Kalyn Belsha (via Chicago Sun-Times)
When Chicagoans head to the polls Tuesday, they’ll be making history as they elect all 21 members of the city’s school board for the first time.
The showdown for the school board is the marquee race on the ballot, with Gov. JB Pritzker expected to win a third term and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton favored to secure retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat.
Many are closely watching the citywide race for school board president — a powerful position that sets the board’s agenda and, until now, has never been elected. Political action committees and individuals have funneled more than $5 million into the heated three-way race between sitting school board member Jessica Biggs, former deputy political director for the Chicago Teachers Union Hilario Dominguez and prominent defense attorney Victor Henderson.
How the balance of power shakes out on the school board could also be a harbinger of February’s mayoral race. Mayor Brandon Johnson, a close ally of the CTU, appointed the majority of current school board members and the teachers union is trying to hang on to control. But outside political groups, including the anti-CTU Common Ground Collective, are spending millions in an effort to get their own candidates on the board.
To find out more about who’s running, and get the latest as results come in, click on the races below:
- Board president: Victor Henderson, Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez
- District 1a Far Northwest Side: Ed Bannon, Margie Luscak
- District 1b Far Northwest Side: Michelle Pierre, Claudia Peralta
- District 2a Far North Side: Ebony DeBerry, Hector Morales
- District 2b North Lakefront: Debby Pope, Kyna Lenhof
- District 3a Northwest Side: Norma Rios Sierra, Peter Gonzales
- District 3b Near Northwest Side: Carlos Rivas Jr., Jason Dónes
- District 4a North Side: Karen Zaccor, Ellen Sherratt, Angel Alvarez
- District 4b North Side: Ellen Rosenfeld
- District 5a West Side: Aaron “Jitu” Brown, LaPamela Williams, Kernetha Jones
- District 5b West Side: Michilla “Kyla” Blaise, Anthony Hargrove
- District 6a Downtown, Near North Side: Anusha Thotakura, Isaiah White, Brenda Lee Anderson
- District 6b South Side: Michael Neal, Brittany Kimble
- District 7a Southwest Side: Emma Lozano, Jesus Ayala Jr.
- District 7b Southwest Side: Yesenia Lopez, Erika Diaz-Chavez
- District 8a Far Southwest Side: Angel Gutierrez
- District 8b South Side and Southwest Side: Juan Ignacio Gonzalez, Alexander Angeles
- District 9a South Side: Brittany Bailey Preston
- District 9b Far Southwest Side: Therese Boyle, Katherine Dunneback
- District 10a South Side: Che “Rhymefest” Smith, Tameka Walton
- District 10b South Side: Connie Anderson, Patrick Watson, Rosita Chatonda
