CPS CEO denies plans to close schools in response to CTU accusations

Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez is mounting a letter-writing campaign, sending missives to district staff, Chicago Teachers Union leadership and, most recently, to all local school councils, emphatically denying he intends to close any schools.

It’s a damage control effort that seemingly comes out of thin air. So what prompted this?

The simple answer: The CTU accused Martinez this month of developing plans to close, consolidate or co-locate — move two or more schools into the same building — up to 100 schools. The union, which strongly opposes closings, said it has evidence district officials had even put together a list of schools to shutter and where those children would go.

Martinez acknowledged an analysis was completed months ago. But he said he and the school board quickly dismissed the idea of closing schools, and he reiterated a promise he has made as CEO not to recommend any closings.

“Anything else you may hear is simply not based on fact,” Martinez wrote in the letter to staff late last week. “It is also counter to our district’s integrity and our principles for making decisions.”

There is also a more complicated explanation for this public disagreement between the CPS CEO and the CTU leadership: It’s the latest point of contention in their deteriorating relationship.

The timing and the nature of the CTU’s accusation, through social media videos and letters to all union members, may be a final blow for Martinez, whose job hangs in the balance. WBEZ and the Chicago Sun Times reported last month the mayor was laying the groundwork to replace Martinez.

In a letter to members this week in which CTU President Stacy Davis Gates accused Martinez of planning to close schools, Davis Gates wrote of wanting “a CEO who will focus on raising the revenue needed to fully fund our schools, who will finally turn the page on the shameful days of closures and community disruption.”

As the CTU knows, there is little political or social will to close schools in Chicago, where many communities still feel the lasting trauma and effects of 50 closings in 2013. Evidence has shown that school closings have been harmful to many families and communities and brought minimal financial benefit to the city, the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ found last year.

Mayor Brandon Johnson also made his name fighting school closings with the CTU and has vowed not to repeat those decisions. And his appointed board of education, which would need to vote on any proposals, opposes closings, too.

This is playing out as the district faces a real financial bind, with deep disagreements on the next steps or even what to explore.

CPS has budget deficits predicted for the next several years plus decades-old buildings — many of which are in disrepair — and a goal of students attending modern facilities. Enrollment has declined by 100,000 kids over the past two decades, and many schools were built to serve more students than they currently enroll.

In the short term, the CTU is negotiating a contract and wants raises and a host of other demands, such as more sports and more resources for students who are homeless. But the union doesn't want the cost of its contract to result in layoffs or other cuts.

“Pitting employees against each other is unacceptable,” Davis Gates wrote in a letter to members. “Claiming that the needs of staff must come at the expense of students’ needs comes from an old playbook that has been rejected by Chicago. Planning to pay for contract settlements through cuts, layoffs or furlough is not a plan at all.”

Johnson wants Martinez to land a contract deal, take out a loan to cover contract costs this year and then fight for more state and federal funding moving forward — a strategy that the CEO, who has prided himself on being fiscally responsible, does not want to pursue.

Martinez says he wants to fight for more state funding and he won’t close schools, but in a letter to Davis Gates sent on Monday, he warned “to balance future budgets, CPS must either identify new revenue sources or face cuts to existing positions and programs.”

He also continues to criticize the idea of taking out a loan. He implored the CTU to “oppose additional borrowing, as it would only exacerbate our financial challenges in the long run.” CPS has about $9.3 billion in outstanding long-term debt and is planning on paying $817 million this year for debt service.

Joe Ferguson, president of the Civic Federation, a fiscal watchdog group, said school consolidations need to be part of the conversation. “If it is not, then we are not having a full conversation, but it shouldn’t be separated from a bigger set of issues and needs to be put in context,” he said.

But in the wake of the 2013 closings, for CTU leaders and many others, any talk of closings is a non-starter. As CTU leaders continue to campaign to move Martinez out, they are suggesting he is unfit for even analyzing the issue.

Sarah Karp covers education for WBEZ. Follow her on X @WBEZeducation and @sskedreporter. Nader Issa covers education for the Chicago Sun-Times.