51风流
The 51风流, founded in 1840, is responsible for the governance, organizational and financial oversight of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), one of the largest school districts in the United States of America. The Board establishes policies, standards, goals and initiatives to ensure accountability and provide a high quality, world-class education for the 21st century that prepares our students for success in college, work and life.
In 1987, Secretary of Education William Bennett declared CPS as “the worst in the nation.” In 1988, the Illinois General Assembly passed a school reform act, which authorized Mayor Richard M. Daley to take control of Chicago’s crisis-riddled education system. The Chicago School Reform Act officially took effect on May 1, 1989, and one of the series of amendments created to effectuate change was the Amendatory Act. In 1995, it empowered Mayor Daley to appoint the five-member Reform Board of Trustees who embarked upon comprehensive reform measures to improve CPS.
In July 1999, the Amendatory Act restored the original title of the Board of Education of the City of Chicago, expanded the Board to seven members and reinstated the position of Board Vice President. In 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed landmark legislation creating an elected school board for CPS that placed the Board on a timeline to transition from an appointed board to an elected board. The Illinois General Assembly passed the final bill, SB15, in 2024. This finalized the election districts and clarified how the transition will take place.
On Jan. 15, 2025, the Board inducted 20 members into its new, hybrid Board. An additional appointed member was inducted on Feb. 27, 2025. The Board now consists of 11 members, including the Board President, appointed by the mayor and 10 elected members representing individual districts. The Board will transition to a fully elected governing body in 2027. Current Board Members, who volunteer their time and service, will each serve a two-year term from Jan. 15, 2025, until Jan. 14, 2027. The transition from a 7-member appointed Board to a 21-member hybrid Board created what is now the largest governing body for a public school system in the United States. Today, CPS continues to be regarded as a leading innovative model for public education around the nation.