Chicago mayor names new school board after entire panel resigns amid a fight over district control

Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has appointed a new school board, days after all seven members resigned amid an escalating fight over control of the public schools in the nation’s third-largest city. Johnson has been trying to oust Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez, who was named to the job in 2021 by Johnson’s predecessor. Johnson, a former Chicago Teachers Union organizer, has clashed with Martinez, including over how best to close gaps in the district’s nearly $10 billion budget. Martinez has declined to resign, citing the need for stability in the district. During a news conference Monday, Johnson introduced six new school board members and said he’d name a seventh at a later date.