The Chicago Board of Education held a Bond Issue Notification Act hearing on Dec. 18, 2025, to receive public comment on a proposal to authorize up to $1,800,000,000 in general-obligation alternate-revenue-source bonds, President Sean B. Harden said. The board is scheduled to vote on the authorization at its regular meeting later the same day.

Finance staff presenting the proposal (identified in the record as Mr. Stock) said the district follows a three-step process under Illinois law: the public hearing to explain the purpose and take comments; a board authorization followed by a 30-day publication window; and a separate resolution to approve any sale of bonds. "The first step is what we're doing right now," the presenter said, explaining that the authorization would allow the district to sell bonds in one or more series but that any actual sale and resolution would come later.

The presenter described how the district typically uses alternate-revenue-source bonds to finance capital projects — including building repairs, accessibility improvements such as elevators, playground upgrades, and some classroom technology — and said the proposed authorization would cover multiple series over several years. He said the district plans roughly $600 million in bond sales per year to fund a pipeline of projects and that the $1.8 billion figure represents cumulative authorization over multiple series. He also noted that authorization typically lasts three years.

The presenter explained a petition mechanism during the 30-day publication period: if a petition by 7.5% of registered voters in the district is filed, that could halt the issuance process. He said the district publishes notice in the Chicago Sun-Times and on its websites; the assistant secretary read into the record that notice was posted Dec. 11, 2025.

No board questions were raised during the presentation, and President Harden closed the hearing after thanking speakers and staff. The board will take up the authorization at its regular meeting later in the day, and any final bond resolution and sale would be discussed in a subsequent item.