CHICAGO (WLS) – The entire Chicago Board of Education will resign, Mayor Brandon Johnson's office announced Friday.

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Johnson's office released a statement saying: “Mayor Brandon Johnson and members of the Chicago Board of Education are adopting a transition plan that includes all current members retiring from the board later this month. As the transition to a hybrid elected and appointed board approaches, current board members and Mayor Johnson are on board.” Understand that establishing a strong foundation for change is necessary to serve the best interests of students and families in the Chicago Public Schools to serve.

Together, Mayor Johnson and the Board achieved many goals of the Johnson Administration's vision for Chicago public schools, including moving away from inequitable student-based budgeting, completing the transition to a school safety model that does not rely on school resource officers, and focusing on Black Student Success. Their partnership also improved special education services, increased charter school accountability in the renewal process, and launched a new five-year strategic plan that emphasizes continued progress, investments in neighborhood schools, and expanding the sustainable community school model in lieu of school closures.

None of the members leaving the current board had any intention of continuing on the hybrid board and none are running for election. Given the unprecedented surge in board membership, transitioning new members now will give them time to orient themselves and gain critical experience before welcoming additional elected and appointed members in 2025.”

A CPS spokesperson issued a statement saying: “Pedro Martinez, CEO of CPS, extends his sincere thanks to the members of the Chicago Board of Education for their service on behalf of his leadership team, staff and students. The School Board members are dedicated, civic-minded public servants who are not paid. Each of them has volunteered countless hours and provided their extensive expertise and experience to support our system. Our more than 325,000 students review thousands of documents each year and spend extra time researching, asking questions, and offering input before voting on key decisions, including the district's annual budget and, just last month, the district's five-year strategic plan.” Success 2029: Together we will rise.” These board members were particularly committed to equity and emphasized our shared responsibility to better serve all students, but especially students with disabilities and those in districts that have historically been underfunded and furthest from opportunity. Our special thanks go to Chairman Jianan Shi and Vice President Elizabeth Todd-Breland for their leadership. Vice President Todd-Breland is the only remaining board member who has worked to restore services and successfully lead academic recovery efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We understand that the news that the seven-member Chicago Board of Education resigning later this month could cause concern for our families and employees. CEO Martinez and his leadership team, principals and staff, remain focused on teaching and learning and are continuing the great momentum we have seen in student academic progress and achievement over the past two years.”

This comes as people can vote for members of Chicago's first elected school board for the first time.

As early voting begins in Chicago, the big attraction is of course the presidential election, but city residents must remember to keep scrolling down the ballot to vote for school board members.

“The state parliament has divided the city into 10 districts, so they are large areas. If you think about it, that's about the size of five counties. But everyone will see one of these 10 counties on their ballot,” Ilinois said state representative Will Guzzardi.

For Guzzardi, an elected school board is a political dream come true. He said he had worked his entire political career to get one.

The board will consist of 21 members, 10 of whom will be elected by voters and 10 will be appointed by the mayor and board chair. The hybrid model and novelty of school board elections leaves some voters confused and unaware of which candidates are on the ballot.

“I've heard from candidates who say that when they're door-knocking, they spend a lot of time just telling people that this election is happening and kind of educating them on how to vote,” said Becky Vevea, ChalkBeat Chicago Bureau Chief .

Voters will find their district and candidates buried on the ballot, between two sets of judges, races that often leave voters blank, but with presidential elections the most popular, school board elections will generate more votes than in other election years .

“In general, over 70% of voters show up, so over 1.1 million registered voters,” said Max Bever of the Chicago Board of Elections. “So even if there is a voter decline, there will be a lot of votes for this newly elected school board position.”

RELATED | Our Chicago: November school board election

The elected board will change again in two years. All 21 board members, including the board chair, are elected by voters.

“Our schools should be led by people who are accountable to our communities,” Guzzardi said.

With the exception of one school district, all races are competitive. Elected officials and the Chicago Board of Elections encourage voters to do their research before casting their ballot.

Johnson's announcement also comes amid reports that the mayor has asked Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez to resign.

Multiple sources told ABC7 that Johnson told Martinez he no longer wanted him to lead the school district.

Earlier this week, Johnson said he had not asked anyone to take action, but when asked Wednesday to clarify that statement, the mayor remained tight-lipped.

“I never discuss personnel issues,” he said. “I find it extremely offensive, irresponsible and shabby, and I don’t make it shabby.”

But Johnson made it clear that all of his leaders must share his progressive agenda to transform public education.

“I was elected to fight for the people of the city, and whoever gets in the way goes away,” he said.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.