Judge to sentence former head of Chicago Public Schools

CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago is scheduled to sentence the former head of the nation's third-largest school district for steering $23 million in no-bid city contracts to education firms for $2.3 million in bribes and kickbacks.

Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who held top education jobs in Detroit and Cleveland before becoming Chicago Public Schools CEO, faces up to 20 years behind bars when sentenced Friday. Prosecutors will ask for a 7½-year term, while the defense will argue for 3½ years.

The scheme displayed a brazenness that stood out even for a city with a long history of corruption. Byrd-Bennett, 68, participated in it knowing the district was buckling under major financial strain; the district serves 400,000, mostly low-income students, a government sentencing memo says.

At the time, Byrd-Bennett had a national reputation as an education reformer, earned a $250,000 annual salary and had multiple pensions from previous jobs. But prosecutors say she made a decision "rooted in greed" to participate in the scheme.

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