CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday denied he’s asked Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to resign as contract talks between the teachers and district continue.
"I didn’t ask anybody to do anything. Didn’t ask anybody to do anything. The only thing that I’m requiring in this moment is leadership that’s prepared to invest in our children," the mayor said at a grand opening event for The Roux. "Our children deserve a leader who sees them, who value them and is prepared to invest in them."
Speaking at George Armstrong Elementary School in Rogers Park on Monday, Martinez argued a lack of funding remains a major hurdle as the union pushes for a new contract that includes increased staff, a hike in teacher pay and reduced class sizes.
"I think all of us need to do more," he said. "Our biggest challenge is areas that cost a lot of money, and it’s not because necessarily we disagree, but it’s because I’ve already added over 2,000 teachers since I started here about three years ago."
Johnson, a former CPS teacher and Chicago Teachers Union activist, and Martinez have clashed over Johnson’s reported plan to use a loan to pay for mounting expenses in the district. The teachers accuse Martinez of not working hard enough to secure more education dollars, and they’re suspicious of cost-saving measures Martinez may be considering.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported last week that CPS is considering staff furloughs and programming cuts.
"Our analysis was to show – if you look at anything we did – these are scenarios that are a last resort, but I needed to show them to be responsible because, again we’re getting a lot of pressure to spend more resources," Martinez said.
The school board last week declined to address Martinez’s employment with the district, and a few weeks ago it passed a budget that did not include the high-interest loan the Johnson administration backed.
To mark Monday’s end of federal COVID relief funds that were used to boost the education budget, the CTU organized walk-ins at several CPS schools, including Martinez’s alma mater of Benito Juarez High School in Pilsen.
Martinez said he’ll continue to lobby all levels of government for additional CPS funding, including the Chicago City Council, at a meeting later this week.
In mid-August, reports emerged that Johnson’s administration was laying the groundwork to oust Martinez, prompting hundreds of CPS administrators to send a letter to the school board urging members to keep the CEO. During an interview with WGN on Aug. 16, Johnson refused to discuss whether he was trying to fire Martinez, adding that discussion of someone’s personnel issues was "tacky."
Feeds,News,Region: Chicago,City: Chicago
via WGN-TV https://wgntv.com
September 30, 2024 at 04:54PM
Illinois Delivered 