CPS Protesters Want Mayor To Replace Entire School Board
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Chicago Public Schools parents and other education advocates were outside Mayor Rahm Emanuel's office at City Hall on Monday, demanding he "push the reset button" on his appointed school board, amid an ongoing contract scandal.
Rhoda Rae Gutierrez, a member of the grassroots group Parents 4 Teachers, alluded to the time in Washington when Emanuel sent a dead fish to an adversary.
"Because our mayor understands the meaning of dead fish, I have a message that I hope resonates with him about the state of Chicago Public Schools. A fish rots from the head down," she said.
Cassie Cresswell, an organizer for the group More Than A Score, said a $20 million no-bid contract at the center of a federal investigation is not the only thing rotten at the Chicago Board of Education. She cited controversial investments by board member Deboarh Quazzo in companies doing business with CPS.
According to published reports, companies in which Quazzo has a financial stake have seen their business with CPS triple since Emanuel appointed her to the school board.
"We need a Board of Ed that's free from financial conflicts of interest. We need board members who, unlike Quazzo, don't see Chicago Public Schools as business incubators," Cresswell said.
The advocates said they want Emanuel to dump the entire seven-member Chicago Board of Education, and appoint members who won't allow corruption and cronyism.
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Meanwhile in a memo to staff, the CPS interim CEO Jesse Ruiz announced that no-bid, is no-more, and called for an independent review of the CPS contract process, one defended by Chicago School Board President David Vitale last week.
"I think Jesse Ruiz did the right thing, by ordering a review of the process and if anything is found about SUPES what actions are to be taken," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said.
Ruiz says if wrongdoing is found in connection with the SUPES contract, CPS legal counsel is preparing options to terminate it.
Governor Rauner called the growing scandal a symptom of a failing system.
"I hope there's been no wrongdoing," Rauner said. "But Chicago Public Schools has been a source of patronage, cronyism… massive bureaucracy. It hasn't really served the families and the parents and the children well for a long time."
Rauner says he plans to meet with Mayor Emanuel soon to get his thoughts about changes needed at CPS. The mayor defended his board but said he wants everyone at CPS laser focused on educating kids.
