CPS News: Mayor Brandon Johnson announces new interim appointments to the Chicago Board of Education

CHICAGO (WLS) – Mayor Brandon Johnson will announce seven new appointments to the Chicago Board of Education.

All members of the current board resigned on Friday.

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This all stems from the mayor's push to remove CPS chief Pedro Martinez.

Mayor Brandon Johnson described this as “a transition period to transform the school district.”

He will announce seven new interim candidates for the Chicago Board of Education on Monday morning. This is an unprecedented move after the entire board announced their resignations on Friday.

Her sudden departure came after the board refused to fire Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez.

Johnson wants to remove Martinez from office in part because he refused to take out a short-term, high-interest loan to finance a new contract for the Chicago Teachers Union.

The mayor now plans to appoint interim board members before a new board, partially elected in November, takes office in January.

The mayor reiterated over the weekend that he was elected to office because of his plan to build a better school district.

Johnson said he was keeping that campaign promise.

“I lead, I call the shots,” Johnson said. “You chose a parent…We have schools on the west side and south side that don’t have librarians. This is unacceptable.”

The majority of Chicago City Council members sent a letter to the mayor expressing concern and saying the board resignations would lead to instability in the district.

The mayor, along with other elected officials, will announce the seven new appointments to the board later Monday.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson spent Sunday morning at churches across Las Vegas weighing in on Kamala Harris' campaign before announcing a new interim school board on Monday.

Amid the unrest at Chicago Public Schools, Johnson posted photos on social media and said, “The black church is the soul of this country and we need to show up, go out and vote for our sister.”

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

The trip to Las Vegas comes as the mayor is set to announce seven new appointments to the Chicago Board of Education on Monday morning.

All members of the current board resigned on Friday.

It all stemmed from the mayor wanting to remove CPS chief Pedro Martinez. Johnson wants him out because he refused to take out a short-term, high-interest loan to finance a new contract for the teachers union.

Messages left by ABC7 for the school board president and several board members were not returned, so ABC7 did not immediately learn whether the board members resigned in protest or were forced out.

The school board's announcement Monday will take place at a church on the South Side. ABC7 will broadcast the announcement live.

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The school board's mass resignation comes at a time when people can vote for members of Chicago's first elected school board for the first time. The mayor's interim appointments would only be for a short period of time as the board is partially elected next month.

A group of Chicago City Council members sent a statement to the mayor Saturday expressing their opposition to his naming of interim school board members.

The councilors' letter, signed by 36 of 50 council members, said in part: “The City Council must also meet… before new appointments are made. A school board full of lame candidates who only serve a few months of term is not in our best interest.”

Johnson's office released a statement Friday saying: “Mayor Brandon Johnson and members of the Chicago Board of Education are adopting a transition plan that includes all current members retiring from the board later this month. As the transition to a hybrid elected and appointed board approaches, current board members and Mayor Johnson are on board.” We recognize the need to build a solid foundation for change to serve the best interests of students and families to serve in the Chicago public schools. Together, Mayor Johnson and the Board achieved many goals of the Johnson Administration's vision for Chicago public schools, including moving away from inequitable student-based budgeting, completing the transition to a school safety model that does not rely on school resource officers, and focusing on success black student. Their partnership also improved special education services, increased charter school accountability in the renewal process, and launched a new five-year strategic plan that emphasizes continued progress, investing in neighborhood schools, and expanding the sustainable community school model in lieu of school closures. None of the members leaving the current board had any intention of continuing on the hybrid board and none are running for election. Given the unprecedented surge in board membership, transitioning new members now will give them time to orient themselves and gain critical experience before welcoming additional elected and appointed members in 2025.”

Meanwhile, Martinez, who is under contract, has no plans to step down. He said a new school board would have to find a “reason” to fire him.

Martinez issued the following statement to CPS employees, families and supporters on Friday: “Today, all seven members of the Chicago Board of Education announced that they plan to resign their positions in the near future. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all seven of these individuals for their vision and leadership – Chairman Jianan Shi, Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland, Mariela Estrada, Mary Fahey Hughes, Rudy Lozano, Jr., Michelle Morales and Tanya D. Woods . I am sincerely grateful to each of these dedicated, civic-minded public servants who have volunteered their time, expertise, experience and energy to support our system and serve the more than 324,000 school board members who deserve their work not be paid. They review thousands of policies and proposals each year and spend additional time researching, asking questions, and providing input before voting on key decisions, including the district's annual budget and, more recently, the district's five-year strategic plan, “Success 2029: Together We Rise.” on,” which this board approved just 19 days ago. I want to particularly recognize these board members for their tireless commitment to increasing equity in our system and emphasize our shared responsibility to improve the quality of education for those furthest from opportunity. My special thanks to Board Vice President Todd-Breland, a Board member since 2019, for her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. She worked to restore services and led academic recovery efforts that have resulted in some of the greatest gains in major urban districts. I know families and staff may have concerns about what this means for the future of our district. Please know that regardless of the composition of the Board of Education, my team and I remain focused on the work: solid teaching and learning, building on the great momentum we have seen in students' academic progress and further achieving it Our Vision A district where every student has a challenging, high-quality and joyful learning experience.

Earlier this week, Johnson said he had not asked anyone to take action, but when asked Wednesday to clarify that statement, the mayor remained tight-lipped.

“I never discuss personnel issues,” he said. “I find it extremely offensive, irresponsible and shabby, and I don’t make it shabby.”

But Johnson made clear that all of his leaders must share his progressive agenda to transform public education.

“I was elected to fight for the people of the city, and whoever gets in the way goes away,” he said.