
Board of Education Set to Vote on Naming Macquline King as Full-Time CPS CEO
Clip: 3/26/2026 | 3m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
Macquline King has served as Chicago Public Schools’ interim CEO since last summer.
Chicago’s Board of Education is set to vote on her appointment as full-time CEO during a special board meeting Monday morning. If approved, King’s $380,000-per-year contract would take effect July 1 and run through June 2029, according to the meeting agenda.
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Board of Education Set to Vote on Naming Macquline King as Full-Time CPS CEO
Clip: 3/26/2026 | 3m 41sVideo has Closed Captions
Chicago’s Board of Education is set to vote on her appointment as full-time CEO during a special board meeting Monday morning. If approved, King’s $380,000-per-year contract would take effect July 1 and run through June 2029, according to the meeting agenda.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship>> Chicago public schools may finally have a full-time leader.
The Board of Education is set to vote on appointing interim CEO Macklin came to the full time position.
The former CPS principal has served in the interim role since last summer.
The vote will come after a monthslong search process which saw other candidates from across the country Vy for the position and then drop out of consideration.
If approved Kings $380,000 Year contract will take effect July 1st.
Joining us to break down the vote is our own Matt Masterson.
Matt, welcome back.
So I think, you know, the question a lot of people are wondering is why go through this months long candidate search process only to ultimately appoint someone who had been doing the job already since last summer.
You know, grants the board needed to be through our.
I don't think anyone wanted to see somebody appointed just to the full time position.
He wanted to go through this nation national search.
They went through a nationwide search of.
>> They said over 100 candidates who submitted their applications that ultimately ended up back on King.
But they went through this process and it did not go exactly as they had hoped.
There were dropouts of finalists whose names were leaked.
>> The firm that was brought on by the board to lead the search was let go last month.
Ultimately, though, the board did find someone that they feel that they're ready to name as full-time CEO in OK?
So as we mentioned, she's been the interim since last summer.
What's been what's been her record on the job?
Will she came in at a very difficult time, which typically the case with Chicago public schools.
But she navigated a very difficult budget process.
She came in as the district 730 million dollar budget shortfall.
She was able to pass a balanced budget last year and she did so in a way that ran contrary to what Mayor Brandon Johnson had been pushing for, which was significant borrowing by the district.
She passes budget without doing so.
She also came in during a time when Operation Midway Blitz was was going on in the city.
Immigration enforcement caused undue stress to families, students, staff teachers across the city.
She led the district to this time as well she launched a command center for CPS to result to respond to concerns and criticisms during this time as well.
So she received a lot of praise from the board from other education officials for how she handled the situations that she was thrown into last So just 2 weeks ago, we reported that the race was down to 3 finalists candidates.
How did she emerge as the the apparent full-time CEO?
Well, her background certainly is a teacher and principal in Chicago.
Public Schools helps.
She's worked in City Hall with Mayor Brandon Johnson.
That is obviously working in our favor as well.
>> But you also have something that no other candidate had, which was a 9 month head start on this position.
She has been in this role.
The board has been able to see that.
They don't have to guess what look like as CPS CEO.
They've been able to watch it for months and months.
>> And we'll see how Monday's vote goes.
But it appears that they're fully on board with her vision for the future of Chicago public schools.
Some members of the Chicago Board of Education.
accuse the Mayor, Brandon Johnson of sabotaging are attempting to sabotage the selection process.
Of course, Macklin King, as you mentioned, former education policy adviser to Mayor Johnson.
Tell us about some of those accusations.
Well, as you know, the board is currently split between elected and appointed officials, board members.
>> This was a group of elected officials who said that Mayor Brian Johnson and his appointed board members were trying to politically interfere with this process, that they slow things down.
>> These elected members instead wanted to hold off until 2027 when the board will be fully elected to pick a new CPS CEO.
But those elected members did in that letter where they accuse demerit, the sabotage they offered a full-throated support of Macklin King staying on through the next school year.
So they're very behind her vision.
As I okay.
We'll see on Monday.
Matt Masterson, thank you.
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