The entire Chicago Board of Education is resigning, a stunning development after months of acrimony that clears the way for Mayor Brandon Johnson to appoint a new board that will follow his orders – fire schools, CEO Pedro Martinez, a contract deal with the Chicago Teachers Union and take out a loan to cover a city pension payment and teacher contract this year.

Johnson's staff confirmed in an exclusive interview Friday that the expected resignations of all seven board members will occur later this month. This was followed by a joint statement from the school board and the mayor. WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times first reported the possibility of resignation on Monday.

The motives behind the mass resignations appear to be complicated. The board appeared at times to support Martinez in clashes with Johnson, but also had its own concerns about Martinez's performance, WBEZ and the Sun-Times previously reported.

In the end, the departures appeared to be mutual, a source said – board members were upset with the way the mayor handled the dispute and the position they were put in, and the mayor wanted a change, since his appointed board did not do what he wanted.

Even if Johnson might ultimately get his way, these mass resignations will likely be viewed by many as a rejection of the mayor's approach by his own appointees, especially after a source in his office recently stated that it was Martinez who “lost the board.” ” had. That source confidently told WBEZ and the Sun-Times that the board would agree to a loan.

And it's an amazing result for this board, which was supposed to have Johnson's stamp on it and which has worked hand-in-hand with the mayor to push through his progressive vision ahead of the city's first school board elections. A new board will be appointed in January.

There will likely be some political fallout as well. Many expressed concerns about turnover while the school district is in the midst of contract negotiations with CTU. Gov. JB Pritzker said earlier this week he doesn't believe board members should resign.

“I would hope that their top priority would be to find what’s best for the students, their parents and their families,” Pritzker said before the news broke. “That should be the top priority for all of us, stability and the implementation of a contract.”

The resignations can hardly be seen as a victory for the CEO, who stands to lose his job after fighting hard to stay in office and rejecting Johnson's resignation request earlier this month. The final say on hiring and firing the CEO goes to the board — which will still face some legal obstacles to ousting Martinez. And when the manager of an organization changes, this usually also has an impact on the rest of the management team.

When Johnson appointed that board in July 2023, he said he would “work together on a vision for our schools that ensures every student has access to a fully resourced, supportive and nurturing learning environment.”

“These are CPS parents, just like me, and education advocates who are committed to creating learning environments that support our children in the classroom and beyond,” he said.

But this summer, board members balked when the mayor pushed to use a loan to fill a mid-year budget gap that would arise in paying off the teachers' contract, even if the alternative would mean budget cuts. They also clashed with Johnson over whether the school district should pay part of a municipal pension payment that covers non-teaching CPS staff. Former Mayor Lori Lightfoot faced criticism when she transferred part of the payment to CPS. Johnson also demanded CPS pay up when he realized he needed to balance the city's tight budget.

In their first public and surprising rebuke of the mayor, Martinez and the school board did not include that loan or pension payment in the CPS budget passed in July.

But the school board has also expressed concerns about Martinez.

During a performance review last year, they identified three areas where Martinez needed improvement: visionary leadership, community involvement and management. In particular, they were frustrated with the pace at which Martinez advanced CPS's five-year strategic plan, which they considered their signature project, according to the December 2023 assessment.

No matter who ends up on the board, Martinez's contract puts them in a bind.

A clause in Martinez's contract states that firing him without cause would result in him remaining on the job for six months. That's an untenable prospect, both politically and practically, for Johnson, who wouldn't want a CEO for six months, especially after Martinez rejected his request to resign and his ideas for resolving the district's financial woes. And critically, teachers union leaders who are Johnson's allies and who propelled him to office have expressed doubts that they would be able to push through a contract agreement under Martinez.

However, since he has not been accused of serious allegations such as corruption, firing him for “cause” could result in the board facing a lawsuit. However, a source close to the board was highly critical of Martinez's decision to publicly address his interactions with the mayor in a recent op-ed in the Chicago Tribune. Martinez said the mayor asked him to resign and he refused. The source described this as a “brazen” move and “insubordination” – an accusation that could potentially be used to fire Martinez.

In December 2022, Martinez's contract was changed. An amendment expands the definition of dismissal “for cause” to include “any other conduct that is inconsistent with or that may reasonably be expected to have a material adverse impact on the CEO's duties and obligations to CPS or the Board.” good name and integrity of CPS.” or the Board, in the sole discretion of the Board.”

Martinez soon faced renewed scrutiny with existing board members, who might have tried to use this to argue for a for-cause firing.

The resigning board members include Board President Jianan Shi, a former head of the parent group Raise Your Hand, and Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland, a history professor at the University of Illinois Chicago who was appointed by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot and is the only member remaining under Johnson further. Also going: Mary Fahey Hughes, special education parent activist; Tanya Woods, executive director of the Westside Justice Center; Mariela Estrada, director of community engagement at United Way; Michelle Morales, President of the Woods Fund; and JPMorgan Chase philanthropy executive Rudy Lozano Jr., the famed union organizer's son.

The largely activist board was appointed for only a year and a half term, ending in December. They were to be the last appointed board before being replaced by a partly elected and partly appointed board in January. Johnson will appoint 11 of the 21 board members, retaining control for two more years. The other 10 will be elected in the city's first school board election on Nov. 5.

The board has had many successes in its progressive education agenda in the short time it has led the district. Finally, in mid-September, a new five-year strategic plan was introduced and approved by the board. It directed the district to focus its resources on neighborhood schools after decades of emphasis on choice schools — special schools, charter schools and magnet and selective enrollment schools — as the main way to give more children access to quality schools.

The board also removed police from schools and ended student-based budgeting, which distributed money to schools based on student enrollment. This year, a needs-based formula was introduced that places less emphasis on enrollment and more on student needs.

And that board brought oversight back in-house, ending a massive contract with Aramark, a company criticized for failing to keep schools clean.

Sarah Karp takes over the training for WBEZ. Follow her on X @WBEZeducation And @sskedreporter. Nader Issa covers education for the Sun-Times.