Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest education news.
Frank Niles Thomas, an appointed member of the Chicago Board of Education, is stepping down, board President Sean Harden announced Wednesday.
In remarks to the public, Thomas did not disclose a reason for leaving.
“Sometimes we’ve agreed, sometimes we’ve disagreed, but many times we spent more time working on those things that we agree on, and it has really been a pleasure,” Thomas said. “I wish you much success in the future, and I wish the citizens of Chicago and the children of Chicago Public Schools the best school system that they could possibly have.”
Harden announced Thomas’ departure immediately after the board voted to appoint Macquline King, a City Hall advisor and former principal, as the district’s interim CEO; Thomas voted to appoint King.
Mayor Brandon Johnson first appointed Thomas to the Board of Education last fall after the mayor’s first appointed board resigned en masse. Thomas was reappointed to the board after it became a 21-member, hybrid, elected-appointed body. He represents District 9 and lives in subdistrict 9a, which covers the communities of Auburn Gresham, Englewood, West Englewood, and Canaryville.
Thomas is a CPS graduate and U.S. Air Force veteran who for a decade served as the 21st Ward superintendent of the city’s Department of Streets and Sanitation, according to his biography on the district’s website. He also served on the Local School Council at Dunne Elementary School, where he founded a leadership skills program for students. Thomas has four children who graduated from CPS.
Harden said he tried to persuade Thomas not to leave.
“It’s an incredible loss to the district, to the board,” Harden said. “Your levelheadedness has been very commendable.”
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.
