Political fallout grows after CPS CEO Pedro Martinez's firing

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Published  December 21, 2024 10:02pm CST
FOX 32 Chicago
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What will be the impact of the CPS CEO's firing?

The political fallout continues after last night's firing of Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez at a chaotic special meeting of the school board.

The Brief

    • CPS CEO Pedro Martinez was fired during a chaotic school board meeting Friday night, and he is challenging the dismissal in court.
    • Chicago political leaders, including Rep. Kam Buckner, criticized the timing of the firing and warned it could hurt CPS’s funding efforts and stability.
    • Mayor Brandon Johnson accused Martinez of prioritizing personal politics over students’ needs, while concerns about a potential budget deficit and CPS's bond rating rise.

CHICAGO - The political fallout continues after Friday night's firing of Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez during a chaotic special meeting of the Chicago Board of Education.

Martinez is challenging his dismissal in court, claiming he did nothing to warrant losing his job.

On Saturday, several Chicago political leaders said the move could backfire on Mayor Brandon Johnson.

"I'm still really, in many ways, still in shock and awe at what happened. I did not expect this to go down the way it did," said Democratic State Rep. Kam Buckner. 

Buckner said he is unsure if Martinez deserved to be fired but criticized the timing—midway through the school year—as particularly disruptive.

"Parents, teachers, students, school communities deserve much better than midyear mayhem," Buckner said. 

During the special board meeting Friday night, Johnson's six-member school board, which he appointed, voted unanimously to terminate Martinez without cause. The decision allows Martinez to remain in his role for 180 days, but with reduced authority.

Board members declined to explain their decision.

Martinez alleged he was fired for refusing to approve a high-interest $300 million loan to fund a new teachers union contract, which has not yet been finalized. The union previously employed Johnson.

Buckner warned the instability could harm CPS as it seeks funding from Springfield.

"We need statewide support to get our young people what they deserve and when others see the dysfunction, when they see what's going on and what happened last night, it complicates the efforts of folks like me who want to bring more dollars to the districts," Buckner said. 

Joe Ferguson, who leads the Civic Federation, a government policy and tax watchdog group, said appointing a new CEO who aligns closely with the mayor and the teachers union could result in a $140 million budget deficit this year.

"And so, this actually creates more instability with respect to the capacity to even go to the state, which is looking for a grownup to deal with a responsible party. And in a world in which it appears that the CTU is calling the shots, I'm not sure the state's going to find itself having crossed its own threshold," Ferguson said. 

Others expressed concern that the turmoil could hurt CPS's bond rating, making it more costly for the district to borrow money.

In a statement, Mayor Johnson accused Martinez of "putting his personal politics, career goals and media stardom ahead of the needs of students and their families." 

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