IS OVER FOR 300,000 OR SO CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS.

AND AS YOU JUST HEARD, YES, IT IS BACK TO SCHOOL WHETHER THE DISTRICT IS READY OR NOT.

BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE MEANS SOME STUDENTS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING TO CLASS.

THE DISTRICT IS GRAPPLING WITH A DEFICIT AND THE FUTURE OF THE DISTRICT CEO.

HE'S UNCERTAIN.

NOW HERE TO HELP US CLEAR THAT UP IS THE CEO.

THAT IS PEDRO MARTINEZ.

THANKS FOR JOINING US IN ON SUCH BUSY DAY BECAUSE IT WASN'T JUST STUDENTS RETURNING TO THE CLASSROOM YOU VISITED AS WELL.

WHAT SHOULD FAMILIES KNOW ABOUT WHAT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT OR WHAT'S IN STORE FOR THEM THIS SCHOOL YEAR HIM?

AND THE FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, I GOTTA TELL YOU MY I'M SO PROUD OF MY TEAM.

WE WERE PREPARING OR 2 JUST CAME BACK LAST WEEK.

THE REPAIRING THEIR CLASSROOMS.

WE'VE BEEN AT IT ALL SUMMER, YOU KNOW, GETTING READY FOR THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.

I WAS IN SEVERAL SCHOOLS ALL OVER THE CITY TODAY.

AND I'LL TELL YOU THE SCHOOL'S LOOK CLEAN.

THERE WAS, YOU KNOW BEFORE IT WAS SPOTLESS.

THE CHILDREN WERE EXCITED.

TEACHERS ARE READY.

SO, YOU KNOW, USE ON PASSING A WE ARE GOING TO A HOT DAY TOMORROW.

SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE OUR WEATHER, YOU KNOW, PRECAUTIONS TOMORROW.

SO, KNOW, JIM NORTHCOTE ANY OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, EVERY CLASSROOM DOES HAVE A NICE A WINDOW AIR CONDITION, CLEAN.

OLDER BUILDINGS PLENTY OF BACKUPS.

WE HAD A COUPLE BUILDINGS THAT WE HAVE A COUPLE ISSUES.

WE'VE GOT TO THEM RIGHT AWAY THIS MORNING.

WE'LL BE ON IT FOR SOMEONE IT SHOULD BE AT LEAST SOMEWHAT COOL AND THEY HANDLE IT BETTER THAN WE DO.

DO A I WENT TO SCHOOL IN CPS, YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE 70 WIN, NO AIR CONDITIONING.

A LOT OF PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS REMEMBER YOURS AS FOR THOSE AND NOW THERE ARE SOME NEW STUDENTS AT CPS ABOUT 9,000 IN RULED FOR MIGRANT FAMILIES.

HOW ARE THEY BEING SUPPORTED THIS SCHOOL YEAR?

AND ARE THERE ENOUGH ESL TEACHERS?

SOME OF THE GREAT THING IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE OVER 400 A NEW BILINGUAL ESL TEACHERS THAT ARE CERTIFIED.

IN ADDITION, OUR VACANCY HAS NEVER BEEN LOWER FOR BILINGUAL TEACHERS.

IN FACT, IT'S LOWER THAN OUR DISTRICT AVERAGE.

IT'S ABOUT 3 AND A HALF PERCENT OF BETWEEN ASKING ABOUT 4, WHICH IS ONE OF THE LOWEST.

ALSO WE'VE SEEN OVER 90% OF OUR STUDENTS ARE IN CLASSROOMS.

THEY RECEIVE DSLR BILINGUAL SUPPORT.

WE THE CHALLENGE WE HAVE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR CHILDREN STARTED SHELTERS WHERE ACTUALLY, IN FACT, BEEN ROLLING IN SHELTERS ARE WEAK.

AND SO WHEN THE FAMILY'S MOVE THAT THE TEMPORARY HOUSING, SOME THINGS THAT WILL TO ME WAS DON'T HAVE THAT PROGRAM.

SO WE'RE WORKING WITH THE CITY HOW TO BETTER COORDINATE THAT.

BUT THAT'S OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE.

EVEN IN THOSE SCHOOLS THAT WERE PROVIDING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT.

AND SAID, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, BUT THAT'S WHERE WE HAVE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE TRACKING THOSE FAMILIES, MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE GETTING THE CONTINUED EDUCATION, OTHER SUPPORTS.

THEY NEED.

NOW LETS GET TO THEY'RE BIG LOOMING QUESTION.

AND THAT IS ACCORDING TO REPORTING BY WBEZ, THE SUN-TIMES CHALK BEAT MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON WANT YOU OUT AS CEO OF CPS.

HAS HE TOLD YOU THAT?

SO WE HAVEN'T TALKED ANY OF THOSE STORIES CAME OUT.

A MAN THAT WAS WITH HIM ALL DAY TODAY.

I MEAN, WE WERE IN YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I WAS REALLY HAPPY THAT HE CAME TO WELCOME OUR CHILDREN.

WE WERE BOTH IN A VERY GOOD MOVES BECAUSE, AGAIN, THE ENERGY WAS SO HIGH.

I'LL TELL YOU WHERE THE TENSION IS AND THAT'S A FIRST OF ALL, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NEVER BEEN BETTER ALIGNMENT BETWEEN OUR DISTRICT, OUR BOARD, YOU KNOW, THE CITY, THE MAYOR AND I WOULD EVEN ARGUE THE UNIONS.

WE ALL KNOW THAT OUR SCHOOLS AND TO BE FULLY RESOURCED AND THE CHALLENGES THEY'RE NOT.

AND SO HERE, YOU KNOW, I'M VERY PART OF THE WORK WE'VE DONE.

WE ARE RIGHT NOW SITTING RECORD GAINS READING AND MATH FOR 2 YEARS IN A ROW.

WE'RE NUMBER ONE IN THE COUNTRY AND WE DO RECOVERY NUMBER 3 IN READING MATH OVERALL, MY HIGH SCHOOLS ARE SEEN RECORD GRADUATION RATES.

RECORD COLLEGE CREDITS OVER HALF OF OUR SENIORS LAST YEAR WITH GRADUAL COLLEGE CREDIT AND OVER 2 BILLION WITH SCHOLARSHIPS WITH A B THAT THEY'RE EARNING.

IT'S STILL COMING BY THE WAY, BREAKING RECORDS EVERY YEAR.

AND SO FOR ME, YOU KNOW, THE WORK YOU KNOW, SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

THE CHALLENGE IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF NEGOTIATING A CONTRACT.

I WANT TO PROTECT THE INVESTMENT THAT WE HAVE.

WE HAVE 2000 MORE TEACHERS TODAY THAN WE DID.

YOU KNOW, PRE-PANDEMIC AND I'LL TELL YOU, I'M SEEN IN CLASSROOMS, SMALLER CLASS SIZE.

ORLECK TO TEACHERS THAN EVER.

NO MORE SURE.

WE HAVE A SCHOOL WITHOUT HARD WITHOUT MUSIC WITHOUT UNITED FACT, DON'T EVEN HAVE A 3RD OPTION OF THEY WANT TO WORLD LANGUAGE OR STEM PROGRAM OR LIBRARIAN.

SO, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF ALIGNMENT, CHALLENGES THAT, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE A PUSH TO ADD EVEN MORE INVESTMENTS, THE RESOURCES AND THAT THEIR FEDERAL DOLLARS EXPIRING.

SO I WOULD JUST SAY, I'M AND I'M AN OPTIMIST.

I'M YOU KNOW, I'M IN CHICAGO KID.

YOU KNOW, I GREW UP IN CHICAGO.

I KNOW THE POLITICS.

I'LL ROLL WITH IT, BUT I AM FOCUSED ON THE SCHOOL YEAR AND 9, 0, MARK MY WORDS THEN I'LL BE BACK ON THE SHOW.

THIS WILL BE A STRONG SCHOOL YEAR EVER.

AND SO WE SET IT UP FOR THAT.

AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO FOCUS YOU KNOW, YOU SAID YOU HAVEN'T SPOKEN WITH HIM SINCE THOSE STORIES CAME OUT, AT LEAST BEEN NO REAL MEETING.

YOU WERE TOGETHER TODAY, BUT THAT'S A DIFFERENT CLIMATE.

OF COURSE.

HAVE YOU TALKED WITH ANYONE ELSE FROM THE ADMINISTRATION WHERE YOU'VE RECEIVED THAT SORT OF SIGNAL OR WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TALK TO THE IN OUR MIND, THOUGH, HAVE NOT.

AND TALKED TO THE MAYOR ON A REGULAR BASIS.

WE HAVE WE HAVE A REGULAR CADENCE OF MEETINGS.

NEXT ONE IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS.

LIKE SO WE ALWAYS CALLED WE TOUCH BASE EVERY COUPLE WEEKS.

AND I'LL TELL YOU THE LAST MEETING WE HAD, WHICH IS BEFORE ANY OF THE STORIES CAME OUT, WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HOW DO WE LAND THEM?

A CONTRACT WITH OUR TEACHERS UNION.

HOW DO WE WORK TOGETHER TO ADVOCATE A MORE EFFECTIVELY WITH SPRINGFIELD?

AND SO WAS A VERY PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION.

SO, AGAIN, I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON THE WORK BECAUSE THE WORK SPEAKING FOR ITSELF.

WE'RE SEEING THE EVIDENCE.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M READY TO DO A MENACE TO MAKE A CASE TO EVERY ELECTED OFFICIAL, WHETHER IT'S A CITY, A STATE OR AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL BECAUSE WE NEED ALL WE NEED THE CITY WE NEED TO STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MONEY RUNNING OF MONEY, IT FROM THE STATE.

YOU'VE LIVED IN SPRINGFIELD HOME OR HAVE A FRIEND AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND WILL ALSO HOPEFULLY IT'LL CONTINUE RECEIVE SUPPORT AT THE CITY LEVEL BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WHEN WHEN WE INVEST IN OUR DISTRICT, WE SHOW THAT RESULT IN.

I MEAN, WE'RE NOT PERFORMING, YOU KNOW, YOU YOU KNOW, JUST LOCALLY PERFORMING IN THE NATION RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, IT.

YOU TALKED ABOUT ALIGNMENT WITH THE MAYOR'S OFFICE AS WELL AS WITH THE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION.

BUT I WANT TO READ A QUOTE FROM THE CHICAGO TEACHERS UNION PRESIDENT STACY DAVIS, GATES, WHO PENNED AN OP-ED IN THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE TODAY AND BASICALLY SAID THAT IF STUDENTS SUCCEED, IT IS IN SPITE OF YOU WRITING THAT IF THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IS A MEASURE OF PERFORMANCE OF DISTRICT LEADERSHIP THAN IT SHOULD NOT BE MEASURED IN HOW MUCH CAPITULATE TO THE BANKS SHOULD BE MEASURED AND HOW MANY TEACHERS ASSISTANTS ARE MISSING, HOW MANY EXTRA DUCKS ARE PULLED INTO OUR CLASSROOMS?

HOW MUCH MOLD AND ASBESTOS OR PLANNED?

HOW LITTLE SPORTS ARTS AND MUSIC STUDENTS ARE EXPOSED TO AND HOW MUCH FREE LABOR TEACHERS ARE EXPECTED TO DO TO COMPENSATE FOR THE LACK OF RESOURCES WITH YOUR RESPONSE.

SO AGAIN, THE WORK SPEAKS FOR SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE IS SOME STARTING MY 4TH YEAR, THE STABILITY, THE MORALS NEVER BEEN HIGHER.

TURNOVER HAS BEEN THE LOWEST THAT WE'VE EVER SEEN.

WE HAVE MORE TEACHERS IN OUR CLASSROOMS PHYSICALLY 600 MORE TEACHERS THIS YEAR ALONE COMPARED TO LAST YEAR.

OUR SCHOOLS NOW HAVE ELECTIVE TEACHERS.

THEY'VE NEVER HAD BEFORE.

LOOK, WE'VE 70'S AND 80'S KID.

I REMEMBER WHAT OUR SCHOOLS NEVER HAD.

AND I'LL TELL YOU WHEN I CAME BACK, AMANDA, THE FACT WE HAD HUNDREDS OF SCHOOLS THAT NEVER EVEN HAD ART EDUCATION AGAIN COMING FROM OTHER DISTRICTS WHERE AGAIN, IT WAS TAKEN FOR GRANTED.

SO, LOOK, I DON'T MIND THE PUSH.

I I REALLY DO.

BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY I REALLY BELIEVE THAT WE ALL NEED TO WORK ON THIS TOGETHER.

WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A KEY FOR MORE FUNDING.

I WILL BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU, AS AS YOU AS MUCH PROGRESS WE'RE MAKING.

WE NEED TO SUSTAIN IT AND WE NEED TO INVEST MORE IN OUR SCHOOLS TEACH YOU IS ASKING FOR CREATIVE FUNDING SOLUTIONS FROM YOU.

WHAT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

I DON'T BUT BUT I'LL SAY THIS IF IF WE DON'T JOIN TOGETHER AND BUILD THE COALITION AND THIS YOU KNOW, MYSELF, MY TEAM ARE CITY OFFICIALS, INCLUDING I MEAN, MADE AN AMAZING ALL PEOPLE THAT I WORK WITH ARE STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS.

OUR FEDERAL ELECTED OFFICIALS.

AND WE DON'T BUILD THE COALITION.

YOU KNOW, I SEE CHUCK HOURS OF WONDERFUL JOB.

LOOK AT ANY OTHER DISTRICT IN THE MIDWEST.

LOOK AT OUR ENROLLMENT.

YOU KNOW, WE EXPECT THEM TO BE STABLE AGAIN THIS YEAR DOES AFTER DECADES OF ENROLLMENT DECLINES.

WHEN YOU WHEN GO TO OUR SCHOOLS, I WOULD CHALLENGE ANYBODY QUARTER A CLASS.

AND LOOK, THE BUILDINGS NEED HELP.

BUT WHEN YOU GO TO CLASSROOMS, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE THAT THAT WE HARDWORKING TEACHERS, SMALLER CLASS, ESPECIALLY A HIGH POVERTY AREAS.

AND SAID THE RESULTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.

AMANDA IS THE MAYOR TO CLOSE.

SO TOO CTU, HIS FORMER EMPLOYER.

YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S A QUESTION FOR FOR THE MAYOR, BUT I WILL TELL YOU, I HAVE A LOT OF RESPECT FOR THE MAYOR.

I REALLY BELIEVE HE CARES ABOUT OUR KIDS.

HE CARES ABOUT OUR DISTRICT AND I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE WITH THEM BECAUSE I REALLY, YOU KNOW, I'M HOPEFUL I CAN'T HELP IT.

I'M HOPEFUL THAT WITH THE ALIGNMENT THAT WE HAVE, THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO REALLY CHANGE THE NARRATIVE IS THAT IT'S A CHANCE TO REALLY SHOW PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE READY.

YOU KNOW, WE SHOW TO CONGO AT THE DNC LAST WEEK.

I WANT TO SHOW OUR WONDERFUL DISTRICT TO EVERYBODY.

NOW IN TERMS OF BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY, IT WAS PERHAPS A GREAT DAY FOR STUDENTS, HOPEFULLY, BUT IF THEY COULD GET THERE AGAIN, ACCORDING TO THE SUN-TIMES HERE, NEARLY 20% OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES DO NOT HAVE RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION TO SCHOOL THIS MORNING.

ALSO TROUBLE FOR THOSE IN SELECTIVE ENROLLMENT SCHOOLS THAT DON'T LIVE NEAR THEM.

WHAT IS THE STATUS?

SO SO LET ME TO GET A LITTLE MORE CONTEXT.

SO, YOU CHANCE PETITION HAS BEEN MY MOST DIFFICULT CHALLENGE THE LAST 3 YEARS.

THIS IS THE FIRST AND THAT SEEING AN INCREASE IN DRIVERS.

25% INCREASE ALMOST 900 DRIVERS FROM 700 LAST YEAR.

WE COULD BARELY HIT 700, SO WERE TRANSPORTING MORE CHILDREN THAN EVER.

HERE'S THE CHALLENGE.

WE HAVE MORE CHILDREN OUT ASKING FOR SERVICE AND WE DID SO WITH STUDENT WITH DISABILITIES.

WE HAD ABOUT ACTUALLY I THOUGHT IT WAS 1800.

WE ACTUALLY GOT IT DOWN TO 1100.

THAT RAIN ARE IN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

BY THE WAY, SOME OF THEM BY CHOICE.

BUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO IS TO PUT AS MANY CHILDREN ON ROUTE AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE EVEN WITH FAMILIES FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE THAT THE ATTENDANCE IS NOT ALWAYS RELIABLE.

I GET IT.

YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, MY WAY TRANSPORT HER CHILDREN EVERY SINGLE MORNING.

IT IS NOT EASY.

AND SO SO WE'RE DO CAN TAKE UP HOURS.

ABSOLUTELY SO.

BUT WE ARE OPTIMISTIC THAT THIS IS A BE STRONG AS YOU'RE EVER WITH TRANSPORTATION.

I'M EVEN HELPING THEM.

AND THAT THAT BE FOR THE THE END OF THE FIRST SEMESTER WILL HAVE SOME HUBS FOR GENERAL AT STUDENTS.

AND THAT WOULD BE A GAME CHANGER FOR US BECAUSE NOW WE CAN START TRANSPORT GENERATORS ISN'T STUDENTS GOING TO ONE SCHOOL GETTING PICKED UP FROM THERE AND BROUGHT TO US OR SO?

YOU KNOW, WE WE COULDN'T TRANSPORT GENERATE STUDENTS LAST YEAR.

SO WE WANT TO DO.

THIS WAS PILOT HOBBS AND SOME OF OUR HIGH POVERTY AREAS AND AND PICK UP GENERAL ITS STUDENTS TO TAKE THEM TO THE MAGNET SCHOOLS.

IS ANY OF THIS BEING IMPACTED BY THE DRIVERS WERE ORGANIZED BY TEAMSTERS, LOCAL 7.27?

THEY'RE STRIKING.

HERE'S THE BEAUTY.

SO WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO EVEN WITH EVENT HAPPENING.

AND SO WE'RE HOPEFUL THAT THEY'LL BE WAS ALSO WILL EVEN BE ABLE TO ADD EVEN MORE DRIVERS.

AND IN TERMS OF THIS YEAR, THERE IS, OF COURSE, THE STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WAS PASSED BY THE BOARD.

THAT REALLY IS MEANT TO UPLIFT NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS.

WHAT IS THE UPDATE ON THAT?

SO FIRST ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HE IS WITH EXCITING AND THIS IS WAY SAY A MAN KNOW THAT THERE'S SO MUCH ALIGNMENT RIGHT NOW.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS, THE AMOUNT RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVE A MEAN AND GET IT, PLEASE DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR I WILL INVITE YOU TO COME TO OUR SCHOOLS, COME VISIT OUR CLASSES NOW.

THE BUILDINGS WILL THERE'S A LOT OF ON THE FACILITY SITE.

BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RICH PROGRAMMING, THE ELECTIVES THAT WE HAVE NOW, THE FACT THAT OUR HIGH SCHOOLS NOW OFFER COLLEGE CREDIT, I HAD 6,000 SENIORS LAST YEAR THAT CUT IN COLLEGE CLASSES WHERE THEY WERE IN HIGH SCHOOL.

HE SAID THE SMALL HIGH SCHOOLS AND SAID NOT WITH THE YOUNG BY THE WEEKEND DOESN'T NEED TO BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN AMAZING SET UP ALREADY.

THESE ARE SMALLER HIGH SCHOOLS.

YOU KNOW, WE HAVE YET TO HAVE SOME OF THE LARGEST.

4,000 MORE STUDENTS TAKING ADVANCED PLACEMENT CLASSES LAST YEAR.

THIS IS THE HARD ONES, JUST SOME OF NIGHT.

AND WE WHAT SO AGAIN, I WANT PEOPLE TO SEE IT DIRECTLY.

MY GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT BECAUSE WE NEED TO SUSTAIN THESE INVESTMENTS AND WE'RE OUT OF TIME.

BUT I WANT TO HAVE A QUICK SO THEREFORE, YES OR NO.

SORRY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT BUDGET BECAUSE, OF COURSE, AND IT MAY BECOME A PROBLEM ONCE THE CTU CONTRACT IS FINALIZED.

IF IT ADDS EXPENSES, ONCE THEY ARE, THE MORATORIUM IS LIFTED.

SCHOOL CLOSURES BE ON THE TABLE YESTERDAY.

KNOW THAT UNDER MY I REALLY BELIEVE IN INVESTING IN NEIGHBORHOODS AND I WANT TO STRENGTHEN SCHOOLS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME GOOD LUCK TO YOU ON IN