD GET CONFUSING.

BUT THERE'S ALSO A PHILOSOPHICAL COMPONENT.

CHICAGO, THE ONLY DISTRICT IN ILLINOIS WHERE BOARD MEMBERS ARE NOT ELECTED AND IT TOOK DECADES TO GET A LAW PASSED TO CHANGE THAT.

THE OBJECTIVE IS TO MAKE THE BOARD MORE RESPONSIVE WORD DEMOCRACY.

SO ADVOCATES SAY GET TO IT ELECT THE WHOLE BOARD RIGHT AWAY.

AND YOU MENTIONED THE CTU.

HOW DOES THE UNION FIT INTO THIS?

WELL, SO THE SEAT YOU CAMPAIGNED REALLY HARD FOR AN ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD AND IT'S A TIME THEY WANTED IT TO BE ELECTED RIGHT AWAY.

BUT NOW THE UNION HAS REVERSED COURSE.

THE UNION PUT OUT A STATEMENT SAYING THEY NOW PREFER THIS HALF APPOINTED BOARD PROPOSAL BECAUSE IT, QUOTE, ENSURES A SMOOTH TRANSITION TO A FULLY ELECTED SCHOOL BOARD IN TWENTY-TWENTY 6 SKEPTICS, THOUGH, SUSPECT THAT THE CHANGE OF HEART IS BECAUSE OF WHO IS IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.

>> AS IN THE 5TH FLOOR OCCUPIED NOT BY CTU ANTAGONISTS, LORI LIGHTFOOT, BUT RATHER ITS MAYOR, BRANDON JOHNSON, FORMER CTU MEMBER AND ORGANIZER.

WHAT DID JOHNSON SAME?

SO ACTUALLY, WHEN CALLED HIS OFFICE THIS AFTERNOON, SPOKE WITH A SPOKESPERSON WHO SAID NOW COME AND SO NOT A LOT THERE, BUT THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH THE MAYOR DO BRING UP THIS NOTION OF CHAOS THAT COULD COME WITH A JUMP TO AN ALL ELECTED BOARD RIGHT AWAY.

AGAIN, THE ELECTION 2024 AND THEN THESE INDIVIDUALS WOULD TAKE SEATS STARTING IN 2025.

AND WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE THINGS?

SO IN A WAY, AS I JUST NOTED, IT'S A WAYS OFF.

SO THINGS ARE IN LIMBO.

LEGISLATORS SAY DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.

THEY HAD ACTUALLY ALREADY SKIPPED ONE DEADLINE TO GET THIS RESULT.

THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE IT DONE AT THE END OF THEIR SPRING SESSION.

THEN THEY GIVE THEMSELVES QUITE AN EXTENSION.

SO THEY HAVE REALLY UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF APRIL TO FINALIZE THIS.

STILL EVERYBODY THAT I'VE BEEN TALKING TO SAID.

THEY WANT TO GET IT RESOLVED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

SO THAT CANDIDATES WHO ARE CONTEMPLATING MAKING A RUN FOR THE BOARD CAN HURRY UP AND MAKE THOSE DECISIONS IN THE NEED TO KNOW THINGS LIKE WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO BE RUNNING.

HOW MANY SEATS WILL BE UP BEFORE THEY HAVE THE CHANCE TO DO WE'LL SAY THAT BOTH SIDES SAY THAT THEY ARE HOPEFUL THEY'RE GOING TO REACH A RESOLUTION.

THEY MAY SAY THAT, BUT SOMEBODY IS GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE SOMETHING UP IN ORDER FOR IT TO GET TO THAT POINT.

WHAT ABOUT THE MAPS OF DISTRICTS THAT HAVE BEEN CONTROVERSIAL RATE?

WELL, YES, THEY HAVE BEEN REALLY CONTROVERSIAL AND ACTUALLY MAPS ARE NOT FINALIZED EITHER.

THE LEGISLATURE DID NOT APPROVE THEM BECAUSE THAT HAS TO BE SIGNED INTO LAW.

STILL A MAP IS PRETTY MUCH SET.

THERE'S AN AGREEMENT ON THE EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THAT THERE IS AN AGREEMENT NOW ON THE MAPS, ONE THAT WILL HAVE 6 DISTRICTS IN IT WILL HAVE A MAJORITY OF VOTING AGE, LATINOS IN THEM.

THERE ARE, HOWEVER, SOME LATINO GROUPS THAT ARE STILL UPSET WITH THAT.

THEY SAY THAT GIVEN THAT HALF OF SEATS UPS STUDENTS ARE LATINO OR