On October 24th, seven new members of the Chicago Board of Education were officially sworn in to begin their service to the Chicago Public School (CPS) System. Olga Bautista, Michilla Blaise, Mary Gardner, Rev. Mitchell L. Ikenna Johnson, Deborah “Debby” Pope, Frank Niles Thomas and Rafael Yáñez join the Board of Education for the remainder of 2024, before the transition to an elected representative school board in 2025.  The Board of Education will have elected members for the first time on November 5, 2024, and transition to a 21-person board in 2025, with 11 appointed by the mayor and 10 elected. They began their service today at the Agenda Review Committee Meeting and will preside over their first Board meeting on November 1, 2024.  “I am honored to officially welcome these individuals to the Chicago Board of Education,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “As a CPS parent, I am looking forward to working with these new board members to ensure we have a school district that gives every Chicagoan access to a fully resourced, equitable, safe, and healthy learning environment in their neighborhood.”