Chicago Public Schools Board of Education Governance: A History and Review of other Cities’ Practices

June 08, 2017

Click here to read this issue brief.

The Chicago Public Schools currently is controlled by the Mayor of Chicago, who appoints all members of the Board of Education. However, citizens, policymakers and the Illinois General Assembly are engaged in serious discussions about whether CPS should continue under mayoral control or if there should be an elected school board.

This brief, developed by a Civic Federation Task Force, provides contextual information about the history of Chicago school district governance, school district governance in the U.S., arguments for and against mayoral control of school boards, recent proposals to change CPS governance and different possible CPS governance options.