City of Chicago Board of Education meeting room
As Mayor Brandon Johnson defends the resignations of the entire seven-member Chicago Board of Education, many Black aldermen are among 41 City Council members who oppose the mayor as he nominates a new board that will fire Chicago Public Schools Chief Pedro Martinez.
Johnson says as a Black male mayor, he has the legal authority to appoint members to the board. He did that during a press conference on Monday, October 8, at Sweet Holy Spirit Church.
He announced that six new Board of Education members would replace an entire board. The list includes Mary Gardner, Reverend Mitchell L. Ikenna Johnson, Deborah Pope and Frank Niles Thomas. Pope recently worked for the Chicago Teachers Union and served on the CTU contract negotiating team.
On November 5, during the General Election, voters will elect 10 new board members.
Some believe Johnson’s hand-picked members will fire Martinez, who refused the mayor’s demands to take out a $300 million high-interest loan to cover the district’s budget deficit. Martinez has also refused to include $175 million to cover non-teacher pensions in the district’s $10 billion 2025 budget.
His defiance has put him at odds with the Chicago Teacher’s Union, which is currently negotiating a new contract for the 2025-2026 school year.
On Friday, October 4, in an unprecedented move, all seven board members whom Johnson himself appointed in January tendered resignations. The move triggered speculation that Johnson was behind their departures. Because the board, and not Johnson, has the authority to fire the CPS chief, the resignations of the defiant board members cleared the way for Johnson’s newly hand-picked board to fire Martinez.
But 10 Black aldermen have signed a letter to oppose the resignations. They are Aldermen Pat Dowell (3rd), Desmond Yancy (5th), Michelle Harris (8th), Anthony Beale (9th), Stephanie Coleman (16th), David Moore (17th), Derrick Curtis (18th), Jeanette Taylor (20th), Monique Scott (24th) and Emma Mitts (37th),
Aldermen William Hall (6th), Greg Mitchell (7th), Walter Burnette, Jr. (27th), Jason Ervin (28th) and Chris Taliaferro did not sign the letter.
Taylor, an ally of Johnson, told Block Club Chicago that she doesn’t give a “s—-” about Martinez, but she signed the letter because she wished Johnson would have discussed the matter with other aldermen.
“You bring in your people, you have conversations with people, you talk to us. You are not alone in this. And 50 brains is (sic) better than one,” Taylor said.
Hall, a fierce ally who has supported the mayor on many issues, including his handling of the migrant crisis in Chicago, told Block Club Chicago, “I think it’s disheartening that we are giving this mayor the blues over what is the right thing for our kids.”
“I like to follow the leader. If I disagree with the leader, then I move out the way. I don’t disagree with this leader’s commitment to investing in kids. I disagree with the politics of pampering pockets and severance packages.”
About 11 Latino aldermen also signed the letter, which says “It is critical that CPS leaders keep the interests of taxpayers and our children top of mind as they make budget decisions that will impact the District for decades to come. CEO Pedro Martinez and the members of the School Board, who have announced their resignation, understood the reality of the situation by not passing this loan.”
The letter also says, “School Board full of lame-duck appointees carrying out only a few months of a term before residents get a chance to elect representatives is not what’s in our best interest. A revolving door of CEOs that cannot complete more than a handful of years before transitioning out is not within our best interest.”
On WVON 1690, some radio hosts and callers criticized Johnson for playing the race card to avoid answering hard questions from reporters. Some callers said other Chicago mayors of different races weren’t grilled or questioned when they used their authority to make big decisions.
One caller, Janice Jeffries, who watched the press conference was supportive of the mayor.
“I enjoyed every minute of it,” Jeffries said on the Perri Small Show. Mayor Johnson was in his right to assert his authority and pick new board members.”
During an intense press conference at Sweet Holy Spirit Church Monday, Johnson lashed out at the media as rows of Black faith leaders stood behind him in support.
Johnson refused to allow reporters to ask the new board nominees questions. He accused one reporter of asking a “jacked-up question” after she asked whether he would attend the Chicago Bears game in London this weekend.
Johnson said a special team vetted the new members before they were nominated, but questions remain when or how long the process took, considering the resignation happened three days before the nominees were announced.
Protesters disrupted the press conference shouting “This board is not legit.” More protestors stood outside the church as Chicago police officers looked on.
After he announced the six new board members, Johnson said, “So you have a Black man who is a parent, a teacher, and the mayor of Chicago with the authority that the state gave me, and now they have concerns of expressing those authority,” Johnson said.
“The moment people begin to take those unnecessary political shots at my administration, you have to questions the motives.”
In response to the letter by the 41 aldermen, Johnson compared their argument to slavery and emancipation.
“They said it would be fiscally irresponsible for this country to liberate Black people. Now, you have detractors making the argument of the confederacy when it comes to public education in this system,” Johnson said.
“My vision is about building a system that works for everyone,” Johnson said.
“Imagine our schools down a pathway of new discovery, where you don’t have senseless cuts and real disruption and chaos. You can actually have a school district that doesn’t embrace mass layoffs, massive school closings, austerity.”
“I am confident that these individuals and their experience in education, community, faith, business and elsewhere will continue our work to transform Chicago Public Schools into a world class school district for students and families,” Johnson said.
“As a CPS parent, I want the same thing for other CPS parents that I want for my own children, which is every class, every activity and every resource that will help build bright futures and bold leaders. I know these individuals will fight for our children to receive the investments they deserve, and will work with my administration and the district to put the needs of our students and families first.”
CTU President Stacy Davis Gates said in a statement:
“‘Chicago elected a mayor who promised to transform our school district, to break with the failed cuts, closings and furloughs of the past. The Chicago Teachers Union looks forward to collaborating with the new board members to enact the transformation of our public schools that our students and educators need and deserve.”
“Mayor Johnson’s first school board accomplished important firsts and centered equity throughout its tenure, beginning the transformation the mayor envisioned. The task of the new CPS Board members is to collaborate with Chicago’s educators, parents, and students to make that vision a reality.”