Mayor Johnson's Strategic School Board Shake-Up: The Countdown for CEO Martinez Begins

As Brandon Johnson handpicks new School Board, Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez likely to soon be forced out

Current CPS CEO Pedro Martinez who Mayor Johnson wants outPhoto byScreen Capture/Youtube Video [Creator]

Chicago, IL – In a move that has sparked intense political controversy and speculation, Mayor Brandon Johnson has taken decisive action to reshape the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) leadership, creating a path to potentially oust current CEO Pedro Martinez. This power shift comes just weeks before the crucial November school board elections, with Johnson appointing six new board members, all seemingly aligned with his vision for CPS. As the dust settles, Martinez's future hangs by a thread.

Johnson, who has publicly denied calling for Martinez’s resignation, is now in a position where his newly appointed board has the authority to remove Martinez, with insiders suggesting this might happen sooner rather than later. The political drama behind the scenes involves not only Martinez's stance on CPS finances but also Johnson's close ties to the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), which played a significant role in his mayoral campaign.

For months, rumors swirled that Mayor Johnson had asked CPS CEO Pedro Martinez repeatedly to step down from his role, a claim the mayor has recently denied. However, multiple sources, including Chicago Alderman Brian Hopkins of the 2nd Ward, have stated otherwise. Hopkins confirmed that Johnson made the request, but Martinez declined to resign, forcing Johnson into a situation where terminating the CEO could get “messy,” given Martinez still has two years left on his contract.

"Mayor Johnson did ask him to step down," Hopkins said. "Martinez refused, and now if they want him out, they’ll have to terminate him, and that could get complicated."

Martinez, who was appointed in 2021, also stated that Johnson had told him to resign but he refused in order to avoid disruptions in the strategic progress CPS has made under his leadership. "I want to prevent a leadership vacuum that could derail the work we've done so far," Martinez explained, pledging to leave his fate to the previous Board of Education who may not have agreed with all of his positions but also did not seem keen on firing him.

Now, with Johnson’s newly installed school board in place, Martinez’s tenure looks increasingly precarious. The mayor’s new team is expected to handle his removal swiftly—potentially before the official school board elections slated for November 7th. The move would clear the way for a clean slate, aligning CPS leadership with Johnson’s long-term educational goals.

"The board's job – like all board members, no matter what kind of board you sit on – is to evaluate the executive. That's their job, their duty they will do that," the mayor said.

If that's not clear enough in terms of the push to remove Martinez, the CTU issued a statement which details what they are instructing the new board to investigate with regards to the CPS CEO who they have also clearly opposed. It states:

"Additionally, the CTU urges the public and our elected officials to ask and investigate these questions of the CPS CEO:

"1. What is Pedro Martinez's solution for overcrowded classrooms with 37 or more students?

"2. What is his plan to provide libraries and librarians to the 80 % of CPS schools that don't have them?

"3. How will he get CPS into compliance with federal law and address the critical shortages of special education teachers, clinicians, social workers and nurses in school buildings?

"4. What is his revenue plan to complete the CPS budget for this school year and next?

Johnson’s appointment of six new board members has set the stage for this potential shake-up. The individuals chosen come from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from political consultancy to labor organizing, yet all share a common alignment with Johnson’s goals for CPS.

Among the new appointees are Olga Bautista, co-executive director of the Southeast Environmental Task Force, and Michilla Blaise, a political consultant who also serves as Chief of Staff to Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar. Other notable appointments include Mary Gardner, a West Side community organizer, and Rev. Mitchell L. Ikenna Johnson, a former executive director of the Developing Communities Project.

A key figure in the appointments is labor organizer Frank Niles Thomas, who previously served as chairman of a local school council. His inclusion reflects Johnson’s labor-centric vision for CPS, and connection to the CTU especially given the deep influence of the Union in Johnson’s rise to power. Also among the appointees is Deborah Pope, a retired CPS teacher and former union organizer, signaling a strong CTU presence on the board.

Though Mayor Johnson insisted these appointments were part of a transition plan and not solely focused on Martinez’s future, the timing and political implications suggest otherwise. With a high-stakes teachers’ contract negotiation in progress, Martinez’s resistance to taking on a $300 million loan to fund teacher raises and cover non-teacher pensions, something previously financed by the city, likely contributed to the push for his removal.

At the heart of the growing tension between Johnson and Martinez is a financial dispute over CPS’s future budget and the former board's agreement with Martinez on his position. Johnson has been vocal about his desire to secure a significant loan to cover salary increases for teachers and pensions for non-teaching staff. However, Martinez opposed this high-interest loan, arguing it would deepen CPS’s financial challenges, especially given the $500 million deficit projected for 2025.

Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot had already shifted the financial responsibility for non-teaching staff pensions back to CPS in 2021, exacerbating the school district's budgetary constraints. Martinez’s refusal to include a $175 million pension payment in this year’s budget further strained his relationship with Johnson, who sees the loan as a necessary solution to address the growing financial needs of CPS.

This chaos at CPS occurs as contract negotiations between the city and the powerful teachers union have stalled out. The district offered a 4% raise this year, and between a 4% and 5% raise for each of the following three years. The union rejected this, insisting on 9% annual raises.

New board member Rev. Mitchell L. Ikenna Johnson articulated the incoming board’s goals, saying, "We have not seen the plan or dedication from the corporate leaders at CPS, but this board intends to make sure our schools have the tools they need to graduate and educate prepared citizens of Chicago,"

While Martinez’s stance is seen by some as a prudent approach to avoid further debt, others, including the mayor’s newly installed board, appear more willing to embrace the loan as a short-term solution to immediate financial pressures.

The rapid appointment of a new school board just days after the previous members stepped down has raised eyebrows across Chicago, with accusations that the mayor is using the opportunity to consolidate power over CPS. Critics argue that the timing—mere weeks before the November elections—suggests Johnson is positioning his allies to fire Martinez and approve the contentious loan before a more independent board takes over.

The mayor’s decision has not been without backlash. Several members of the Chicago City Council, including Alderman Andre Vasquez, have voiced concerns about the sudden board overhaul. In an open letter signed by 41 aldermen over the weekend, the council criticized the move as lacking transparency and undermining stability at CPS. They asked Johnson to hold council hearings prior to making these changes, but Johnson refused claiming he had seven people prepared to replace the former school board. He also brushed off the City Council as having any role or say in this decision.

"This brings further instability to CPS," Vasquez said. "The rapid turnover doesn’t feel progressive, nor does it offer the transparency that Chicagoans deserve."

Council members have called for a public hearing to scrutinize the mayor’s appointments and give the community a chance to weigh in before the new board takes office. The incoming members are expected to be seated by the next school board meeting on October 24, just two weeks before the elections.

Despite the criticism, Mayor Johnson remains steadfast in his decisions. Defending his choice to appoint the new board, Johnson emphasized the need for urgency in addressing CPS’s challenges. "How much longer are we going to make parents in the city of Chicago wait?" he said. "Everybody agrees that there are real issues and problems of disinvestment, right?

Johnson also dismissed claims that his close relationship with the CTU influenced his decision-making and that these appointments appeared to be part of a coup carried out in consorts with his allies at CTU.

Though Johnson admitted that the CTU was a key supporter of his mayoral campaign, he brushed off concerns that they were directing his actions, instead stressing that his focus is on improving the quality of education for all Chicago students.

Bishop Larry Trotter, a vocal supporter of Johnson, echoed the mayor’s sentiments during a public address. "We are 110% behind Mayor Brandon Johnson and his vision for the Chicago Public Schools. It's clear that the mayor was elected by the people of Chicago to lead us. We cannot back down. We must trust him in the process," Trotter said.

As Chicagoans await the school board elections and the subsequent transition to a hybrid board structure in January 2025, the looming question remains: Will Johnson’s new board swiftly oust Pedro Martinez and approve the loan, or will they wait until after the November elections to chart a new course?

The political stakes surrounding CPS’s leadership are high, and the outcome will shape the future of public education in Chicago for years to come. Martinez has earned respect for steering CPS through a tumultuous period, but his opposition to Johnson’s financial strategy has placed him on shaky ground. As the new board prepares to take office, all eyes are on Johnson, his appointees, and how they will navigate the district’s mounting financial and operational challenges.

For now, Martinez remains in his position, but with the clock ticking and the mayor’s handpicked board poised to take action, his tenure as CPS CEO could be coming to a swift end.

"When we have an election in less than 30 days to decide who's going to be the new participants of this board just reeks of this banana republic mentality that you know you can manipulate the Democratic process however you wish, so long as you get the desired result," said 15th Ward Ald. Ray Lopez.

"I think the bottom line for taxpayers, too, is they want to see the leadership, but they also want to see somebody be fiscally responsible ethically responsible and morally responsible, and we're not saying that with Mayor Johnson," said 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack.

There will be a special City Council meeting held on Wednesday right after the regularly scheduled meeting to address the upheaval the appointment of a new board has created at CPS. However, the Mayor has firmly dismissed the importance of this meeting.

"City Council can have as many hearings as they want, there is only one person that has the authority to make appointments, that's the mayor," Johnson said, adding that he is the only one that has any say in electing school board members so the Council has no relevence in these matters.

Prior to the announcment of the new board members, protesters chanted "Not Legit!" while brandishing signs that read "Fire Brandon". They were not allowed to remain and were removed by security before the Johnson began speaking.