Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Ald. Desmon Yancy endorse Jessica Biggs for CPS Board President
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Ald. Desmon Yancy endorsed Jessica Biggs for President of the Chicago Board of Education on Tuesday.
“I urge Chicagoans to support Jessica Biggs in the November election for CPS board president,” said Preckwinkle. “Jessica is an experienced educator who is committed to making sure every kid in Chicago has access to a great education, no matter what neighborhood they’re growing up in. I trust her to bring responsible, principled leadership to our school system.”
An Open Letter to the People Who Show Up for Our Kids Every Day
To the amazing teachers, school leaders, custodians, engineers, security officers, lunchroom staff, clerks, counselors, social workers, nurses, classroom aides, parent workers, and so many other public servants who show up for our kids every day:
Welcome back to school!
I have spent this summer traveling around the city, and everywhere I went, I found you already at work. I know what August looks like inside our buildings: floors stripped and refinished, rooms cleaned from the baseboards up, registration tables in front lobbies, classrooms with a library corner half-built three weeks before the first bell. I saw school leaders in empty buildings on a Saturday, trying to cover every position with the staff they have. And I have run into a lot of you in the aisles at Target, carts full of folders and markers and hand sanitizer, too often paid for out of your own pockets. I want you to know that it is seen.
Crains Chicago Opinion: CPS board must level with parents about this risky budget maneuver
This story was originally published by Crains Chicago Business.
Last week, the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education passed an amended budget for the school year ahead that relies on funds from Springfield that simply don’t yet exist — and are unlikely to materialize this year at all.
As I said in the board meeting, the amendment was delusional at best, and deeply harmful to students and working people at worst.
I voted against the plan because experts — and CPS’s own history — say this is likely to lead to mass layoffs, furloughs for workers, credit rating agency downgrades, increased borrowing costs, and other big problems for the school district.
WTTW: CPS Board Members Talk $10B Approved Budget, State Funding Assumption
This story was originally published by WTTW.
A divided Chicago Board of Education at a meeting last week approved a nearly $10 billion budget that relies on an additional $150 million in state funding.
The spending plan comes after weeks of debate among Chicago Public Schools officials, board members and labor unions over how the district should close a $732 million budget gap.
SEIU Illinois State Council Endorses Jessica Biggs for CPS Board President
The SEIU Illinois State Council (ISC) announced today its endorsement of Jessica Biggs for President of the Chicago Public Schools Board of Education. Biggs currently serves as the Board of Education member representing District 6B.
"Our members are there working to educate and protect CPS students every day, and we know what real investment in students looks like. Jessica Biggs has lived that work — as a teacher, as a principal who turned a struggling school around, and now as a Board member. She doesn't just talk about equity, she's built it, school by school and block by block on the Southwest Side. SEIU Local 73 is proud to stand behind her candidacy for Board President," said Dian Palmer, President, SEIU Local 73.
Hyde Park Herald: Jessica Biggs launches bid for school board president
This story was originally published by Hyde Park Herald.
Jessica Biggs, one of the first elected members of the Chicago Board of Education, has launched her campaign for board president, saying the district is “at a crossroads” and needs to refocus on academics and fiscal stability after years of political infighting.
“We’ve spent a lot of time the last couple of years in what feels like a political tug of war, and I think Chicago is tired of that,” Biggs told the Herald. “I want to see the district returning to a focus on teaching and learning and academic achievement.”
CPS Board President candidate lauds CEO King’s decision to maintain May 1 as school day
Chicago Public Schools Board President candidate Jessica Biggs issued the following statement on Thursday in response to the news that CPS CEO Dr. Maqueline King has reinforced her decision to maintain May 1 as a school day:
“Dr. King made the right choice by making sure May 1 continues to be a school day. The CPS schedule is published well in advance to make sure working parents can plan and provide appropriate care for their kids. A few weeks notice of a day off just isn’t responsible or fair to them.
Chicago Tribune: Former CPS principal enters race for Chicago school board president
This story was originally published by Chicago Tribune.
Jessica Biggs, an elected school board member representing parts of downtown and the South Side, officially announced Monday she is running for president of the Chicago Board of Education.
Biggs — a director of the Southwest Organizing Project and a former Chicago Public Schools principal — is the fourth candidate to enter the race to lead the district’s first fully elected board.
Chicago Tribune: School board members: Chicago should wait for a fully elected board before hiring a permanent CPS CEO
This story was originally published by Chicago Tribune.
In April, the Chicago Board of Education unanimously agreed on a clear and transparent process to select the district’s next CEO. We identified a local, minority-and-woman-owned firm — Alma Advisory Group — with extensive experience working with the district. Alma did outstanding work. With Alma’s support, we engaged in the most robust community engagement process in the district’s history…