They were together Monday morning for the first day of class, but Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez said he has not directly talked with Mayor Brandon Johnson since reports came out earlier this month that Johnson wants him gone.

Martinez said he has not been told by anyone in the Johnson administration that his job is on the line, and in an interview on “Chicago Tonight” Monday evening, maintained there’s “never been better alignment between our district, our board … the city, the mayor, and I would argue even the unions” as they all know and want CPS to have more money.

“We all know that our schools need to be fully resourced, and the challenge is, they’re not,” he said.

But Martinez admitted there is a “tension” over his desire to “protect the investments we have” while the district is “being pushed to add even more investments” when, he said, “the resources are not there.”

The questions over his leadership come as CPS is set to get a new school board halfway through the year, with half its members being elected for the first time in November.

When the successful candidates are take office mid-January, a state moratorium on closing CPS schools will lift.

Even when the district regains the ability, Martinez said he will not seek to ease budget concerns by closing schools.

“Not under my leadership,” he said. “I really believe in investing in our neighborhoods, and I want to strengthen the schools.”

Amid the scrutiny over his future with CPS, Martinez said he will “focus on the work.”

“We know that when we invest in our district, we show the results,” Martinez said.

WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times and Chalkbeat reported earlier in August that Johnson is trying to oust Martinez over budget differences, even though Board of Education members appointed by Johnson sided with Martinez in approving a $9.9 billion schools budget.

Johnson reportedly has encouraged CPS to borrow hundreds of millions to cover costs of teacher pensions and higher pay for teachers.

The Chicago Teachers Union — which was a major contributor of Johnson’s campaign last year, and which employed him as an organizer before his mayoral run — is negotiating a new contract with asks including raises, more art teachers and supports for unhoused children.

The union has lambasted pushback that it would be too costly, and has called on Martinez and CPS to find “creative solutions” to come up with the funding.

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates took direct aim at Martinez in an op-ed published in the Chicago Tribune Monday, writing that if CPS students succeed, it’s “in spite” of Martinez rather than because of him, writing that saying “there isn’t enough funding to meet basic needs is an unacceptable response.”

“The job of the CEO is not to bend the knee to JPMorgan Chase; it is to stand up for Chicago’s students and deliver the resources they deserve,” she wrote.

In response, Martinez said his “work speaks for itself.”

As he begins his fourth year leading CPS, he said there are 600 more teachers in classrooms, more elective classes and more Advanced Placement offerings. He also said after decades of enrollment declines, the CPS population is higher.

Asked by WTTW News if Johnson is too close to CTU, Martinez said “that’s a question for the mayor,” adding that he has “a lot of respect for the mayor. I really believe he cares about our kids and cares about the district, and I’m going to continue to collaborate with him.”

Martinez said he doesn’t know what CTU means by “creative” funding solutions, but that he believes they should unite as a coalition to seek more money from the city, state and federal government.

“I’m hopeful that, with the alignment that we have, this is our chance to really change the narrative,” Martinez said. “You know we showed Chicago at the DNC (Democratic National Convention) last week, I want to show our wonderful district to everybody.”

Like schools nationwide, CPS will see its federal funding slip, as this is the last budget propped by more than $200 million in COVID relief funding.

Despite the battle playing out in public, Martinez — who graduated from CPS — called himself an “optimist” who is focusing on the new school year.

“I’m a Chicago kid,” he said. “I grew up in Chicago. I know the politics. I’ll roll with it, but I am focused on the school year and I know, mark my words … this will be the strongest school year ever.