Posted on 04/17/2015 10:53:46 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
Embattled Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett has agreed to take a leave of absence pending the outcome of a federal investigation into the role she played in awarding a no-bid, $20.5 million principal training contract to a company that once employed her.
Sources said an interim CEO, Chicago Board of Education Vice President Jesse Ruiz, would be appointed to replace Byrd-Bennett and get on with the serious business of averting another teachers strike, fending off bankruptcy at the Chicago Public Schools and persuading the Illinois General Assembly to grant CPS the pension relief pivotal to avoid going broke.
There was no way Byrd-Bennett could confront those issues with any credibility with a legal cloud over her head, City Hall sources said.
Byrd-Bennett has hired a defense attorney, and sources said her homes in Chicago and the Cleveland area have been searched by federal investigators.
As for her replacement, Ruiz is a former state board of education chairman who was chosen because he will have no problem taking on the job. He is the fifth CEO at CPS since 2010.
“He’s respected inside and outside the organization. He has long experience dealing with Springfield on issues front-and-center for CPS. And he hits the ground running,” said a top City Hall source who asked to remain anonymous.
Top CPS officials are being called into a meeting about the issue, and a news conference is expected to be held later Friday.
CPS is facing a $1.1 billion budget shortfall and a $9.5 billion pension crisis. The teachers contract expires this summer.
Sources said Byrd-Bennett will continue to be paid her $250,000-a-year salary during her leave of absence.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicago.suntimes.com ...
I would think there would be a federal probe if she WASN’T corrupt. It’s Chicago, after all.
No bid contract to her former company???
Many CEOs over a period of a few years??
Big pension deficit???
Big operating budget deficit?
Chicago schools have lots of problems.
And we haven’t even gotten to the bad education the kids in those schools are getting...........
Sue the Democrat Party. Believe me, they’ve got loads of money.
$20 million to trains principals for the schools??? Is that really a necessary expenditure???
It’s getting mighty difficult to keep track of all the corruption going on!
The biggest problem is that the South Side of Chicago is effectively a racial ghetto compared the North Side. And that South Side has become a gigantic financial sinkhole to the city.
Those who can’t do, teach...those who can’t teach, train principals.
Government is a tool designed to facilitate looting.
$20.5 million to train principals.
There are 613 elementary and high schools in the Chicago system serving 400,000 students.
Assuming 2 principals per school, that’s $16,721 per principle for each of 1226 principals.
Don’t know what they were going to be trained on, but that’s rediculous. Throw her in jail.
Everywhere, can never reign it all in
Lots of money to train principals.
How was this justified? Do principals in Chicago need special training to deal with black youth? Or due to some schools being in war zones/gang territory??? What are they really saying???
And when you get caught you get a paid vacation instead of being fired.
“You have failed me for the last time, Uselful Idiot...”
And that South Side has become a gigantic financial sinkhole to the city.
I think they should run that by Leroy Brown first....he stands about 6 feet foe with a razor in his shoe.
Wasn’t it in Chicago where they had that gigantic scandal many years ago where the schools were in dilapidated condition but the school district administrative headquarters looked it was brand new?
Especially when you consider that they probably all have advanced degrees, presumably have worked in that system for a few years before being named principals. That does not even count looking at the board of education administrative staff (probably dozens of them, at least), who are being paid excellent money to train the principals.
This investigation in Chicago may open up some old cans of worms.
Typical LIB educator. I’m sure whatever she did was “for the children”.
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