New Chicago school board member sworn in during last meeting of 2024
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A new member of the Chicago Board of Education was sworn in on Thursday, replacing a board president who resigned over controversial social media comments he had made.
Sean Harden took the oath at the last Chicago school board meeting of 2024. It was not clear Thursday night whether he will be president of the board.
"Sean Harden is a proven leader with a bold vision for what education can achieve," Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release. "His deep ties to Chicago's communities and his unwavering commitment to equity make him the ideal leader to shape a brighter future for our students."
According to his LinkedIn profile, Harden has served as principal of Hardenwright Consultant Group since 2013—working with small and midsized businesses and nonprofits. He is also chief executive officer of Concessionair Retail Solutions.
Before that, Harden worked as a senior advisor and director of real estate and construction for Greenlining Realty USA, and president and chief executive officer of the business incubator GoodCity Chicago.
From 2009 until 2011, Harden served as deputy chief executive officer for the Chicago Public Schools. He was recruited to the position by then-CPS CEO Ron Huberman.
Harden served as deputy commissioner of the Commission on Human Relations under Mayor Richard M. Daley from 2006 to 2009.
On the board, Harden replaces the Rev. Mitchell L. Ikenna Johnson, who resigned at the request of Mayor Johnson just a week after being sworn into office in October. The Rev. Johnson left his post amid growing pressure over a string of controversial Facebook posts supporting Hamas, backing 9/11 conspiracy theories, and making sexist comments.
In one post on his Facebook page after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, Rev Johnson wrote, "People have an absolute right to attack their oppressors by any means necessary."
In another Facebook post in January, Rev. Johnson shared a video espousing the conspiracy theory that "9/11 Really Was An Inside Job." Rev. Johnson's caption for the video says "Facts!!!"
In a post on his Facebook account in May, Rev. Johnson shared a video that displays the words "When a Man earns money he dreams of giving his family and his wife the best. But when a Woman earns money she feels She does not need her man and her family. Sounds harsh but it's reality." Rev. Johnson's caption for the post says "Sad Facts."
Before his resignation, Rev. Johnson had sought to save his job by issuing an apology issued by the Mayor's office.
Mayor Johnson picked Rev. Johnson as president of the school board after replacing the entire board when the previous members resigned en masse. Johnson and the other new board members were sworn in on Oct. 24 at a meeting of the board's agenda review committee.
Chicago Teachers Union wants contract before Trump returns to office
Teachers filled a good portion of the board meeting Thursday night. They insisted the board and Chief Executive Pedro Martinez move quickly with finalizing a contract with the Chicago Teachers Union.
The CTU is especially concerned as President-elect Donald Trump threatens to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, and incoming border czar Tom Homan warns of mass deportation starting in Chicago.
"Settle this contract before Trump is inaugurated," said CTU President Stacy Davis Gates. "Settle this contract so we can have a protective force."
Martinez made it clear that CPS already has strong protections in place for students.
"CPS does not ask for immigration status of students or their families, and we do not coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, otherwise known as ICE," Martinez said.
The search for a solution to the Acero charter school closure plan
While the CTU fights for a contract, nearly 2,000 students at Acero charter schools are fighting to keep seven schools open.
Back in October, Acero notified parents that nearly 2,000 mostly Hispanic students would need to find a new school for the 2025-2026 school year—a move that brought out those who rallied Wednesday night.
Acero said it would close the following schools—Bartolomé de las Casas, 1641 W. 16th St.; Sandra Cisneros, 2744 W. Pershing Rd.; Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz K-12, 7416 N. Ridge Blvd.; Carlos Fuentes, 2345 W. Barry Ave.; Octavio Paz, 2651 W. 23rd St.; Esmeralda Santiago, 2510 W. Cortez St.; and Rufino Tamayo, 5135 S. California Ave.
On Wednesday night, parents packed the charter school board meeting. Parents and even Chicago school board members hoped the charter school operator would explain, but Acero CEO Richard Rodriguez did not say a word at the Wednesday night meeting.
The CPS chief financial officer outlined the four options the board has when it comes to Acero closing schools before it has fulfilled the terms of its contract:
- CPS would financially support Acero through June 2026 when its contract expires. This plan is costly—as CPS would pay an estimated $3.2 million—and could also set a precedent for future charter school closures in which CPS bails out the charter school operators. But it would be a limited disruption for families and students. CPS has never taken action like this before.
- Students at the Acero schools slated for closure would be transferred to other CPS schools. CPS said the benefit of this approach is that Acero and CPS would have a wind-down process, and students would receive support during the transition. But the risk, CPS said, is that classmates from the closing schools may not transfer to the same school, and students will likely transfer out of the district.
- CPS would absorb and reopen the Acero schools, make then district-managed schools rather than charter schools, and absorb all their costs. The benefit, CPS said, is that kids can stay at their same school and there would be no impact on learning. But the risk and challenge is that such a move would set a precedent—as CPS has not taken over other charter schools that have closed. Also, CPS said, Acero teachers would need to meet Chicago residency requirements if they became direct CPS employees—which could lead to staff losses.
- A hybrid opportunity would be implemented, in which CPS would keep six Acero campuses open at a cost of $1.6 million for now, and then transfer students to other schools after the 2025-2026 school year. The Acero network as a whole would likely break even, CPS said.
"We're not fiddling around here," Board of Education Member Frank Niles
Next month, the first-ever elected CPS board will take office—alongside the members appointed by Mayor Johnson.
On Thursday night, newly-elected board members complained their onboarding training was shortened without explanation. They questioned whether this was an attempt to keep them ill-informed before joining next month.
