Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson asked Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez to step down this week, several sources close to the matter confirmed with the Tribune Friday.
Martinez does not currently plan to resign, a source with knowledge of the conversation told the Tribune.
The news of Martinez’s possible ouster was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ.
The mayor’s alleged move is a result of Martinez’s refusal to take on costly loans to fill the district’s budget gap, the source said.
In addition to his opposition to the loan plan, Martinez has also clashed with Johnson and the City Council over whether CPS should foot the bill for a city pension payment plan that includes CPS retirees.
Martinez has faced increasing pressure and public criticism from the Chicago Teachers Union over the past few months, with rumors of a potential ouster swirling. He was appointed the district’s chief executive in 2021.
If Martinez declines to voluntarily resign, the Board of Education has the power to fire him – however, according to his contract as updated in Dec. 2022, he would then be entitled to twenty weeks of severance pay. Termination of his contract without cause would also require approximately six month’s notice, allowing Martinez to stay on through the new year.
Johnson has continued to lobby the at-first opposed Board of Education to take on the loans and appears to have won over enough board members to make the move soon, the source added. A senior aide in the Johnson administration also said Friday that the CPS board is not aligned with Martinez on financing and is in favor of taking on loans to fill the district’s budget gap as requested by the mayor.
Johnson remains closely allied with the teachers union. He worked as a CTU organizer before being elected to the Cook County Board, and the union provided huge financial support to his 2023 mayoral campaign.
The aide would not confirm Friday that the mayor requested Martinez resign, but added that the administration was looking into allegations that the district had analyzed the possibility of school closures.
The CTU accused Martinez last week of planning school closures and consolidations, citing budget slides referencing “space consolidation” plans and a facilities analysis of over 100 schools. Though Martinez has denied any such plans, calling CTU’s claims “misinformation,” union leadership has not backed down.
CTU could not be immediately reached for comment. However, their criticism of Martinez has continued throughout this week, with union president Stacy Davis Gates releasing a statement Wednesday in which she said of Martinez, “he’s not just out-of-step with Chicago, he’s out of step with the district’s own plan.”
Amid mounting scrutiny over the district’s $9.9 billion budget, roughly 400 CPS principals and assistant principals sent a letter to the Board of Education on Aug. 29 in support of Martinez, while 15 of 50 City Council members released an open letter calling for his retention on Sept. 4.
Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, who signed the letter of support, said Friday that he and many other aldermen had not known for sure that Martinez would be asked to step down until news broke in the media. City Council members were “trading phone calls” on Friday afternoon trying to learn more about the situation, Waguespack said, adding that he thinks “everybody wants a clear statement from the mayor.”
It would be “disgraceful,” he said, if the mayor had indeed asked Martinez to resign during negotiations with CTU and deliberations regarding the CPS budget.
“It does a disservice to taxpayers and especially to the students of CPS,” Waguespack said.
Chicago Public Schools representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Four executive committee members of Kids First Chicago’s parent advisory board said they were “deeply concerned” about rumors of Martinez’ potential dismissal in a Thursday evening statement.
“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 advisory board members wrote. “The fact that hundreds of principals and assistant principals have voiced their support for CEO Martinez indicates just how seriously a move like this must be considered before acting.”