Education

Chicago Board of Education Members Allege ‘Sabotage’ From Mayor Brandon Johnson in Ongoing CPS CEO Search

Chicago’s Board of Education has terminated its contract with the search firm hired to find the city’s next schools chief, as some members accuse Mayor Brandon Johnson of sabotaging the selection process.

The board is no longer working with Alma Advisory Group, which was hired last May to help guide the search for Chicago Public Schools’ next permanent CEO, according to a statement from six elected board members: Che “Rhymefest” Smith, Ellen Rosenfeld, Carlos Rivas Jr., Angel Gutierrez, Jessica Biggs and Therese Boyle.

In their statement, the members said they are “extremely disappointed” in Johnson and his handpicked board members whom they claim have “chosen to sabotage the process.”

“This blatant political interference is harmful to the entire District — to schools, staff, families, and most importantly, the students,” the board members said. “Every problem becomes more difficult to solve when there is leadership instability.”

A CPS spokesperson on Thursday referred questions on the matter to the board. Spokespeople for Johnson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The statement does not specify when the Alma contract ended. A statement on the board’s website says the Chicago-based group was selected “for its strength in community engagement and its ability to build strong screening processes,” adding that Alma would be “partnering closely with the District’s talent team and Board members.”

The advisory group was brought on last May and led an “extensive outreach effort” that included 11 in-person community gatherings, a virtual session and more than 70 interviews and focus groups, according to the board.

In their statement, the board members thanked Alma for its “outstanding work throughout the search” and said the contract termination was a “sad development.”

According to the board members, the selection process had been “working well” until November, when they claim “Johnson and his allies” began “running political interference.” At that time, the names of two finalists were leaked publicly and the board members said since then “progress has stalled and major decisions have been put on hold.”

A search for a new district leader has been underway since a previous iteration of the board voted to terminate then-CEO Pedro Martinez, who left at the close of the 2024-25 academic year.

The board was fully appointed by the mayor until January 2025, when it grew to a 21-member hybrid board. Beginning next year, it will be a fully elected body.

Macquline King, Johnson’s senior director of education policy and a former CPS principal, has served as interim CEO since June. The six board members said they want her to remain on the job until a new, fully elected board can be seated next January and restart the CEO search.

“This dysfunction has real consequences,” the board members said in their statement. “CPS faces tremendous immediate challenges — shifting enrollment, budget shortfalls, federal attacks on our funding and our families, and the struggle to create a more equitable system. We need stable leadership to address these urgent issues.”

---