Mayor Brandon Johnson taught for 4 years at Chicago Public Colleges earlier than happening depart in 2011 to work for the Chicago Academics Union and in the end launch a profession in politics.
However though he not works for the union, Johnson stays on “union depart” from the college district.
Meaning, in any case these years, he may return to the classroom — and earn a six-figure wage as if he by no means left.
The mayor’s depart standing has attracted extra scrutiny and considerations a few potential battle of curiosity in latest weeks, as his administration negotiates a contract with the CTU that would profit him sooner or later. These negotiations have change into more and more tense and have fueled a monthslong management shakeup at CPS, together with the latest firing of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez.
Beneath CPS coverage, Johnson — or any CPS worker who leaves to work for the union — can accrue seniority throughout their time away and return to CPS with the assure of a job.
In an interview with Chalkbeat on Tuesday, the mayor stated he hasn’t considered what he would do after his time in workplace however stated instructing center faculty “remains to be the very best job I’ve ever had.” He denied that his union depart standing represents a battle of curiosity, as a result of he’s not at present incomes a CPS paycheck.
“There’s no financial profit for me as a CPS worker on depart as mayor of the town of Chicago,” Johnson stated. “Now we have firefighters who’re on depart, proper, [on the] Metropolis Council, they usually really vote on their contracts. There are law enforcement officials who’re on depart they usually really vote on these contracts. I don’t vote on any contract, so there’s no battle of curiosity.”
Ald. Nick Sposato, who represents a part of the town’s Northwest Aspect, stated he was on depart from the Chicago Hearth Division for his first eight years in workplace and voted on firefighter contracts. Throughout that point, he didn’t really feel conflicted as a result of council members weren’t immediately concerned with bargaining.
“No person ever had an issue with me being a fireman and voting on hearth contracts,” Sposato stated.
Sposato, who’s sometimes important of the mayor, additionally stated he didn’t imagine Johnson would “give the farm away” for private acquire years from now.
“I imagine he’s a person of integrity,” he stated of Johnson.
Till 2027, Johnson will appoint a majority of members to the Board of Schooling, who will vote to approve union contracts and allocate cash to pay for the prices.
On Christmas Eve, an inside CPS memo included in Martinez’s authorized filings towards the Chicago Board of Schooling documented considerations about Johnson’s employment standing with the district. The memo was first reported on by the Chicago Tribune. In that June 2023 memo, Ben Felton, the chief expertise officer for CPS, wrote that he was involved a few potential battle of curiosity as a result of mayor’s ongoing employment with CPS, a company that he oversees.
Felton wrote that he raised the difficulty with then-Deputy Mayor of Schooling Jen Johnson, who just isn’t associated to the mayor, on 4 events between Might and June 2023. The mayor declined to resign his place as a result of he needed to “sign his assist for training and lecturers,” Felton wrote within the memo.
Johnson, who stays an in depth CTU ally, repeated that sentiment Tuesday.
“I’m dedicated to creating certain that the individuals who do train, the people who find themselves in our colleges, that they know that they’ve an advocate … and to make sure that our public colleges and our public lecturers are absolutely supported,” Johnson stated.
If Johnson had been to return to his CPS job, he would at minimal be positioned within the district’s Reassigned Trainer Pool and assigned to a faculty, in response to Felton’s memo. Felton added that he felt the mayor’s return to CPS “is unlikely,” however that his depart standing was “not an immaterial profit.”
Dick Simpson, professor of political science at College of Illinois at Chicago and a former alderman, stated no mayor in latest historical past has been in Johnson’s place. However he stated the financial profit to the mayor “just isn’t substantial sufficient” to be deemed a battle of curiosity.
“If he turns into concerned within the negotiations and the operating of the faculties, which many mayors like Richard M. Daley did or Richard J. Daley earlier than him, the query is whether or not or not his personal historical past and involvement will trigger him to make choices that are unhealthy for the town or on this case, the college system, or each,” Simpson stated.
The mayor’s workplace has pushed CPS to take out a short-term mortgage to assist pay for the prices of a brand new labor contract with the CTU and the principals union, in addition to to cowl some pension obligations. Martinez has refused to take that step — one of many elements that led to his firing.
Different observers see issues in a different way.
“If he has no plans to return, he ought to simply resign” from CPS, stated Vladimir Kogan, professor of political science at Ohio State College who has studied native politics and training coverage. “I feel it is a drawback of his personal creation.”
Joe Ferguson, Chicago’s former inspector normal who now leads the Civic Federation, a authorities watchdog group, stated it’s unclear whether or not the mayor’s employment standing and his official place cross authorized traces.
“It impels a a lot larger diploma of transparency and public going through disclosure of his precise actions, communications, and positions, in order that there is no such thing as a query of the place he’s appearing in battle along with his former employer, and there must be a reassessment of the regulation and rules,” Ferguson stated.
Johnson may earn over $100,000 upon CPS return
If Johnson went again after his first time period in workplace, in 2027, he could be thought of a Twentieth-year trainer, though he taught for simply 4 years earlier than his 2011 departure. These particulars weren’t talked about in Felton’s memo.
Meaning, in response to the present CTU contract, that Johnson may earn not less than $100,419 upon his return. That determine is the bottom wage for a minimal 208-day schedule and doesn’t embrace different advantages. It doesn’t account for raises or modifications to wage brackets that would change within the subsequent contract. Chalkbeat was unable to confirm the wage “lane” Johnson was in earlier than he left CPS. These lanes change an individual’s wage primarily based on elements like incomes a grasp’s diploma. Johnson has a grasp’s diploma in instructing, in response to his biography.
The wage determine represents somebody who has labored for 20 years and is within the lowest lane; somebody within the highest lane would earn a base wage of simply over $113,300, beneath the present union contract.
CPS has provided annual raises of between 4% and 5% for the brand new contract.
After Felton raised considerations concerning the mayor’s employment standing to former Deputy Mayor Jen Johnson, she stated she requested the town’s ethics adviser concerning the situation and that the adviser “didn’t have considerations,” Felton’s memo stated.
Chalkbeat filed an open data request with the Chicago Board of Ethics for any official advisory positions concerning the mayor’s employment standing; the board stated no such data existed.
In a Dec. 16 e mail, Steve Berlin, govt director of the ethics board, instructed Chalkbeat that the board “is conscious of the scenario you ask about involving the Mayor and his personnel data,” however that he couldn’t remark additional since advisory opinions “are confidential.”
One former senior CPS official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to debate personnel points, stated that the mayor, CPS, and CTU ought to all know that Johnson not qualifies for being on union depart on account of his departure from CTU, and act accordingly by working to alter his employment standing.
In response to questions from Chalkbeat, CPS spokesperson Mary Ann Fergus stated, “CPS flagged this space of concern as outlined within the Chief of Expertise Ben Felton memo. It’s presumed that the mayor decided that no motion was vital.”
On the identical time, the previous official acknowledged, Johnson’s place as probably the most highly effective elected official within the metropolis — and technically because the boss of CPS — could make it intimidating for members of his personal administration to take motion with out his consent, particularly if he’s expressed his want to remain on depart, he stated.
“It’s the mayor’s duty and his staff’s duty to establish that this is a matter and take motion about it,” the previous official stated. “They usually had been offered baldly with the selection, principally, and stated, ‘No.’”
Becky Vevea contributed reporting.
Reema Amin is a reporter masking Chicago Public Colleges. Contact Reema at ramin@chalkbeat.org.