In a unanimous vote, the seven-member Chicago Board of Education voted Thursday to prohibit school closings until 2027.
The vote concluded – at least for now – an increasingly fractious month in which the district faced accusations of clandestinely plotting to close schools and the fate of Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez’s job was in constant question.
In a Wednesday editorial in the Tribune, Martinez made a case his job after consistent speculation that Mayor Brandon Johnson would fire him. The tension and rumor mill kicked into high gear this week on reports that unnamed sources told media outlets the mayor had asked Martinez to resign.
However, on Thursday, Martinez’ role as CEO was not the topic of discussion or on the board’s formal agenda. The possibility that a number of schools were on a list to possibly be closed or consolidated. The allegations raised the ire of the Chicago Teachers Union, which has asked for a mediator as it continues discussions with CPS for a new, four-year contract.
During his remarks Thursday evening, Martinez addressed the “misinformation campaign” he claimed was waged against him regarding school closures, reiterating that the district has no plans to close schools. He also discussed his role in authoring a resolution extending a moratorium on school closures until January 2027. However, Martinez did not address speculation that he would soon be ousted.
“There is simply no truth to this,” Martinez said at the meeting. “To put this issue to rest once and for all, I’m asking the Board to adopt the resolution today, clearly stating that CPS will not close or consolidate any schools before the fully elected school board is in place on January 2027.”
CTU Vice President Jackson Potter stepped to the podium at Thursday’s board meeting, calling on Martinez to amend his resolution on school closures, claiming that it currently doesn’t fully protect schools as it doesn’t ban co-locations, in which schools share facilities without any changes to school programming.
“We’re debating school closures, staff reductions, rather than implementing a plan for transformation or suing the banks for their graft and deceit,” Potter said. “We’re going through stages of grief. We’ve been traumatized by closing lists that have been mistakenly given to us in the past, and then they pretend to be theoretical and become a harsh reality. We’re reminded the same procedures for co-locations do not apply as they do with closures and consolidations, because neither the law or the resolution you aim to pass tonight would prohibit this form of school action. Therefore we’ve amended your resolution,” he said.
At Thursday’s meeting’s opening, Board of Education President Jianan Shi also insisted there was no plan to close schools, directly addressing the “noise in the media” about CPS and the Board.
In a post on X, Shi denied signing off on the Wednesday statement CPS initially issued on behalf of the Board and district officials denying plans for school closures and emphasizing that a discussion on the high-interest loan the mayor asked the district to take on would not be on the agenda during the board meeting. The district quickly reissued a statement, speaking only on behalf of district officials, not board members.
At Thursday’s meeting, Shi said the board does not “discuss confidential or personnel matters publicly,” confirming that Martinez’s employment status would not be discussed.
“We do want to take a moment to reinforce the values and vision that guide this work as board members,” Shi told the audience gathered at Roberto Clemente Community Academy in West Town. “When this board was appointed by Mayor Johnson, we made a commitment to work with our schools and communities to transform CPS into a fully resourced, just and equitable school system.”
Prior to the meeting, at a press conference outside the school, activist and school board candidate Aaron “Jitu” Brown addressed rumors of school closures to an assembled crowd of CTU members and the press. Brown is vying for a seat in the 5th District, which includes the West Side neighborhoods of Austin, Garfield Park, and Lawndale, among others.
Two poster boards had been assembled featuring a printout of the analysis of potential school co-locations and consolidations generated by CPS. While standing in front of this list — the flashpoint for accusations of planned school closures — the assembled crowd chanted, “No school closings!”
