# Sustainable Community Schools Cohort 3 Announcement 8.3.26

- Date: August 3, 2026
- Type: Video
- Length: 29:44
- Topic: Announcements
- Video: [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM20fAAZhaU)
- Transcript: Machine transcription, 3,758 words ([text](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/files/transcripts/youtube/JM20fAAZhaU.txt))
- Mayor: [Brandon Johnson](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor)

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=0) Student introduction
- [3:24](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=204) Mayor Johnson's announcement
- [8:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=492) Impact of the model
- [11:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=682) CTU perspective
- [14:19](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=859) Community recovery
- [17:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1053) School board vision
- [22:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1328) Educator testimonies
- [26:27](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1587) Closing remarks

## Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the Sustainable Community Schools Cohort 3 Announcement.

## Transcript

[2:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=153) My name is Mikayla Connor, and I'm a rising senior at Uplift High School, a sustainable community school. At my school, I am actively involved in influencing positive changes in my school community. Being a student who is part of the sustainable community school models has been transformative, and it has changed my perspective by showing me that as a student, my voice mattered, and that I could speak up and share my opinions. The opportunities and knowledgeable experience I've had through this model have been enriching

[3:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=184) and have helped me grow as both a student, a leader, and a civilian. That's why I believe all students should have the opportunities to attend a sustainable community school. And to help make that happen, here is our mayor, Brandon Johnson. Thank you very much. Thank you so much. Good morning, everyone. You know, we are just a few weeks away from the start of the new year for our Chicago public schools, and every teacher said amen.

[3:37](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=217) No, yeah, I didn't. I know. I know. Hang in there. It's going to be fine. But, you know, that's what's exciting, though, about what's about to occur in the next few weeks in this new year. The Sustainable Community School model continues to grow. And so we are thrilled to announce 15 more CPS schools that will transition into Sustainable Community Schools.

[4:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=248) And this is building on an existing 36 Sustainable Community Schools. and my administration's efforts to continue to invest in our city's children and all of our young people. The Sustainable Community School, or SCS, motto is born out of black and brown communities' struggle and generations of students, parents, and community leaders that have been demanding a neighborhood school that works better for the entire community. And my administration is proud to honor the struggle and the fight for education equity by continuing to transition to this motto.

[4:46](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=286) This past July marks the two-year anniversary of our blueprint for creating a more just and vibrant city for all, outlining my administration's vision for Chicago that's imbued with community voices. That plan included our shared commitment to building sustainable community schools alongside quality, affordable housing, holistic solutions to community violence, resources for our communities, and trauma intervention for students and families so that we could create an environment for students to thrive in their schools and their communities as a whole.

[5:21](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=321) amid a dramatic decrease in violence across our city, and a third summer increasing youth jobs, this expansion of SCS represents yet another milestone in the commitment to creating a better and a healthier Chicago for everyone. The SCS model provides more than an education. It is a hub of wraparound, academic health, and social support that's extended to the entire community.

[5:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=354) And by leveraging community assets, resources, and external partnerships, SES brings students, families, and neighbors together to a united effort to promote neighborhood health and well-being. Importantly, we are focused on expanding SES schools, sustainable community schools, and the communities that have been historically disinvested in and left behind. because this is a powerful way that we can eliminate inequities and expand opportunities for young people to learn, grow, and thrive in a safe and supportive community.

[6:26](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=386) And finally, our work is guided by a simple belief that every investment in our children, our young people, is an investment in the future of our city. And we will not be satisfied until we have an entire school district that's built off of the Sustainable Community Schools model. And so this latest expansion is a result of partnerships and a shared belief in a more holistic, supportive school environment. The days of school closures, consolidation, and privatization

[7:01](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=421) has ended officially under the Johnson administration. And anyone, billionaire or not, that believes that you can take us back to a motto of torment and torture, you've got another thing coming. So thank you to Alderwoman Taylor and Clay, our Deputy Mayor Kahari Humphreys,

[7:33](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=453) and the entire team. I am so grateful for the leadership of my dear sister and friend, the president of the Chicago Teachers Union and the Illinois Federation of Teachers, Stacey Davis-Gates, and of course to all of our external partners and community leaders who really make the SCS model truly a collaborative community-based asset. Thank you all, and God bless the greatest freaking city in the world, the city of Chicago.

[8:09](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=489) Thank you. So we will now hear from a principal from the first cohort of the Sustainable Community Schools. Okay, good morning, everyone. My name is Ellen Kennedy. Good morning. Thank you. Thank you. My name is Ellen Kennedy, and I'm the principal at Richards Career Academy in Back of the Yards.

[8:44](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=524) When I arrived as the principal at Richards a little over nine years ago, I inherited a school that, quite frankly, was on life support. During my first year as principal, we had the opportunity to apply to be part of the first cohort of sustainable community schools. And I was really grateful for that as the tenants of sustainable community schools were extremely aligned to the work we were trying to take up and embed into just how we do school at Richards. So being accepted into and joining this movement in the fall of 2018 was a game-changer for Richards

[9:17](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=557) and has been one of the most transformative experiences for the school community during my tenure. Because of sustainable community schools, we have been able to launch and or expand after-school clubs and activities, athletic programming, behavioral health services, and parent programs, all of which have led to an increased sense of belonging, connectedness, and well-being for our young people and their families. The implementation of restorative practices at Richards has led to year-over-year decreases in student misconducts

[9:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=594) and out-of-school suspensions, but perhaps the most impactful thing about sustainable community ...community schools at Richards is something that's not easily measured in numbers and not easily portrayed in my two minutes of a press conference. It's the story of how the narrative about Richards has drastically shifted over the last eight years. Richards had often been seen by the community as a school of last resort, and families in the neighborhood shuddered at the prospect of sending their child there. As the sustainable community schools movement took root at Richards

[10:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=628) and the faculty, staff, students, and parents and our lead partner agency put in the work to bring it to life. We have been able to dispel myths and chip away at this negative narrative. Families and community members seek us out for enrollment. They see us in a different light. Families tell us when they come in for enrollment, my neighbor has a student enrolled here and they tell us good things about Richards or my auntie lives nearby and recommended the school to us. These are the anecdotes. These anecdotes are the small but mighty indicators of the impact of sustainable community schools and contribute to the story of how Richards has transformed by being part of this movement. Thank you.

[11:14](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=674) I'm so sorry. Okay. Thank you. Next we have the president of the Chicago Teacher Union, Stacey Davis Gates. I don't know why you all have all of these people speaking, because I have nothing to say except for the same thing. So I'm going to be really short.

[11:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=705) This is a wonderful day because it signifies progress. And anyone who has ever been a teacher or a building level administrator knows that progress can be elusive most of the time because you're just walking around in a circle trying to make it work. There's not enough this, there's not enough that, but there are always our young people in our school communities,

[12:16](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=736) and they come as they are. Even in the best places in this city, they come as they are, and they have needs. And those needs can go unmet and have been over time. The Sustainable Community School designation is an acknowledgment of that. It acknowledges that it's going to take all of us. It acknowledges that all of us have a voice and should be at the table.

[12:47](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=767) But it acknowledges that it has to be sustainable. So the sustainability is in this room. It's called the people who love their school communities, but more importantly, the young people and all of the people inside of that school community. I'm honored to bargain for community in our collective bargaining agreement. I'm honored to have a symbol of that struggle be a part of the Chicago public schools

[13:24](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=804) in the way in which it gives power and priority to our students, to our educators, to their families, to the people who live in that community. I remember in 2013 when we begged for our schools not to be closed. And then I remember when G2 Brown was starving himself with Jeanette Taylor, with Mark Kaplan, with our mayor.

[13:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=834) I remember when there were lists with, like, names of schools populated. it every single year. And this year, there are names of schools populated to give them more. Thank you so much. Community-based organizations are a very important part of the sustainable community schools. Here's to share their perspective as a member of the organization's

[14:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=868) People for Community Recovery. My name is Sabrina Williams, and I'm here representing Christian Finger High School, a school from the far south side of Chicago, but I'm also here as a representative for Ms. Adele Bass, who couldn't be here due to illness. She is the director of the, I'm sorry, she is.

[15:02](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=902) She's the director of the Health, Equity, and Community Engagement for People and Community Recovery. Proudly serving as the lead partner agency for Aldridge Elementary School, and today I'm speaking on behalf of her as a mother. I am a mother of CPS students, and I refuse to accept that my students' future should be determined by a budget crisis. For generations, the Advil Gardens in the far south side have been asked to survive on less. Less funding, less investment, less opportunity.

[15:35](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=935) Yet every time there's a financial crisis, our communities are the first to wonder what will be taken away next. Sustainable community schools have finally begun to change that story. They have given our children more than programs. They've given us hope. They've given us health care, mental health supports, after-school opportunities, parent engagement, and trusted community partners into our schools. They have made our schools places where children can truly thrive.

[16:08](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=968) So when I hear conversations about cuts, I don't hear numbers. I see faces. I see my children. I see students who deserve every opportunity to dream bigger than the circumstances they were born into. I see parents who are working every day to build a better future, only to be told that the resources their children depend on are once again at risk. We cannot balance the budget on the backs of black and brown communities.

[16:39](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=999) We cannot build a budget on the backs of our black and brown children. We cannot continue the cycle of disinvestment and expect different outcomes. If we are serious about equity, then our budgets must reflect our values. An investment in sustainable community schools is an investment in safer neighborhoods, healthier families, stronger schools, and a stronger Chicago. I am asking you today to do more than fund a program.

[17:13](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1033) I am asking you to choose our children. Choose equity Choose communities that have waited too long to be fully invested in Because our children are not a line item They are Chicago's future Thank you Thank you very much Now we will hear from a member of the Chicago School Board I'm going to take off one hat

[17:54](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1074) I'm going to put on my cocoa hat for a minute Because, yes, I am on the Chicago Board of Education. My name is G2 Brown, representing the west side of Chicago. But I am a proud son of the oldest black-led community organizing group in the city, the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, the Mighty Coco. Y'all clap for that. So repeat after me. Those closest to the pain must be closest to the power.

[18:28](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1108) Those closest to the pain must be closest to the power. We understood that in 2015, or we understood that in 2011 when we got the word that Dyett High School, despite having the largest increase of students going to college in all of CPS and the largest decrease in arrest and suspensions, was going to be phased out. So my assignment from Jay Travis was to build a community vision, a plan for Dyett High School. So my work was I talked to over 2,000 people in Bronzeville,

[19:02](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1142) the people that nobody thinks they need to consider when they make decisions. I talked to mothers-owned parent advisory councils. I talked to teachers. I talked to local school council members. I went to Greenwood United Church. I went to St. James Church, and I met with the community, and we built a vision together for Diet and Six of His Feeder Schools. And I learned a very valuable lesson in organizing through that process, that people will fight for what they help to build. And so I'm honored to be here today to watch a mayor, a man that was on a hunger strike with me as mayor of the city of Chicago.

[19:42](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1182) I'm honored that a plan that was America's first sustainable community school, Dyer High School, that we had a partner in the Chicago Teachers Union that would take that and put it in the teacher union's contract because at that time, the school The school board was made up of people that would not listen to us, so they put it in, it's called bargaining for the common good, and they put those demands in the contract, and we dreamed at a table when they were closing schools left and right, we dreamed of Chicago being a sustainable community school district.

[20:18](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1218) I'm talking 2012, 2013, 2014. So in the midst of carnage, we still had a vision for something better. Sisters and brothers, equitable education is resistance. Equitable education is resistance. You are not educating children to just go get a job. When the sisters and brothers from the black power movement educated me as a 24 and 25 year old, They helped me understand my identity, repeat that, identity, purpose, and direction.

[20:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1253) Every living thing deserves, every living being deserves to know who they are, why they are, and the direction in which they move. See, those that want to close our schools, those that want to fire black teachers, those that want to arrest our children instead of embracing our children, don't understand something. We have a power that they cannot match. They're moving off greed. They're moving off hatred. We're moving off of love. We're moving off of love.

[21:25](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1285) So I want you to understand, I'm not on the school board to protect the brand called CPS. I am on the school board to defend our children. There is no deal they can cut with me. There is no back room they can take me to to make me sacrifice children that I have to look in the eye. This is an act of resistance. So repeat after me while I sit down. Those closest to the pain must be closest to the power.

[21:59](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1319) Thank you. Now, for our final speakers are here to express their excitement as new sustainable community schools. We will first hear from a teacher at Gage Park High School. Good morning, everybody. Good morning. Good morning. Why they got me following you?

[22:30](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1350) How you doing? I'm Mike Norwood, PE teacher, junior delegate, athletic director, football coach at Gage Park High School. So, when we first heard about us becoming a sustainable community school, our principal called me. I think she was at a PD. And I almost started crying, because Gage Park is a hidden gem that a lot of you don't know about. Gage Park is one of the biggest schools in CPS, and we have a small enrollment right now, and we needed a miracle to happen to keep our environment going strong.

[23:04](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1384) And becoming a sustainable community school will actually help us in a lot of ways. When I partnered with the Southwest Organizing Project, it will give black and brown kids opportunities now and the community opportunities as well that they didn't have. And for us at Gage Park, you know, our students go through a lot, as most schools do. Most kids go through a lot. But at our school, we're unique because we do use love, and I'm proud of our philosophy. We use love as one of our biggest philosophies because we care about our students. Now, but one thing we say is the greatest opportunity because now the community always wanted to get involved with Gage Park,

[23:38](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1418) but they didn't know how, so they were flushing the kids elsewhere. But now being a sustainable community school now, now we can invite the community in with our partners and build programs, create more clubs, create more activities. Our kids want job opportunities. Our community want night school and stuff like that So they can further their education They don't have no opportunities So now we have a grandstand And thank you to CPS, SCS IFT and CTU And get us involved in the application process And it's elected us

[24:09](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1449) We're honored and we're privileged because of this Because I'm going to tell you right now Gage Park is small now But quote me not, in 10 years We're going to be a Mecca in Gage Bend We will be a Mecca and see the thing is you know you heard about the guy's story you heard about the Curry's story now it's time for the Gage Park story because how do you guys know at Gage Park they have a huge alumni network but they don't know nothing about Gage Park no more

[24:40](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1480) so now being an SCS school now now we can jump that network into our building and build it and I'm going to tell you right now I would love to see Gage Park back at 2,000 students again because we are Mecca in our neighborhood and no disrespect to my charter school friends but we need those kids at our schools and not at y'all schools these parents need to realize great education happens in those So being in the SCS building with our partners now, it's going to make things so much bigger now. If you've never heard of a Southwest organizing project, it's ran by a guy named Joel. And they provide so many services, and that's why they have a great partner for us,

[25:12](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1512) because now we have opportunities for our kids past high school and our community past high school to get things done. Get more education, get more job training, childcare in the building. How many people have childcare in their school building? That's one of the ideas we're going to be trying to bring. Thank you, Stacy. You know, so in all of all, this is a wonderful opportunity, and I cannot wait. I'm eager, I'm hungry, and I cannot wait to see when our kids come back in a few more weeks and hear about this great news that we're at SCS school.

[25:45](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1545) Now they get the programs that they want. They get the activities, the clubs. And guess what? The resources. It comes with staff members, additional staff that can help the community. Help the community, guys, not just our students, the community. Because it's all I'm saying. It takes a village to raise a child. Now it's going to take a school to raise a community. And that's what this is going to be about for Gage Park. So in my closing, ladies and gentlemen, thank you. We appreciate you guys. We honor it.

[26:15](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1575) Please follow us. Look at the Gage Park, the school's options for your kids in the future, because we're going to be that one. So thank you all very much. Appreciate you. Thank you. Last but not least, we will hear from the principal of one of the new Sustainable Community Schools. Buenos dias. I'm Dr. Romero Peñuelas, and I am principal of Curie High School, the third largest school in the district and the largest on the south side.

[26:52](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1612) I'm very excited for Curie to join the Sustainable Community Schools cohort number three. One of the central ideas of Serbian leadership that I have for Serbian leadership for education is that schools should be a pillar of the community. The vision for Curie is that we will lead the district in providing rigorous instruction, enriching it through the athletics, through the arts,

[27:22](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1642) providing supports, mental health supports, and other supports, so that our students can succeed. And not only do they succeed, but we can have multi-generational change. This partnership allows us to continue to do that work, not only to continue it, but to solidify the great work that Curie and our partner, BPNC, has been doing to make sure that Curie is a center of the community,

[27:53](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1673) that we enrich the community with our presence there, and that the community is able to enjoy what Curie has. I am very excited what this opportunity does for us in our community. It continues the work that we have in our vision, and it ensures that only, continue the work to ensure that only two things matter for the success of our communities. How big we can dream, and how hard we're willing to work to get to that dream.

[28:24](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1704) Thank you. Thank you, everyone, for coming this morning. I will now turn it back over to the mayor. Yeah, what did I do? It's minding my own business. Mike, what you doing? You off this summer. Just real quick, we're wrapping up.

[28:55](https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU?t=1735) We're going to take a picture, but I do want to thank the president of Malcolm X College, David Sanders, and Malcolm X for opening up his doors. And can we have our current board members, all of our current board members that are here, stands, the core, and Blaze, and Lozano. Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor has made it. Alderwoman Taylor, thank you. Thank you all. God bless you. Let's go build a fully sustainable community schools district, you all. Thank you.

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/mayor/videos/JM20fAAZhaU · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt