CHICAGO — After being solely under control of the mayor for the last 30 years, voters on Tuesday will elect members of the Chicago Board of Education.
The size of the board is increasing from seven members to 21, with 10 members elected to two-year terms. Each of the 10 districts represents about 300,000 Chicagoans.
Mayor Brandon Johnson will appoint the remaining 11 members: one from each district and a board president.
The new board will be seated in January.
In November 2026, all 21 members, including a citywide board president, will be elected.
The school board overseeing Chicago Public Schools, the nation’s third-largest school district, sets policies and goals, hires and evaluates the CEO and provides financial oversight. The board also approves and renews charter schools.
The Candidates
District 1 (Far Northwest Side, Irving Park)
Jennifer Custer
Michelle Pierre
District 2 (Rogers Park, Edgewater, Lincoln Square, Albany Park)
Ebony DeBerry
Kate Doyle
Margaret “Maggie” Cullerton Hooper
Bruce Leon
District 3 (Logan Square)
Jason C. Dónes
Carlos A. Rivas Jr.
District 4 (Lakeview, Lincoln Park)
Kimberly Brown
Andrew A. Davis
Thomas Day
Carmen Gioiosa
Ellen Rosenfeld
Karen Zaccor
District 5 (West Side, West Loop, Near West Side)
Aaron “Jitu” Brown
Write-In: Jousef Shkoukani & Kernetha Jones
District 6 (Downtown, Bronzeville, Near South Side)
Jessica Biggs
Andre Smith
Anusha Thotakura
Write-In: Danielle Wallace
District 7 (Pilsen, Little Village, Bridgeport, Brighton Park)
Raquel Don
Yesenia Lopez
Eva Villalobos
District 8 (Far Southwest Side, Back of the Yards)
Angel Gutierrez
Felix Ponce
District 9 (Englewood, Roseland, Beverly, Morgan Park)
Therese Boyle
Miguel Lewis
Lanetta M. Thomas
La’Mont Raymond Williams
District 10 (Hyde Park, South Shore, Woodlawn, Southeast Side)
Robert Jones
Karin Norington-Reaves
Adam Parrott-Sheffer
Che ‘Rhymefest’ Smith
Write-In: Rosita Chatonda
