The Board of Education has voted to require the next leader of Chicago Public Schools to be a licensed educator, changing the role from a CEO to a traditional superintendent.
Chicago’s schools have had a CEO since 1995, when they became the first in the country to be overseen by a chief executive — a corporate title that at times has troubled parents and advocates who found it to be an odd fit with the responsibility of educating the city’s children.
Elected school board member Che “Rhymefest” Smith, 10th District, introduced a resolution at Thursday’s monthly meeting aimed at changing the role’s purpose. It directs CPS to require its next leader to hold an Illinois teacher license and a superintendent certificate. The resolution also calls on the Illinois General Assembly to change state law to require the CPS leader to be a licensed educator just like every other school district in the state.
The school board voted unanimously to approve the resolution.
“Mayor Daley instituted a policy of CEO over superintendent. And today, we will bring our infrastructure and our body back into place,” Smith said. “[The Trump administration is] eroding the Department of Education. There is no time like now to make sure that Chicago ensures that whoever leads CPS understands the core work of schools and we don’t lose that experience and education.”
The change will have an immediate effect as the district is currently searching for a new leader. CPS CEO Pedro Martinez was fired in December and is set to leave his post at the end of June. His contract allowed him to stay on for an additional six months.
While the school board can set certain qualifications for the district’s top leader, the state legislature would have to change the title and cement the higher standard for employment. The legislature handed over control of the school district to former Mayor Richard M. Daley 30 years ago, including the power to appoint the school board and CEO. The only qualification for a CEO in state law is that it “shall be a person of recognized administrative ability and management experience.”
State Sen. Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) previously said he was open to exploring the idea.
“The advantage of a superintendent is that they ask, ‘What do we need to do to educate our children and what resources do we need?’ “ he said in February when Smith first introduced the topic. “While a CEO might say, ‘What resources do we have and how can we use them to educate children?’ It is somewhat of a different focus.”
Martwick said the legislature considered a change when it created the elected school board in Chicago in 2021, but lawmakers decided to hold off.
Superintendents must have a master’s degree, usually in education, two years of experience in an administrative role and a superintendent endorsement from an accredited university. That endorsement requires training, classes and a 12-month internship.
Thirty years ago, Daley was looking for someone to help the district dig out of a financial hole, as well as improve low test scores. It was also a time that some leaders were embracing a corporate management style for school districts. The change to a CEO allowed Daley to pick Paul Vallas, the city’s budget director. CPS has also had a chief education officer effectively second in charge after the CEO.
Over the years, other CEOs have had no education experience, including Ron Huberman and Forrest Claypool, both of whom, like Vallas, worked in city government prior to running CPS. Janice Jackson, a former teacher and principal who served as CEO until 2021, stood out because of her education experience. Martinez is an accountant by training but ran other school districts as a superintendent prior to taking over at CPS. He still has his superintendent certification.
Some other cities followed Chicago’s lead in having a CEO run their school districts. The Council of Great City Schools says that seven of its 78 members, including Chicago, don’t have superintendents. Four are CEOs, two are chancellors and the last is director of schools.