Chicago Board of Education * Makeup: The mayor appoints all seven board members, who elect a president and vice president. Current members are President Gery Chico, Vice President Avis LaVelle and members Norman Bobins, Tariq Butt, Michael Mayo, Clare Munana and Gene Saffold. Chico's resignation takes effect June 30, or earlier if a replacement is named. * Pay: None. The positions are voluntary. Chico had access to a driver and cell phone, both only for board business. Other board members are given transportation to board-related meetings. * Duties: To set policy affecting more than 600 schools and 435,000 students in the nation's third-largest school system; to approve contracts over $10,000, many involving millions of dollars; to approve the system's annual $4.4 billion budget; to appoint the paid positions of chief executive, operating, fiscal, educational and purchasing officers. * Meetings: Fourth Wednesday of every month. The board president normally gavels the meeting to order and presides over it. * History: In 1995, Illinois lawmakers gave Mayor Daley power to appoint a "super-board" of five people, named the Chicago School Reform Board of Trustees, as well as a "chief executive officer" and four other key paid officers. The new paid CEO position, intended to be someone with business and fiscal savvy, replaced the educator-superintendent at the top of the system's paid staff. The 1995 law also required that, after four years, the board would expand to seven members, be renamed the Chicago Board of Education, and board members would decide whether to keep the CEO position or revert back to an educator-superintendent. Power to name or abolish the four other key officers also reverted back to board members in 1999. -- This is the CPS Science Teacher List. To unsubscribe, send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For more information: <http://home.sprintmail.com/~mikelach/subscribe.html>. To search the archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/science%40lists.csi.cps.k12.il.us/>
