Moylan-Backed Chicago School Board Reform Measure Passes House

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Working to ensure that community members have a voice in who represents them on Chicago’s school board, state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, recently passed legislation which would create an elected school board for Chicago Public Schools (CPS), conforming to the standard in school boards across Illinois.

“Bringing CPS in line with every other school district in Illinois by establishing an elected school board will not only allow families’ voices to be heard, but will also prioritize what is best for Chicago students,” Moylan said. “We should always be working to make sure that positions of influence are held by the most qualified individuals, and not just the politically connected.”

The Moylan-backed House Bill 2908 would replace Chicago’s current eight member school board appointed by the mayor with a 21 member elected school board. The bill would split the city into 20 districts, with each member representing one district along with a school board president chosen in a city-wide election. The City of Chicago is currently the only school district in Illinois with a school board selected by mayoral-appointment. The legislation passed the House and currently resides in the Senate Executive Committee awaiting consideration.

“Political appointments should have no place in education, the only thing that should be relevant in deciding who should represent CPS is their qualifications and their ideas to improve the education of students,” Moylan said. “This bill will eliminate political favoritism and make sure that communities are heard when it comes to who represents them. I will continue working with my colleagues in the General Assembly to accomplish additional education reforms moving forward, but passing this bill will make good progress.”

For questions concerning House Bill 2908, state issues, other legislation or district matters, please contact Moylan’s full-time constituent office at 847-635-6821 or email StateRepMoylan@gmail.com.