New CPS CEO gets $340K salary and 5-year contract, facing new challenges
The Chicago Board of Education has approved a five-year contract with a $340,000 starting salary for new Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez.
Board members did not publicly discuss the contract at Wednesday’s monthly board meeting, nor was a copy of the agreement provided with the meeting agenda. The vote came hours after board President Miguel del Valle praised the selection of Martinez as “by far the most inclusive and transparent CEO hiring process we’ve ever seen in Chicago.”
The Tribune later obtained a copy of the contract, which shows the board is authorized to increase Martinez’s annual base salary rate by up to 3% each year after conducting a performance review.
Under the contract, Martinez is required to submit goals for his first 60, 120 and 180 days by Nov. 15. Martinez must evaluate his own progress by July. He will then meet with the board to hear its feedback on his performance. Martinez must propose goals by June 1 each year, starting in 2022.
The board has agreed to pay 7% of Martinez’s contribution to his pension. He is receiving 20 vacation days to start; $15,000 to move to Chicago; and a driver for travel within the Chicago area for job-related duties, per the terms of the contract.
The top job at the nation’s third largest school district has become more lucrative in the last year. Interim CEO José Torres received a portion of his $335,000 annual salary for a position he held less than three months this year, plus $5,000 to relocate. Former CEO Janice Jackson earned a $40,000 bump in December 2020 to bring her base pay up to $300,000. She left the district in June after three years as CEO.
Leaders of larger districts have fared better. The chancellor of the New York City Department of Education, the largest school system in the nation, was hired this year at a salary of $363,000, according to media reports. The superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District had a base salary of $350,000 for the 2020-21 school year before stepping down in the summer.
Martinez, whose first day was Sept. 29, faces some immediate headaches. The district announced Wednesday that enrollment is down by about 10,000 students compared to last year. Martinez plans to “dig deep” into the data, explore the quality of the district’s program offerings and determine how to attract more families to CPS and retain those already enrolled.
Meanwhile, a national school bus driver shortage means 3,800 CPS students, including about 2,300 with diverse needs, are without transportation services even though they qualify for them. All but 3% — 107 students — have found a way to get to school, either by taking a taxi or having their families use a district stipend to book alternative transportation, according to the district.
CPS vowed all 50 of the diverse learners who have not been attending school, but are still considered active in the district, will be routed by Friday. Of the remaining 57 students, all but one are considered nonactive because they transferred, opted to be home-schooled or left the district for other reasons, per CPS.
Martinez said a recently executed contract with RideALong, a child-focused ride-share van company, is a “game changer” for the district, with the plan to add 80 drivers in November.
All the while the pandemic rages on. CPS is reporting 1,779 student and 478 adult cases this school year out of 330,411 students enrolled. Nearly 47% of CPS students 12 years and older are fully vaccinated, per district data, and marketing efforts are underway to encourage 5- to 11-year-olds to get the shots when they can.
Martinez has recently weathered criticism for inconsistencies with the district’s COVID-19 testing program. Unvaccinated staff members — about 11% of employees — are required to submit to weekly testing until they provide proof of full vaccination. Nearly 21,000 staff members and about 28,000 students have signed up for weekly testing, per district data released Wednesday. About 8,800 staff members and 12,900 students were tested last week. Testers didn’t visit a few of the 500-plus district-run schools last week, but Martinez said testing capacity continues to grow, with hiccups few and far between.
Martinez’s CPS contract, which was negotiated directly with del Valle, runs through June 2026. Martinez, a 52-year-old Mexico native who grew up in Chicago, served as CPS’ chief financial officer from 2003 to 2009. He earned a salary of about $175,000 in his final year on the job, CPS records show.
He moved on to the Reno, Nevada, area to become deputy superintendent of the Washoe County School District. He later served as that district’s superintendent, earning a salary of about $250,000 before his departure, per a pay history provided by Washoe.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced Martinez’s hiring in mid-September, calling him “the leader to help us emerge stronger from this challenging time.”