Education

CPS Board to Hold Public Engagement Meetings in Search for Next Schools Chief

With Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez set to exit in June, six months after his abrupt termination, the district will begin collecting public comment and feedback as part of its search for the next schools chief.

The Chicago Board of Education this week announced a series of public meetings to be held over the coming days in order to “engage the public in shaping the future of Chicago Public Schools.”

“We are seeking a leader who will think boldly, embrace innovation, and build an equitable, student-centered future,” Board President Sean Harden said in a statement. “This is a moment of extraordinary promise — and an opportunity to shape the lives of hundreds of thousands of Chicago’s students and families.”

Applications for the CEO position opened April 25.

The public engagement meetings, which begin Thursday, will be held across the city’s 10 board districts throughout the rest of May.

Martinez will be leaving CPS in June after he was terminated by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handpicked board last December amid disputes with the mayor over district finances and the then-unfinished labor contract with the Chicago Teachers Union.

Weeks later, the board transitioned from a seven-member, mayoral-appointed body, to a 21-member, partially elected body.

Because he was fired without cause, a provision of Martinez’s contract allowed him to stay on the job for six months. He’s now set to become Massachusetts’ next Department of Elementary and Secondary Education commissioner when he leaves CPS.

After the board’s public engagement meetings, members will shape a “comprehensive leadership profile” for the next CEO. The board will then meet with its executive search firm, Alma Advisory Group, and publish a report it will use to evaluate potential candidates.

The meetings will be held on the following dates:

• Thursday, May 15, 6:30-8 p.m., at Steinmetz College Prep, 3030 N. Mobile Ave.
• Friday, May 16, 6:30-8 p.m., at Hubbard High School, 6200 S. Hamlin Ave.
• Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m.-noon, at Malcolm X College,1900 W. Jackson Blvd.
• Monday, May 19, 6:30-8 p.m. at Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, 3857 W. 111th St. (meeting for both District 9 and 10)
• Tuesday, May 20, 5:30-7 p.m. at Hairpin Arts Center, 2810 N. Milwaukee Ave.
• Wednesday, May 21, 6:30-8 p.m. at Amundsen High School, 5110 N. Damen Ave.
• Thursday, May 22, 6:30-8 p.m. at The Arturo Velasquez Westside Technical Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave.
• Tuesday, May 27, 6:30-8 p.m. at National Teachers Academy, 55 W. Cermak Road
• Wednesday, May 28, 6:30-8 p.m. at Pritzker Elementary, 2009 W. Schiller St.

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