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Chicago Board of Education votes 6–0 to approve dismissal of CEO Pedro Martinez after heated public comment
Summary
At a Dec. 20 special meeting, the Chicago Board of Education voted unanimously (6–0) to approve a resolution dismissing Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez after extended public testimony urging the board to protect Acero schools and retain Martinez. The vote followed a closed-session motion citing the Open Meetings Act.
The Chicago Board of Education voted unanimously (6–0) on Dec. 20 to adopt a resolution titled “Resolution Approving Chief Executive Officer's Dismissal,” removing Pedro Martinez as chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools.
The dismissal was approved after the board moved into an executive session under the Open Meetings Act (citing section 2(c) in the motion) and then reconvened to record the vote. During the roll call, members recorded their votes as follows: Member Pope, Member Blaise, Vice President Gardner, Member Bautista, Member Thomas and President Sean Hardin each voted “Aye,” producing a tally of six ayes and zero nays.
The vote came after more than an hour of public participation in which union leaders, teachers, principals, parents and elected officials urged the board either to approve protections for at-risk Acero charter schools or to retain Martinez. Jackson Potter, vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union, told the board the district faced “a seminal and critical moment” and pushed for immediate action to guarantee services such as a social worker in every school; Potter warned that “Every day that anyone sits on their hands increases the likelihood that the 7 Acero schools will close.” Caroline Rutherford, an Acero teacher and vice chair of the charter division, urged the board to require Acero to return unspent reserves if closures proceed and said, “We need a decision and we need it now.”
Several aldermen and other elected officials also addressed the board. Tara Stamps said the West Side continued to suffer chronic underfunding and infrastructure problems and argued Martinez had not delivered stability for her communities. Alderman Scott Waguespack asked the board to avoid an arbitrary or unethical decision to remove the CEO at the meeting and urged respect for the recently elected board.
Board staff read the agenda item as AR 2 (to approve termination of chief officer) and updated it for the record to RS 1; the motion to approve the resolution was moved, seconded and approved by roll call. Board minutes and the posted agenda identify the procedural basis for the closed-session move as the Open Meetings Act.
The meeting adjourned after the vote; board staff said the final report and agenda materials reflecting the action will be included in the posted agenda of action.
What’s next: the board’s adopted resolution and any formal personnel notices will be posted to the district’s public records and the board’s agenda materials, per staff statements during the meeting.
