Who is running for Chicago School Board?
The Chicago School Board will have 47 candidates fighting for 10 seats on the city’s first hybrid elected school board this November. More than half of the positions will be appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson until 2026.
Chicago School Board races will see 47 candidates across 10 districts whose winners will be decided on the Nov. 5 election.
Among the mix of prospective school board members are parents of Chicago Public School students, teachers, community organizers, non-profit leaders, executives and a Grammy-award winning songwriter.
Here are the candidates running in each district:
District 1
- Jennifer Custer, a CPS parent and former teacher, labor leader and school administrator
- Chuck Hernandez, Republican committeeman of the 38th Ward on the city’s North West side and former Chicago Police Department detective
- Michelle N. Pierre, executive director at the nonprofit New Leaders
District 2
- Ebony DeBerry, director of educational initiatives at ONE Northside, former CPS teacher and parent
- Kate Doyle, co-founder of nonprofit KindWork and former teacher
- Maggie Cullerton Hooper, a CPS parent and LSC member
- Daniel Steven Kleinman, community organizer and LSC member
- Bruce Leon, 50th Ward Democratic committeeperson, and a board member of Arie Crown Hebrew Day School
District 3
- Jason Dónes, chief of people operations at non-profit Beyond 100K, former teacher and leader at Teach for America
- Kirk J. Ortiz, vice president of a private security company and former candidate for Illinois House District 4
- Carlos Rivas, a spokesperson for the Civilian Office of Police Accountability and former alumni counselor at UIC College Prep, a Noble charter school
District 4
- Kimberly Brown, a marketing professional, adjunct professor and CPS parent
- Andrew Davis, a nonprofit leader, CPS parent and former LSC member
- Thomas Day, co-founder of Illinois Veterans for Change
- Carmen Gioiosa, a CPS parent, LSC member, adjunct professor and former CPS principal and teacher
- Ellen Rosenfeld, a family and community engagement manager at Chicago Public Schools, a CPS parent and former CPS teacher
- Karen Zaccor, a teacher at Uplift High School and former LSC member
District 5
- Michilla “Kyla” Blaise, a CPS parent, chief of staff for Cook County Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar, political consultant and public relations professional
- Jitu Brown, a community organizer with Kenwood Oakland Community Organization and director of the Journey for Justice Alliance
- Anthony Hargrove, an associate director of the Back To Our Future program at nonprofit Breakthrough Urban Ministries and former dean at Chicago Public Schools
- Kernetha Jones
- Jousef M. Shkoukani
District 6
- Jessica Biggs, a CPS parent and former teacher and school principal
- Brenda I. Delgado, vice president of Raise Your Hand for Illinois Public Education, former CPS parent and former LSC member
- Andre Smith, an entrepreneur and recent candidate for Illinois House 5th District
- Anusha Thotakura, a deputy director at Citizen Action/Illinois
- Danielle Wallace, a community youth advocate and non-profit leader
District 7
- Jesus Ayala Jr., chief of program and strategy operations at Metrosquash
- Raquel Don, a CPS parent and LSC member
- Yesenia López, a Latino outreach director with Gov J.B. Pritzker’s campaign
- Felipe “Phil” Luna Jr., a management systems specialist for the Illinois Department of Public Health and LSC member
- Eva Villalobos, an accountant and private school parent
District 8
- Angel Gutierrez, chief advancement officer at Chicago Hope Academy and a former leader at Catholic Charities of Archdiocese of Chicago
- Darius Dee Nix, interim impact director for City Year Chicago, former CPS charter school teacher, former candidate in Illinois’s 1st Congressional District
- Felix Ponce, a CPS music teacher and professional trombonist
District 9
- Therese Boyle, a school psychologist and former candidate for Chicago Teachers Union 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
- Brittany Bailey Preston, a construction manager and LSC member
- Lanetta Thomas, a community activist
- La’Mont Raymond Williams, chief of staff and general counsel to Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry
District 10
- Rosita Chatonda, nonprofit founder and teacher advocate, former CPS teacher and former teachers union organizer
- Rev. Robert Jones, a pastor at Mt. Carmel Missionary Baptist Church
- 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 Chicago suburbs, former district administrator in New York City
- Che “Rhymefest” Smith, a Grammy-award winning songwriter, rapper and community activist
- James M. Walton, a former school principal and administrator in CPS and the Chicago suburbs
- Nathaniel “Nate” Ward, director of community outreach & engagement for City Colleges of Chicago, CPS parent and LSC member
More than half of the positions on Chicago’s school board will remain appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson thanks to the lobbying efforts of the CTU, until 2026, when the remaining 11 board seats will be up for election.
The CTU also announced it would be endorsing 11 candidates in the school board race June 26, as well as plans to spend at least $1 million putting their allies in office this November.