Manford Byrd Jr.

In 1954, Byrd began working for Chicago Public Schools.[2] Byrd held various roles over the years, including teacher, assistant principal, elementary school principal, high school principal, and an assistant to the general principal.[2] In 1968, Byrd was appointed deputy superintendent.[2] At only the age of 39, this made him one of the highest-ranked African American public sector educational leaders in the United States.[4] Byrd later was made deputy superintendent for instruction and deputy superintendent for pupil services and system-wide reorganization.[2] Byrd was passed over several times for the role of superintendent.[3] Many believed he was not selected due to his race. His family would later recount that he was told he had not been selected due to his lack of the Ph.D.[3] Byrd earned a Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1978.[2] In March 1981, when Ruth B. Love was hired as the district's superintendent, many African Americans, including prominent figures such as Jesse Jackson, were critical that the job had not instead been given to Byrd.[5] This sentiment came despite the fact that Love herself was African American. As Chicago Alderman Niles Sherman put it, "Ruth Love is not considered black at this moment by the black community".[5]

On March 25, 1985, Byrd was appointed superintendent after the board voted not to renew Love's contract.[2][6] During his tenure, in 1987, there was a teachers strike which lasted nineteen days, which, as of 2019, was the longest teachers strike in Chicago's history.[6][7] Byrd was fired as superintendent on August 1, 1989.[6] By this time, many black politicians, such as Jesse Jackson, argued that Byrd had been treated as a scapegoat.[8] He was fired because he was seen as resistant to the decentralization plan that the state of Illinois had passed to restructure the school district.[9]