>> Chicago Public Schools has its hands full the district has been negotiating with the teachers union over its contract for nearly a year and almost entirely new board will be sworn in tomorrow.

Half of them elected for the first time in history.

And just before Christmas, the current board voted unanimously to terminate CEO Pedro Martinez.

But Martinez is still the CEO for the next 6 months under the terms of his contract.

Here to discuss all of this and more in his first sit-down interview since that termination is CEO Pedro Martinez, thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you for having breakfast.

So as we mentioned just before the Christmas holiday mayors, newly appointed Board of Education voted to terminate you.

Were you surprised by that move?

>> I was I was very disappointed Brandis because, you know, I've always been clear as CPS students, somebody growing up in Chicago.

I mean, this is the June job me.

I was offered quite a bit of fun, you know, money leave a job immediately.

I you know, to do that for me would have been so wrong.

I mean, with so much going on the distric.

And so, you know, for my contract, United States chose to stay on for at least the next 6 months.

And I'm gonna continue to focus on doing the great work that we've been doing.

At least the next 6 months.

Is there is there an option or an alternative where you end staying longer?

Well, you know, I mean, you know, look, I'm going to continue to do the job that I'm doing and we've seen amazing success.

My team and I were building strong momentum.

>> We have, you know, you many new board members coming on.

>> So so with that again, you know, I I'm realistic about the decision that was made by this.

But at the same time, I can tell you, you know, my my my heart and the energy and the momentum that we're gonna can that we've had.

We're gonna continue to build on that.

>> Is there any circumstance under which the new board that gets sworn in tomorrow could reinstate because they could absolutely correct.

Last week we also spoke with Mayor Brandon Johnson we asked the mayor about the board's decision.

And here's a bit of his answer.

>> I know exactly what parents are wishing for in this moment.

I know the needs of teachers in this moment and the Board of Education is caring about vision to ensure that no matter where you live in the city of Chicago, that you have class sizes that are small, that there are libraries and librarians in every single school social workers, counselors, psychiatrists, psychologists, these are the expectations in the hopes of parents.

>> Have you spoken with the mayor since this boat?

>> I have that ban is in fact, we haven't spoken since we last summer when this will whole ordeal started, by the self-inflicted.

Because when you look at what all the work we've done, nobody has invested more in our neighborhood schools then and then myself and my team.

We're seen the greatest success seeing with our black sons were number one in the country and recovery.

I kind coverage for black students.

Number 2 in the country for Latino students.

And we've done it through an equitable lands, very aligned to Iran vision.

But of course, you know, you know, these other issues that have come up around by rain around really, frankly, you know, working with the union and and I and making sure that we're protecting the district in our children in good faith.

I mean, these are the issues that have always been in contention.

>> What what a challenge is.

Can you perceive considering the circumstances that are operating under right now?

You'll have a new board tomorrow, but also, you know, a teachers union that has a not always been your best friend come from in the public eye as well as a mayor that you haven't spoken to since you say last summer in any real amount.

What how difficult your got job going to be for, however, long you're in it now, you know, in some ways, brand probably easier today because I can that I can, you know, just continue operate in good faith.

And I can tell you, I've been so proud of my team and the way they've handled negotiations.

>> By having still me in the role they know that this is the thing that always ask Always act professional.

You always act in good faith and brands were close to today and this before, you know, just contact the last 2 contracts that were negotiated and CPS.

One took 18 months when took 14 months.

We're barely a month 10 of this process with a much more complicated contract with 700 proposals.

Much more complicated finances.

And yet we're on pace to settle this.

And if the fastest rate ever.

And of course, one that took 14 months, last contract, we know what it did result in a teacher strike.

>> Yesterday, Chicago Teachers Union president Stacy Davis Gates, she did join us to discuss the ongoing status of negotiations.

And here's a bit of what she said about prep time and costs.

That's the same thing that our members want to do.

They want to prepare to receive the young people.

So all of what we're talking about is doable because we have the time already in our schedule.

We do not have to marginalize instructional time.

>> We can do this work.

These are not economic.

So she says non So it sounds like, you know, you're only one percent apart really on salary raises for teachers, whether it's, you know, 4 or 5% raise.

Ctu is also though, calling for librarians nurses additional prepped.

I'm fine arts instruction so there is there is a bit of economics in all of that.

But it is all of this on affordable for CPS.

So so, you know, brand is again, more contacts.

>> In this current budget, every school has a minimal because 3 holistic teachers that's that allows every school to have PE the arts and a 3rd choice.

Could the could be a librarian?

It could be a were language teacher.

That's a choice of the school.

So the resources are already in the schools.

It's really both building the pipeline.

proposal for for labor let's build that pipeline so schools can have that choice.

In addition, you know, when you think about planning time of prep time, our teachers received the highest amount of planning time in the country among large urban districts over over 330 minutes per week.

More than an hour per day.

with that, you know, I disagree that it's it's a non-economic.

It's an I'm financial issue because the only way to to expand planning times you to reduce core instruction, which we're just against because our children to be more core instruction.

More really more math, more science and social studies and or to add more staff and so and so the only way to non-financial as you get more staff, but the days that they saw so for But I will say, but we're still, you know, having great conversations about this we're having and every proposal that was provided to as we get inside to thaw for responds and by that we were doing this really understand what the real problem So, for example, you know, teacher evaluations, there was a state, you know, a survey or a study that was done to show that said that the that some of our teachers, that we stay really struggle, especially our highest poverty schools, especially black teachers.

We looked at our own data, our attention rate for black teachers is the exact is the same as our white teachers, 2%.

What we did recognize within less than one percent of our teachers were affected by teacher evaluations.

What we did see, though, is the teachers that work in high poverty areas, which tend to be our black and Latino teachers.

They to struggle more so what we propose, let's provide more support for teachers.

That's not lower the expectations of the standards because what's up and going to say, Brian, is when their children's not agree level just because they live in poverty and and we're saying to the world the way we're gonna, you know, the way we're going we're going to lower the standards for teachers.

Now we provide more support for teachers as well as our students.

Well, and I think see to you, though, might say school should not have to choose between a librarian.

>> And a link.

world language instructor or or some other fine arts teacher that they should have both in the library.

so again, that's the minimum brand.

So our larger schools have a holistic teachers.

so where we believe in this is a philosophical difference.

We believe the local school councils parents, the teachers at the school.

>> With along with their principal make decision.

And so that's really the difference.

But the there at the school.

>> Ctu argues that the district has more than a billion dollars in reserves.

But yesterday during a press conference, you and your team explain the district only has about 66 million dollars in reserves and that for fiscal year 2025, we've got 817 million dollars in debt service payments alone and of course, projected annual deficits approaching a billion dollars as we get closer and closer to the year 2030.

How did we get here?

Because it does sound a bit familiar to about a 10 years ago when the district then had a billion dollar deficit yessah Brandis.

You know, you know, back in 2015, 2016, the district when negative in cash, a billion dollars.

>> And because there are so worried about, you know, vendors not not not providing services us going bankrupt.

>> The change Summit County was that allowed him to cover that up.

And so we're still living with that today.

And so the only was, as we really have is what we have in the back, which is 66 million dollars.

That's what we ended the year with with that.

I also, you know, as we look at our we've been very transparent about deficit.

We have a structural deficit of 500 Million.

And this.

We have never allowed it to get bigger than that.

And even with the cola proposals get a little bit bigger, but not much because we know that there's revenue source has were advocating for more state revenue.

We have tips 19 billion dollars.

The rain now you as a taxpayer.

I that they were paying into that.

But yet we have no access to those revenues in those didn't exist.

600 million dollars a year would become to the district every single year.

And so again, it's a complicated issue.

One that I will work continue to work with the city Council, by the way, this was always the contention with the mayor that, you know, instead of trying to ask district to borrow to do a responsible things.

we look at the existing revenue sources win the seat who use online with this, he was a with that.

Even when running as mayor.

>> Ok, I've got about a minute left civic Federation also says that CPS needs to begin a process of right-sizing.

The district spending, making a long-term financial plan develop plans to advocate for revenue.

It says the state financial takeover is not out of the question.

I'm not really sure that anybody else is talking about that just yet.

But how do you respond to the Civic federations assessment about 35 seconds.

So I think again, if revenues part of the solution ban, as you know, we also need to look at efficiencies in the district.

>> I'm very confident that we can do that together.

I don't believe a takeover is necessary, but I do agree with Superannuation.

It is very vulnerable state.

And this is why it's one point that we operate in good for you with in contract negotiations are managing our budget.

15 seconds.

Your thoughts on to get where the new board being sworn in tomorrow and how working with them will be actor?

I'm actually very excited.

You know, I've met the new board members coming