Education

30 City Council Members Urge School Board to Stand By License Requirement in Search for Next CPS CEO

Dozens of Chicago alderpeople are calling on the Board of Education to uphold a resolution that demands the next Chicago Public Schools CEO hold a state superintendent’s license, as Mayor Brandon Johnson reportedly pushes for his chief of staff to become the school district’s interim chief executive.

Thirty members of the City Council and City Clerk Anna Valencia signed a letter to the board this week urging it to stand by a resolution it unanimously passed less than two months ago requiring that the CPS CEO hold a licensed superintendent credential.

“The resolution addressed the demand of educators, who for decades, have wanted the person who leads our public schools to be someone with the experience of an educator,” the May 8 letter states. “It is troubling that efforts appear underway to reverse this decision.”

The move comes after the Chicago Tribune reported Johnson is looking to appoint his chief of staff Cristina Pacione-Zayas on an interim basis to replace outgoing CEO Pedro Martinez, who is set to leave his position next month.

Pacione-Zayas, a former Illinois state senator who previously worked for CPS, does not hold a superintendent’s license.

“Our students deserve leaders with the qualifications, experience and evidence-based knowledge necessary to guide their education,” the letter states. “The interests of students, parents and teachers must take precedence over the political considerations of any mayor.”

Martinez and Johnson butted heads for months last year over the district’s finances and a new teachers contract. CPS faces a projected budget shortfall of $529 million for the 2026 fiscal year, Martinez said last month.

The final act of the previous CPS Board made up of members appointed by Johnson was to fire Martinez without cause in December, leaving him in office until June.

In January, the board shifted to a fully appointed body, to a board comprised of 10 elected members, 10 appointed members and an appointed board president.

According to the Tribune, Board President Sean Harden — who was appointed by Johnson last year — has been working to secure the votes needed from the 21-member, partially elected school board to overturn the resolution so Pacione-Zayas could be appointed as interim CEO.

Already those efforts have drawn pushback from some board members. Jennifer Custer, an elected member of the board, told Johnson this week to “stay out of it.”

“The best thing about this board being ‘elected’ is you now can call your representative and make your voice heard,” she said in a social media post. “I plan to stand with this resolution. CPS deserves better, and I will do everything in my power to make it so.

Another elected member, Che “Rhymefest” Smith — who introduced the March resolution requiring district chiefs to have a superintendent’s license — told the Tribune there is “almost no difference and no daylight between at — this point — Elon Musk as the CEO, Trump as the CEO and Mayor Johnson saying that we don’t need criteria and qualifications.”

He told the Tribune the mayor’s efforts “feel like it’s an attack on the school board being an independent body.”

A spokesperson for the mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the City Council letter.

Johnson earlier this week said hiring someone to replace Martinez that “understands the direction of our school district is critical.”

“I’m gonna continue to work with our board members, Springfield, City Council members and our residents to ensure that the type of vibrant, well-funded public education system that we want for all of Chicago, that we have leadership that reflects those aspirations,” he said Tuesday.

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is scheduled for May 29.

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