Amid a wave of backlash over troubling social media posts that were criticized as antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial, Chicago’s new Board of Education president is resigning at the request of Mayor Brandon Johnson just seven days after he was sworn into office. It’s the latest stunning development in the ongoing leadership struggle atop Chicago Public Schools.
The Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson and six other board members took their positions last Thursday after the entire school board resigned. The mayor announced them as his chosen replacements earlier in the month.
His resignation, confirmed by the mayor’s office, came after Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday called for him to step down, according to NBC5, following similar calls by 40 alderpersons and many Jewish leaders.
Johnson, the board president, had tried to tamp down criticism by apologizing for the posts.
A review of Johnson’s Facebook account showed that, from October 2023 to a few months ago, he often wrote pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel posts on social media, many of which referenced Jewish people in hostile and inflammatory ways.
In one, he said the “Nazi Germans’ ideology has been adopted by Zionist Jews.” In another, he said “My Jewish colleagues appear drunk with the Israeli power and will live to see their payment.” Another included a 9/11 conspiracy theory.
The media outlet Jewish Insider first reported about Johnson’s posts on Tuesday, calling them “antisemitic” and “pro-Hamas.”
Johnson was not well known in Chicago’s education community. But he was touted as an economic development expert, who helped get contracts for minority-owned companies. He also regularly hosts a WVON radio program and founded a consulting company.
There also have been questions about whether Johnson lives in Chicago and about his past. He was disbarred in Ohio nearly 30 years ago and at one point was so delinquent on his child support that he had a lien on his house.
Given all the problems, many have questioned the vetting process for the new school board members. On Wednesday, Rev. Johnson said he was “pretty confident that the things that are relevant to my experience were vetted.”
But also in that interview with WBEZ and the Sun-Times, he said that he did not want to be a distraction.
The sudden resignation is another blow to the mayor, who has suffered one setback after another in his dealings with the school system. Earlier this month, the entire school board, which he appointed and were his allies, resigned en masse.
It came after the mayor’s office and the CEO clashed over how to deal with a budget shortfall. The mayor’s office then tried to lay the groundwork to replace CPS CEO Pedro Martinez. But the school board was hesitant to do so without clear cause.
Rather than stay in the middle of the dispute, the board stepped aside.
In announcing the new board, Mayor Johnson tried to make the case that he was bringing stability to the system. Some of his appointees, he said, might be able to stay on after January, which is when the board will expand to 21 people and be partly-elected, partly appointed.