CPS CEO Martinez nears exit after firing: How we got here
CHICAGO (WGN) — Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez returned to his high school alma mater for an 8th grade graduation ceremony on Tuesday, the same place where four years earlier Mayor Lori Lightfoot named him to the post.
The Mexico-born immigrant will soon depart the district after a nearly four-year battle with current Mayor Brandon Johnson. Towards the end of Martinez's tenure, he and Johnson were at odds over money, with the mayor pushing for massive borrowing to shore up school finances. Martinez refused, prompting the mayor to call for his resignation.
'The experience of a lifetime': Ousted CPS CEO bids farewell in final Board of Education meeting
Weeks after Martinez declined to step aside, the entire Chicago Board of Education resigned, giving Johnson an opportunity to appoint a new board before Chicagoans began choosing elected members at the ballot box.
But before elected members took their seats, the Johnson-appointed board voted to fire Martinez. Martinez sued.
'The last time I even remember an affiliate agency where someone didn't leave easily was in 1986, when Harold Washington, after three years in office, was able to get rid of Ed Kelly as head of the park district,' political analyst Dick Simpson told WGN. 'It's probably been 40 or 50 years since we've had a similar situation.'
In a goodbye letter to the CPS community, Martinez referenced taking over the district in 2021 when COVID 19 fears still lingered, saying he's proud of efforts to keep people healthy and the investments made thanks to federal relief dollars.
Also in that letter, Martinez boasted that he's 'proud' of the decisions his administration made to change the way schools are funded, writing, 'I'm proud that the resources a CPS school receives no longer depends on its number of students.'
But Martinez leaves having presented a budget for next school year that assumed $600 million in money that may or may not come to fruition. The Chicago Principals & Administrators Association called the budget 'magical.'
But the structural issues are no longer Martinez's problem. A new job awaits him. Martinez is set to become Education Commissioner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The school board will soon name an interim CEO.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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