Parents, teachers and unions press board over Shy Arts, Safari/Skylines contract and program cuts

Dozens of parents, teachers, union leaders and students used the June 25 public comment period to press the Chicago Board of Education on a range of urgent issues: threats to the Shy Arts conservatory model, the sudden removal of a Safari Montage renewal that supports Skyline curriculum, cuts that school communities say will reduce special‑education and classroom staff, and the apparent removal of a district resolution on educator mental health.

Union leaders set the tone. "You can't have Governor Pritsker demanding a special legislative session for the Bears… and not simultaneously saying we are going to have a special session to fully fund our schools," Jackson Potter, CTU vice president, told the board, urging officials to press for full state funding and to prioritize teachers and support staff.

Shy Arts (Chicago High School for the Arts) speakers — teaching artists, parents and arts partners including representatives who read letters from the Goodman Theatre and Chicago Symphony Orchestra — asked the board to preserve the conservatory’s pre‑professional model. Multiple witnesses told the board that the district’s plan to reduce roughly 70 teaching artists to 20 resident artist positions would sharply dilute specialized programming and called for restoration of roles and a resolution from Member Blae to protect the conservatory model.

Several school leaders and teachers raised alarm about the decision to pull the Safari Montage renewal from the public agenda. Board member Smith and district technical staff said Skyline course materials are hosted on Safari Montage and that, unless the contract is extended, students could lose access starting July 1. District staff said supplemental curriculum is being prepared to bridge a transition but were not able to provide detailed public assurances at the meeting.

Speakers also pressed the district on program cuts and proposed reallocation of positions. Local School Council speakers from Whitney Young said their school faced the loss of 7.6 teaching positions and reductions in support staff; principals and assistant principals’ representatives warned that cuts proposed in the draft FY27 budgets would eliminate AP positions and other roles at hundreds of schools.

Language and specialized instruction were frequent themes. Advocates for Lincoln Park High School’s Arabic program and the program’s IB teacher, Dr. Federico Luca Matias, said eliminating Arabic would remove one of the city’s few public options for a federally designated "critical‑need" language and asked the board for an emergency plan and program restoration. Dr. Matias also said he faced an immediate immigration and visa issue tied to his employment.

Educators for Excellence and teacher organizers criticized the board for removing a non‑cost resolution on educator mental health from Tuesday’s agenda; they described the action as insulting and said they will continue to push for a districtwide strategy to support teacher mental health.

The board did not take any immediate votes on the public comments; members acknowledged the testimony and said many of the topics — budget allocations, contract renewals and program decisions — are being considered in the FY27 budget and procurement processes.