The Chicago Public Schools shakeup with the mass resignation of all seven members of Johnson's hand-picked board paves the way for the mayor the reappoint a board who will be willing to act on Johnson's wish to oust CPS CEO Pedro Martinez.
Messages left by ABC7 for the school board president and multiple board members have not been returned, so ABC7 hasn't heard directly whether the board members resigned in protest or were forced out.
The mayor is moving quickly to name new board members. That will happen Monday morning. However, the action is still unsettling to many in the district.
"It's shocking," CPS parent Sarah Strasser said. "We're all, I guess, going to have to find out what comes out in the wash. I would love to know what was said behind closed doors."
Ald. Brian Hopkins of the 2nd Ward said school board members owe CPS families an explanation of why they are resigning, as there was no mention of it in a joint statement with the mayor. At the last monthly meeting, the board refused to act on Martinez's contract after the Mayor asked the CEO to resign.
"For years, we've heard the far left of Chicago scream about elected school board, elected school board now they're getting an elected school board, and yet they want to take it over in a last minute coup and appoint people," Ald. Hopkins said. "That's wrong."
Johnson's office released a statement, saying: "Mayor Brandon Johnson and members of the Chicago Board of Education are enacting a transition plan which includes all current members transitioning from service on the Board later this month. With the shift to a hybrid elected and appointed Board forthcoming, current Board members and Mayor Johnson understand that laying a strong foundation for the shift is necessary to serve the best interests of students and families in Chicago Public Schools.
Together, Mayor Johnson and the Board fulfilled many objectives of the Johnson Administration's vision for Chicago's public schools, including shifting away from inequitable student-based budgeting, completing the change to a school safety model that does not rely on school resource officers and focusing on Black Student Success. Their partnership also improved special education services, increased charter school accountability in the renewal process and embarked on a new five-year strategic plan that emphasizes continued progress, investing in neighborhood schools and expanding the Sustainable Community School model in lieu of school closures.
None of the members leaving the current Board planned to continue onto the hybrid Board, and none are running for election. With the unprecedented increase in Board membership, transitioning new members now will allow them time to orient and gain critical experience prior to welcoming additional elected and appointed members in 2025."
The mayor turned on Martinez in part because he and the school board refused to take out a short-term high-interest loan to pay for a new teachers contract and pension payments that CPS shifted to the city.
"Right now we have an administration that is hell bent on making sure that they're satisfying their number one campaign contributor," 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas said.
How Chicago Board of Education mass resignation could impact CPS
"If the board was forced out because they were unwilling to fire a CEO who was being fiscally responsible, that is extremely troubling," 34th Ward Ald. Bill Conway said. "That's really sad for our city."
City Council Budget Committee Chairman Ald. Jason Ervin does not believe the board resigning will throw the district into chaos.
"CPS has to make choices regarding its finances, and if that means they have to borrow resources to make that happen, or make adjustments and expenses to make that happen, that's their decision," Ervin said. "But not paying their pension bill is not an option... They are the board, those people still have to function and operate. I think it won't have any impact on what's going on in the classroom, and that's where we are most concerned about."
"If it potentially has ramifications down all the way down to the student level, it would be great to know exactly what happened behind the scenes," CPS parent Scott Benken said.
On the Near West Side, CPS families reacted to the news Friday with surprise and confusion.
"They're resigning, maybe that's a message they're sending to say, 'hey look, we're not going to come under the thumb of whosoever. If we can't do the job right, then we might as well resign,'" CPS grandparent Glendale James said.
In the meantime, Martinez, who is under contract, has no plans to step down. He said a new board must find "cause" to fire him.
A CPS spokesperson issued a statement, saying, "CPS CEO Pedro Martinez, on behalf of his leadership team, staff and students, extends his sincere gratitude to the members of the Chicago Board of Education for their service. School Board members are dedicated, civic-minded public servants who are not paid for their work. They each have spent countless hours volunteering their time, lending their considerable expertise and experience to support our system and our more than 325,000 students. School Board members review thousands of documents each year and spend additional time researching, asking questions, and offering input before voting on major decisions, including the District's annual budget, and just last month, the District's five-year strategic plan, 'Success 2029: Together We Rise.' These Board members in particular advocated for equity, emphasizing our collective responsibility to better serve all students but especially students with disabilities and those in neighborhoods that have been historically under-resourced and who remain furthest from opportunity. We extend special thanks to Board President Jianan Shi and Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland for their leadership. Vice President Todd-Breland is the only remaining Board member who has served through the COVID-19 pandemic and in the aftermath as the District worked to restore services and successfully lead academic recovery efforts. We understand news that the seven-member Chicago Board of Education plans to resign later this month may concern our families and staff. CEO Martinez and his leadership team, principals and staff, remain focused on teaching and learning, continuing the great momentum we've seen in students' academic gains and performance over the past two years."
The mass resignation of the school board comes as, for the first time, people can vote for members of Chicago's first-elected school board.
Earlier this week, Johnson said he did not ask anyone to do anything, but when asked to clarify that statement Wednesday, the mayor was tight-lipped.
"I don't ever discuss personnel issues," he said. "I find it to be highly offensive, irresponsible and raggedy, and I don't do raggedy."
However, Johnson made it clear that all of his leaders must share his progressive agenda to transform public education.
"I was elected to fight for the people of the city and whoever is in the way, get out of it," he said.
Martinez issued the following statement Friday to CPS staff, families and supporters:
"Earlier today, all seven members of the Chicago Board of Education announced that they plan to resign their positions in the very near future. I want to take this opportunity to thank all seven of these individuals for their vision and their leadership - Board President Jianan Shi, Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland, Mariela Estrada, Mary Fahey Hughes, Rudy Lozano, Jr., Michelle Morales, and Tanya D. Woods. I am sincerely grateful to each one of these dedicated, civic-minded public servants who have volunteered their time, their expertise, their experience, and their energy to supporting our system and serving more than 324,000 students. School board members - who are not paid for their work - review thousands of policies and proposals each year and spend additional time researching, asking questions, and offering input before voting on major decisions, including the District's annual budget, and more recently, the District's five-year strategic plan, 'Success 2029: Together We Rise,' which this board approved just 19 days ago. I want to salute these Board members in particular for their steadfast dedication to ensuring greater equity in our system, emphasizing our collective responsibility to improve the quality of education for those who are furthest from opportunity. I want to extend my special thanks to Board Vice President Todd-Breland, who has been a board member since 2019, for her leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic and in the aftermath. She worked to restore services and lead academic recovery efforts that have yielded some of the biggest gains among large urban districts. I know that families and staff may have concerns about what this means for the future of our District. Please know that regardless of the makeup of the Board of Education, my team and I remain focused on the work: robust teaching and learning, building on the great momentum we've seen in students' academic gains, and continuing to realize our vision of a District where every student has a rigorous, high-quality, and joyful learning experience.
Late Friday, some community leaders and elected officials called on Governor JB Pritzker to intervene in what they call a CPS crisis. The governor's office said he does not have the legal authority to do so.