With Janice Jackson stepping down as CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Mayor Lori Lightfoot will now be on the hunt for the 10th person to head the district since the position was created in 1995. Here’s a look back at the people who’ve held the spot and where they are now.
Barbara Byrd-Bennett
Ex-CEO will serve remainder of sentence in home confinement
Barbara Byrd-Bennett, 70, has been moved from the Federal Prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia where she has been serving her 4.5-year sentence. Her attorney confirmed she will serve the rest of that sentence under home confinement.
A for-profit company that contracts with Chicago Public Schools comes under fire in a new report for its connections to convicted former CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett.
Former SUPES co-owner Gary Solomon believes he should have received a shorter sentence than former CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett. A federal appeals court disagreed.
The disgraced former Chicago Public Schools CEO reports to prison in just a few days.
Former SUPES co-owner Thomas Vranas receives 18-month sentence
The disgraced former Chicago Public Schools CEO will spend 54 months in prison after a federal judge sentenced her Friday for the yearslong kickback scheme she ran while chief of the cash-strapped district.
In a sentencing memo filed Friday, Barbara Byrd-Bennett’s attorneys admit she “harbored a very real and greedy sense of entitlement” that she was earning something she deserved by steering millions of dollars in CPS contracts to her former employer.
The former SUPES Academy chief charged in connection with the Barbara Byrd-Bennett fraud scandal was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison after pleading guilty last year.
A $215 million hole in Chicago Public Schools' budget and a sentencing date for its former CEO headline local education issues to follow in the coming year.
SUPES Academy CEO Gary Solomon pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in federal court Tuesday, opening the door for co-defendants Tom Vranas and Barbara Byrd-Bennett to be sentenced for their bribery scheme.
Thomas Vranas, a former co-owner of SUPES Academy, admitted in federal court Tuesday to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery. The plea deal comes with an agreement to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's office.
A final look at the stakes in Tuesday’s primary election in Illinois. Chicago Public Schools sues its former CEO and SUPES Academy for $65 million. And former Bears head coach Lovie Smith is back in Illinois to coach football. Joel Weisman and his guests discuss these stories and more in this week’s show.
Chicago Public Schools has filed a lawsuit against former Chief Executive Officer Barbara Byrd-Bennett. The complaint, filed Thursday in Cook County Circuit Court, seeks $65 million in money damages and civil penalties.
An annual report from CPS Inspector General Nick Schuler cites numerous cases of students who live in Chicago suburbs enrolling in the city's elite selective enrollment schools.
It wasn't all about politics in 2015, but stories of government change, corruption and challenges loomed large in the headlines. With that, we present a collection of the stories that "Chicago Tonight" followers were most interested in over the past 12 months.
During this week’s special edition of the Week in Review, Joel Weisman and his panel discuss the biggest news stories of 2015, including the release of the Laquan McDonald video, the resignation of CPS CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and the three-time Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks.
