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Chicagoans will vote for school board members for the first time in November.
Starting Jan. 15, Chicago’s Board of Education will go from seven members appointed by the mayor to a 21-member board with 10 elected members and 11 appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson. This will be the first step toward transitioning to a fully elected board by 2027.
Chicago is divided into 10 districts for the 2024 election. Each district has roughly 275,000 residents.
Do you know which district you’re in? Check it out here on this interactive map. (Note: Enable location services in your settings).
On Nov. 5, residents of each district will elect a school board member to represent them for two years. The mayor also will appoint one representative from each district as well as the school board president for two-year terms.
School board members are responsible for overseeing Chicago Public Schools and its more than $9 billion budget. They review and approve the district’s annual and capital spending plans, hire and evaluate the CEO, establish and review CPS policies, approve contracts and school year calendars, and much more.
Chalkbeat and Block Club Chicago partnered to introduce you to the candidates running in your district and why they want a spot on the school board. Scroll down to find your district race and learn more.
Additionally, you can read questionnaires from each candidate produced by Chalkbeat, the Chicago Sun-Times, and WBEZ on a range of topics, including their background in public schools, their top priorities if they are elected, and their stances on selective enrollment schools and standardized testing.
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 5. You can register to vote now through Election Day. Early voting begins downtown Thursday, Oct. 3 and in all 50 wards on Monday, Oct. 21. You can also sign up to Vote By Mail and ballots are expected to be mailed starting Thursday, Sept. 26.
The candidate who gets the most votes will win the district.
School Board Candidates, District 1 (Far Northwest Side, Irving Park)
- Jennifer Custer, a CPS parent and former teacher, union leader, and school administrator in the Chicago suburbs and Wisconsin
- Michelle N. Pierre, a CPS parent, current board member at The Chicago High School for the Arts, a CPS contract school, former Local School Council member at Ogden International School of Chicago, former chief of schools at LEARN Charter School Network, former executive at New Leaders, a training program for school leaders, and former district administrator in Cleveland, former principal, and former teacher
Read more about the candidates here.
School Board Candidates, District 2 (Rogers Park, Edgewater, Lincoln Square, Albany Park)
- Ebony L. DeBerry, director of educational initiatives at ONE Northside, former CPS teacher, parent, and Local School Council member
- Kate Doyle, co-founder of nonprofit KindWork and former special education teacher in New York City
- Margaret “Maggie” Cullerton Hooper, a CPS parent, Local School Council member, and and senior consultant for the Alliance for Black Equality PAC
- Bruce Leon, founder of human resources firm and 50th Ward Democratic committeeperson, and a board member of Arie Crown Hebrew Day School
Read more about the candidates here.
School Board Candidates, District 3 (Logan Square, Humboldt Park, Hermosa)
- Jason C. Dónes, chief of people operations at nonprofit Beyond 100K, former teacher and leader at Teach for America
- Carlos A. Rivas Jr., spokesperson for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and former alumni counselor at UIC College Prep, a Noble charter school
Read more about the candidates here.
School Board Candidates, District 4 (Lakeview, Lincoln Park)
- Kimberly Brown, a marketing professional, adjunct professor, and CPS parent
- Andrew A. Davis, a nonprofit leader, CPS parent, and former LSC member
- Thomas Day, co-founder of Illinois Veterans for Change, and CPS parent
- Carmen Gioiosa, a CPS parent, Local School Council member, adjunct professor, former CPS administrator, and former CPS teacher
- Ellen Rosenfeld, a family and community engagement manager at Chicago Public Schools, a CPS parent, and former CPS teacher
- Karen Zaccor, a former teacher at Uplift High School and former LSC member
Read more about the candidates here.
School Board Candidates, District 5 (West Side, West Loop, Near West Side)
- Aaron “Jitu” Brown, director of the Journey for Justice Alliance, and a Dyett hunger striker
- Write-In: Jousef Shkoukani and Kernetha Jones
Read more about the candidates here.
School Board Candidates, District 6 (Downtown, Bronzeville, Near South Side)
- Jessica Biggs, a CPS parent and former teacher and school principal
- Andre Smith, an entrepreneur and recent candidate for Illinois House 5th District
- Anusha Thotakura, a deputy director at Citizen Action/Illinois and former teacher
- Write-In: Danielle Wallace
Read more about the candidates here.
School Board Candidates, District 7 (Pilsen, Little Village, Bridgeport, Brighton Park)
- Raquel Don, a CPS parent and Local School Council member
- Yesenia López, deputy in the Illinois Secretary of State’s office, former Latino outreach director with Gov J.B. Pritzker’s campaign
- Eva A. Villalobos, an accountant and private school parent
Read more about the candidates here.
School Board Candidates, District 8 (Far Southwest Side, Back of the Yards)
- Angel Gutierrez, chief advancement officer at Chicago Hope Academy, a private high school, and a former leader at Catholic Charities of Archdiocese of Chicago
- Felix Ponce, a CPS music teacher and professional trombonist
Read more about the candidates here.
School Board Candidates, District 9 (Englewood, Roseland, Beverly, Morgan Park)
- Therese Boyle, a school psychologist and former candidate for CTU president
- Miquel Lewis, acting director of Cook County Juvenile Probation & Court Services and former appointed member of Chicago Board of Education, current member of Special Education Advisory Committee
- Lanetta M. Thomas, a community activist
- La’Mont Raymond Williams, chief of staff and general counsel to Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry
Read more about the candidates here.
School Board Candidates, District 10 (Hyde Park, South Shore, Woodlawn, Southeast Side)
- Robert Jones, a pastor at Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church and a Dyett hunger striker
- Karin Norington-Reaves, a CPS parent and consultant, former candidate in Illinois’s 1st congressional district
- Adam Parrott-Sheffer, a CPS parent, adjunct lecturer at Harvard, author, former principal in CPS and the Chicago suburbs, former district administrator in New York City
- Che “Rhymefest” Smith, a Grammy-award winning songwriter, rapper and community activist
- Write-In: Rosita Chatonda
Read more about the candidates here.
This story was published in partnership with Block Club Chicago.