CHICAGO (WLS) — The Chicago Public Schools Board has appointed Macquline King as the interim CPS CEO.
The board held a vote Wednesday.
The new interim CEO has a doctorate in education and a superintendent’s license, but some worry her appointment is political.
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The vote was 11 to 8 to approve Dr. King, with one abstention.
King is a former longtime CPS principal who is currently the mayor’s senior director of educational policy.
Her school board supporters touted her experience with CPS and City Hall.
“We have a possibility to have leadership at CPS that can get along with labor, can get along with City Hall, and can, knows the ins and outs of CPS itself,” Board of Education Member Michilla Blaise said.
King will be interim CPS CEO starting next Thursday, a day after Pedro Martinez officially departs.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, with the district seeking at least $300 million in additional city and state funding to balance its budget.
“We’re in a crisis, and we need leadership right now, and I think she has a unique brand of experience,” Board of Education Member Jitu Brown said.
Martinez clashed with Mayor Brandon Johnson over short-term borrowing to close the district’s budget gap.
Now, some board members worry she’ll rubber stamp that loan.
“We’re losing $800 million a year just in debt service,” Board of Education Member Carlos Rivas said. “I don’t want to add to that. We have really tough decisions to make.”
Some are also concerned about complaints in King’s CPS personnel file, which ABC7 obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
In 2015, she was accused of waiting weeks to report student abuse allegations to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. And in 2019, King allegedly allowed a school volunteer, later found to have a criminal record, to work without a background check. In both cases, King did not face discipline.
The mayor was unconcerned.
“I do know that there was a very thorough process, as I directed the board members to go through, to vet,” Johnson said.
Messages left for King by ABC7 were not returned.
The permanent CEO job has been posted, and the board hopes to fill it by October.
Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates issued the following statement:
“The next leader of Chicago Public Schools will have to move with urgency to repair the damage done by the last CEO. CPS must engender the confidence of every stakeholder including parents and educators in order to stabilize our children’s schools. We need a plan in week one to guarantee the academic advancements we’ve made together in recent years and implement the promised improvements from our recent contract. Our union is ready to partner. We remain committed to our city’s families and stand ready to secure, finally, the quality school communities we continue to fight so hard to achieve. We look forward to working with interim CEO King to secure the necessary funding from Springfield to fully fund each and every school community in our state.”
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