CHICAGO (WLS) — Mayor Brandon Johnson’s interim Chicago Board of Education made a unanimous decision on Friday night to terminate Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez without cause.
Despite calling the decision disappointing, Martinez has committed to staying in his role as the CPS CEO during the leadership transition. He is slated to continue serving for the next 180 days and will receive 20 weeks of severance pay.
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“If there’s a silver lining, it’s that educators, families, and most importantly, our students will not face the upheaval of a change in leadership midway through the academic year,” Martinez remarked.
Friday’s vote followed a tumultuous meeting with some criticizing the school district leader about his tenure.
“Pedro Martinez was entrusted with the leadership of CPS to bring stability to our schools, and yet schools on the West Side, where I live, remain in constant state of crisis,” said District 1 Cook County Commissioner Tara Stamps.
Others called the vote a political game with repercussions.
It all began when Martinez and the previous school board refused to secure a $300 million short-term high-interest loan to pay for a costly teachers’ contract.
This comes as some newly-elected school board members called any decision on Martinez’s future to be delayed until the hybrid school board is sworn in next month.
Meanwhile, according to an internal memo obtained by the Chicago Tribune, Johnson’s labor advisor told previous board members that the mayor expected Martinez out by Sept. 26 and wanted to land a teachers’ contract.
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said she is hoping to get a deal done before Christmas and before the new elected hybrid school board is sworn in on Jan. 15.
CPS said with over 700 contract demands, it doubts there will be an agreement by next week.
Despite Friday night’s vote, Martinez garnered support from former CPS CEOs, seven new elected school board members, several alderpersons and nearly 700 principals and assistant principals. They all called for continued stability for the school district.
Sources told ABC7 the school board is already considering naming a co-CEO.
Attorneys for Martinez told ABC7 they plan to go to court as soon as possible to reverse Friday night’s decision.
Martinez sent a letter to CPS families hours after the board’s decision:
While I trust your holiday preparations are in full swing, there is an important update that I need to share with you regarding the future of our District.
Late this evening, during a special meeting called by the Chicago Board of Education, the board members voted for a change in leadership for CPS. Fortunately, this change will not take place immediately, which I feel strongly will be to the benefit of our educators, families, and especially our students.
My contract as the CEO of Chicago Public Schools was scheduled to end on June 30, 2026. However, tonight’s decision by the Board of Education has shortened that timeline. I will now remain in my role as CEO for only the next six months, concluding my time with the District in June of 2025 at the end of the current school year.
I am obviously disappointed by the Board’s decision. Leading the school system that shaped me has been the opportunity of a lifetime, and I am so proud of the work we have done together – from record high graduation rates and record low dropout rates, to the strongest post-pandemic reading recovery among large American cities.
Of course I would have liked to see my contract through to the end. That said, I am excited to continue leading this District through the rest of this school year, and I remain as committed as ever to helping our school communities build on their remarkable progress.
I know that this progress will be strengthened by our District’s new strategic plan, and I will do all I can to see it implemented successfully in the next six months. I will also work with my team, and with our school and District leaders, to ensure a smooth transition for whoever holds my position next.
Finally, I will continue supporting our bargaining team in the hopes of reaching a fair, financially-responsible labor agreement that rewards our talented teachers while continuing to put the needs of our students first.
I want to thank you, our CPS families, for entrusting the District with the care and education of your children, and for your support and partnership since my return to CPS three and a half years ago.
I’ve always said that the very best part of this job are the visits I make to our schools, and that’s because I’m able to observe how smart, creative, and curious your children are.
When I look into their faces, I often see the CPS student I was. A kid who had the makings for success in this world, if only the right people could unlock his potential. Many of those people turned out to be my CPS teachers, principals, and counselors, which is why the chance I’ve had to support their work these past three years has truly been a privilege.
I pledge to continue empowering our educators, families, and above all, our students, until my very last day as CEO, and will continue our District’s commitment to providing every child from every community in Chicago with a rigorous, joyful, and equitable daily learning experience throughout the rest of this school year.
This will not be the last you hear from me. As I have from the beginning, I will continue to communicate regularly with you, and with our educators and school leaders, and will always welcome your feedback on how CPS can better serve our students and school communities.
So for now, let me just wish all of our students and families a safe, restful, and joyous holiday season, and say how much I look forward to seeing everyone back in class, ready to learn on Monday, January 6!
Sincerely, Pedro Martinez
The CTU issued a statement on Friday’s vote, saying in part, Regrettably, we saw it at the bargaining table, where [Martinez] was unwilling to join us in the solution-driven work of locking in many of the academic gains made by our young people over the past three years.
Chicago’s students and their families deserve a fighter as CEO: Martinez seemed willing to put up a bigger fight for his job than he was for the students and families of this city and the funding their schools desperately need. But instead of proactively leading our school district and fighting for full funding of our schools, he always sat on his hands-putting CPS and the ACERO students and families in jeopardy.
As we approach the year’s end and face the realities of a second Trump term in public education, we don’t have time to waste responding to baseless claims made by Mr. Martinez and his high-priced attorneys.
Let’s be clear: battles with former Blagojevich attorneys will not improve the school day for our students and their families, provide resources for our classrooms, or provide protection for our students, staff, and their families.
Now more than ever, Chicago needs a real champion for public schools. We need a leader who is unwilling to accept overcrowded classrooms, staffing vacancies, and failure to meet the needs of special education and English language learning students as standard operating procedures.
The Mayor, Board of Education, and next CEO will have to reorient the culture of district leadership toward collaboration, championing equity in more than just lip service, and providing proactive leadership to fight against the coming attacks and for the full funding our schools need and deserve.
We need a leader to fight with us to reclaim the promise of public education for our city, its students, and their families. We need a leader who sees the historic opportunity in front of CPS, Chicago, and the state of Illinois to end generations of disinvestment, reverse the trend of balancing its budget on Black and Brown students, and create a baseline of excellence for every school in every neighborhood.
We look forward to the road ahead for CPS, and we urge the board and the mayor to step into the leadership gap that the CEO has created and choose a future candidate who understands the assignment.
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