Incoming Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard will officially begin work Thursday, after the outgoing Chicago Board of Education unanimously approved a one-month contract at its monthly meeting Wednesday. Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s hand-picked board will approve Brizard’s longer-term contract when it convenes in June.
Brizard, who did not attend the meeting, will make $250,000 a year under a the resolution approved by the board — $15,000 more per year than he was earning as superintendent of the Rochester, N.Y. school system. It’s a $20,000 increase from the salary of the last full-time CPS CEO, Ron Huberman. Interim CEO Terry Mazany worked for a token salary of $1.
Mazany said Brizard has the qualities and energy to handle the position, including the ability to collaborate with the Chicago Teachers Union.
“At the end of the day, it’s very important for the adults, the teachers union and the school district, to work together for the benefit of children,” Mazany said.
Though the meeting was dominated by well wishes for the outgoing board, there was nearly three hours of public participation, during which concerns over the newly-implemented Breakfast in the Classroom program and cuts to district initiatives were discussed.
Breakfast in the Classroom, a program that requires CPS elementary schools to serve breakfast at the start of the day, has been controversial since launching in May. Critics have said the program cuts into instructional time and serves unhealthy food.
Meredith Crowley, a CPS parent, said she is upset that the district is serving dessert for breakfast, citing menu items such as chocolate cereal and Rice Krispie bars. She said the district implemented the program largely to generate revenue and plug a budget hole.
“Please give someone at CPS a red pen and ask them to go through the menu at Chartwell’s, ditch the desserts, red-line the Rice Krispie bars, freeze the Frosted Mini-Wheats,” Crowley said. “I will not stand back and let CPS balance the budget on the backs of poor children.”
A group called Parents United for Healthy Schools spoke in favor of the program and delivered 5,000 signed petitions to the board from other parent and community members who support the program.
Advocates also spoke on behalf of several CPS programs that are facing uncertain futures because of budget cuts, including a violence prevention program launched this year with federal stimulus dollars that will run dry in July.
“We need the board to take the message to the next board that this program works,” said Robin Hood, a pastor who works with the Safe Passage program, which helps students travel safely to and from school.
Outgoing board president Mary Richardson-Lowry said the new board will determine next year’s budget, which in turn would dictate the program’s future. The district is currently facing a $720 million deficit.
“I would encourage you to continue to come back and make sure your voices are heard as people begin to try to think through how they want to allocate the resources of the district,” she said.
The pomp of the final meeting of the current board included standing ovations for Mazany and Interim Chief Education Officer Charles Payne and a public thank-you from CTU president Karen Lewis, a frequent antagonist.
“While I don’t always agree with what you do, I do appreciate the fact that you’ve chosen to serve the children of Chicago,” Lewis said. “You guys, keep doing the right thing, keep our kids best interest in your hearts.”
“My only hope is that, in leaving this board, is it is better than it was when I got here,” said Norman R. Bobins, a member since former Mayor Richard M. Daley took control of CPS 16 years ago.
