Chicago leaders push to keep Pedro Martinez as CPS CEO amid union negotiations
CHICAGO - A group of City Council members and educators gave a message to the Chicago Public School Board today: They want school chief Pedro Martinez to remain as CEO.
The pressure campaign ramped up on both sides over the future of Martinez, who has served as CPS CEO since 2021. The Chicago School Board will meet on Thursday, potentially to determine his fate.
While the agenda for the meeting has not been released, alderpeople, principals and community members said it should not include Martinez's firing.
On Monday morning, 21 alderpeople sent a letter to the Board of Education saying it made no sense to make a change.
The elected school board takes its seat on Jan. 15. Last week, Martinez rebuffed an effort from the board to buy him out of his contentious negotiations on a new contract with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). CPS officials said that contract could cost $10 billion over four years, if CTU gets everything that it wants.
Elected officials and principals said Martinez is holding the line, protecting the interest of taxpayers against CTU.
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"While the circus is going on, CPS CEO Pedro Martinez has consistently shown up and brought stability among the turmoil," Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) said. "He has also continued to remain focused on good faith negotiations while the CTU smears him in an attempt to create cause for firing."
Leaders at Monday's press conference doubled down on the need for stability as contract negotiations drag on with the CTU.
"The public spoke," said Ellen Rosenfeld, CPS board member-elect (District 4). "They elected us. They wanted independent voices. Give us an opportunity to get on the board, do our due diligence, understand what Pedro Martinez is doing right and doing wrong, and then make a decision.