CPS board resignations expose Mayor Brandon Johnson’s inability to build consensus, critics say

It is hard to overstate how astonishing a moment this is for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

That much was said to WBEZ as alderpersons and others react to the news that every one of Johnson’s handpicked Chicago Public Schools board members are resigning by the end of the month.

The expected resignations come after months of tension over who — the city or CPS — should pay for pensions for CPS employees who are not teachers, whether to take out a loan to pay for those pensions plus a new teacher’s union contract, and whether CPS CEO Pedro Martinez should be fired for not agreeing to Johnson’s loan idea.

It’s not fully known whether the resignations were forced by Johnson or came voluntarily from board members. But in the end, the decision about the departures seemed mutual, a source told WBEZ. Some board members were upset with the mayor’s handling of the strife and the position they were being put in, and the mayor wanted a change since his appointed board wasn’t doing what he wanted.

Regardless, the deterioration of the board and the public, fraught battle that preceded it has some questioning Johnson’s ability to build consensus even among his own allies. And it casts a shadow of doubt for some on whether Johnson will be able to push through big policy priorities in Springfield and City Hall, including his upcoming budget.

“What's astounding is that he controls the whole table, and he's still incapable of properly managing not just CPS, but the whole situation,” said 32nd Ward Ald. Scott Waguespack, who has become a frequent critic of Johnson. “He was in full control.”

Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), a progressive who has grown increasingly critical of Johnson, echoed Waguespack’s disbelief.

“It's pretty astounding, because it's a fully appointed board, and for that to be a response to kind of how things are going is definitely alarming,” Vasquez said. “If this is based on fundamentally CPS CEO Martinez and board members being against taking out a high-interest, short-term loan, I believe they're right.”

Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th), a close ally of Johnson’s, pushed back against the idea that this is an embarrassment for the mayor. Instead, he shifted blame to the state, arguing that if Illinois allocated enough money to CPS, the city wouldn’t have to consider taking out a loan in the first place.

“The mayor is doing what the majority of Chicago would like to see: changes in CPS that actually deliver results,” he said. “This is an embarrassment for the state of Illinois that we have a governor who is unwilling to work with the city of Chicago. It's an embarrassment for our political system that we are failing our students and our teachers and our communities.”

Johnson has repeatedly declined to outline his criticisms of Martinez head-on in public. In an interview with WBEZ and the Sun-Times Friday, Johnson painted the resignations as an opportunity to start transitioning to a hybrid elected school board, which will start to take place in November’s election. The new board will be seated in January.

"This is about the transition into something that is very delicate, right? We're talking about the expansion of democracy,” Johnson said. “The power is in what the people voted for. That's the power. This is not about grabbing anything."

Earlier in the week, Johnson declined to answer directly whether he’s concerned that this acrimonious public battle will hinder his ability to work on other big policy priorities, such as his upcoming budget. But at a news conference Wednesday, he made clear he wanted change.

“I was elected to fight for the people of this city, and whoever's in the way of that, get out of it,” Johnson said.

‘The process is tainted,’ Council member says

A senior aide to the mayor previously said Martinez had lost the board, but 36th Ward Ald. Gilbert Villegas said “When the board passes a budget 7-0 and passes a five-year strategic plan and doesn't fire the CEO, I would argue that the mayor has lost the board, and that's why he wants to replace them.”

“This is a rebuke of the mayor's agenda, CTU’s agenda,” said Villegas, who previously signed onto a letter supporting Martinez and ran against a CTU-endorsed opponent amid his reelection bid last year. “And if the board does leave, I want to thank them for their service and really applaud them for standing up for what's right and not partaking in an irresponsible money grab and potential bankruptcy of CPS.”

The mass resignations pave the way for Johnson to install new handpicked allies — just a month before voters will select the first elected school board members.

Vasquez said if a newly installed board co-signs taking out a loan, it “would be harmful for the city for generations to come.”

Villegas said Johnson needs to recuse himself from the process altogether — and called for Gov. JB Pritzker and the state to step in and provide oversight.

“The process is tainted. There's conflicts of interest everywhere. We should have an independent board that's vetted and confirmed by the City Council to make sure that we're putting forward people that want to do the right thing,” Villegas said. “This is nothing more than a power move to placate the largest campaign contributor that supported the mayor.”

Sigcho-Lopez, who lobbied for an elected school board, said the mayor shouldn’t wait until the election to replace board members.

“The mayor has the responsibility and the right to appoint replacements,” he said. “The job of the Board of Education is to hold the CPS accountable. … If people decide to resign because they’re not up for the challenge, the mayor has the right to appoint new members.”

City Council priorities

At the end of this month, Johnson will present what’s sure to be a difficult budget proposal as he works to close a $982 million budget gap for the city.

His administration has not ruled out layoffs, furloughs or a property tax increase as ways to make ends meet. He recently pushed back the budget address by two weeks to collaborate with and build consensus among alderpersons, his administration said.

Waguespack said the drama surrounding CPS, coupled with a challenging few weeks for Johnson in City Council, foreshadow a difficult budget season.

Most recently, the Council voted 33-14 to try to override Johnson’s decision to get rid of the gunshot detection technology ShotSpotter. Johnson wasn’t able to build consensus among the Black caucus, which largely sided against him in the vote. Earlier in September, Johnson had to abandon his plan to place his ally, Sigcho-Lopez as head of the powerful Zoning Committee when it became clear Sigcho-Lopez wouldn’t have the votes.

“[The CPS news] just exacerbates the problem of legitimacy and honest dealing, and that's going to be a problem for the budget as well,” Waguespack said.

Villegas said the recent public power struggles are a result of Johnson “leading with ideology instead of leading with compromise.”

Listening to differences in opinion could help the administration accomplish its goals — which progressives largely share, Vasquez said.

“I think a number of us as progressives have articulated our differences, and I would say, with all the love and respect in the world to anybody in an executive position, to look at those things as feedback and maybe as constructive critique rather than attack,” Vasquez said.

How the power struggle affects Johnson’s standing in Springfield

The power struggle playing out in a messy back-and-forth through opinion pieces, statements and news conferences, is an unnecessary distraction that will breed mistrust among state lawmakers who both City Hall and CPS will be asking for funds, said state Rep. Kam Buckner, an ally of Johnson’s in Springfield.

“We're now talking about personalities and personnel and politics, which I think is the wrong stance,” Buckner said Wednesday ahead of the resignations. “My advice is to address and resolve these leadership challenges behind closed doors, where the key stakeholders can meet, deliberate and present a unified plan, because effective governance and clear communication will go a long way in gathering support from Springfield.”

Students and their families — and state lawmakers who hold the purse strings — will be looking for stability, and quickly, Buckner said.

“It needs to be very clear who is leading the district, what their plan and what their vision is. You can't come to Springfield asking for more resources if leadership is in disarray and we don't know what's going on one day to the next,” Buckner said.

Who should pay the CPS pension payment has become a “game of hot potato with hundreds of millions of dollars,” Vasquez said.

City Hall and CPS have clamored for the state to help shoulder the bill — but Villegas said those requests should have been at the forefront during the spring legislative session, rather than lobbying lawmakers to approve public subsidies for a new stadium for the Chicago Bears.

“For CTU to sit here and say that Pedro's not doing enough. Listen, you had the mayor, he went down there and made three requests. ... It was to kill the school closure, selective-enrollment moratorium, fully elected school board, and $2 billion for the Bears. That's what his ask was. It wasn't about a billion dollars for CPS.”

Buckner said ultimately the finger-pointing needs to end.

“It can't be about Pedro and Brandon. It has to be about the 322,000 and growing … kids who are in the district,” Buckner said. “There's enough blame to go around. What we need to do is start moving away from blame and start moving toward responsibility.”

Mariah Woelfel and Tessa Weinberg cover city politics for WBEZ.