Hancock Students Interview CPS CEO Pedro Martinez about Student Voice and Supporting Schools
On October 1, 2024, Hancock seniors and journalism students Isela Garcia and Leo Villalobos participated in a virtual interview with the district’s CEO Pedro Martinez, where he responded to questions from CPS high-school students.
The students’ questions and the CEO’s answers (edited for length) appear below.
Q: Hancock’s Isela Garcia: “In the Strategic Plan you already 
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “That's a great question Isela. We have several structures, and student voice committees. One of our goals in the Strategic Plan is to have every high school have similar structures, but the other thing we’re talking about is how do you create the structure itself so that we really are gathering feedback from students. What we are seeing is in some schools the structure is really strong, and others that are not as strong. I’m asking what I can do to help in terms of giving guidance to school leaders.
Also, a great conversation we had recently with our student body was about LSCs. We now have student representatives on LSCs who are non-voting members. We had a fascinating conversation: Do we go to Springfield together to change the law to have you guys be voting members? Those are the kinds of things that I’m thinking about, is how do we take our existing structures and center them on student voice and give you guys more power. I'm completely on board with that because I think when we engage our students we get better results.”
Q: Isela Garcia: “Do you know how soon you plan on implementing these new changes?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “What I would love is to do is bring students together and go down to Springfield, because it's a matter of law. We can do it in terms of policy but it wouldn't carry any weight because it's governed by state law. I would have a policy in our district and we go down to Springfield, and I bring student leaders from multiple schools and learn the process of changing state laws. I would love to do that this upcoming legislative session. I’m on board with it.”
Q: Hancock’s Leo Villalobos: “Do you feel like there's anything else that you could do
more for the schools under your care besides money?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “I believe there’s always more to be done. As a CPS kid, I’ve seen the system evolve over different time periods. I can tell you that the school district has always been under-resourced, especially when I compare it to wealthy suburbs. I experienced this as a student, an employee, and now as a parent.
For me, resources are a significant issue, but they are not limited to money. We need to focus on how to attract and retain talented teachers and ensure that we offer the extracurricular activities and enrichment programs that students want. Additionally, the condition of our buildings is a real frustration. The inequities across the buildings are another major concern.
My plan is to work closely with the local city council and the mayor's office. In other districts, capital funding is raised through property taxes, which allows them to engage the community for support. The taxpayers can then decide whether to approve it or not. Unfortunately, I don’t have that ability in Chicago.”
Other CPS students' questions and the CEO’s answers:
Q: CPS Student: “With the understanding that you want there to be a sense of community amongst each school, is there a proposed response to the impacts of school shootings such as mental health prioritization or community building in the proposed plan?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “That's a great question, so let me take it in two parts. There is definitely an intention in the plan to partner with communities around services for schools, and this includes mental health services. I grew up in Chicago. I am now a father of 2 children, an eighth grader and a fifth grader, and when people ask me what is my biggest worry, I say their safety. I'm not going to hide it.
Even though things were difficult when I was growing up, with gangs and violence, today I worry about my son. He has to travel to school and I worry about that. The partnerships are definitely going to be a big part of our strategic plan. We have to figure out what are those right partnerships for every neighborhood because it varies. I will say on the safety component, I've had conversations with the mayor when we went to schools together, and students consistently ask the mayor What can you do for us to make sure our community is safe?
There are many stories about students getting harassed going to or from school, and they’re really heartbreaking. We have to work with Superintendent Snelling, who is the head of CPD, the city and county to help with our communities. Those challenges are there and I don't want to brush over them; I think they’re real. I know students ask me a lot about how they can get involved, and the best I can say is let’s continue to talk about it.
We’ll be transparent about the conversations we’re having with these different government entities, but I also feel that it’s not just the schools, it’s everybody. I always tell our team, we own academics and our students feeling safe at school, but it's hard for me to have ownership of outside the schools.
So many of our students travel away to go to high school and when my son goes to high school that is my biggest worry. I want to figure out how to solve it, but I am going to be humble and know that I don't have the answers but we will see what we can do.”
Q: CPS Student: “How will your Five Year Plan to focus on neighborhood schools affect Selective Enrollment schools?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “Selective Enrollment schools have been around since I was a student. I had the chance to go to Whitney Young. I would have to be up at 5 a.m. for a 7 a.m. class, and it would be dark, so I just thought ‘I’m going to go to Benito Juarez.’ I had a great experience at Benito Juarez even though it was very under-resourced. At the time I knew, and the teachers knew Whitney Young was better resourced.
I have always been a supporter of our Selective Enrollment schools as well as our magnet schools because they give us interesting opportunities to learn about what good school models can look like. They’ve always been the first to have Advanced Placement classes, but what’s different today is that we are investing quite a bit into our neighborhood schools. You're seeing an expansion of Advanced Placement programs and International Baccalaureate programs. We have one of the largest International Baccalaureate offerings in the country.
The third one now is we're offering dual credit and dual enrollment classes across our high schools. What I need help with from all of you is ‘what can I do to change the process to make it less anxious for families?’ and I'm open to ideas. So we've already done some things. For example, we reduced the testing time because I was worried about students with disabilities. So now the high school entry exam is shorter and in multiple languages because I was worried about equity for English learners. I'm open to ideas.
We've actually streamlined the criteria for everybody. There's now more consistency because we had a lot of different criteria for different high schools because by the way, every high school has some selective criteria, so we streamlined that. This is where I would love student voice to be involved to really help me both on Selective Enrollment neighborhood schools. How do you make it easier for parents? That's the main question I would have for you.”
Q: CPS Student: “My question concerns the response to the plan, particularly the tensions between CPS and CTU, which regularly impact students and their families. CTU believes you are planning to evaluate the closure of over 100 schools and develop plans for cuts, consolidations, co-locations, and furloughs to balance the CPS budget. What are your comments on this? If this claim is not true, how do you plan to communicate this to CTU?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “First, I want to clarify that we have never had any plans to close or consolidate schools. To ensure the community understands this, the board passed a resolution unanimously stating that during my tenure, which lasts until June 2026, there will be no recommendations for consolidations or closures from me or my team.
I've been in this work for 20 years, and I've never supported closing schools. In other districts, when there were plans to close schools, I actively unwound those decisions. I believe in building up schools rather than shutting them down, and I feel that involving the community is a much better long-term approach.
This discussion arose from a strategic plan analysis we were conducting, which aimed to increase investment in our neighborhood schools, including our world schools. Some may argue that by investing more in these small schools, we are being irresponsible. However, if we were to make drastic decisions about reducing schools, we could theoretically solve our financial problems. We conducted an analysis with our board, and the conclusion was that closing schools does not address the district's financial challenges. While it might save some money, the trade-offs—such as the anxiety it would create in the community—are not worth it.
Ideally, if I could secure a dedicated capital source, I would love to transform some of these buildings into state-of-the-art academic centers focused on specific pathways. I successfully implemented similar initiatives in Las Vegas and San Antonio, but it takes money. I also feel like I have to make that case of the community, I have to that case to taxpayers that's not going to happen overnight, but I have some really cool ideas with some of these high schools that are really under enrolled but it's gonna take money; I can't just put a sign on and now this is this type of school. I had to actually make it look like that if you feel like it and so right now again, we don't have any plans to close the consolidated schools.
I'm very committed to that. But this analysis that was that we had do was to make sure we could answer the question for the board or for anybody else who would ask us and so we we feel pretty calm and confident that now when somebody asks us ‘why you close 100 Schools, you will solve all your budget challenges,’ we can say no. It doesn't actually it doesn't and actually for us it's just like I said, the trade-off is just not worth it.”
Q: CPS Student: “How are you working to communicate this information to CTU?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “They've known about it from day one. You have to give me advice on this, you know, sometimes you'll give somebody an answer and you say the answer a hundred times and they don't want to accept the answer but we have to and so part of the resolution that we did last week was, my teachers taught me to show my work. I'll even prove it to you by passing a resolution. This is the same board that we worked on the analysis. There's no hiding but we've been saying that since the very beginning ever since they brought up the analysis to us.”
Q: CPS Student: “So what do you do to provide stability for CPS parents, teachers, and students?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “I'm starting my fourth year, and sometimes I have differing opinions with the mayor and other people in power. But what I’ve made very clear is this: I will never do anything to hurt this district or put it at risk. I care more about the district than anything else because I’m a CPS kid. CPS teachers helped me get to where I am today, and I stand on their shoulders.
At the same time, I recognize that we've had seven CEOs in the past 10 years, and the worst thing for this district is constant turnover. What I love most is when I visit schools and I see stability—principals who have been in their roles for 5, 10, or 15 years. Nothing warms my heart more because, after many years in this work, I know stability in leadership really matters.”
Q: CPS Student: “I heard on the news that you hired 2000 plus new staff members into CPS. And so I want to know what do they do?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “Since I started as CEO in the fall of 2021, we’ve added over 5,000 employees, including teachers, paraprofessionals, counselors, and social workers. This relates to the earlier question about Selective Enrollment versus neighborhood schools. Most of the new staff has been assigned to schools with the highest needs. So, while I’ve added about 5,000 staff members spread across the system, keep in mind that we have over 600 schools.
The reason we added so many staff members is that the needs were incredibly high—academically, socially, and emotionally. We targeted the schools that needed them the most, and that’s where we are today. I’m committed to protecting these resources for the future.”
Q: CPS Student: “Do you have a suggested solution for an equitable response to Venezuela students who have recently migrated to Chicago that assist in English learning and the provision of support for them and their families?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “We have hundreds of schools that have welcomed these students, and we track every one of them. We look at schools that have over 100 students, over 50 students, and under 25 students. We are providing resources to support them. The challenge is that when students arrive throughout the year, we don’t have teachers with bilingual and ESL certifications just waiting to be assigned to these schools.
What we are doing is encouraging more teachers than ever to pursue certifications in bilingual education or ESL, and we’re covering the costs. I love that our teachers are responding positively and expressing their willingness to get certified.
In the long run, I would like to create hubs in neighborhoods that currently lack bilingual programs. Many families are moving to neighborhoods that have never had these programs, and I don’t think that will change anytime soon, as these are often the only places where they can find housing. So, while it’s primarily a housing issue, I still need to respond to the educational needs of these families.”
Q: CPS Student: “In an ABC news article CTU President Stacey David Gates says, “We have a CEO who is working harder at keeping his job and making the press rounds than he is talking to JB Pritzker and others to secure funding for our schools. It's embarrassing.” Do you feel like this quote is true? And how did you feel about the quote?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “One thing I want to say to students is that I don’t mind being pushed. I think any leader who takes on these roles has to expect that—it comes with the job, and I’m okay with it. Look, the unions are advocating for their members and for a contract. That’s their job.
When you take on leadership roles, you have to understand that everything comes with the territory. I want to make sure I’m working with the union and the mayor to prioritize CPS funding. When it’s not a priority, we struggle, and ultimately, our students suffer. So, what I’m going to push for, in a positive way, is to find ways we can work together to secure more funding because we know our students deserve it. That’s what I’m committed to, and I’ll keep pushing for it.”
Q: CPS Student: “Will this new plan include greater transparency in the school budgeting formula and will families be able to see which schools are benefiting from this new budgeting plan?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “One of the frustrations I’ve heard from elected officials—whether it’s the Speaker, the Senate President, or even the Governor's office—is that they couldn't really see how the money was being used. They would say, ‘We keep hearing that you need more funding, but we can’t tell where it’s going. There’s not enough transparency.’
So, for this budget, we made it clear not just how much money is allocated to each school, but also what resources each school receives. This includes not only funding but also the number of teachers and certain baseline requirements. For example, every school must now have a fine arts teacher, which wasn’t always the case for many elementary schools in the past. There’s also a minimum number of electives required, regardless of how small the high school or elementary school may be.
Now, I can explain why a specific school receives a certain amount of funding compared to another school, something I couldn’t do when I first started here.
We’ll also be inviting our elected officials to visit the schools so they can see firsthand how much funding each school receives, how many teachers they have, and what programs are in place. Our principals are very transparent about what their schools are lacking, whether it’s in terms of facilities or programs, and we're committed to addressing those needs.
You'll see all of this reflected in our Strategic Plan, which will make everything even more transparent. We’ll be publishing these documents, so everyone will have access to the information. I want Local School Councils (LSCs) to have a voice in this process, and I want them to have more power to ensure they fully understand what’s in the budget. When they support the budget, parents and students will also have a clearer understanding of how the money is being used.”
Q: CPS Student: “During your time as a CEO how have you worked with teachers to improve student outcomes?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “When I started in the fall of 2021, our district was in a very scary place. All of our results—everything from students being at grade level to literacy and math scores—were down. More concerning, our principals and teachers were feeling extremely stressed due to the pandemic, and our students, as you may remember, were also feeling the pressure. I had come from San Antonio with 17 years of experience, and we had been much better prepared for the pandemic there.
When I first started, my main focus was on stabilizing things. That first year was all about making sure we were meeting people’s needs. We engaged with principals regularly, I spoke to many teachers, and we started connecting more with our students.
By my second year, we saw a complete turnaround. Our results significantly improved. We achieved record-high graduation rates, and we are currently ranked number one in the country for reading recovery among large districts, based on a study from Harvard and Stanford. We're also ranked number three in math recovery.
More importantly, not only are more students graduating, but they are also graduating with college credit and earning more scholarships than ever before.
But, while I’m proud of the progress, I recognize that it’s not enough. There is still significant variation in performance from school to school. That’s why we’re focusing on our strategic plan—what structures and investments do we need to prioritize and protect to keep improving? We've added staff in key areas, and now we need to ensure we support and build on these improvements.
This work is never finished. No matter how much progress we make, we have to keep doing more because we are such a large system. We’ve made good progress so far, but I’m still not completely satisfied.”
Q: CPS Student: “How do you believe access to technology will help or hinder creating equitable learning at different CPS schools and different areas of Chicago?”
A: CEO Pedro Martinez: “I see technology as a powerful tool, especially for our older students. For example, we now have virtual schools, which allow us to bridge gaps in teaching resources. If a middle school doesn’t have an algebra teacher, we can connect students with algebra teachers from the high school virtually. This means students in 7th or 8th grade can still take algebra. Virtual schools help when smaller schools don’t have specialized teachers, making advanced learning more accessible.
But here’s where I need your help: how do we integrate technology in a way that makes learning fun and engaging, so it doesn’t feel like you’re just doing endless worksheets? I recently toured Arizona State University where they’re piloting virtual reality (VR) programs for science education, and they're seeing great results. The use of VR, especially for advanced science courses, is showing that students are more successful because the experience is immersive and problem-solving-oriented.
We’re even setting up a partnership to bring VR to our high schools. Imagine using VR in advanced science classes—students are thriving with it.”
This was written in Hancock’s Journalism class for The Signature.