CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has some strong ties to the Chicago Teachers Union, and the CTU's had sometimes rocky dealing with the Chicago Public Schools.
When he recently sat down with WBBM, though, Johnson said he's OK with the top school administrator.
“I've had a great conversation with the current CEO Pedro Martinez,” Johnson said. I’ve found him to be a very reflective and thoughtful human being.”
Of course, he's close to CTU President Stacy Davis Gates.
Johnson said he wants the two working together on school funding, at least. He added that he's gotten Davis Gates and Martinez to travel together to Springfield to lobby for more resources for CPS.
“I asked both of them to go to Springfield together, in a united front, calling for the type of investments that are needed to transform our school district — and they did that,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s ever happened. I certainly don’t know the last time it’s happened”
Among those resources were social workers and nurses employed in every school in Chicago, the new mayor said.
“And we have to embrace a funding formula — that I was a part of the effort to organize a shift and change for the state of Illinois — that funding formula is based on need and equity,” he said.
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