**Mayor Johnson Swiftly Appoints New Chicago School Board Members Amid Resignations**

In a bid to stabilize the Chicago Board of Education following a mass resignation last week, Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed six new members on Monday, sparking significant political discourse. The newly appointed members include Olga Bautista, an environmental activist from the Southeast Side, Michilla Blaise, a seasoned political consultant and chief of staff for Cook County commissioner Frank Aguilar, and Mary Gardner, an activist from the West Side. Other appointees are the Rev. Mitchell Johnson, an expert in economic and community development, and Debby Pope, a retired teacher and former Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) staffer.

The abrupt resignation of the entire school board on Friday took city and state officials by surprise, highlighting underlying tensions. The resignations followed months of discord involving Mayor Johnson, the CTU, and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Chief Executive Pedro Martinez, particularly over the school system's financial difficulties. Reports suggest that board members grew weary of their roles amidst Johnson’s push for change and the ongoing calls for Martinez's resignation or termination.

Johnson’s rapid response in appointing new board members aims to convey a sense of stability after the upheaval. However, the shake-up has already stirred the city’s political landscape, with a supermajority of the City Council expressing concern. Over 40 out of 50 City Council members, including many mayoral supporters and members of the council’s Progressive Caucus, signed a letter over the weekend seeking a hearing before the new board members can officially assume their roles.

Regardless of the Council's wishes, the law grants them no formal power over the mayor’s appointments. Mayor Johnson’s decisive action comes just a few weeks before Chicagoans cast their votes for school board members for the first time. The new, hybrid board of elected and appointed members will begin its term in January.

The new school board faces several imminent challenges, including the likely task of executing Johnson’s directives to terminate Martinez, finalize a contract with the CTU, and secure a loan to cover parts of the forthcoming teachers' contract and a pension payment. The coming months will be crucial as the newly appointed board members navigate these pressures and seek to implement Johnson’s educational agenda.