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Chicago City Hall
Martinez’s legal team alleges CEO was scapegoated and school board members were appointed to “do the bidding” of mayor, union
The mayor’s announcement came on the last day of a state-imposed deadline for his choices for the new 21-person board, which will include 10 elected members.
Mayor Brandon Johnson said the proposed charter school closures require more aggressive solutions from the district, but he hasn’t “seen that type of leadership” from CPS.
The remarks from Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson raised questions about how well city officials vetted him before the mayor appointed him as president of the Chicago Board of Education
The mayor wants to send CPS roughly $300 million, but that’s less than what the district CEO has requested.
Deputy Mayor Jen Johnson is taking a personal leave to focus on health and family. It comes amid tensions between City Hall and Chicago Public Schools.
Chicago alderpeople questioned Martinez over the school system’s budget as Mayor Brandon Johnson continues to spar with CPS over financial troubles at both city hall and the school district.
The resignations will come after weeks of pressure from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration to oust CPS CEO Pedro Martinez and take out a high-interest loan to cover costs — which the mayor’s appointed board has so far declined to do.
Neither the board nor Pedro Martinez directly addressed Mayor Brandon Johnson’s request for the schools chief to quit.
The move comes after the teachers union claimed that CPS CEO Pedro Martinez is planning for school closures — and after the mayor asked Martinez to resign.
Chicago schools chief denies teachers union claim that he is looking to consolidate schools
Sources close to Chicago Public Schools say Martinez wants to continue as CEO.
The budget plan, which closed a $505 million deficit, faced pushback from school communities, the teachers union, and even the mayor’s office.
District leadership has balked at the idea, saying a loan ‘only shifts the problem’ to future years.
The district posted its opening proposals online and the union shared its contract ideas with members. Both sides want at least a four-year agreement.
CPS says the proposal to build the controversial $150 million high school is still “under review,” but a website has been taken down, and stakeholders say it’s been months without an update.
The teachers union propelled Johnson to City Hall with an education platform promising more funding and staff at neighborhood schools, housing for homeless students, and free public transit passes.
The ballot initiative to raise the real estate transfer tax on property sales over $1 million in order to raise revenue for homelessness and affordable housing was one of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s key campaign promises.
Supporters say a proposed change to the city’s real estate transfer tax would raise up to $100 million annually for a variety of efforts tackling homelessness. Critics worry it would create a political ‘slush fund.’
After years of thorny relationships with district officials and mayors, the Chicago Teachers Union will bargain a new contract this year with a district that now answers to former CTU organizer Mayor Brandon Johnson.