Education
Mayor Brandon Johnson Appoints Sean Harden as Newest Chicago Board of Education Member
(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed a seventh member to the Chicago Board of Education, replacing the board’s former president who resigned shortly after his own appointment after a series of social media posts generated widespread outrage.
Sean Harden — a businessman who previously worked as Chicago Public Schools’ deputy CEO of community affairs and as an executive assistant to former Mayor Richard M. Daley — took his oath of office and was sworn in as the board’s seventh member during Thursday evening’s meeting.
“I’m excited to join this board,” he said. “This is an incredible opportunity and I look forward to doing great things and moving the vision of the school board ahead.”
Johnson in a statement said Harden brings “decades of experience and a steadfast commitment to advancing equity and opportunity for all Chicago students.”
"Sean Harden is a proven leader with a bold vision for what education can achieve," Johnson said in a statement. "His deep ties to Chicago’s communities and his unwavering commitment to equity make him the ideal leader to shape a brighter future for our students."
Harden takes over the vacancy left by Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson, who resigned in October after his antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial social media posts came to light and led to calls for him to step down from city and state leaders.
Mitchell Ikenna Johnson had been voted as board president just days earlier following the surprise resignation of the entire previous board that month.
Harden’s appointment is the latest, but not the last, to be made by Brandon Johnson, who must select a handful more members by next week as the board expands to a 21-member, partially elected body beginning next month.
Chicago residents in November’s election selected 10 members, who will be sworn in next month, while Johnson will appoint 11 members of his own.
The board’s next meeting will be held in January at CPS’ Loop office for the first time since June, when flooding issues forced the board to move to an alternate location. Since then, the board’s typical meeting place has been undergoing renovations in order to accommodate the expanded board.
