Public Comment: Chicago Educator Mental Health

During the Chicago School Board’s Agenda Review Meeting on April 8, 2026, E4E-Chicago Organizer John Weaver urged members to place a resolution establishing a districtwide educator mental health strategy on its next meeting agenda. His full testimony is below.

Good afternoon, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. My name is John Weaver, and I’m an organizer at Educators for Excellence-Chicago, an organization that represents over 8,000 Chicago teachers. I’m here today to urge this board to place this resolution on your next meeting agenda. This resolution calls for a district-wide educator mental health strategy with clear support and accountability. We’ve seen real leadership on student mental health through district initiatives, but those efforts will fall short if we ignore the well-being of the adults who implement them every day.

Educator mental health is foundational to student success. Research consistently shows that when educators are supported, students are more engaged, feel safer, and achieve at higher levels. The adult in front of the classroom shapes whether a student shows up, participates, and believes they can succeed. If we are serious about serving our students, we must be just as serious about supporting the people in front of them each day.

Over the last month, we’ve been having conversations with many of you. We’ve been heartened that many of you have all expressed support and enthusiasm for this resolution.

While we acknowledge that Chicago has done important work to address educator mental health, there are still gaps. We still don’t know whether educators are using existing supports, how many are, or whether there’s evidence that they’re working and that resources are being allocated most effectively. That’s because our current system is a patchwork: we have programs, but without a coherent strategy, clear metrics, or accountability. I’m holding hundreds of petition signatures from educators who are telling you that directly. Without a districtwide strategy, we will continue investing in mental health without knowing what’s working, who it’s reaching, or how to improve it. And it will result in some of our best and most talented educators leaving the profession.

This resolution is a solution. It adds transparency and acknowledgment. It establishes a systemwide commitment to align efforts across departments, set clear goals and metrics, track progress and outcomes, and ensure resources are used equitably and effectively. And most importantly, it creates accountability. That’s the role of this board: to set direction, ensure oversight, and hold the system accountable for results. We spend a lot of time debating difficult issues. This shouldn’t be one of them. Supporting educator mental health is a common-sense, high-impact investment in student success, school climate, and workforce stability.

I urge you to put this resolution on your next agenda and help Chicago become a national model for how large, urban districts support educators, and in doing so, deliver better outcomes for students. Listening to your constituents and the hundreds of educators supporting this should be the easiest decision you make today. Thank you.