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The Chicago school board unanimously passed a resolution Thursday requiring the next leader of Chicago Public Schools hold a superintendent’s license.
CPS is one of relatively few large districts that have a CEO rather than a superintendent at the helm. The Illinois law that gave control of the city’s schools to the mayor in 1995 renamed the position and lifted the requirement that its leader hold a superintendent’s license as required of all other school districts in the state. The resolution says the board will push Illinois lawmakers to change state law.
Board member Che “Rhymefest” Smith introduced the resolution, arguing that the district needs someone with an education background and knowhow to lead it.
The district is gearing up to begin a national search for its next top leader after enlisting a Chicago-based search firm to run it earlier this month. The previous school board fired CEO Pedro Martinez without cause late last year amid a clash with the mayor’s office over how to handle the district’s rising financial pressures.
Under a clause in his contract, Martinez, who served as the superintendent in San Antonio before taking over CPS in 2021, will stay on until the end of June. Replacing him is a crucial job for the partly elected school board that took over in January.
“A superintendent will put schools first as we move forward,” Smith said. “That’s why this is so important.”
A superintendent generally has an advanced degree and a superintendent endorsement from a university, which requires additional training in education. The approved resolution says Chicago’s next leader “shall hold a valid Illinois Professional Educator License, with a Superintendent endorsement as issued by the Illinois State Board of Education or an equivalent credential from another state.”
Historically, under decades of mayoral control, Chicago’s mayors have appointed the district’s CEOs — often close allies with a financial or business background and little or no experience running a school district.
Smith’s resolution also applies to interim top leaders for CPS as well — an administrator the school board might have to appoint if it doesn’t find a permanent replacement for Martinez by his departure in June.
Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.
