Chicago school board resignations bring "instability" to CPS, aldermen say

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A day after Mayor Brandon Johnson announced his entire hand-picked school board would resign, dozens of members of the City Council blasted the recent developments in an open letter.

Following the announcement of the resignations, the 41 aldermen wrote, "This is unprecedented and brings further instability to our school district."

"It's not progressive," said Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th). "It's not transparent. It's not accountable."

Vasquez, who also signed onto the letter, argued taking out a loan to "cover a gap" is "not solving a problem. You're exacerbating the debt problem."

Amid the uncertainty over how the resignations came about, CBS News Chicago tracked down Johnson at his events to try to get some answers.

Johnson did not respond to questions at his first event on Saturday.

It wasn't until he wrapped up his second event that he stopped to offer some explanation for the entire board leaving.

"This is just merely a transition as we move into the elected portion of our school board," Johnson said.

The move came just weeks before voters, for the first time, will have the opportunity to elect 10 new board members. The mayor will appoint 11. The 21-new member board won't start their terms until January 15, which means until then, the mayor will appoint seven new board members.

"If you are the mayor, why would you put someone on there who's not going to do the things you want to happen?" said Rufus Williams, who served as president of the Chicago School Board from 2005 until 2009.

Still, the City Council members were critical of the situation writing that a board "full of lame-duck appointees carrying out only a few months of a term before residents get a chance to elect representatives is not what is in our best interest."

Sources said the mayor wanted Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to resign. Without a resignation, the board would have to fire Martinez.

At the mayor's third event on Saturday, CBS News Chicago asked if he wanted the board to fire Martinez.

"What I want this board to do is be responsive to the people of Chicago, who voted for me," Johnson said.

Johnson and Martinez have been at odds over a proposal that CPS take out a high-interest loan to pay for district expenses, including teacher raises and pensions.

When asked if he believes the next board appointees will approve the loan he wants, he said, "Well, this is really about not cutting our school districts. Right? 

"What this is about, this is about making sure that we don't cut our classrooms."

Williams said the board has the authority to review the district's budget and take out loans on behalf of the district.

In their open letter, the aldermen said taking out a $300 million loan would be "not a smart decision when CPS is already facing a massive deficit and the city an almost $1 billion deficit."

So how did Johnson respond to allegations that he was abusing his power with the mass resignations?

"Well, as mayor of the City of Chicago and as a parent of Chicago Public School students, as well as a former teacher in our public schools, the people of Chicago voted me to transform our school district and that's exactly what I'm doing to do," he said.

Still, the recent developments have left many questioning the state of CPS leadership.

"To have turnover at this point and have a new group of people coming in, potentially having a new CEO, yeah it's a recipe for chaos," Williams said.

Meanwhile, two major city groups want Martinez to keep his post. The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce issued a joint statement saying:

"Two weeks ago, we raised serious concerns about Mayor Brandon Johnson's plans to fire CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and his request for CPS to borrow over $300M through a short-term, high-interest loan. With the unprecedented mass resignation of the Mayor's handpicked school board and the announcement of seven new school board members just weeks before the first school board election in Chicago's history, our concerns have only escalated. The management stability, educational quality, and financial state of the Chicago Public Schools are critical to both the short and long-term prospects of the children and families of Chicago as well as the success of Chicago businesses of every size and the long-term economic future of our city. We strongly urge the board to keep CEO Martinez in place, reject the misguided proposal to borrow more money, and work with all parties to bring transparency and long-term fiscal stability and quality education to the school system."

The story is also gaining national attention, with the Wall Street Journal editorial board weighing in on Sunday night.

The editorial read in part: "Any illusion that Mayor Brandon Johnson has a steady hand on the wheel in the Windy City was put to rest on Friday when all seven members of the Chicago Board of Education resigned amid a pressure campaign from City Hall. That's a no-confidence vote, Chicago style."

The editorial paraphrased reports about the high-interest loan that Martinez opposes, Martinez becoming "persona non grata" at City Hall, and now Mayor Johnson poised to appoint a new school board with the authority both to fire Martinez "if they can invent a reason" and to approve the loan.

"In other countries, this would be a crisis of corrupt governance," the Wall Street Journal editorial read. "In Chicago it's the CTU monopoly at work."

After heading to Las Vegas to campaign on Sunday for Vice President Kamala Harris, Johnson will announce his new school board at a South Side church on Monday before heading to London later in the week.

In:
• Chicago Public Schools
• Chicago City Council