Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has chosen a former teacher and head of a prominent parents’ advocacy group to lead the Board of Education — part of Johnson’s near-total restructuring of the school board ahead of its transition to an elected panel.
Johnson, himself a former educator and organizer for the Chicago Teachers Union, announced Wednesday that he’s chosen as his school board head Jianan Shi, the executive director of the nonprofit Raise Your Hand for Illinois Public Education.
Other new board appointements include Rudy Lozano Jr., the son of the slain activist who has run for the state House; Mariela Estrada, director of community engagement at the United Way of Metro Chicago; Michelle Morales, president of the Woods Fund Chicago; Tanya D. Woods, executive director of the nonprofit legal aid clinic the Westside Justice Center; and special education advocate Mary Fahey Hughes.
The one current member Johnson decided to retain is Elizabeth Todd-Breland, who was named vice president.
Shi will take over board leadership from Miguel del Valle, a former state senator who was appointed by previous Mayor Lori Lightfoot four years ago and stepped down in June.
As Lightfoot did early in her term, Johnson has been expected to reconstitute the Board of Education since taking office in May.
But the circumstances are different this time, as Johnson is the last mayor who will get to hand-pick the people who will govern what is by far the largest school system in Illinois with an enrollment of more than 300,000 students. That’s because, as a result of a change to state law that Lightfoot opposed, the Board of Education will shift from seven members appointed by the mayor to 21 elected representatives.
The transition begins next year, when 10 members will be elected. The other 10 seats, plus a president elected at large, will be chosen by voters in 2026.
“This is an honor, privilege, and responsibility that I do not take lightly. … As stewards of the transition toward an elected school board, we have much to add to and change over the next year and a half,” Shi said in a written statement following his appointment. “We will be advocates for more funding at every level and set up the future 21-seat school board for success.”
Shi, who said he will step down from Raise Your Hand, noted every new appointee has Local School Council experience and has been a Chicago Public Schools educator or parent.
His statement suggested what some of his highest priorities might be, citing the board’s “tremendous responsibility to invest in special education, empower LSCs, and create a family agenda that centers those most impacted.”
Shi added that by “harnessing authentic engagement, expanding wrap-around initiatives like sustainable community schools, and investing in more programs like Career Technical Education (CTE), we can create a district that works for everyone.”
Though Shi’s name has been rumored for weeks as Johnson’s top appointee to the Board of Education, advocacy groups and LSC members had sought more community input and more transparency in Johnson’s decision-making.
In an open letter to the mayor in June, parent organizations and other advocacy groups urged Johnson to appoint board members with more transparency than administrations past, including “open solicitation of candidates, transparency around the criteria and qualifications by which candidates are to be selected,” and to describe his vision for the Board’s membership.
With CPS facing a $628 million budget shortfall in the 2025-26 school year, the groups beseeched Johnson to prioritize candidates with both policy expertise on the ongoing challenges the district faces and direct experience with CPS, as parents or alumni.
Check back for more on this breaking story.
