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District management
Martinez’s legal team alleges CEO was scapegoated and school board members were appointed to “do the bidding” of mayor, union
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.
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.
CPS CEO Pedro Martinez said he has been asking for the city to contribute more Tax Increment Financing funds to CPS in order to stabilize its budget.
Neither the board nor Pedro Martinez directly addressed Mayor Brandon Johnson’s request for the schools chief to quit.
The Chicago Board of Education can ultimately decide to keep Martinez or fire him.
The Chicago Board of Education owns more than 800 school buildings, annexes, and other property. It would cost $14.4 billion to update and repair all of Chicago’s public school buildings.
The Chicago Board of Education is one of the state’s largest employers with more than 41,000 people on staff.
The plan includes several priorities meant to bolster communities with high-needs, including to improve academic achievement for Black students and reduce teacher vacancies.
The Chicago Board of Education is responsible for the education of about 323,000 students. But they’re enrolled unevenly across the 10 new school board districts.
There will be 32 candidates on the ballot in Chicago’s school board elections on Nov. 5. Here’s an updated list.
Removing Martinez at the start of a new school year would be destabilizing, the principals said. Their union didn’t back the letter.
Will Fletcher led Chicago Public Schools’ watchdog agency since 2020 and oversaw probes into pandemic-era aid, JROTC, and sexual misconduct.
The 2024-25 school year gets underway amid an extreme heat advisory and with more than 1,000 CPS students with disabilities waiting for bus rides.
Sources close to Chicago Public Schools say Martinez wants to continue as CEO.
The district is adjusting bell times and creating transportation hubs in order to provide busing to more students.
State officials acknowledged that some students still have commutes over an hour, but said they believe the district has made ‘sufficient progress.’
District leadership has balked at the idea, saying a loan ‘only shifts the problem’ to future years.
The proposed $9.9 billion CPS budget faces several pressures, from union negotiations to the end of federal COVID aid.
The new study from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research comes ahead of a July school board vote to remove police from all schools.