This Monday, members of the Committee on Education and Child Development voted 17-0 to pass an ordinance requiring quarterly hearings of Chicago Public Schools before that body (O2024-0008387).
Alderperson Andre Vasquez introduced the ordinance in 2023 to ensure greater transparency and accountability between Chicago City Council and Chicago Public Schools (CPS). If passed by the full city council, the ordinance would require that the CEO of CPS attend quarterly hearings in the Committee on Education and Child Development.
“While the City and Chicago Public Schools are separate agencies, their financial futures are tied together,” said Ald. Vasquez. “During a time when both the City and CPS are facing significant challenges, it is imperative that we establish a regular dialogue so we can work through these challenges together.”
This ordinance is the latest effort by Ald. Vasquez at increasing accountability among the city’s sister agencies. Ald. Vasquez passed an ordinance in 2023 requiring quarterly hearings of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), which led to substantive changes in the agency’s leadership.
“These hearings empower City Council members to become better informed so we can hold these agencies and ourselves accountable for providing the best possible service to the people of Chicago,” said Vasquez. “In recent months, there have been many conversations about the financial entanglement between the City and CPS. There will be many more as we navigate not only our ongoing pension debt, but also the financial consequences of the Trump administration’s reckless funding cuts. These conversations impact our children’s future—we can’t afford to have them behind closed doors.”
The ordinance will be voted on by the full City Council on April 16th, 2025.