Outgoing Chicago Public Schools chief Pedro Martinez was tapped to become the next commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education after board members voted in his favor at a public meeting Tuesday.
Martinez was among three finalists interviewed by the board last week. The other candidates for the role included Jack Elsey, founder of the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative, an organization focused on addressing the teacher shortage crisis, and Lily Laux, currently the executive director of Economic Mobility Systems and former Texas Education Agency deputy commissioner of school programs.
Nine of the eleven members of the board voted to appoint Martinez, two abstaining in favor of Lily Laux.
Several board members voiced their support for Martinez, among them Vice Chair Matt Hills, who said he thinks of Martinez as the “right person” for the job.
“This is someone who has had progressive experience in an increasingly larger and more complex organizations, with significantly increased, let’s say, political situations that they have to balance,” Hills said. “But at the end of the day, this is someone who has been able to lead large organizations to get pretty significantly positive results in key education priorities that we have.”
Student member Ioannis Asikis also voted in favor of Martinez, as he said the CEO’s grasp of the district’s data and as well as his clarity on what it means for students across the state stood out to him.
“He spoke openly about the deep connection between student outcomes and poverty, and emphasized the importance of understanding district context, really building alignment from the state to the local level, and ensuring leaders feel supported to do the work,” Asikis said.
Martinez’s nomination will go to Patrick Tutwiler, Massachusetts Secretary of Education, for final approval. However, during the meeting, Tutwiler expressed his support for Martinez, commending him for his “proven track record of success in extraordinarily unideal contexts.”
The Chicago Board of Education voted in December to fire Martinez following a months-long disagreement with Mayor Brandon Johnson over taking out a $300 million loan to pay for the now-settled teachers’ contract and city and CPS employees’ pension payments.
Fired without cause, Martinez will remain in his position as CEO through June. Chicago Public Schools did not immediately respond to comment on whether Martinez will be accepting the role.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
