CPS Board is investigating two leaks of internal board information

The Chicago Board of Education has launched two investigations into how internal information got into the hands of the media. It is looking at whether a member is responsible for revealing the names of superintendent finalists to the media and how a reporter recently got an internal update that included information about plans to hold a special meeting to raise property taxes.

The board president is so incensed by the recent leak that he is threatening to ask the guilty party to resign.

This appears to be the first time in recent memory that the Board of Education has investigated a breach. Across the country, such investigations at the school board level are unusual, said Jeffrey Henig, professor emeritus at Columbia University’s Teachers College, who has studied the politics of school boards. More often, school boards are accused of acting in unison and doing too much business behind closed doors, he said.

But Chicago’s school board is in transition. For the first time, 10 of 21 current board members are now elected. Next year, the entire board will be elected.

“The switch away from mayoral control, which Chicago's kind of part way there, is destabilizing, and in a destabilized environment the norms of school board members working together kind of slips to the wayside,” Hanig said. “When everything's more or less in turmoil and up for grabs, individuals, as well as interest groups, are trying to figure out how to gain advantage in the new game.”

As the mayor’s once absolute grip on the school board dissipates, it is harder to keep information under wraps. Board president Sean Harden was appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and has the difficult task of trying to get the group to work together and also be mindful of Johnson’s priorities.

The first leak happened in November, when the board was on the verge of interviewing two candidates for Chicago Public Schools’ top job. Board members signed a non-disclosure agreement promising to keep the names confidential, even though many other school districts make finalists’ names public and give parents and community members a chance to vet them.

WBEZ and the Sun-Times published the names of the finalists, which spurred one of the candidates to withdraw. Chalkbeat published one of the two names.The process has been in limbo ever since. The board now says it aims to have a permanent superintendent in place by next school year.

The second leak took place over the winter break. Harden said he told his colleagues last week that the board was going to find out who sent Fox reporter Paris Schutz an update from the board’s chief of staff. It included information about the special meeting to vote on a property tax increase.

The special meeting notice was properly posted on the board’s website on Dec. 24, less than 12 hours after Schutz posted the leaked communication on his X social media account.

Finding the source of the leaks won’t be easy, as reporters don’t divulge their sources and board members are not necessarily responsible. If the investigations determine that a board member leaked the information, they could be fined, Harden said.

Harden also said he and CPS’ top lawyer held private meetings with board members and informed them that publicly sharing the update was a breach of their sworn responsibilities. Harden said the update included pre-decisional information that is not yet public. Schutz only posted the first page of the update, which indicated that it included information on a charter school survey and CPS’ draft legislative agenda.

Harden wants to know whether Schutz received the entire update.The board office and the CPS legal department will conduct the investigation, according to Harden.

“It is behavior that is actually harmful to the board and the work that we're trying to do collectively so we have to identify who it is,” he said. “We've sent several notices to board members asking them to refrain from sharing that type of information, and it continues to happen.”

Harden said the board has to spend its time answering questions about leaked information.

“It creates a ripple effect across the city, and then we begin having to chase the train or further explain what was really meant,” he said.

The special meeting, where the relatively small property tax was approved, was held on Dec. 29. The Urban Center, a political organization that is critical of Mayor Brandon Johnson and his Chicago Teacher Union allies, bashed the special meeting, calling it secret. They alleged that Harden and, by extension his ally mayor Johnson, were trying to keep the property tax increase meeting quiet by holding the vote between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, when people were not paying attention.

Board member Che “Rhymefest” Smith, who voted against the property tax increase, said he agrees that it is “inappropriate” for board members to publicly share information that is supposed to be kept confidential. But he said the fact that only one member of the public spoke at the meeting shows it was not well publicized. Typically, the 30 public comment spots are taken.

“CPS could alleviate leaks with a little more transparency,” he said. “I think good leadership is not to threaten a board member by telling someone, who was elected, to resign. Good leaders inspire cooperation through transparency.”

Smith, who was elected to his board seat, said some elected members are frustrated with the mayoral-aligned members, who are in the majority. Sometimes information is not shared with elected members who are not in the mayor’s camp. He’s hoping that will change once the board is fully elected in 2027.

Jennifer Custer, who, like Smith, is an elected, independent board member, voted for the property tax increase. She’s not sure that investigating these breaches is a good use of the board’s time, but she’s also not happy about the leaks.

“The board is not harboring state secrets,” she said. “I am finding it frustrating and counter productive because we are constantly dealing with the backlash.”