CTU urges Chicago Board to pick an educator for CEO, warns against privatization approach

At the Jan. 20 Chicago Board of Education special meeting, Jackson Potter, vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union, used the public comment period to press the board to select a CEO with an educator's background and a commitment to racial and economic justice.

Potter criticized prior district leadership and external search practices that he said favored privatizers and management philosophies associated with closing schools. He tied those strategies to long-term community disinvestment and increased violence in affected neighborhoods, saying the board has "an opportunity here to set the record straight and true." Potter urged the board to prioritize candidates who will protect students, families and neighborhood schools.

"You need somebody who actually knows what moves the hearts and minds and transformation every day in schools, somebody who's been an educator," Potter said. He argued that experience as a superintendent alone is not sufficient unless a candidate demonstrates a commitment to protecting students and families and resisting policies that result in school closures.

The board did not provide a response to Potter's remarks during the public comment portion recorded in the transcript. The session proceeded to a motion to enter closed session later in the meeting.