The Massachusetts education board voted Tuesday to select outgoing Chicago Public Schools head Pedro Martinez as the next state Commissioner of Education.
The board elected to recommend Martinez of the top three candidates, with nine members voting in favor.
“This state, this agency, needs bold, proven leadership, where there’s a balanced exemplification of a willingness to partner meaningfully, to confront tough challenges, to think outside of the box, to demonstrate humility at times when the situation calls for it, and unapologetic nature at other times when the situation calls for it,” Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler said at the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting Tuesday. “In my humble view, this is Pedro Martinez.”
Members Dálida Rocha and Mary Ann Stewart abstained, having stated they would cast their votes for executive director of Economic Mobility Systems Lily Laux. The third final candidate, selected from 42 initial candidates, was Jack Elsey, founder of the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative.
The commissioner position has been temporarily held by Tutwiler since late March, when Interim Commissioner Russell Johnston vacated the post. The last permanent commissioner, Jeffrey Riley, stepped down in March 2024.
Martinez has a total of 13 combined years as a superintendent, most recently Chicago Public Schools, and over two decades in K-12 education leadership, a DESE release stated.
“Under his leadership, Chicago Public Schools has expanded full-day early childhood classrooms, posted some of the nation’s top elementary-level post-pandemic reading and math gains, and achieved record-high graduation rates, scholarships earned, and college credits obtained in high school,” the department stated.
Prior to joining Chicago Public Schools, Martinez led the San Antonio Independent School District, Nevada Department of Education and the Washoe County School District in Reno, Nevada.
Martinez was born in Mexico and will be DESE’s 25th commissioner and the first Latino to hold that position.
Chair Katherine Craven called selecting a commissioner candidate a “very rare thing,” noting the board has only done so three times in the last 35 years.
“It’s not something we do that often, and that’s why it’s sort of a bumpy process,” said Craven. “But we’re, I am committed, as is for Secretary Tutwiler, to ensuring that all of the constituencies out there are heard and are going to be at the table with Dr. Martinez as our Commissioner of Education.”
The Secretary of Education, who voted in favor of selecting Martinez, now has final approval of the choice for the commissioner position.