September 29, 2021
Greetings fellow administrators, members, and supporters of NHAE:
Welcome to the new academic year and at this point school has been in session at CPS for a month now. Who would have thought that we could open schools for in-person learning for almost all of our students? Yet, we did it, and we have done everything in our power to keep our students safe while providing them with a sense of community in their classrooms alongside high quality instruction. What an achievement!
Yes, there have been a few bumps in the road, but as school leaders, we have learned to respond to the ever changing COVID world that we now live in. We are experts at adapting to changes in our school environment and reassuring the families we serve we are doing what is best for them. Congratulations for continuing on this journey.
As an organization, we have fought hard for equity in Latino and Latina representation at the various leadership levels in CPS. Today we are proud to announce that for the first time in CPS history, our district will be led by a Latino CEO that is not an interim CEO. We have had two interim Latino CEOs before. Just recently Dr. Jose Torres led us through a transition period and we are most grateful for what he accomplished with respect to re-engaging students in the short time he was our interim CEO. Before that, Jesse Ruiz served as interim CEO. But today our district of over 340,000 students that is 46.7% Latino has as its leader a Latino CEO and one that is originally from Chicago and from the historic Mexican-American neighborhood of Pilsen. ¡Bienvenido CEO Martinez!
As the premier Latino organization of CPS school leaders, we look forward to meeting regularly with you as we work towards our goals:
1. Advocating for the educational rights of Hispanic students.
2. Supporting and enhancing Bilingual, ESL (English as a Second Language), Multicultural Education, World Language and Dual Language Programs
3. Providing members with a support and professional development network which includes conferences and mentoring.
4. Providing a forum for the presentation and discussion of issues related to school reform as it affects the Hispanic community.
5. Maintaining an open dialogue collaboration and communication with organizations, community associations and other ethnically and racially diverse groups to provide quality educational services for all.
As we continue celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, let's remember all the Latino and Latina pioneers who came before us and paved the way so that one day we could finally have the position of the mero mero at CPS.
Keep up the great work and continue celebrating and elevating our own beautiful Latino and Latin American cultures and those of the communities we serve during our month. ¡Que viva la Raza!
Dr. Antonio Acevedo
President of the Network of Hispanic Administrators in Education.