President Michael W. Scott, who is also President of Michael Scott & Associates, LLC, has been appointed to the Chicago Board of Education on three separate occasions. His service to the Board is part of a larger body of service to the City of Chicago that spans three decades and four different mayoral administrations.
Mr. Scott is a product of the Lawndale community and the Chicago Public Schools system. He graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning and launched his career with Pyramidwest Development Corp., where he was Vice President. At Pyramidwest, he was instrumental in many North Lawndale developments, such as the rehabilitation of 1,500 housing units and construction of a 250-unit senior citizen center and a nursing home. He also helped to establish the Community Bank of Lawndale.
Mr. Scott went on to become the Director of Community Development for the Lawndale People’s Planning and Action Council, from 1978 to 1982. It was during that time that Mr. Scott was appointed by Mayor Jane Byrne to his inaugural term on the Chicago Board of Education, from 1980 to 1981. As a board member, he was most recognized for marshalling support for a student desegregation plan and chairing the Committee on Real Estate.
He went on to serve under the late Mayor Harold Washington, who appointed Mr. Scott as the Director of the Chicago Department of Special Events and Special Assistant to the Mayor in charge of Communications. Under the late Mayor Eugene Sawyer, he again served as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events.
As Mr. Scott moved on into the corporate sector, his influence and involvement in the cable industry grew. He served as the General Manager for Prime Cable, the Vice President of Local Government Affairs for AT&T Broadband, and Vice President of Regulatory Affairs for the Comcast Corporation. In 2001, he formed and became President of Michael Scott & Associates, LLC., a real estate development and investment firm
Some of Mr. Scott’s most notable contributions to the city stem from heading both the Chicago Park District Board and the Chicago Board of Education.
He was appointed President of the Chicago Park District Board in 1996, overseeing the Park District’s Citywide Capital Improvement Program. Among his accomplishments, Mr. Scott was the catalyst for the restoration of the Garfield Park Conservatory. He also increased the Park District’s non-tax revenue from $20 million to $110 million, sparing taxpayers from a tax increase by addressing the district’s financial needs through a system of privatization.
Mr. Scott served his second term on the Chicago Board of Education from 2001 until 2006, appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley as President. During this time, Chicago Public Schools achieved all-time high scores on academic tests and organized aggressive back-to-school campaigns that resulted in some of the highest first-day attendance rates in the district’s history. These high attendance rates translated into huge educational benefits for students, as well as more than $100 million in additional state funds to support the system.
Known for his staunch support of parents and their inclusion in the educational development of their children, Mr. Scott conceptualized and launched a two-day parent involvement conference, titled Power of Parents, which draws thousands of parents each year. Additionally, in 2005, Mr. Scott launched a new program called “Having a Ball,’’ a ballroom dancing-based curriculum for 5th graders, which includes the study of the history, culture, geography and music surrounding a variety of international dances. The program began as a pilot in a few schools and is still spreading throughout the district. The program’s lessons include character building and physical education, culminating with a dance competition for students each year.
In 2006, Mr. Scott was appointed to the National Board of Directors of YMCA of the USA. The national office provides support and leadership to the country’s 2,617 local YMCAs. In 2007, he was appointed to the Board of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, where he served for one year and then was appointed by Mayor Daley to sit on the Board of Directors for the Regional Transportation Authority, where he still serves.
Mr. Scott was recently appointed by Mayor Daley to the Chicago 2016 Olympic Committee and continues to serve on the boards of the Chicago Urban League, After School Matters, the Better Boys Foundation, and the National Board for buildOn, as well as many other non-profit and civic organizations.
In February, 2009, Mr. Scott was appointed by Mayor Daley to his third term on the Board of Education, again as President.
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