The Chicago Board of Education announced on Mar. 18 that three finalists for the role of district CEO are all Black, with no Latino candidates among them, drawing disappointment from some Latino advocacy groups and community leaders. The announcement comes as nearly half of Chicago Public Schools students are Latino, and the district is seeking a replacement for its first Latino schools chief, Pedro Martinez, who was dismissed without cause in late 2024.
The absence of Latino finalists has raised concerns about representation at the highest levels of school leadership. Some advocates say this highlights the need to build a stronger pipeline for Latino candidates within and outside the district. “What we see is a disconnect between whom we serve as a district and who is making the highest-level decisions,” said Yesenia Lopez, an elected school board member representing a Southwest Side district.
The three finalists named by the board are interim CEO Macquline King, former New York City schools chancellor Meisha Porter, and former East Baton Rouge superintendent Sito Narcisse. All will meet with Mayor Brandon Johnson and a community panel next. While Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero was previously considered a frontrunner in November, he withdrew after his name was leaked to the media.
School board members have signed nondisclosure agreements preventing them from discussing details of the search process or whether other Latino contenders were recently considered. In response to questions about diversity in the selection process, board President Sean Harden’s office released a statement saying that recruitment efforts resulted in an applicant pool diverse across several metrics including race, ethnicity, and gender. The search included extensive community engagement and drew more than 100 applications.
Some leaders expressed disappointment over Martinez’s dismissal and its impact on potential candidates. “He was seen as a person with a lived experience, bringing that cultural lens and speaking the language,” Lopez said regarding Martinez’s support among Southwest Side families. She also noted that Latinos make up fewer than one-fifth of CPS school leaders.
Linda Xóchitl Tortolero, president and CEO of Latino Policy Forum and member of Illinois Latino Agenda, urged CPS to select a leader experienced with serving Latino students: “Children and families deserve to see themselves in their leaders,” she said. A recent study by the Council of the Great City Schools found only about 20% of superintendents in major urban districts were Latino in 2023.
Lopez said it is unlikely another search will be launched before April but stressed that building future leadership pipelines remains essential: “That’s just an easy scapegoat answer,” she said.
