Chicago Board of Education Packet Summary — 2026-08-27
Meeting: Board Meeting
Date: August 27, 2026
The Chicago Board of Education is scheduled to consider policy changes affecting students in temporary living situations, a public-comment process for relocation-assistance policy, Local School Council appointments, major technology and transportation contracts, capital construction activity, personnel matters, and unfinished business involving the Chicago High School for the Arts. The agenda also includes public participation, Superintendent/CEO remarks, committee updates, discussion of public agenda items, and a vote on public agenda items.
Key Items on the Agenda
Students in Temporary Living Situations Policy
The Superintendent/CEO recommends amending Board Report 16-0427-PO1 and renaming the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Policy as the Education of Students in Temporary Living Situations Policy. The proposed revision is intended to maintain compliance with the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and Illinois law while expanding and clarifying district procedures for identifying, enrolling, transporting, and supporting students experiencing housing instability.
Among the proposed provisions:
- Attendance-area schools would be required to immediately enroll eligible students in temporary living situations, including when normally required records or proof of residence are unavailable.
- The policy describes rights involving the school of origin, attendance-area schools, ninth-grade transitions, selective and specialized programs, and continued enrollment after a student secures permanent housing.
- Transportation provisions address CTA assistance, hardship transportation, transportation for unaccompanied students in grades 7–12, and coordination when a student's temporary residence or school of origin is outside Chicago.
- Eligible students would have access to fee waivers, school supplies, uniforms or appropriate school clothing, free meals, transportation to eligible activities, tutoring upon request, enrichment opportunities, and credit-recovery protections.
- Every district school would designate an STLS Liaison, while schools meeting specified criteria for higher concentrations of students experiencing housing insecurity would receive a dedicated STLS Advocate position.
- The proposal calls for mandatory STLS training twice per school year for principals, school STLS Advocates and Liaisons, and clerks working with affected students, along with a beginning-of-year module for district staff.
- The revised dispute process would require continued enrollment and/or transportation while disputes and subsequent appeals are pending.
The proposed policy also establishes oversight, notification, audit, website-information, and compliance requirements for the district and individual schools.
The Superintendent/CEO recommends authorizing a public-comment period from August 28 through September 28, 2026 for proposed amendments to the Assistance Payments for Relocated Property Owners and Tenants Policy.
The policy applies when property owners or tenants must relocate because of a Chicago Public Schools project and other governmental relocation assistance is unavailable. Proposed revisions include updated eligibility and reimbursement provisions and changes to certain allowances and procedures.
Among the amounts reflected in the proposed policy are:
- A fixed allowance of $5,000 for qualifying residential property owners who acquire and occupy a replacement site in Chicago within the specified period.
- A fixed $5,000 allowance for qualifying commercial property owners who purchase replacement property and relocate within Chicago within the specified period.
- A tenant allowance of up to $9,570, subject to eligibility requirements.
- For eligible for-profit entities choosing a fixed moving-expense allowance, an amount based on average annual net earnings within stated limits, including a maximum referenced amount of $53,200.
Claims generally would have to be submitted with required documentation within 24 months after the acquired property is conveyed for CPS use. The August 27 agenda item is to authorize the public-comment period, not final adoption of the amended policy.
Local School Council Appointments
Two resolutions address Local School Council governance.
The first would fill vacancies on the Local School Council Advisory Board, a 15-member body that advises the Board on Local School Council elections, operations, powers, duties, school improvement plans, and other district issues. The appointments would fill vacancies for the remainder of the current term ending June 30, 2027.
A second resolution would appoint individuals to vacancies on Local School Councils, appointed Local School Councils, and/or Boards of Governors. The packet identifies proposed appointments at Simpson High School, among others, and explains the statutory and policy processes used to select candidates for different membership categories.
Major Financial and Procurement Items
Student Transportation — Up to $206.1 Million
The packet proposes extending agreements with multiple vendors providing paratransit and alternate modes of student transportation. These services include transportation in cars, vans, and lift/ramp-equipped vehicles for eligible students, including diverse learners and students in temporary living situations.
The proposed amendment would:
- Extend the agreement by two years, through September 30, 2028.
- Increase contract authority by $86.1 million.
- Raise total not-to-exceed authority from $120 million to $206.1 million.
- Remove one vendor because it has discontinued the covered services.
Future-year spending remains contingent on budget appropriation and approval.
Windows and Chrome Devices — Up to $60 Million
The Board is scheduled to consider a three-year agreement with CDW Government LLC and Virtucom, Inc. for Windows and Chrome computing devices, accessories, installation, configuration, warranties, and maintenance for schools and district offices.
The proposed term would run from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2029, with two one-year renewal options. Total authority would be not to exceed $60 million, including planned amounts of $18 million in FY27 and $20 million in each of FY28 and FY29, with an additional $2 million reflected for FY30.
The agreements are still being negotiated. The packet states that goods cannot be ordered or received and payments cannot be made before written agreements are executed.
Capital Construction — $14.1 Million in New Awards
A Capital Improvement Program report lists proposed construction contract awards totaling $14,073,509.13 for projects involving district facilities. The packet describes the work generally as construction and renovation activity associated with new schools, additions, annexes, and existing facilities.
The same report includes $507,116.08 in changes to existing construction contracts. Capital funding is identified as the funding source.
Chicago Connected — Up to $4.725 Million
The packet proposes new agreements with T-Mobile USA Inc., Comcast of Illinois XI LLC, and RCN Telecom Services of Illinois, LLC for internet connectivity and related services under Chicago Connected.
The proposed two-year term would run from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2028, with three one-year renewal options. Total authority would be not to exceed $4.725 million.
The packet says the services are intended to provide internet connectivity and related hardware, products, and services to approximately 60,000 students and families. The agreements are described as being funded through a partnership with the City of Chicago.
GoCPS 3.0 — Up to $4 Million
The Board is scheduled to consider the first and second final renewal options with Blenderbox Inc. for the GoCPS 3.0 student application platform.
The proposed renewal would cover November 1, 2026 through October 31, 2030 and carry authority of up to $4 million. The software supports electronic student enrollment and centralized management of applications, available seats, and enrollment totals.
The packet says the renewed system is expected to consolidate two software services into one and is to be ready for use before the 2027 school year begins.
Facilities and Safety Contracts
Several additional procurement items concern building systems and maintenance:
- Chicago Fire Protection LLC: proposed final renewal for fire-alarm maintenance and repair, with the amendment increasing not-to-exceed authority by $2,941,250.
- Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP: proposed amendment and final renewal for fire-suppression, Ansul, and exhaust-system maintenance, increasing authority by $1.4 million.
- Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP: a separate proposed two-year renewal for fire-extinguisher maintenance and repair, not to exceed $2.225 million.
- Global Water Technology, Inc.: proposed final renewal for water-treatment products and services, with the amendment increasing authority by $1.125 million.
Other procurement items cover football-equipment reconditioning and purchases, integrated pest management, groundskeeping, furniture, building automation systems, custom printing and promotional items, fingerprinting, and related district services.
Budget Transfers
The Superintendent/CEO recommends a large set of transfers requested by central-office departments during July. The packet states that all transfers are budget neutral.
The transfers cover numerous district operations and programs, including summer and out-of-school-time programming, Sustainable Community Schools, bilingual and English-learner allocations, nonpublic-school federal programs, student transportation, technology, facilities, school staffing, instructional materials, community engagement, and other departmental needs.
Because these are transfers between budget lines, the packet characterizes them as reallocations rather than increases to the overall district budget.
Governance and Personnel
Chief Officer Appointment
The agenda includes 26-0827-EX7, Appoint Chief Officer. The packet does not identify a proposed appointee or provide substantive appointment details.
It specifically notes that the matter may be moved forward for final action or deferred for final action at a future Board meeting.
Employee Matters
The Superintendent/CEO recommends warning resolutions involving three tenured teachers. The packet describes warning resolutions as notices of unsatisfactory conduct that may lead to dismissal charges if the identified conduct is not corrected and satisfactory performance maintained.
The agenda separately includes a Board resolution concerning discipline of a tenured teacher following a dismissal hearing and a resolution concerning the Superintendent/CEO's recommendation to dismiss educational support personnel.
These are proposed personnel actions; the packet does not establish the outcome of the Board's August 27 consideration.
Legal Settlements
The non-delegable agenda includes two workers' compensation lump-sum settlement items and a proposed payment resolving pending litigation involving a minor. These items require Board member action.
Chicago High School for the Arts
Unfinished business carried forward from the July 30, 2026 meeting concerns Chicago High School for the Arts, or ChiArts.
Resolution 26-0730-RS6 proposes rescinding Board Report 25-1104-EX2, which had established Chicago High School for the Arts as a district-managed fine and performing arts school, and replacing it with a resolution addressing arts investment, support for the ChiArts community, and preservation of pre-professional arts training.
The packet states that the former ChiArts Board of Directors notified the district in fall 2025 that the attendance center would close because of financial deficiencies at the end of the 2025–26 school year. It also states that the district had proposed reducing professional teaching artists from 70 to 20 for 2026–27.
The pending resolution instead calls for:
- Additional district funding sufficient to maintain current arts and academic programming and staffing for the 2026–27 school year.
- Reasonable efforts by district leadership to retain qualified teachers, teaching artists, and staff for vacant positions.
- Preservation of pre-professional arts training during the school's transition to district operation.
The packet marks this resolution as postponed from July 30 to August 27, 2026, so it remains unfinished business rather than a completed August action.
Public Participation
Public participation is scheduled after committee updates. The packet provides for up to 30 public speakers over 60 minutes, with speakers selected through a randomized lottery when registrations exceed available slots.
Registered speakers may participate in person or electronically. Written comments submitted between the posting of the public agenda and 5 p.m. on the day after the meeting are to be provided to Board members and posted within five business days.
What to Watch at the Meeting
- Whether the Board adopts the extensive rewrite of the Students in Temporary Living Situations policy, including changes to enrollment, transportation, school-based staffing, training, and dispute procedures.
- Whether the Board opens the proposed August 28–September 28 public-comment period for changes to relocation-assistance policy.
- How the Board handles the proposed $206.1 million paratransit and alternate student-transportation authority and the $60 million device purchasing and leasing agreement.
- Whether the Board acts on the Chief Officer appointment or defers it to a future meeting.
- How the Board resolves the postponed Chicago High School for the Arts proposal concerning 2026–27 staffing, programming, funding, and pre-professional arts training.
