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Bogdana Chkoumbova, the Chicago Public Schools chief education officer and outgoing CEO Pedro Martinez’s second-in-command, is leaving the district at the end of the school year.
Chkoumbova’s departure could herald more high-profile defections from the district as Martinez prepares to leave CPS in June. In late December 2024, the school board fired him without cause, which gave him another six months on the job under his contract.
A 24-year veteran of CPS, Chkoumbova announced her decision to step down in a Thursday afternoon message to families. She did not spell out what is next in her career, except to say she will “seek out new opportunities to drive positive change in public education.” She touted her longevity in the district, which she first joined in 2001 as a special education teacher.
“An immigrant from Bulgaria, I was new to both the country and the classroom, and my sole focus was to help students with disabilities get the most out of their education,” wrote Chkoumbova, who went on to lead Chopin Elementary and Disney II Magnet School before taking on roles in district administration.
Martinez promoted her to chief education officer in January 2022. Chkoumbova said she is proud of her work on the district’s five-year strategic plan, a new school budgeting model that emphasizes school needs rather than enrollment, and a more holistic approach to evaluating school quality. She also highlighted gains in the district’s graduation rate, pre-kindergarten expansion, and participation in middle school algebra.
In recent months, some school board members have voiced concern that Martinez’s firing could trigger more departures from his leadership team, potentially creating instability and a more challenging transition to the next CPS administration. He was ousted after clashing with Mayor Brandon Johnson over the district’s budget and amid contentious contract talks with the Chicago Teachers Union, Johnson’s former employer and key ally.
Martinez was chosen to take on the role of Massachusetts education commissioner this summer. The new, partly elected Chicago school board recently kicked off the search for his replacement.
In a note to members, Kia Banks, the chief of staff at the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association, the union representing school leaders, praised Chkoumbova’s work, calling her “the driving force behind the open, honest, and productive dialogue we’ve built with CPS leadership in recent years.”
Mila Koumpilova is Chalkbeat Chicago’s senior reporter covering Chicago Public Schools. Contact Mila at mkoumpilova@chalkbeat.org.
