I’ll put my Chicago Public Schools credentials up against any public official in this town. I am a third-generation CPS alum, with deep family ties to the district. My siblings and I graduated from a range of CPS high schools — Fenger, Whitney Young, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and Morgan Park. My mother, a Tilden graduate and one of its first Black female students in the 1960s, dedicated three decades to teaching in CPS. Today, my younger sister is a CPS special education teacher on the South Side, and my older sister serves as a principal on the West Side. My father, who experienced systemic racism firsthand as a Willis Wagon kid relegated to makeshift classrooms, shaped my understanding of educational inequity. This legacy fuels my advocacy for CPS.
As a legislator, I sponsored the bill that brought an elected, representative school board to Chicago, pulling colleagues off the sidelines to get it passed. I still remember stepping out of a downtown restaurant during date night to take calls with downstate and suburban legislators, explaining why their support was crucial for my community. I also championed the school closing moratorium and have fought tirelessly for increased CPS funding in Springfield. Additionally, I was part of the team tasked with drawing the school board district maps, ensuring this unit of government reflects the city’s diversity and needs.
CPS is more than just a system to me — it’s part of my upbringing. I spent countless hours at the old Pershing Road headquarters and the Quest Center as a kid, tagging along to meetings with my mom. One Saturday afternoon, while she attended a meeting, I set up on the floor of legendary union leader Jackie Vaughn’s office, soaking in the world of educational and labor leadership. Soon, I’ll add another layer to my connection to this system when my son becomes a CPS student. This district is a part of me.
I am deeply troubled by what is happening now. While I don’t know CPS CEO Pedro Martinez well, I’ve been impressed by his efficacy and professionalism. In our conversations, he has shown a clear vision and steady hand, inspiring confidence in his leadership. CPS has endured years of instability — years of disruption that have weakened the system and frayed the trust of students, teachers and families. Now, more than ever, we need stability, not more upheaval.
Imagine CPS as a boat in a storm, barely staying afloat. Adding leadership changes at this critical juncture is like poking holes in the hull. Jan. 17 marks the midpoint of the school year. Disrupting the system now jeopardizes not only administrative continuity but also the fragile sense of normalcy that students, parents and educators desperately need.
There’s no question that CPS has significant work to do. Graduation rates and proficiency scores in reading and math are far from where they should be. While we’re not at the bottom of the list compared with other large school districts, we should be at the top. But here’s the critical question: Would firing Martinez in the middle of contract negotiations with the teachers union, the school year and a period of intense challenges raise those graduation rates or improve proficiency scores? Or would it create even more instability?
For me, former schools CEO Janice Jackson set the gold standard for a dedicated, homegrown leader who deeply understood CPS. Martinez, similar in many ways, shares that commitment. Under his leadership, CPS has expanded career and technical education programs, prioritized mental health resources and stabilized its finances. These tangible wins are essential for a district long plagued by leadership turnover.
Over the last decade, CPS has seen a revolving door of CEOs, creating a leadership vacuum that fosters uncertainty. Teachers worry about job security. Parents anxiously wait for calls about school closures, scrambling to make child care arrangements. Principals face ongoing staffing and funding challenges. This instability weakens CPS’ ability to function effectively and erodes public trust. It also makes the job harder for those of us who advocate in Springfield on the district’s behalf. It’s difficult to make the case for increased funding when the system appears to be sinking further into instability rather than climbing out of it.
A leadership vacuum, especially at a time like this, undermines credibility and weakens the argument for investment in the future of CPS.
Chicago’s financial challenges only deepen these issues. A contentious budget negotiation cycle highlighted systemic problems: stagnant revenue growth, a shrinking corporate fund and ballooning pension obligations. The answer isn’t higher taxes or more fees — it’s growing our city. I believe every decision-maker in this space loves Chicago and its people, but love isn’t enough. As the saying goes, “Romance without finance is a nuisance.” We need economic growth, financial stability and fiscal sustainability. Steadiness in CPS is essential to that growth. Families, businesses and investments won’t choose a city with an unstable public school system.
I ran for office to fight for funding for our schools and to find sustainable solutions. Let me be clear: Springfield and Washington have to do more, but we can not mortgage our future. High-interest loans aren’t the answer. Ironically, in 2021, we capped high-interest consumer payday loans in Springfield because they were trapping families in communities like Englewood, South Shore and Little Village in cycles of debt and poverty. Yet, we’re now entertaining the same predatory financial logic for CPS, draining resources from the very children we’re supposed to uplift. It’s counterintuitive, contradictory and ultimately harmful to the district’s future.
The Chicago Board of Education must remember its ultimate responsibility — serving the students of Chicago, not settling political scores.
Martinez has offered steady, pragmatic leadership at a time when our district needs it most. To gamble away the future of CPS — and Chicago itself — would be as shortsighted as it is shameful. Let’s keep our focus where it belongs: on the kids, not the chaos.
State Rep. Kam Buckner, a Chicago Democrat, represents the 26th District.
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