OK, CPS: What’s the Difference between a Superintendent and a CEO?

The answer could determine who will lead one of the country's largest school districts.

May 19, 2025 · 3:37 p.m. ET

OK, CPS: What’s the Difference between a Superintendent and a CEO?

Ousted Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez finishes his term at the end of June, but the school board has not chosen even an interim replacement.

Mayor Brandon Johnson is pushing for his chief of staff (and former state senator), Cristina Pacione-Zayas, to take on the role. However, Pacione-Zayas does not hold a superintendent’s license, which recently became a new requirement.

What’s the Difference, Really?

In March, the school board unanimously passed a resolution requiring the next CEO — and interim CEO — to have a “valid Illinois Professional Educator License, with a Superintendent endorsement.”

Pacione-Zayas has a PhD in educational policy studies and spent time working for CPS, but she is not a licensed superintendent.

Although the terms “CEO” and “superintendent” might sound interchangeable, they’re not. CEOs can lead a school district with no education experience. Attaining a superintendent endorsement from a university typically calls for an advanced degree and additional training in education.

Most large school districts, including all other school districts in Illinois, are run by superintendents — not CEOs. CPS was led by a superintendent until 1995, when then-Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Paul Vallas as CEO with the idea of running the district more like a business. (Martinez has both a superintendent endorsement and a background in finance.)

The law that removed the superintendent requirement also gave the mayor power to appoint school board members directly. But the school board is transitioning away from mayoral control. At least that was the plan.

A School Board in Flux

Beginning in January, the school board increased from seven to 21 members and became a “hybrid” model: 11 members were chosen by Johnson, and 10 were elected. By 2027, the plan is for the board to become fully elected.

For now, though, Johnson’s picks have the majority. Notably, board president Sean Harden is a Johnson ally too. Other members say Harden is leading an effort to undo the resolution passed in March. That reversal would pave the way for Pacione-Zayas to become interim CEO.

Whoever’s in the job has a projected $500 million budget hole to close.