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Mayor Brandon Johnson requested Chicago Public Colleges CEO Pedro Martinez to resign on Wednesday, however Martinez declined, in keeping with revealed stories and not less than one supply aware of inner discussions.
The mayor’s request, which was first reported by FOX32, in addition to the Chicago Solar-Instances and WBEZ, comes weeks after stories first surfaced that Johnson was laying the groundwork to exchange Martinez. The faculties chief was first appointed in September 2021 by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
Martinez is “taking it onerous as a result of he loves this job,” a supply aware of inner discussions advised Chalkbeat.
It’s now as much as the Chicago Board of Training to determine if Martinez ought to keep or go. Sources beforehand advised Chalkbeat that college board members have been unwilling to fireplace Martinez. However on Friday, the Chicago Solar-Instances and WBEZ quoted a supply near the mayor who mentioned Martinez has “misplaced the board.”
Board members, together with President Jianan Shi, Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland, and different board members, didn’t instantly reply to calls requesting remark. The board is scheduled to satisfy subsequent Thursday.
Johnson’s need to exchange Martinez comes after he pushed faculty district leaders to take out a short-term mortgage to cowl a pension fee for non-teaching workers and new prices associated to the yet-to-be-settled Chicago Lecturers Union contract.
It additionally comes as faculty district leaders are in tense contract negotiations with the Chicago Lecturers Union. The mayor, a former CTU organizer and shut ally of the union, can be struggling to deal with looming deficits to town funds he now oversees. These deficits are pushed, partially, by the CPS administration and faculty board’s refusal to take out the short-term mortgage.
Earlier this summer time, Johnson additionally voiced criticism in regards to the district’s funds, which maintained the identical degree of funding for colleges however had a slew of cuts with a view to shut the deficit. Most of these cuts have been to central workplace and different bills that didn’t instantly have an effect on lecture rooms. However additionally they included the positions of a whole bunch of educating assistants and different assist workers – prompting intense criticism from the union – even because the district assured that the majority would get jobs on different campuses or it will cowl their salaries for the subsequent 12 months.
Prior to now, the union would goal the mayor for gradual or tense contract talks, however this 12 months the union directed its criticism instantly at Martinez, saying Martinez will not be budging or preventing aggressively sufficient to search out extra money for its proposals, which embody 9% raises for academics and a variety of concepts so as to add workers, restrict class sizes, and develop assist for homeless college students, migrant households, and others.
Martinez’s administration has supplied the union raises of as much as 5% in every of the subsequent 4 years, which might deliver the typical educator wage to greater than $110,000 by the contract’s finish, in keeping with the district, together with important profit will increase for free of charge to academics. CPS and CTU are scheduled to carry a public bargaining session on Tuesday.
The union turned up the stress on Martinez this week after alleging that it has paperwork exhibiting that the district is contemplating faculty closures. Martinez and CPS have insisted they aren’t seeking to shut any colleges, and one of many sources near Martinez mentioned the problem seems to be a tactic to undermine Martinez because the mayor’s workplace and union are pushing for his ouster.
The district, which lately closed a half-billion-dollar funds deficit, is going through a difficult monetary outlook and didn’t funds funds to cowl a brand new academics contract or pension prices for non-teaching workers.
Chalkbeat submitted a Freedom of Info Act request to the mayor’s workplace for inner emails despatched over the summer time discussing the district’s CEO place. The correspondence acquired in response confirmed varied exchanges between high officers within the mayor’s workplace concerning the district’s funds and associated points, however most emails have been redacted of their entirety, citing a provision within the regulation that protects some correspondence reflecting deliberations forward of creating selections.
About 460 district principals and assistant principals representing nearly 70% of the district’s campuses lately wrote to the college board urging members to maintain Martinez on the helm. They argued that Martinez has ushered in a extra responsive, collaborative management after years of CEO churn — and that his dismissal would trigger monumental disruption at a key juncture for the district and damage college students.
One principal who signed the letter and requested anonymity to talk freely a few delicate matter mentioned in an interview with Chalkbeat that stories of Martinez’s doable ouster are a grave trigger for concern for varsity leaders.
“We’ve management in place that has began to take heed to everyone — and so they have a plan,” he mentioned. “There isn’t any clean pathway to serving to children if the management is continually altering.”
The principal famous Martinez has presided over educational restoration within the district post-pandemic and simply unveiled a five-year strategic plan that college leaders and educators can rally round. The plan displays some key academics union priorities, together with strengthening neighborhood colleges and increasing arts and different packages.
“This has nothing to do with efficiency,” he mentioned. “This has the whole lot to do with politics.”
Amid the district’s rising monetary pressures, he added, “CEO Martinez is simply being set as much as be the autumn man.”
The advocacy group Children First Chicago’s father or mother advisory board additionally voiced dismay on the prospect of Martinez’s ouster.
“This choice, originally of the college 12 months, throughout ongoing negotiations with the Chicago Lecturers Union, and simply months earlier than the transition to an elected faculty board, may have a damaging influence on Chicago’s college students,” the mother and father mentioned in an announcement, calling on the mayor and faculty board to be clear about any selections in regards to the district’s management.
Reema Amin is a reporter protecting Chicago Public Colleges. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.
Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter protecting Chicago Public Colleges. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.
Becky Vevea is the bureau chief for Chalkbeat Chicago. Contact Becky at bvevea@chalkbeat.org.
