After Mass Resignations, Chicago Mayor Appoints New School Board

After all seven members of the Chicago public school board resigned last week, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced a complete overhaul of the board amid rising tensions due to budget shortfalls.

Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

Speaking at a press conference in a South Side church, Johnson, a first-term mayor and former Chicago Teachers Union organizer, declared, “I was elected to fight and fight I am.” His decision to replace all seven board members has sparked concerns across various sectors of the city, from the city council to business leaders and educational watchdogs, Bloomberg reports.

The mayor’s plan to replace all seven board members sparked concern on the part of most of the city council, members of the Chicago business community and watchdogs. The district serves more than 320,000 students, making it one of the nation’s largest.

Johnson announced only six nominees to the board on Monday until a new 21-member hybrid board is installed in January, of which 10 will be elected.

The tension at the heart of this upheaval is rooted in longstanding disputes between the teachers’ union and the district, compounded by dwindling enrollments and the looming threat of school closures. Johnson’s election in early 2023 had already raised eyebrows given his background with the teachers’ union, and his swift move to overhaul the board signals a significant shift in how the city’s schools might be governed moving forward.

This sweeping change comes as the teachers’ union and the district haggle over terms for a new five-year contract, with negotiations hitting a dead end after the previous contract expired in June. Adding to the controversy, reports have emerged that Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, a holdover from former Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s administration, has openly rejected Johnson’s proposal for a short-term loan to cover escalating salary and pension costs.

Martinez, who penned an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune defending his stance, has also resisted calls from Johnson for his resignation. According to Joe Ferguson, president of watchdog group The Civic Federation, this resistance underscores a deepening rift he says “raises fundamental questions of governance.“

Johnson’s remarkable power struggle with Martinez and his own appointed school board erupted after contentious budget talks this summer, ultimately leading to all board members opting to resign rather than side with him. The disagreement stemmed from Martinez and the board’s refusal to take out a high-interest loan to cover a pension payment and part of the upcoming contract for the Chicago Teachers Union, a close political ally of the mayor’s.

Martinez said in September the mayor asked him to step down, which he refused. The schools’ chief can only be forced out by the board. Now that the first iteration of Johnson’s Board of Education has been purged, the path to fire Martinez — and take out the $300 million loan — looks clearer than ever. –Chicago Tribune

Over the weekend, more than 40 city aldermen agreed with Martinez – posting an open letter which blasted Johnson’s handling of the situation and warned against taking on a loan. They also demanded that Johnson convene a hearing before the end of the month, and before any new appointments to the CPS board are made.

“This inserts a level of uncertainty and instability into our schools that is extremely concerning,” state Rep. Ann Williams (D) wrote on Sunday. “The level of state oversight necessary for the district will be informed by the decisions made by this Mayor and his administration in the coming weeks and months.”