This story was reported and published in collaboration with WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times, and Block Club Chicago, a nonprofit newsroom covering Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods. Stay informed with Chalkbeat Chicago’s newsletter, WBEZ and the Sun-Times’ education newsletter, and Block Club Chicago’s newsletters.
The two candidates battling to represent a large swath of the West Side are taking a second stab at securing a school board seat. Incumbent school board member Michilla “Kyla” Blaise started a campaign in 2024 but withdrew at the last minute, while her challenger, Anthony Hargrove, failed to make the ballot two years ago.
Blaise, a political aide who was appointed to the school board by Mayor Brandon Johnson in 2024, is backed by the Chicago Teachers Union. Hargrove, who runs programs to help dropouts get back in school, has support from business and charter school advocates.
District 5b is one of the school board’s most economically diverse, stretching from the wealthy West Loop to historically disinvested neighborhoods such as North Lawndale and Garfield Park. It has the most public schools of any school board district with a total of 63. There are several neighborhood high schools struggling with declining enrollment, as well as some of CPS’ most in-demand magnet schools. Students who attend school here are mostly Black and Hispanic.
The candidates have homed in on different issues. Blaise said she is focused on increasing funding for CPS, addressing declining enrollment, and improving student mental health, while Hargrove has zeroed in on improving reading and math proficiency, refining special education, and expanding vocational and career education.
The two candidates align on some issues. They both support stronger restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence and cellphones in the classroom, and both oppose closing schools for any reason.
Blaise is proud of her status as a “lifelong Chicagoan.” She said her family has lived on the West Side for four generations.
She sent her kids to LaSalle Language Academy Elementary School and Kenwood Academy High School, which showed her the value of magnet schools, she said. She wants parents to have choices beyond their neighborhood schools.
As a school board member, she said she also supports neighborhood schools and wants to find ways to revitalize them, pointing to Marshall Metropolitan High School in East Garfield Park as an example. The school enrolled around 200 students last year. In the 1960s, when the school was overcrowded and Blaise’s father was a student there, Marshall enrolled some 5,000 students, she said.
The school has assets including an Olympic-size swimming pool, a commercial kitchen, and competitive sports teams. Blaise said the school board should help it reach its full potential by considering turning it into a sports magnet school or adding middle school grades.
Blaise typically votes with a school board bloc aligned with the CTU and got the union’s endorsement. She notably spearheaded the effort to change CPS’ budget this year, introducing an amendment that reversed some planned cuts by assuming CPS would receive an additional $150 million in state funding that had not been committed.
“I want to be a real advocate for making sure people understand how woefully underfunded our schools are, and also making sure that folks understand there’s an opportunity to really change the conversation here,” Blaise said.
Blaise said her experience living in a range of neighborhoods — East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Lincoln Park, and Wicker Park — helps her understand the city and the differing needs of her district.
“I have real friends and family that are across the city that attend CPS. I think I have a finger on the pulse,” she said. “I’m hoping that we can all just have the conversation in terms of the issues.”
Read Blaise’s full questionnaire.
Born and raised on the West Side, Hargrove touts his many connections to CPS. He attended CPS schools as a child and graduated from Orr Academy High School. Two of his children are current CPS students, and two others have graduated. He’s also worked for the district in several capacities, including as a security officer, social worker assistant, and parent worker at schools including Marshall, Phillips Academy High School, and Orr Academy High School.
Currently, he leads programs “that help reconnect young people to school and prepare them for success beyond the classroom,” according to his campaign website.
Hargrove has been endorsed by the Common Ground Collective, an anti-CTU political action committee that is heavily funded by billionaire Michael Sacks and says it aims to engage voters around “effective progressive policies.” He also has the backing of The Urban Center, a centrist political organization that supports charter schools and advocates for school choice across public and private schools.
Hargrove, who didn’t make himself available for an interview, said in our CPS school board questionnaire that his past experience in the district has uniquely prepared him to serve on the school board.
“I’m running for every parent in my district who felt their voice wasn’t heard, for every student who felt unseen, and for every family that simply wants the best for their child,” he wrote. “I’ll bring a community-centered voice focused on accountability, opportunity and putting students first.”
Hargrove wants CPS to consider more community partnerships to make use of underutilized school buildings.
“The board should make transparent, data-driven decisions that put students first, strengthen neighborhood schools and ensure resources are used wisely,” he wrote of how he’d like to see CPS address declining enrollment.
Read Hargrove’s full questionnaire.
Mary Norkol is a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Contact Mary at mnorkol@suntimes.com.