Five things to know about new Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez
His top priorities for the first few weeks are understanding the challenges Massachusetts is facing and getting to know people, he said.
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'I'm really looking forward to getting together with district leaders later this month,' Martinez said. 'I'm excited, too, as the budget is being approved by the governor, to go deeper and really look at all the different priorities that are being funded, such as early college and early literacy, and working hand in hand with our school districts to create the impact that those funds are intended to create.'
Here are five things to know about the new schools chief:
First Latino to lead state Education Department
Born in Aguascalientes, México, Martinez immigrated to Chicago with his family when he was 5.
The oldest of 12 children, Martinez was the first in his family to graduate from high school and college.
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Pedro Martinez (right) photographed with his family when he was a child.
He's the first Latino to take on the top education job in Massachusetts.
Prior to launching his career, Martinez earned a bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and a master's in financial services from DePaul University.
Rocky time in Chicago Public Schools
Martinez came to Massachusetts after leading the Chicago Public Schools, one of the nation's largest districts. Under his leadership as chief executive, students's
One of his proudest achievements was diversifying the Chicago teacher workforce, he previously told the Globe. When he started the job, 38 percent of new teachers were educators of color. Last year, that figure grew to 60 percent. By comparison, students of color make up about 89 percent of the district's demographics.
The end of his tenure in Chicago was tumultuous. In December, the school board fired Martinez without cause after building tensions with Mayor Brandon Johnson and the teachers union regarding a union contract and school budget.
Chicago Public School CEO Pedro Martinez listened during public participation as the Chicago Board of Education held a special meeting on Nov. 14, 2024.
Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
He took successful legal action against the board and stayed until June, under the terms of his contract. Last month, he amended the lawsuit to include defamation claims against the state board president, the Chicago Teachers Union, and the union president.
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Previous work in Texas and Nevada schools
Prior to landing the top education job in Chicago, Martinez led the San Antonio Independent School District in Texas and the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nev.
In 2014, Martinez was fired as superintendent in Washoe County after being accused of
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In 2015,
Skirmishes with political leaders
Martinez has said he won't back down if he's acting in the best interest of students.
'I'm always going to stand up for what's right for kids. And that will mean even putting my role at risk,' Martinez previously told the Globe.
While leading San Antonio schools, Martinez defied Texas Governor Greg Abbott by issuing a districtwide mask mandate. At the height of the COVID pandemic, he was the only superintendent of a major Texas district to require school employees to be vaccinated, which led to a lawsuit from the state's attorney general.
Priorities for Mass. education
Martinez takes the top education job at a time when Massachusetts schools face challenges, including budget shortfalls and increased need for services for newcomers, English learners, and disabled students.
Students also continue to
struggle to recover from pandemic-related learning loss statewide.
Martinez plans to meet with local superintendents and listen closely to their concerns, he has
said. If school leaders are failing, Martinez said he'd have no hesitation in holding them accountable. His approach, however, would be to build consensus rather than leading with a critical attitude.
He said reading education is vital in the aftermath of the pandemic, and he'd support state plans to overhaul literacy instruction. He also supports expanding access to multilingual education, as well as recruitment and retention programs for teachers.
John Hilliard of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
Marcela Rodrigues can be reached at
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