The Chicago Teachers Union has one request for the mayor as he begins the process to appoint a new school board president: Appoint an educator.
The union says naming an educator to head the Chicago Board of Education would give the board a better understanding of classroom dynamics and teacher needs.
In the past, the board presidents have had a business, rather than educational, expertise. The best way to truly address the issues of a school district is simple, union spokeswoman Rosemaria Genova says. Have an educator run the school board just as a surgeon would run an operating table.
The new board president will replace Michael Scott, who killed himself last month.
The mayor's office says it is still mourning Scott's death and has no official word on when the work of finding a successor will begin.
Rufus Williams, who was board president from July 2006 to February 2009, says the new board leader has to understand the complexities of the position. For example, he or she has to understand how to balance working with parents, aldermen, community leaders, activistis, political figures and others.
"There are a lot of people who have an interest in what is taking place at (CPS)," Williams says.
Scott's knowledge of Chicago politics helped him through his terms as president, Williams says.
"I think that Michael brought an understanding of the city," Williams says.
The new leader must also have an understanding of where the school district is, where it has been and how to not impede progress, especially making sure the gap between achieving and under-achieving students doesn't get worse, Williams says.
"We must do all we can to make sure every child truly has a chance. I think it takes an incredible amount of courage to go against the grain," Williams says. "But I think it takes courage to make things different than the way they are."
The union typically doesn't work with the mayor as he appoints new board members, but would if asked, Genova says. The city has plenty of qualified educators could serve ably as president. But the union won't recommend names, Genova says.
"Right now, Chicago is really the epicenter of education. We are really being watched. I think it is important to have a really qualified person running Chicago Public Schools who can work with all the employees in our school district to do the best for our children," Genova says.
While some will champion an educator for the position, others will look for the new board president to represent the needs of minorities in the school district, Williams says.
"People will assume that the next president of the board will be a minority to represent the school system. I think it would be a good thing to have representation at that level," Williams says. "When you look at the demographics of the system, the demographics should suggest there should be some representation at the top. But that's not the case with the CEO of schools. Is it important? Yeah. But how important is it? I think we'll kind of see."
I'll also be checking in with other groups and leaders, such as the Caucus of Rank-and-file Educators (CORE), to corral more opinion on who should lead the school board next.
Stay tuned.