Gov. JB Pritzker warned Tuesday of upheaval at the Chicago Board of Education, as he faces growing pressure over whether to fire embattled Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez.
Speaking to reporters at an unrelated event, the governor said the seven-member body should remain intact.
“I hope people don’t resign. I don’t know why they should or would at this point,” Pritzker said, noting that new members will be elected to the board in November. “At a minimum, let’s elect these new members.”
Pritzker’s brief remarks were his latest show of concern over an impasse between City Hall and CPS leadership.
Martinez said Mayor Brandon Johnson asked him to resign after he refused to take out a high-interest loan to cover pension payments for CPS retirees as well as the upcoming Chicago Teachers Union contract. The school principal said he refused to resign, setting up a game of chicken with the town hall.
Regarding Martinez’s statements that the mayor asked him to resign, Johnson said Monday, “I didn’t ask anyone to do anything.” » This came after several public appearances last week, during which the mayor dodged questions about how Martinez lost support. Johnson instead said he did not discuss “personnel issues” before speaking broadly about the need to “transform this school district.”
The mayor also denied Monday that he asked board members to resign if they were unwilling to vote to fire Martinez.
Pritzker’s comments Tuesday addressed the precarious situation facing current school board members, saying he “hopes that their number one consideration is what’s best for students, as well as their parents and families “.
And “stability, getting a deal done – those are two very, very high priorities.” Let’s get through this contract negotiation as best we can, with the resources available to do so. It’s always a compromise,” Pritzker said.
The governor has mostly sought to stay on the sidelines when it comes to evolving tensions between Johnson and Martinez, but Springfield remains a relevant piece of the puzzle as the CTU pushes for more state funding and works through stalled negotiations over his ambitious next contract. Pritzker has so far thrown cold water on the $1.1 billion request that the union says is mandated by the state’s school funding formula.
Jake Sheridan of the Chicago Tribune contributed.
