CPS CEO Macquline King on Thursday afternoon said her recommendation to the board has been, for weeks, to maintain May 1 as an instructional day for students despite a push from the Chicago Teachers Union.

In a social media post, Jennifer Custer said she voted against Macquline King “because I listened closely to the voices of my community — parents, principals, and rank-and-file educators — who consistently raised serious questions about the direction of the district under this leadership.”

Macquline King will officially drop the interim tag from her title as Chicago Public Schools CEO after the city’s Board of Education voted to make her the district’s next permanent leader.

Chicago’s Board of Education is set to vote on King's appointment as full-time CEO during a special board meeting Monday morning. If approved, King’s $380,000-per-year contract would take effect July 1.

A CPS spokesperson said school leaders have started soliciting feedback from its school community on the decision to consider a school name change after multiple allegations of abuse came to light against the former president of The United Farm Workers union.

Named after the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, the act aims to increase youth voter registration.

More than 100 people gathered in Sheridan’s gymnasium, about 70 miles southwest of Chicago. Students of the Northwestern Prison Education Program, which offers undergraduate degrees to men incarcerated at Sheridan, their families and professors had the opportunity to speak with Mayor Brandon Johnson.

King is joined on the list of finalists by former New York City Public Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and Sito Narcisse, who previously led the East Baton Rouge Parish school district in Louisiana.

The union’s House of Delegates approved a resolution Wednesday seeking “full support” from Chicago’s Board of Education and Mayor Brandon Johnson to declare May 1 as a “Day of Civic Action.”

Nearly two years after CPS removed police officers from campuses and implemented a new holistic approach to school safety, officials believe that shift could serve as a replicable model for school districts across the country.

The ASPIRA charter network intends to close two schools by April 3 due to what it says is a “lack of funding,” forcing hundreds of students to transfer mid-year while teachers and staff must now find new jobs.

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.

CPS classes for K-12 students in the 2026-27 academic year will begin Aug. 24 and end June 11. The following year, they’ll begin Aug. 23 and run through June 9.

The Illinois Education Association on Monday published its annual State of Education report, which offers a glimpse into residents’ feelings on all aspects of the state’s public education system.

The University of Chicago is among dozens of universities and colleges that have agreed to terminate their partnerships with a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups get degrees in business.

The Board of Education is no longer working with Alma Advisory Group, which was hired last May to help guide the search for Chicago Public Schools’ next permanent CEO, according to a statement from six board members.