Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson asks CPS CEO Pedro Martinez to leave, but he won’t go

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This story has been updated to include statements from the mayor’s office, the Chicago Teachers Union president, and Chicago Public Schools.

Mayor Brandon Johnson asked Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to resign on Wednesday, but Martinez declined, according to published reports and at least one source familiar with internal discussions.

The mayor’s request, which was first reported by FOX32 , as well as the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ , comes weeks after reports first surfaced that Johnson was laying the groundwork to replace Martinez . The schools chief was first appointed in September 2021 by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Martinez is “taking it hard because he loves this job,” a source familiar with internal discussions told Chalkbeat.

It is now up to the Chicago Board of Education to decide if Martinez should stay or go. Sources previously told Chalkbeat that school board members were unwilling to fire Martinez. But on Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ quoted a source close to the mayor who said Martinez has “lost the board.”

Board members, including President Jianan Shi, Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland, and others did not immediately respond to calls requesting comment. The board is scheduled to meet next Thursday.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said the office does not comment on personnel matters.

“What we can say is that Mayor Johnson has a clear vision for public education that includes fully funded schools, access to the arts, athletics and special education resources, and a nurse and social worker in every building,” the statement said, echoing some bargaining table demands of the Chicago Teachers Union, which propelled Johnson, a former union organizer, to the mayor’s office last year.

In a statement, a CPS spokesperson said Martinez and his leadership team are focused on the “positive momentum of the new school year” and implementing the recently approved five-year strategic plan. They touted post-pandemic academic gains and said “students have clearly benefited from the increased stability in our school system.”

“Our top priority has always been investing in our schools and students while ensuring long-term stability for the system. That means being true to our new school funding model which will promote more equity, and being consistent in our pledge not to close or consolidate any schools,” the statement said.

Johnson’s desire to replace Martinez comes after he pushed school district leaders to take out a short-term loan to cover a pension payment for non-teaching staff and new costs related to the yet-to-be-settled Chicago Teachers Union contract.

It also comes as school district leaders are in tense contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union. The mayor is also struggling to address looming deficits to the city budget he now oversees. Those deficits are driven, in part, by the CPS administration and school board’s refusal to take out the short-term loan .

Earlier this summer, Johnson also voiced criticism about the district’s budget, which maintained the same level of funding for schools but had a slew of cuts in order to close the deficit. Most of those cuts were to central office and other expenses that did not directly affect classrooms. But they also included the positions of hundreds of teaching assistants and other support staff – prompting intense criticism from the union – even as the district guaranteed that most would get jobs on other campuses or it would cover their salaries for the next year.

In the past, the union would target the mayor for slow or tense contract talks. This year, the union directed its criticism directly at Martinez, saying Martinez is not budging or fighting aggressively enough to find more money for its proposals, which include 9% raises for teachers and a range of ideas to add staff, limit class sizes, and expand support for homeless students, migrant families, and others.

Martinez’s administration has offered the union raises of up to 5% in each of the next four years, which would bring the average educator salary to more than $110,000 by the contract’s end, according to the district, along with significant benefit increases at no cost to teachers. CPS and CTU are scheduled to hold a public bargaining session on Tuesday.

The union turned up the pressure on Martinez this week after alleging that it has documents showing that the district is considering school closures . Martinez and CPS have insisted they are not looking to close any schools, and one of the sources close to Martinez said the issue appears to be a tactic to undermine Martinez as the mayor’s office and union are pushing for his ouster.

Stacy Davis Gates, the CTU president, invoked the closures in a statement Friday. She pointed to the rumored closures and unspecified “massive cuts” she said Martinez is planning as reasons why he should step down.

“We need a leader at CPS who will be a champion for funding in Springfield and a partner with parents, teachers, and communities to actually invest in transforming the district, carry forward the just passed plan, and not use that as lip service to hide what they’re actually planning,” her statement said, referring to Martinez’ five-year strategic plan unveiled this week.

The district, which recently closed a half-billion-dollar budget deficit, is facing a challenging financial outlook and did not budget funds to cover a new teachers contract or pension costs for non-teaching staff. So far, despite some joint lobbying from the Martinez administration and the union, state lawmakers and the governor have not shown interest in a major funding increase for CPS.

Chalkbeat submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the mayor’s office for internal emails sent over the summer discussing the district’s CEO position. The correspondence received in response showed various exchanges between top officials in the mayor’s office regarding the district’s budget and related issues, but most emails were redacted in their entirety, citing a provision in the law that protects some correspondence reflecting deliberations ahead of making decisions.

About 460 district principals and assistant principals representing almost 70% of the district’s campuses recently wrote to the school board urging members to keep Martinez at the helm. They argued that Martinez has ushered in a more responsive, collaborative leadership after years of CEO churn — and that his dismissal would cause enormous disruption at a key juncture for the district and hurt students.

One principal who signed the letter and requested anonymity to speak freely about a sensitive matter said in an interview with Chalkbeat that reports of Martinez’s possible ouster are a grave cause for concern for school leaders.

“We have leadership in place that has started to listen to everybody — and they have a plan,” he said. “There is no smooth pathway to helping kids if the leadership is constantly changing.”

The principal noted Martinez has presided over academic recovery in the district post-pandemic and just unveiled a five-year strategic plan that school leaders and educators can rally around. The plan reflects some key teachers union priorities, including strengthening neighborhood schools and expanding arts and other programs.

“This has nothing to do with performance,” he said. “This has everything to do with politics.”

Amid the district’s increasing financial pressures, he added, “CEO Martinez is just being set up to be the fall guy.”

The advocacy group Kids First Chicago’s parent advisory board also voiced dismay at the prospect of Martinez’s ouster.

“This decision, at the beginning of the school year, during ongoing negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union, and just months before the transition to an elected school board, could have a negative impact on Chicago’s students,” the parents said in a statement, calling on the mayor and school board to be transparent about any decisions about the district’s leadership.

Reema Amin is a reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org .

Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org .

Becky Vevea is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Chicago. Contact Becky at bvevea@chalkbeat.org .