The Chicago Board of Education will vote Monday on whether to hire interim CEO Macquline King permanently, concluding a monthslong national search for the school district’s next leader.
If approved, her contract will be effective July 1 through June 30, 2029, according to an agenda posted on the board’s website Thursday. Her starting salary will be $380,000.
King, a Chicago native, has risen through the ranks of Chicago Public Schools, beginning her career as a teacher and later as a principal. She has helmed the district since June, following the December 2024 firing without cause of former CEO Pedro Martinez.
King was named as a finalist for the permanent position earlier this month. The other candidate was Sito Narcisse, the former superintendent of East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools. Former New York City school chief Meisha Porter was also a finalist but dropped out.
The search for a new CEO was at times rocky. King applied but was initially not selected as a finalist. In November, the field was narrowed to two other candidates, but after one withdrew, the board began conducting new interviews.
Amid growing calls for her to remain in her role, King was added back as a finalist. The West Side NAACP, along with several elected board members, argued she should continue leading the district at least until a fully elected school board takes office next year.
Those tensions came to a head in February, when a faction of six elected board members accused Mayor Brandon Johnson of sabotaging the search, as the district and its executive search firm abruptly parted ways. Historically, the mayor has wielded significant influence in selecting a CEO, but that role has been tested amid the transition to an elected board.
Both King and Narcisse interviewed with Johnson. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Over the past nine months, King has overseen the district through intensified federal immigration enforcement and a contentious budget fight — where she bucked pressure from Johnson to take out a short-term, high-cost loan.
Previously, King served as senior director of education policy in the mayor’s office. She spent more than two decades as a CPS teacher and principal, most recently at Mary E. Courtenay Language Arts Center in Uptown.
Her $380,000 starting salary will be $40,000 above what was offered to Martinez. Martinez received a five-year contract, though it was cut short by his termination.
As permanent CEO, King would face several early tests. CPS is facing a projected $520 million deficit this budget season. Meanwhile, the 21-member school board will become fully-elected in January — introducing a new dynamic to governance in the nation’s fourth-largest school district.
