The entire Chicago Board of Education is set to resign this month following a contentious dispute with Mayor Brandon Johnson regarding the future of Chicago Public Schools (CPS) CEO Pedro Martinez. The resignation, confirmed Friday afternoon by both the board and the mayor’s office, signals a major upheaval in CPS governance.
The seven-member board, all appointed by Johnson last year, will step down amid tensions surrounding Johnson’s desire to replace Martinez. The dispute centers on Johnson’s push for CPS to take out a high-interest $300 million loan to support upcoming teacher raises during contract negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). Martinez, who has two years left on his contract, has opposed the move, and the board supported his position by excluding the loan from the CPS budget for the 2024-25 school year.
Johnson, a former CTU organizer, has denied asking Martinez to resign. However, the board’s mass resignation is widely seen as an attempt to pave the way for Johnson to appoint new members willing to remove Martinez and back his budget strategy. The resignations come just weeks before Chicago’s transition to a hybrid elected and appointed board, as voters will elect 10 new members in November, while Johnson will appoint 10 others along with the board’s president.
Critics, including aldermen and community activists, have decried the move as a power grab that destabilizes CPS during a critical period. Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th) and others accused the mayor of prioritizing CTU interests over the stability of the district, putting CPS further in debt.
Despite the controversy, Johnson plans to announce seven new board members on Monday, marking the beginning of a new era for Chicago’s public education system.
