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Chicago Public Schools is headed by a chief executive officer (CEO) appointed by the mayor of Chicago. The most recent CEO was Pedro Martinez. This job is equivalent to a superintendent, and, before 1995, the occupant of this office was known as the "superintendent of Chicago Public Schools".

History

The position of chief executive officer was preceded by one of "Superintendent". The first individual to hold this position had been John Clark Dore, who assumed the position in 1854. In 1855, the authority to remove the Superintendent was given to the Board of School Inspectors by the same ordinance which created the city's first high school, meaning the Chicago Common Council (today known as the "Chicago City Council") no longer held this authority.

The role of Superintendent, when established, did not have well defined duties. The office was originally subordinate to the Board of School Inspectors, and later the Chicago Board of Education (which supplanted the Board of School Inspectors in 1857). Its powers were limited. The role was, in part, shaped by its officeholders over the years. Since the ordinance which established the office did not require administrative authority to be given to the superintendent, there was no clear delineation of policymaking and administrative roles between the superintendent and the school board.

In practice, a stronger superintendency was developed, beginning under Edwin G. Cooley's tenure. However, it was not until the 1917 Otis Bill that the superintendency was granted exclusive administrative power over schools.

In 1995, the Government of Illinois passed the Chicago School Reform Amendatory Act, which replaced the position of superintendent with that of chief executive officer. The first individual to serve under the title of CEO was Paul Vallas.

Officeholders

Superintendents of Chicago Public Schools

The following is a table listing the individuals that held the position of "superintendent of Chicago Public Schools" from its creation in 1854 through its dissolution in 1995:

Name		Tenure	Citation
	John Clark Dore	1854—1856
	William H. Wells	1856—1864
	Josiah Little Pickard	1864—1877
	Duane Doty	1877—1880
	George C. Howland	1880—1891
	Albert G. Lane	1891—1898
	Elisha Benjamin Andrews	1898—1900
	Edwin G. Cooley	1900—1909
	Ella Flagg Young	1909—1915
	John Shoop	1915—1918
	Charles Ernest Chadsey	1919—1920
	Peter A. Mortenson	1920—1924
	William McAndrew	1924—1928
	William J. Bogan	1928—1936
	William Johnson	1936—1946
	George Cassell (acting)	1946–1947
	Herold C. Hunt	1947—1953
	Benjamin Willis	1953—1966
	Thaddeus Lubera (interim)	1966
	James F. Redmond	1966—1975
	Joseph P. Hannon	1975—1979
	Angeline Caruso (interim)	1979—1981
	Ruth B. Love	1981—1985
	Manford Byrd Jr.	1985—1989
	Charles D. Almo (interim)	1989—1990
	Ted Kimbrough	1990—1993
	Richard E. Stephenson Jr. (interim)	1993
	Argie Johnson	1993—1995

Chief Executive Officers of Chicago Public Schools

The following is a table listing the individuals that have held the position of "chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools" since it was created in 1995:

Name		Tenure	Citation
	Paul Vallas	1995—2001
	Arne Duncan	2001—2009
	Ron Huberman	2009—2010
	Terry Mazany (interim)	2010—2011
	Jean-Claude Brizard	2011—2012
	Barbara Byrd-Bennett	2012—2015
	Jesse Ruiz (interim)	2015
	Forrest Claypool	2015—2017
	Janice K. Jackson	2017—2021
	José Torres (interim)	2021
	Pedro Martinez	2021–2024

References

1. ^ Karp, Sarah; Issa, Nader (December 20, 2024). "CPS School Board Votes to Fire CEO Pedro Martinez". WBEZ. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
2. ^ "History of Chicago Public Schools". Chicago Reporter. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
3. ^ Tarvardian, Arthur Norman (1992). "Battle Over the Chicago Schools: The Superintendency of William Mcandrew". Loyola University Chicago. pp. 1, 13–16, 18–20, 22–23, 30–31, 40, 50–51, 220. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
4. Stringer, Kate (March 6, 2018). "Meet Ella Flagg Young, First Female School Superintendent of a Major U.S. City — and Ed Reform's Forgotten Thought Leader". Retrieved August 29, 2021.
5. ^ History of Chicago, Illinois. v.2. Chicago and New York City: Munsell & co. pp. 89, 102–108.
6. ^ James, Michael. "The Chicago Board of Education Desegregation Policies and Practices [1975-1985]: A Historical Examination of the Administrations of Superintendents Dr. Joseph P. Hannon and Dr. Ruth Love". Loyola University Chicago. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
7. Moses, John; Kirkland, Joseph (1895). History of Chicago, Illinois Volume 2. Munsell & Company. pp. 105–109.
8. Bright, Orville T. (December 1906). "Albert G. Lane (1841-1906)". The Elementary School Teacher. 7 (4): 177–181. doi:10.1086/453614. S2CID 143376356.
9. "E. Benjamin Andrews". www.hetwebsite.net. History of Economic Thought. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
10. ^ "Education: Superintendent in Chicago". Time. May 4, 1936.
11. Thompson, John (March 15, 1947). "N.C.A. Body Asks City Schools Be Discredited". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
12. "N.C.A. ACCREDITS SCHOOLS, DROPS 15 MONTH THREAT". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. June 29, 1947. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
13. ^ "WHY THE LAST 8 SUPERINTENDENTS HAVE LEFT". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. November 6, 1992. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
14. "Interim Superintendent Named in Chicago". Newspapers.com. The Decatur Daily Review. The Associated Press. August 25, 1966. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
15. Heard, Jacquelyn (February 2, 1993). "CITY SCHOOLS GO TO RANKS TO FIND AN INTERIM CHIEF". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
16. Bryk, Anthony (2018). Charting Chicago School Reform: Democratic Localism As A Lever For Change. Routledge. p. 365. ISBN 978-0-429-97029-0. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
17. "Richard E. Stephenson, Jr.'s Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
18. Heard, Jacquelyn (August 7, 1994). "HER 1ST YEAR A LESSON FOR SCHOOLS CHIEF". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
19. Gittell, Marilyn (1998). Strategies for School Equity: Creating Productive Schools in a Just Society. Yale University Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-300-14654-7. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
20. ^ "Graphic: Timeline of Chicago Public Schools CEOs". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. June 2, 2015. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
21. "Ruiz Takes Charge at CPS, Suspends SUPES Contract, Halts No-Bid Deals". DNAinfo Chicago. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
22. Spielman, Fran (February 18, 2019). "Rahm's agency heads could outlast him thanks to golden parachute contracts". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
23. Koumpilova, Mila (June 30, 2021). "José Torres poised to start as interim Chicago schools CEO on an open-ended contract". Chalkbeat Chicago. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
24. "New Chicago Public Schools CEO, Chicago's Top Doctor Address COVID Safety Protocols". ABC 7 Chicago. WLS-TV. Retrieved September 30, 2021.

• CEOs of Chicago Public Schools