On Friday Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett announced she will take a leave of absence amid the federal investigation of a $20.5 million contract CPS awarded to her previous employer.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the Board of Education in June 2013 unanimously approved a three-year, $20.5 million no-bid contract with SUPES Academy for “leadership development services.” Byrd-Bennett worked for SUPES before CPS hired her as a consultant in April 2012. Mayor Rahm Emanuel selected Byrd-Bennett to be the school district’s chief executive six months later.