A week ahead of May Day, Chicago Public Schools officials have outlined how classes will operate and what civic engagement students and staff can participate in on the annual labor holiday.

Records obtained by WTTW News show a former CPS employee logged paid work hours while traveling domestically and abroad, contributing to inflated vendor bills and alleged time fraud. The investigation concluded the conduct amounted to theft under Illinois law and triggered personnel terminations across CPS and its contractor.

The announcement comes after a push by the CTU and some Board of Education members to close schools and allow for demonstrations on the annual labor holiday.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, representatives from the Chicago Teachers Union and some Chicago Board of Education members have been petitioning to exempt CPS students and teachers on May 1, allowing them to participate in local demonstrations.

For decades, Chicago’s Board of Education has been the only one in Illinois handpicked by the city’s mayor. And for just as long, education advocates have called for that board to be an elected body, representative of Chicago’s diverse residents. This fall, those advocates will get their wish.

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.

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.

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.