The Chicago Board of Education on May 29 approved a resolution (RS7) that changes how the district will approach charter authorization and renewals, after a day of public testimony and a lengthy debate among board members.

The resolution requires more notice and stronger wind-down protocols when an operator proposes to close a campus, expands the district’s ability to request financial information from operators during renewal, and adds contract language intended to protect students and families during transition. The adopted text includes a labor-related provision that, after voluntary recognition of a bargaining unit, asks charter operators not to challenge that recognition before the National Labor Relations Board for one year; the board amended the clause language before final passage.

The resolution came after hours of public comment. CTU President Stacy Davis Gates and CTU charter-division leaders urged the board to add oversight and protections for charter staff and families after recent abrupt charter closures. SEIU Local 73 and the Chicago Federation of Labor likewise called for greater transparency and protections for workers employed at charter campuses. Parents and teachers from Acero/UNO campuses described surprise announcements of school closures and asked the board to require stronger protections for students and staff.

Charter-sector representatives including the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, Noble and Urban Prep urged the board to adopt policies through stakeholder engagement and warned against overreach; some charter speakers recommended negotiation rather than a broad resolution.

The board’s vote to adopt RS7 passed in public session after extended debate. The resolution directs the district’s Office of Innovation and Incubation (INI) to use the board’s policy guidance to strengthen charter contracts and renewal processes; Chief Portfolio Officer Alfonso Carmona and INI staff described a series of contract template updates they had prepared for the 2024–25 renewal cohort, including an 18‑month notice requirement for self‑closures, new wind‑down protocols, and requirements for return of unspent funds.

Board members split over the scope and timing of changes. Some members pressed for additional community engagement and for separating labor policy from renewal mechanics; others said the board needed clear rules now to prevent abrupt closures that hurt students, families and staff. In public session, the roll call showed a majority of members voting to adopt the resolution.

Separately, the board approved renewals for multiple charter operators during the meeting. Several operators received multi‑year renewal agreements; other campuses were renewed with shorter terms and conditions tied to specific remediation actions documented in INI’s renewal reports.

The resolution does not itself change state law or the district’s statutory authorizing authority under Illinois charter law; it directs INI to incorporate the board’s priorities into renewed contracts and into the renewal process going forward. The board did not adopt all proposed amendments; multiple board members requested follow‑up clarifications and legal review before some contract template changes are finalized.