Sign up for Chalkbeat Chicago’s free daily newsletter to keep up with the latest news on Chicago Public Schools.
Olga Bautista, the vice president of the Chicago school board and a staunch ally of Mayor Brandon Johnson, is stepping down from the board.
Bautista, the co-executive director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, said she will also step away from professional commitments after winning a new sabbatical award from the Chicago Frontlines Fund, an organization that makes grants to environmental justice nonprofits.
Bautista was appointed by Johnson in 2024 after an entire largely Johnson-appointed board resigned amid a clash between the district’s administration and the mayor’s office over district funding. The board she joined went on to fire then-district CEO Pedro Martinez in late 2024, and she continued serving after a partly elected board was seated in January 2025.
Bautista has remained a close Johnson ally on the board: She was one of seven members on the 21-person board who voted no on the district’s budget last fall when a majority of the board backed it, flouting the mayor’s push to include a controversial pension reimbursement to the city and take out a high-cost loan to afford it.
She steps down as campaigns for all seats on the board, which will be up for grabs in November, are getting underway.
In a statement Bautista shared at the start of a Wednesday board meeting, her last, she nodded to the key moment of transition for CPS as she departs the board: The district is still looking for a new permanent schools chief as the city prepares to select a fully elected board for the first time.
“I’ve left jobs before, but none that mattered as much as this position,” a visibly emotional Bautista said.
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to questions about his plans to fill the vacancy on the board. Allies of the mayor will continue to hold a majority on the board following Bautista’s departure.
In a statement, the Chicago Frontlines Fund said it established the new sabbatical for environmental leaders so they can take six months off for “intentional rest and reflection” to prevent burnout.
Fellow board members — largely those also aligned with Johnson — praised Bautista’s service on the board and her advocacy for environmental causes in the city. They described her as a supportive, welcoming presence on the board, willing to offer guidance during late night phone calls or over fresh-made guacamole at her home. Board President Sean Harden thanked Bautista for helping him ease into his role when he was “a deer in the headlights” during his first board meeting.
“I am a little upset you’re not taking me with you,” joked Harden, who has said he is not running in the fall school board elections.
Michilla Blaise, who along with Debby Pope was a fellow appointee to the 2024 board, commended Bautista for her steady leadership.
“We were thrust into a storm of epic proportions,” Blaise said. “I didn’t know Olga at the time, but we were immediate sisters.”
Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.
