CPS 'Educational miracles' versus Cook County 'corruption'... Chicago media's double standard when CPS is expanding expensive patronage
Since Chicago began selling its “school reform miracle” story locally and then across the USA, reporters for the major Chicago media have been careful to spot political patronage hiring, clout, and corruption at just about every entity of government in Chicago and Cook County — except at the Chicago Board of Education.
But by 1998, one of the jokes at the new headquarters of the Chicago Board of Education at 125 S. Clark St. was that more and more people were coming into the field of education “from the Hall” (meaning City Hall, north of CPS along Clark St.). “The Hall” means any entity of Chicago or County government (Park District; Forest Preserves; City of Chicago; Cook County) where patronage is being investigated.
Prior to her most recent departure for Atlanta (after a lengthy tribute at a meeting of the Chicago Board of Education), Hosanna Mahaley Johnson was one of the ten highest paid executives at CPS — even though she had never taught in a Chicago school. At $145,000 per year, Johnson was in charge of the privatization of public schools through charterization. Her official biography stated that she had caught the eye of Mayor Daley while an intern at The Hall” and rose quickly at CPS.
