Education

Mayoral Education Adviser Macquline King Named Interim CPS CEO

The Chicago Board of Education has appointed one of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s strategic advisors as the city’s interim schools chief.

The board on Wednesday voted to approve Macquline King, Johnson’s senior director of education policy and a former CPS principal, as Chicago Public Schools’ interim CEO.

“Identifying an interim candidate who understands the services, components, concerns, and politics that go along with this role—and how to balance them—was paramount,” board president Sean Harden said in a statement. “Similar to the ongoing search for the person who will hold this seat permanently, the Board wants to ensure our interim is a leader who upholds educational excellence, equity, and accountability while also exemplifying the values of CPS stakeholders across the District.”

King’s approval came on a split 11-8 vote, with one board member abstaining.

According to the Chicago Tribune, other finalists for the post included CPS chief portfolio officer Alfonso Carmona and the district’s chief of teaching and learning, Nicole Milberg.

King previously served as principal at Courtenay Language Arts Center and took on her current role in 2022. According to the city, King advised the mayor on “education initiatives, aligning resources and policies across CPS, City Colleges, and early childhood programs.”

The Tribune reported that, while she was never disciplined beyond warnings, King was cited in multiple internal investigations between 2015 and 2019, including allegations she waited weeks to report the possible physical abuse of a student to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.

King is set to replace Pedro Martinez, who is leaving the district six months after he was terminated by the board.

Martinez’s dismissal came following a monthslong feud with Johnson over district finances and negotiations with the Chicago Teachers Union — where Johnson worked as an organizer prior to his election victory in 2023 — over a new contract.

Johnson’s handpicked seven-member board fired Martinez at the end of last year in that body’s final move before it transitioned into a partially elected board in January.

Martinez, who did not attend Wednesday’s meeting, is set to officially exit CPS following the upcoming end of the academic year. He previously gave his exit remarks to the board, telling them last month it had been the “experience of a lifetime” to serve as CEO.

“I’ve lived in several places in my life, and I have great affection for all of them,” Martinez said in a farewell message posted to the district’s website. “But only one place has ever truly been home, and that’s Chicago.”

Following his exit, Martinez is set to become Massachusetts’ next school board commissioner.

Asked about his thoughts on the selection process prior to Wednesday’s vote, Johnson opted not to endorse any particular candidate, but rather took a shot at outgoing CEO Martinez.

“Right now the message that’s being sent to the CPS community is, unfortunately we have an outgoing person who has refused to manage,” Johnson said, calling the district’s previous budget proposal from Martinez “just speculation, just lazy.”

Johnson said the board underwent a thorough selection process at his direction and stressed that whomever they select must be “someone who reflects the values that I’ve fought for my entire education career. That’s the thing that’s most important here.”

When asked about King’s background, Johnson reiterated that the interim CEO “has to reflect my values.”

“And my values are,” he said, “we have to have a school district that works for every single child.”

King is set to begin her new role June 20.

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