CHICAGO (CBS) — A new member of the Chicago Board of Education was sworn in Thursday, replacing a board chairman who resigned over controversial social media comments he made.
Sean Harden was sworn in during the last school board meeting in Chicago of 2024. It was not yet clear on Thursday evening whether he will become chairman of the board.
“Sean Harden is a proven leader with a bold vision for what education can achieve,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a news release. “His deep ties to Chicago communities and his unwavering commitment to equality make him the ideal leader to shape a better future for our students.”
According to his LinkedIn profile, Harden has been director of the Hardenwright Consultant Group since 2013, working with small and medium-sized businesses and nonprofits. He is also CEO of Concessionair Retail Solutions.
Previously, Harden served as senior advisor and director of real estate and construction for Greenlining Realty USA, and as president and CEO of business incubator GoodCity Chicago.
From 2009 to 2011, Harden served as deputy CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. He was recruited for the position by then-CPS CEO Ron Huberman.
Harden served as deputy commissioner of the Commission on Human Relations under Mayor Richard M. Daley from 2006 to 2009.
On the board, Harden replaces Rev. Mitchell L. Ikenna Johnson, who resigned at the request of Mayor Johnson just a week after he was sworn in in October. Reverend Johnson left his post under mounting pressure over a series of controversial Facebook posts supporting Hamas, endorsing September 11 conspiracy theories and making sexist comments.
In a post on his Facebook page following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Rev. Johnson wrote: “People have the absolute right to attack their oppressors by any means necessary.”
In another Facebook post in January, Rev. Johnson shared a video embracing the conspiracy theory that “9/11 was really an inside job.” Rev. Johnson’s caption on the video reads, “Facts!!!”
In a post to his Facebook account in May, Rev. Johnson shared a video with the words: “When a man makes money, he dreams of giving the best to his family and his wife. But when a woman earns money, she feels like she doesn’t need it. her husband and her family. Sounds harsh, but it’s the reality.” Rev. Johnson captioned the post: “Sad facts.”
Before his resignation, Rev. Johnson had tried to save his job with an apology issued by the mayor’s office.
Mayor Johnson selected Rev. Johnson as school board chairman after replacing the entire board when the previous members resigned en masse. Johnson and the other new board members were sworn in Oct. 24 during a meeting of the board’s agenda review committee.
Chicago Teachers Union wants a contract before Trump returns to office
Teachers filled much of the board meeting Thursday evening. They urged the board and CEO Pedro Martinez to take swift action in finalizing a contract with the Chicago Teachers Union.
The CTU is especially concerned as newly elected President Donald Trump threatens to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, and incoming border czar Tom Homan warns of mass deportations starting in Chicago.
“Settle this contract before Trump is inaugurated,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said. “Settle this contract so we can have a protective force.”
Martinez made it clear that CPS already offers strong protections for students.
“CPS does not inquire about the immigration status of students or their families, and we do not coordinate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE,” Martinez said.
The search for a solution to the Acero charter school closure plan
As the CTU fights for a contract, nearly 2,000 students from Acero charter schools are fighting to keep seven schools open.
In October, Acero notified parents that nearly 2,000 mostly Hispanic students would have to find a new school for the 2025-2026 school year — a move that prompted those who gathered Wednesday night.
Acero said it would close the following schools—Bartolomé de las Casas, 1641 W. 16th St.; Sandra Cisneros, 2744 W. Pershing Rd.; Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz K-12, 7416 N. Ridge Blvd.; Carlos Fuentes, 2345 W. Barry Ave.; Octavio Paz, 2651 W. 23rd St.; Esmeralda Santiago, 2510 W. Cortez St.; and Rufino Tamayo, 5135 S. California Ave.
On Wednesday evening, parents packed the charter school board meeting. Parents and even Chicago school board members hoped the charter school operator would explain, but Acero CEO Richard Rodriguez didn’t say a word at the Wednesday night meeting.
CPS’s chief financial officer outlined the four options the board has when it comes to Acero closing schools before it has met the terms of the contract:
- CPS would financially support Acero through June 2026, when the contract expires. This plan is costly – as CPS would pay an estimated $3.2 million – and could also set a precedent for future charter school closures, with CPS bailing out charter school operators. But it would be limited disruption for families and students. CPS has never taken action in this way before.
- Students from the Acero schools that will be closed would be transferred to other CPS schools. CPS said the benefit of this approach is that Acero and CPS would have a phase-out process and students would have support during the transition. But the risk, CPS says, is that classmates from the closing schools may not transfer to the same school, and students will likely leave the district.
- CPS would take over and reopen the Acero schools, then establish district-run schools instead of chartering schools, and absorb all their costs. The benefit, CPS said, is that children can remain in the same school and there will be no impact on learning. But the risk and challenge is that such a move would set a precedent, as CPS has not taken over other closed schools. CPS also said Acero teachers would have to meet Chicago residency requirements if they became direct CPS employees, which could lead to staff cuts.
- A hybrid option would be implemented, with CPS keeping six Acero campuses open at a cost of $1.6 million for now, then transferring students to other schools after the 2025-2026 school year. The Acero network as a whole would likely break even, CPS said.
“We’re not messing around here,” board member Frank Niles
The first-ever elected CPS board will take office next month, joining Mayor Johnson’s appointed members.
On Thursday evening, newly elected board members complained that their onboarding training was shortened without any explanation. They wondered if this was an attempt to keep them uninformed before joining next month.
