Alders slam Mayor Brandon Johnson over firing of Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The head of the Chicago Public Schools is on his way out, after the Chicago Board of Education voted on Friday to fire the school district's CEO, Pedro Martinez.
Several members of the Chicago City Council have criticized Mayor Brandon Johnson's move to force Martinez out, arguing it creates further instability at CPS both financially and politically.
The unanimous vote was the culmination of a months-long conflict, with Martinez on one side, and the mayor, the Chicago Teachers Union, and the mayor's hand-picked school board on the other.
The decision to terminate Martinez without cause came after a 90-minute closed door session at a special school board meeting Friday night. The decision was unanimous from the board, but not from city leaders.
"Obviously, I'm disappointed by the board's decision tonight. Leading the system that shaped me has been the opportunity of a lifetime," Martinez said after being fired on the Friday after Christmas.
The opportunity for Martinez to lead the same school district from which he graduated – and where he served in multiple top administrative roles before he was named CEO in 2021 – won't last.
His contract allows him just six more months on the job now that he's been fired without cause. He filed a lawsuit before Friday's board meeting to make sure the board follows the terms of his contract.
"All I've ever asked from this board and the previous board, all I've ever asked is if you want to move on from me, just honor the terms of my contract," he said.
His firing by a board handpicked by the mayor comes months after Martinez refused Johnson's request to take out a $300 million high-interest loan to help pay for a new teachers' contract and for pension costs once covered by the city.
Martinez has said he refused the mayor's request to resign in September after rejecting that proposed loan. Johnson has publicly denied asking Martinez to step down.
According to published reports, Martinez also rejected a buyout offer from the school board in the weeks leading up to his firing.
Martinez's firing angered several City Council members.
"The mayor has been repeatedly dishonest in this whole process. He first said he wasn't going to replace the Board of Ed, and then he did; and then he said he didn't want to fire Pedro, and clearly he installed people to do that exact thing," said Ald. Bill Conway (34th).
Conway called the firing reckless and irresponsible, and – like Martinez – criticized the timing of the board's decision.
"It's important that we have a smooth transition to a new CEO instead of throwing everything into chaos in the middle of the school year," Martinez said.
Ald. Nicole Lee (11th) said she's worried about parents losing trust in CPS.
"You know, I was disappointed to say the least. That's not the outcome I was looking for. It certainly wasn't the outcome that I thought would be best – in the best interest of our kids, including my own who are students in CPS," she said.
Lee and Conway hope for stability after newly elected board members are sworn in next month, and a new CEO ultimately takes over the job Martinez just lost.
Ten elected board members will take office in January, alongside 11 other members appointed by the mayor. Some of the new board members said Friday night's vote to get rid of Martinez undercuts the role they were elected to fill.
