Community College Teachers Want An Elected Board Of Trustees

Members of the Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600, want SB1693 to move forward in the legislation process. It calls for the City Colleges of Chicago to have an elected board of trustees. Photo provided by the Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600.
Members of the Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600, want SB1693 to move forward in the legislation process. It calls for the City Colleges of Chicago to have an elected board of trustees. Photo provided by the Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600.

Community College Teachers Want An Elected Board Of Trustees

By Tia Carol Jones

Cook County College Teachers Union, Local 1600, (CCTU) are urging Illinois Senate members to vote in favor of Senate Bill 1693. The bill would amend the Public Community College Act and create an elected board of trustees for the City Colleges of Chicago, beginning with the 2027 election.

SB 1693 was introduced by Illinois State Senator Robert F. Martwick, who also spearheaded legislation that create an elected board for the Chicago Board of Education. Currently, the Mayor appoints members to the City Colleges of Chicago board of trustees.

Supporters of the legislation say it would give communities a voice in the way the city colleges are run, which would benefit both the students and the faculty.

On Wednesday, May 21st, a group of students, community leaders and the Chicago City Council members went to Illinois Senate President Don Harmon’s office calling for immediate action on the legislation. The CCCTU members are frustrated with the process and the length of time it has taken to pass the legislation.

The CCCTU represents faculty, staff and professionals at the 14 community colleges in Cook County, including seven suburban colleges and seven city colleges. CCCTU Legislative Chair Troy Swanson said that with the passing of the legislation for the Chicago Board of Education elected board, CCCTU members have been hopeful that legislation for an elected City Colleges of Chicago Board of Trustees would also pass.

Swanson gave examples of previous mayoral administrations making decisions about the city colleges that didn’t take into consideration the students or the faculty. He said a lack of community voice in the management of the city colleges resulted in things like the consolidation of programs into single campuses.

“For instance, all of the nursing programs that used to be at all of the colleges, you could go down the street and be enrolled in a nursing program, they have all moved to Malcolm X, because Malcolm X became the health care hub for the city colleges. If you live on the Far North side or Far South side, that means you could have quite a long commute to get to that campus to engage in those programs,” he said. He added that students and faculty are both living with that legacy.

Swanson said there are currently 41 co-sponsors on SB 1693, but the bill is sitting unassigned and has not received any progress forward. He said he is not sure why it is not a priority for the Illinois Senate. He would like to see the Chicago-based Senators advocating and moving the legislation through. He said he knows the legislative process is not easy and legislators in Springfield are facing a lot of tough choices. But, he argues that the work has already been done for the implementation of the legislation, by using the CPS maps for their elected board.

“It would make a lot of sense in terms of how the neighborhoods are broken down and the racial dynamics of the board, to have a diverse board that represents the voters of Chicago; politically, where you could have districts that are aligned, so that groups that are on the ground doing political work could be working in districts that align with each other,” he said. He added that CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union have led the way and have outlined a process that makes a lot of sense.

Swanson said he and the members of CCCTU would like to have a committee hearing to explain to members of the public and have an open debate, which he believes would also help move this legislation through. He added that CCCTU believes they have a good partner in Mayor Brandon Johnson to help them move this legislation forward.

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