Chicago Board Set to Vote on Resolution Preventing School Closures Til 2027 Amid Leadership Dispute

School Board's decision follows Mayor's request for CEO Martinez’s resignation, Union concerns over possible consolidations

Photo byScreen Capture/Youtube Video [Creator]

CHICAGO — The Chicago Board of Education is poised to vote on a resolution that would prevent any school closures in the city until 2027, a move that has stirred political tensions between Mayor Brandon Johnson, the school board, and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez.

This decision, scheduled for a Thursday board meeting, comes just days after Johnson asked Martinez to step down from his role. The resolution, if passed, would extend the current moratorium on school closures beyond the January 2025 deadline set by Illinois law, further complicating the already strained relationship between Johnson's administration and CPS leadership.

In an op-ed published by the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday, Martinez addressed the resignation request and the growing rumors surrounding potential school closures. He called the speculation an attempt to undermine his leadership, reiterating that no school closures were being planned under his tenure. Martinez described the proposed resolution as an effort to end what he labeled a "misinformation campaign."

“I’m disappointed that this misinformation campaign is out there, because I know it has caused unnecessary stress and worry for many in our school communities,” Martinez wrote in a letter to CPS staff and families.

Johnson’s request has prompted concerns over whether the board would take steps to remove Martinez from his position. Speculation surrounding his future in CPS leadership has raised further questions about the district’s strategic direction, particularly regarding school consolidation.

The resolution is being presented to the board as a recommendation from Martinez, with the support of board president Jianan Shi. However, conflicting reports have emerged regarding Shi’s involvement. In his first public comments since the resignation request, Shi clarified that Martinez had initiated the resolution. When asked whether he would vote in favor of the resolution, Shi said, “As a former organizer, educator, I have no intention of closing schools.”

If passed, the resolution would prevent school closures until the end of the 2026-2027 academic year, a move welcomed by union leaders but viewed with skepticism by others. The proposal comes in the wake of rumors that up to 70 schools could be consolidated with others, sparking a no-confidence vote in Martinez by the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).

The CTU has voiced concerns about potential school closures, despite reassurances from Martinez and CPS officials that no closures are planned. Last week, the union said it had obtained an analysis suggesting that CPS had identified 70 schools for potential consolidation. This report fueled the union’s concerns and led to the passage of a no-confidence vote against Martinez by the union’s House of Delegates.

CTU leaders continue to press the issue, despite Martinez’s repeated denials. At a public bargaining session on Tuesday evening, held at Cameron Elementary on the West Side, union representatives questioned the district’s long-term plans, particularly in relation to the Sustainable Community Schools program. The initiative, a joint project between the district and the union, focuses on providing additional resources to under-resourced schools. Union officials fear that efforts to bolster these schools could be undermined if they face closure in the future.

During the session, union Vice President Jackson Potter displayed a list of schools identified for possible consolidation, noting that some of the schools on the list were part of the Sustainable Community Schools program. “I am looking at the schools on the list and seeing how they’ve been starved for resources,” Potter said.

In response, CPS Chief Education Officer Bogdana Chkoumbova reiterated that the district had no plans to close schools. “This referenced list was never made as a recommendation nor was it ever considered as a next step or follow up by anyone,” she stated.

Union leaders have also expressed concerns about staffing shortages and large class sizes in certain schools, which they argue may leave schools vulnerable to closure. In response, district officials pointed to efforts to address staffing needs. According to CPS Chief Talent Officer Ben Felton, the district has added approximately 6,000 positions in recent years, including 2,500 teachers.

“The bottom line is that there are more qualified educators in CPS than at any point before,” Felton said. He noted that while the district does not plan to make midyear staff cuts, such measures may be considered in the future if enrollment shifts.

Tensions over staffing cuts have been further fueled by concerns about the district’s nearly $10 billion budget, which passed earlier this summer without accounting for new teacher and principal contract costs. Union leaders have pressed CPS to expand the Sustainable Community Schools program to 45 campuses within four years, a more modest expansion than the union and the Johnson administration had initially sought.

The dispute over school closures is part of a broader budgetary conflict between Johnson’s administration and CPS leadership. Johnson has publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the current CPS budget, which includes cuts to address a growing deficit. The mayor's request for Martinez to step down followed a decision by Martinez and the school board not to cover a portion of pension payments for non-teaching staff, a move that widened the city’s budget gap.

In an internal memo obtained by Chalkbeat, CPS leadership said taking out a short-term loan to address pension payments would be fiscally irresponsible and could result in a downgrade of the district’s bond rating. Martinez echoed these concerns in his Tribune op-ed, calling the loan a “financially reckless” solution to the budget shortfall.

The budget dispute has placed further strain on the relationship between Johnson and Martinez, as well as between the mayor’s office and CPS leadership. Johnson, a former organizer who has long opposed school closures, has emphasized the need for investments in neighborhood schools and public education.

“As an organizer, Mayor Johnson fought against school closures and participated in a hunger strike to save neighborhood schools,” City Hall spokesperson Ronnie Reese said in a statement. “His vision for public education in Chicago calls for investments in our students — not layoffs and harmful school actions that have traumatized families and communities across the city.”

As the Chicago Board of Education prepares to vote on the resolution, all eyes are on the ongoing power struggle between Johnson’s administration and CPS leadership. The outcome of the vote could have lasting implications for the district’s future, particularly as Chicago’s partially elected school board prepares to take office in 2025.

In the meantime, union leaders continue to press for assurances that no schools will be closed under the current administration. “He can just sign on the dotted line and then we can work together to win more funding for our schools,” CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said at a press conference on Tuesday.