Mayor says he wants a CPS leader who will fight for more funding as fate of current CEO hangs in the balance

A day after the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ reported that plans are afoot to , Mayor Brandon Johnson stressed that he wants a leader who will fight for more funding for the school district so it can hire more staff, such as librarians and art and music teachers.The mayor declined to comment specifically on Martinez, calling it a “personnel issue.” Johnson credited Martinez with implementing some of his agenda, including a more equitable formula to distribute money to schools.But Johnson’s statements seemed intended to draw a contrast between what he wants for the school district and Martinez’s approach.“The point is that we have a very robust, audacious vision for public education,” Johnson said. “The people of Chicago voted me in to transform our district, to make sure that our neighborhood schools are supported … And that’s the goal, and that’s what the people of Chicago deserve and want, and that’s what I’m going to deliver.”The Chicago Teachers Union, a close ally of Johnson and his former employer, has sharply criticized Martinez for cutting some teacher assistant positions — though staffing is up overall — and refusing to sign onto its proposals for smaller class sizes and robust staffing at all schools. The CTU and the school district are in midst of contract negotiations.Behind the scenes, Martinez is refusing a push from the mayor’s office to take out a loan to pay for these proposals and a significant pension payment he wants CPS to make. The loan would be intended to try to buy time to secure more state and federal funding for the long term.Martinez’s team made the case earlier this week that it’s trying to be fiscally responsible, even while it continues advocating for additional revenue that isn’t guaranteed. The school district is facing huge deficits in the coming years and already has substantial debt, which cuts into the current budget. CPS is predicting a deficit of $509 million for next year before accounting for the costs of a new CTU contract. It estimated that CTU’s contract demands would create a — at least $2.9 billion — next year.CPS officials sent an email to all district staff Thursday, saying it was reaching out “in light of some news articles regarding the future of our district’s leadership.”“We want you to know that our primary focus right now is the new school year, and making sure our educators, families and especially our students have what they need to start strong on Monday, August 26,” officials wrote.Some principals showed support for Martinez. Tara Shelton, principal at South Loop Elementary School, said she and many of her colleagues feel supported by Martinez.“He can take the tough questions from us, and he tried, to best of his ability, to give a honest and true, transparent response or find a solution to things,” Shelton said. “In the past that was not always the case. His answers were not always what we wanted to hear, but he was willing to listen.”Shelton said she also did not like the idea of more change at the top. After eight CEOs in the last 15 years, she said “we are in a place that we would like to have consistency a little longer.”