CPS says in statement Board of Ed. will not fire Pedro Martinez or close schools

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Leaders from Chicago's business, civic, education, and Latino communities joined a rising tide of support for Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez after sources said Mayor Brandon Johnson had asked him to resign.

Tuesday afternoon, Chicago Public Schools released a statement saying that while the monthly Board of Education meeting will go ahead as planned Thursday, they have no plans to "take action on the CEO's contract at this time."

Initially, CPS called it a "joint statement" with the Chicago Board of Education, but now CPS says it is just their statement.

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"In the past week, there have been an unfortunate series of rumors aimed at discrediting CEO Martinez and his leadership team," the statement continued. "References to school closures and co-locations is a tactic to provide more chaos and uncertainty, to steal precious time away from delivering a world-class education to our children."

Civic and elected leaders including former CPS CEO Arne Duncan, former CPS CEO Dr. Janice Jackson, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Chicago City Clerk Ana Valencia and 22 members of the Chicago City Council all signed a statement in support of Martinez, writing, "It is in the interest of both the city and our schools to ensure that the next generation is not saddled with debts they did not seek to take on. CEO Martinez's responsible refusal to enter into short term, 'high interest' loans to address budgeting shortfalls should be lauded, not punished. Chicago needs more fiscal discipline, not less."

Civic leaders, business leaders, Latino leaders and leaders from the educational community added their voices to a wave of support for CPS CEO Pedro Martinez Tuesday.

The statement continued, "We stand in firm opposition to Mayor Brandon Johnson's request for CEO Pedro Martinez's resignation. We also strongly call upon the School Board to continue its support for Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and to stand its ground against the unprecedented demands of the Chicago Teachers Union to fire him."

"CPS needs stability. You've had seven CEOs over the last decade and that's not good for parents, teachers, and students," said 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas.

SEE ALSO: Chicago Board of Education approves CPS 5-year plan, which shifts evaluation metrics

"We have a CEO who is working harder at keeping his job and making the press rounds than he is talking to JB Pritzker and Chris Welch and Don Harmon to secure funding for our schools. It is embarrassing," said Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates.

And the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Chicgaoland Chamber of Commerce also released a joint statement of support, writing in part, "Over the last few weeks, we have witnessed with dismay the public discourse on the potential firing of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, as well as Mayor Johnson's request for CPS to borrow over $300M through a short-term, high-interest, loan which the district simply cannot afford. The management stability, educational quality, and financial state of the Chicago Public Schools is critical to both the short and long-term prospects of the children of Chicago as well as the long-term economic future of our city...We strongly urge the board to keep CEO Martinez in place, reject the proposal to borrow more money, and work with all parties to bring long-term fiscal stability and quality of education to the school system."

Neither the city council nor Mayor Johnson have the power to simply fire the head of CPS; that's the prerogative of the Board of Education.

Johnson reportedly first soured on Martinez after he refused to sign on to the mayor's proposal for a high-interest short-term loan to help pay for a new teachers' contract and pension payments, and fill a roughly $500 million budget hole.

The statement from CPS also said there are no plans for their meeting "regarding securing a loan to support the Fiscal Year 2025 budget approved in July. Any such action to take out a loan would require an amendment to the FY25 budget."

The teachers' union officials through their House of Delegates issued a no confidence vote for Martinez.

The union said the unanimous vote also came after reports indicated Martinez was evaluating the closure of more than 100 schools and other measures to balance the CPS budget, which CPS also disputed.

Martinez sent a letter to CPS staff and families Tuesday morning, saying, "I'm reaching out to hopefully ease your concerns about continued rumors of school closings in CPS. Unfortunately, the misinformation campaign around this issue is still underway. So let me be 100% clear-there are absolutely no plans to close, consolidate or phase out any District-managed schools."

In their statement, CPS said, "To put these false school closure rumors to rest once and for all, the Board of Education will adopt a resolution at Thursday's monthly meeting. It clearly states that CPS will not close, consolidate, or phase out any District-managed schools during CEO's tenure or before the fully-elected school board is seated in January 2027."

Community leaders and others held a news conference Tuesday morning, then rallied in front of Benito Juarez High School, from which Martinez graduated, from in support of the CEO.

"We think that it is reckless and that it is irresponsible of the mayor to even consider removing Pedro simply because he will not go along with the mayor's request for what essentially is a risky payday loan scheme," Urban Center CEO Juan Rangel said.

"This is an affront to the Mexican community, the largest minority in this city, and potentially the county," said George Cardenas, Cook County Board of Review commissioner.

A group of former CPS administrators and principals said he is doing his job, overseeing a school district they say is now comprised of a majority of Latino students.

Allies add Martinez is not only a product of CPS but also earned national recognition for the academic improvements and post-pandemic record graduation rates.

"As a Mexican I'm insulted to think that somehow a leader like Pedro Martinez is not respected, even though he's done nothing wrong, even though he's done all the right things," said one speaker at Tuesday's rally. "Academic achievements are up. He's managing the resources so that he can hire more librarians and more counselors for those young people."

The attempts to remove Martinez come as crucial contract negotiations between CPS and CTU drag on.

Martinez, who also has the backing of a group of City Council members, has said he is not voluntarily resigning, so it will be up to the school board to keep him or fire him.

Full statement from the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

For as long as we have existed, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce have made the quality of education and public sector fiscal stability top priorities. With that in mind, we are compelled to weigh in on recent developments at the Chicago Public Schools. Over the last few weeks, we have witnessed with dismay the public discourse on the potential firing of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, as well as Mayor Johnson's request for CPS to borrow over $300M through a short-term, high-interest, loan which the district simply cannot afford. The management stability, educational quality, and financial state of the Chicago Public Schools is critical to both the short and long-term prospects of the children of Chicago as well as the long-term economic future of our city. Having stability at the helm of CPS is critical if we are to improve educational quality, assure financial soundness, and maintain confidence in the system among parents and children. We strongly urge the board to keep CEO Martinez in place, reject the proposal to borrow more money, and work with all parties to bring long-term fiscal stability and quality of education to the school system.

Joint statement from civic leaders in support of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez

Civic and elected leaders are urging members of Chicago's school board to stand firm in their support of CEO Pedro Martinez. It is in the best interest of our schools, students, and residents as a whole to continue the work launched under his leadership.

Martinez's five-year strategic plan has laid the groundwork for continuing this success and building upon it, while at the same time, keeping the entire city of Chicago in mind and ensuring fiscal responsibility. Chicago Public Schools need stability and consistent leadership.

The School Board will meet this Thursday, September 26th, for its monthly meeting.

As a product of Chicago Public Schools, Pedro is a role model for what our children can achieve. Leveraging over 30 years of experience in the private, nonprofit and public education sectors, Pedro has driven gains in both student achievement and staff morale in Chicago Public Schools.

It is in the interest of both the city and our schools to ensure that the next generation is not saddled with debts they did not seek to take on. CEO Martinez's responsible refusal to enter into short term, "high interest" loans to address budgeting shortfalls should be lauded, not punished. Chicago needs more fiscal discipline, not less.

The majority of students attending Chicago Public Schools are Hispanic and African American. Having a leader who knows their stories and can relate to them is a crucial part of what makes him an effective leader for our schools.

We stand in firm opposition to Mayor Brandon Johnson's request for CEO Pedro Martinez's resignation. We also strongly call upon the School Board to continue its support for Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez and to stand its ground against the unprecedented demands of the Chicago Teachers Union to fire him.

Signed,

David Andalcio, Chairman Latino Leadership Council; Jennifer Guzman, Executive Director Rise Chicago; Michael Ruemmler, President One Future Illinois; Arne Duncan, Former CEO of Chicago Public Schools; Dr. Janice K. Jackson, Former CEO of Chicago Public Schools; Jesse Ruiz, Former Interim CEO of Chicago Public Schools and former Deputy Governor of Illinois for Education; Susana A. Mendoza, Illinois State Comptroller; Anna Valencia, Chicago City Clerk; 2nd Ward Chicago Alderman Brian Hopkins; 3rd Ward Chicago Alderman Pat Dowell; 9th Ward Chicago Alderman Anthony Beale; 11th Ward Chicago Alderman Nicole Lee; 13th Ward Chicago Alderman Marty Quinn; 15th Ward Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez; 17th Ward Chicago Alderman David Moore; 18th Ward Chicago Alderman Derrick Curtis; 19th Ward Alderman Matthew J. O'Shea; 23rd Ward Chicago Alderman Silvana Tabares; 24th Ward Chicago Alderman Monique Scott; 31st Ward Chicago Alderman Felix Cardona; 32nd Ward Chicago Alderman Scott Waguespack; 36th Ward Chicago Alderman Gilbert Villegas; 38th Ward Chicago Alderman Nicholas Sposato; 39th Ward Chicago Alderman Samantha Nugent; 41st Ward Chicago Alderman Anthony Napolitano; 42nd Ward Chicago Alderman Brendan Reilly; 43rd Ward Chicago Alderman Timmy Knudsen; 44th Ward Chicago Alderman Bennett Lawson; 50th Ward Chicago Alderman Debra Silverstein