Education

Mayor Brandon Johnson Appoints Final Member to Chicago’s Hybrid Board of Education

Mayor Brandon Johnson has made his 11th and final appointment to Chicago’s new hybrid Board of Education, more than a month after the other 20 members were sworn in to begin their terms.

Cydney Wallace, who serves on the board of directors for the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, has been named as the 21st member of the new school board.

“It’s always been my belief that every student, regardless of where their school is or their economic status, should be offered the same educational opportunities,” Wallace said in a statement. “I’m excited to get to work alongside the other Board members to ensure our school system meets the needs of its students, teachers, families, staff, and the greater community.”

A South Side native and mother of four who now lives in Chicago Lawn, Wallace joins Chicago’s newly expanded board, which includes 10 members who were elected back in November and 11 others who are mayoral appointees. The board will become fully-elected beginning in 2027.

“Her deep roots in Chicago fuel her passion for advocacy and equitable opportunities for families and students,” the mayor’s office said Tuesday in a press release.

Wallace’s appointment comes 34 days after the other 20 members of the board were sworn into office and nearly two months since Johnson named his other 10 appointments to the board. Already that new board has met three times — twice for agenda review committee meetings and once for its regular monthly board meeting.

Wallace has been a member of the JCUA since 2016, including on the council’s Community Safety Committee where she worked on a campaign to implement civilian oversight of the Chicago Police Department.

According to the JCUA, her work was “instrumental” in the creation of the Commission for Public Safety & Accountability.

Wallace is set to join the board following a period of significant turnover and change.

Johnson first selected seven new members last October after the entire previous board abruptly resigned. Johnson then had to replace the board’s president, the Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson, who resigned weeks later under pressure after his antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial social media posts were discovered.

The board is set to host its next monthly meeting Feb. 27.

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