CHICAGO (WGN) — Brandon Johnson’s new school board president believes the city’s top official’s vision will supersede any scrutiny, but he didn’t have a definitive answer Friday about Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez’s job security.

Meeting with students at Collins Academy in North Lawndale, Mayor Johnson said, “We are particularly focused on making sure Black students know they are loved, seen and valued.”

Chicago’s mayor celebrated the investment in STEAM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programming alongside new school board president Rev. Mitchell Johnson.

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“If the city is burning, don’t talk to me about anything other than putting out the fire. “The fire we’re living with right now is inequality,” Mitchell Johnson said.

The new school board president spoke to reporters Friday for the first time during a tumultuous time for the district. Previous school administration resigned en masse Extreme pressure to fire Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez. Although the board took no action on his employment at its first meeting on Thursday, Mitchell Johnson was asked if that would be his top priority.

“That’s a loaded question and I don’t have an answer,” Mitchell Johnson responded. “Job number one is to consider the plight of Black students.”

President Johnson also responded to a report that he was disbarred in Ohio and had his home foreclosed for failure to pay child support.

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“I was recommended for this position because of my leadership capacity and ability to get things done, that is the truth,” he replied. “The good news is that I wasn’t hired as an accountant and I wasn’t hired as a lawyer.”

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