The Chicago Board of Education has ended its relationship with Alma Advisory Group, the search firm that was assisting in finding a new CEO for Chicago Public Schools. The announcement came in a statement signed by six elected board members: Carlos Rivas Jr., Ellen Rosenfeld, Jessica Biggs, Angel Gutierrez, Therese Boyle, and Che “Rhymefest” Smith. The statement did not clarify when or why Alma’s involvement concluded.
These board members are now advocating for interim CPS CEO Macquline King to remain in her role until a fully elected school board is seated next January. The search for a permanent CEO began last spring after former CEO Pedro Martinez was dismissed without cause in late June 2025. Since then, the district has operated under interim leadership.
The group praised Alma’s contributions but accused mayoral appointees of undermining the process. According to their statement, “mayoral appointees ‘sabotaged’ the search process and the mayor and ‘his allies’ have ‘started running political interference.’” The statement also said, “By making it impossible for a professional firm to see this through, Mayor Johnson and his appointed board members have shown that they are either unwilling, unable, or uninterested in finding a qualified CEO/Superintendent to lead CPS into the future.”
Despite these concerns from some members, elected board member Jenni Custer expressed optimism about the ongoing search. She indicated that several strong candidates remain under consideration and that decisions on finalists are forthcoming. Custer explained that Alma Advisory Group had completed its part: “Alma has taken us as far as they can, and now the ball is in our court.” She added there was no clear evidence of interference from Mayor Brandon Johnson’s office.
Currently, the school board consists of 11 mayoral appointees and 10 elected members. Questions about the extent of Mayor Johnson’s influence persist among some board members due to Chicago’s history of mayors selecting district leaders directly. However, expectations were that Johnson would allow more independence during this transition period toward a fully elected board.
Earlier reports named two finalists—Meisha Ross Porter from New York City and Alex Marrero from Denver Public Schools—whose identities were leaked to media outlets late last year. This disclosure led to further disruption in the selection process.
Board members who signed Thursday’s statement had previously voted against appointing King as interim CEO and did not advance her as a finalist before leaks stalled progress last fall. In November 2025, board members announced they were recalibrating their approach to finding a permanent leader.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Biggs and Smith commended King’s performance as interim CEO. Smith stated: “I just wanted to take this time to just say thank you: Thank you for balancing the budget, thank you for visiting schools, thank you for inspiring confidence in our partners and thank you for being here and being a competent leader.”
Calls for King to stay on have also been echoed by organizations such as the West Side NAACP and other Black-led groups until an entirely elected school board takes over next year.
Chicago Public Schools referred inquiries on this matter to the Board of Education office; requests for comment from Board President Sean Harden, Monica Santana Rosen (head of Alma), and Mayor Johnson’s office were not immediately answered.
