Education

Chicago Board of Education VP Olga Bautista Stepping Down

Olga Bautista, who serves as vice president of Chicago’s Board of Education following her appointment by Mayor Brandon Johnson, is resigning her position, she announced Wednesday.

Bautista will step away from the board and her professional duties “for a period of rest” after receiving a sabbatical award from the Chicago Frontlines Fund, which invests in “community-led solutions that address the interconnected economic and climate crises.”

“Public service is never easy, but it really matters,” she said at Wednesday’s board meeting. “Our students deserve schools that are well resourced, communities that are heard and leaders who remain focused on the long-term future of our city. It’s been an honor to serve the students and families of Chicago.”

Bautista, who served as executive director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, was appointed to the board by Johnson in October 2024 after a previous iteration of the board resigned en masse amid strife between the mayor and then CPS CEO Pedro Martinez over district funding and other issues.

Bautista and her fellow appointees would later vote in December 2024 to terminate Martinez, whose position has still not been filled on a permanent basis.

The following month, after the board transitioned into a 21-member, partially elected body, Bautista was elected as its vice president.

With Bautista’s exit, Johnson will have the opportunity to select her replacement, who could become the final mayoral-appointed member as Chicagoans this fall will vote for the first time to elect all 21 board members.

“I want to commend Olga’s consistent commitment to our work here at the board,” Board President Sean Harden said Wednesday. “We’ve faced a lot of challenges. Her years of service towards environmental justice, educational equality and working families on Chicago’s Southeast Side shine through her passion and support for the district.”

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