On Dec. 20, a Friday night, the Chicago Board of Education appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson voted unanimously to fire Pedro Martinez, the first permanent Latino CEO of CPS. This decision followed months of deception by the mayor and the Chicago Teachers Union, a transition from one puppet board to another and a historic school board election. It also came less than a week after the passage of a city budget that ignores structural problems plaguing our city.
In complete disregard for the potential legal consequences, the board made the appalling decision to fire Martinez from a district where nearly 50% — about 154,000 — of the students are Latino, prioritizing political interests over the well-being of students.
Many will rightly focus on what this decision means for CPS and the mayor’s tenure. But I want to address a different issue: the glaring absence of meaningful public support and action for Martinez from our Latino leaders. To be fair, there were some exceptions, such as Ald. Gilbert Villegas and former interim CPS CEO Jesse Ruiz, who spoke out. But where were the others? Where was U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez? U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García? What about Latino state legislative leaders Sens. Omar Aquino and Celina Villanueva and Reps. Aaron Ortiz and Lilian Jimenez? This isn’t just about elected officials; the silence extended to our civic leaders as well.
García, Villanueva and Ortiz did release a joint statement on the day of the board meeting, but it’s hard to call that standing up for our community. The harsh truth is that we failed our community by not doing more to save Martinez’s position at CPS. We let down thousands of Latino families that rely on the education system not only for academic success but also for the future and hope of their children.
The question, of course, is why? Why wasn’t there an outpouring of support from community leaders? Why weren’t there news conferences, daily media interviews, protests or, at the very least, an organized effort to transport Martinez’s supporters to the board meeting? Some will argue that the board’s decision was inevitable, that members had already made up their minds and there was nothing left to be done. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the real reason. The truth is that, like our mayor, many of these elected officials have deep ties to the CTU and rely on its financial and volunteer support to secure their elections. This loyalty to the CTU was prioritized over standing up for our community.
I’m not even talking about the decadeslong ties. Just in this past election, García’s endorsed school board candidate, Yesenia Lopez, partly won her race due to significant financial support from the CTU.
On the Northwest Side of the city, the CTU’s endorsed but ultimately unsuccessful candidate, Jason Dones, received more than $250,000 from the union and was supported by Ramirez and seven other Latino elected officials. If you examine the contributions to these officials’ campaigns, the CTU’s influence is clear. This pattern of financial support raises serious questions about whether these leaders are truly prioritizing the needs of our community or if they are more committed to maintaining political alliances at any cost.
The Latino community, which makes up nearly one-third of Chicago’s population, must demand better from its leaders. We can no longer afford to sit back and watch as political interests take precedence over the needs of our community. It is critical that our leaders stand up against undue political influence and fight for us. If they won’t stand up for Martinez, someone who was born and raised in Chicago, a product of CPS and highly qualified for the role, then who will they stand up for?
Ultimately, this isn’t just about defending one individual — it’s about demanding leadership that truly represents our community. The failure to act in this moment exposes a deeper issue: Our needs are being sidelined for political convenience.
It’s time for leaders who will stand up for our families, our children and the future we deserve.
Hugo Jacobo is a Democratic political consultant based in Chicago who has worked on campaigns for Anna Valencia, Rahm Emanuel, Sol Flores and President Joe Biden. A proud product of Chicago Public Schools, he now serves as director of Chicago Democrats for Education.
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