Hottest Chicago School Board Races: North Side Edition

First, the bad news for Board Rule's North Side readers. Today's analysis is about as deep as we're going into the races north of Randolph Street, with the exception of District 6A. Board Rule's charge is to report more deeply on the South and Southwest Sides. We'll be launching that coverage soon.

Most of this year's school board races fall into one of two basic patterns. Eleven races have the most common pattern: A two-candidate race with one candidate supporting Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union's vision for schools, and one challenging or opposing them. Four races are fully uncontested (a fifth includes a write-in candidate), and three of those races are on the Southwest Side. We'll soon be talking with Southwest Siders who aren't getting a choice in this election.

But for now, the good news: at least five North Side races are shaping up to be highly competitive, including three three-way contests. Let's dig in.

District 1B: Progressive Heavyweight Meets Experienced Educator

This Northwest Side district has an open seat because incumbent Jennifer Custer launched a campaign for school board president that ended late last week. In 2024, Custer, then backed by CTU, defeated charter leader Michelle Pierre 52% to 48%. Their district boasted the third-highest turnout of the 10 school board races.

Pierre is back in the field with the support of her key allies from last time and a splashy new endorsement from Common Ground Collective. According to the nonpartisan nonprofit Reform for Illinois' Illinois Sunshine database, Pierre had a modest $8,167.13 on hand at the end of June.

Her opponent is Claudia Peralta, district director for U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez. She is a CPS parent and a former Local School Council member. She is one of a handful of progressive candidates to win endorsements from both CTU and SEIU. (The longtime allies have been at odds LINK since 2024.) Though Peralta has the backing of the local progressive political establishment, and $19,602 in hand as of the end of June, it's her first campaign.

District 2B: Incumbent CTU Champion Faces 40th Ward Dem and "Fierce" Independent

In the Andersonville area, Debby Pope, the incumbent mayoral appointee, faces two challengers: Kyna Lenhof and Daniel Basco. Pope, a retired teacher and CTU stalwart, had $9,841 on hand as of June 30, the most of the three candidates. Lenhof is the treasurer of the 40th Ward Democratic Organization and is also endorsed by Common Ground Collective. CGC and the Illinois Network of Charter Schools both donated in-kind services related to Lenhof's petitions and petition challenges. Daniel Basco describes himself as "fiercely independent" and is self-funded. For an early analysis of where each candidate got their petition signatures, I recommend this blog post from constituent and data analyst Ridge Knapp.

District 3B: Rematch!

In 2024, Carlos Rivas beat Jason Dónes with 54% of the vote. The two men have a lot in common: both grew up in Humboldt Park, both attended selective enrollment high schools (Northside College Prep and Lane Tech, respectively), and both got started in education through Teach for America.

But they differ on charter schools and local politics. Rivas, who supports charter schools, is close with Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36th Ward) and has the support of Common Ground Collective and the Urban Center. In addition to CTU's endorsement, Dónes has the backing of U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, who has also endorsed Peralta and Norma Rios-Sierra, the appointed incumbent in district 3A.

According to the Illinois Sunshine database, Rivas had much more cash on hand at the end of June: $73,098 compared to $13,430 for Dónes. But this is likely to be a well-funded, hard-fought race with plenty of money backing both candidates.

District 4A: The Spear, The Shield and the Wild Card

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? We may be about to find out the answer to the famous spear-and-shield paradox in Uptown/Wrigleyville, where incumbent Karen Zaccor faces first-time campaigners Ellen Sherratt and Angel Alvarez. CTU-backed Zaccor is the unstoppable force who, after years of campaigning for an elected school board, now holds an appointed seat (after losing the District 4 race to Ellen Rosenfeld in 2024); Sherratt, the immovable object endorsed by SEIU, says she wants to help refocus the board on student needs. Alvarez, who has the least resources and no major endorsements, is the wild card, but this analysis from Ridge Knapp suggests Alvarez is likely to siphon votes away from Zaccor.

When it comes to understanding education, though, all of these candidates are powerhouses, each in their own way. In 2024, Zaccor retired from a 28-year career teaching in CPS. Alvarez serves as the president of the CPS Office of Students with Disabilities Family Advisory Board, a group of parents who work closely with the school district to improve services for students with disabilities. Sherratt has had a long career in national education policy, working to increase teacher professionalism and pay.

District 6A is another three-way race, featuring incumbent appointee Anusha Thotakura (who lost in 2024 and was appointed to her seat), ALL Chicago fellow Brenda Lee Anderson, and Common Ground Collective-backed Isaiah White. We'll have more on this race in the coming weeks.

Op-Ed: Chicago's Next School Board Must Put Governance First

By Daniel Anello, Heather Anichini, and Arnie Rivera

This November, voters will elect all 21 members of the Chicago Board of Education for the first time. They will govern a district serving more than 300,000 students, employing 45,000 people, and controlling $10 billion in public funds.

Chicagoans just saw what is at stake. On July 30, the board approved a $10.11 billion CPS budget that assumed $150 million in state revenue that may never materialize. The assumption arrived as a floor amendment on the day of the meeting, without public notice and over the objections of both the Superintendent/CEO and the district's finance team. Board members were told the budget was not balanced and that the amendment posed serious risks to schools, staff, and students. A majority voted for it anyway.

Public trust is already thin. The Fund's recent public opinion poll found that only 40% of Chicago voters trust the current board to act in students' best interests, and nearly three-quarters are not confident CPS is spending its money well.

Our organizations work alongside Chicago schools, principals, families, and community leaders every day. We do not always approach public education from the same perspective, but we share this conviction: students do better when the CBOE governs effectively.

The principles that should guide the next board are not complicated. Good governance centers every decision on student learning and well-being, particularly for the students the system has most consistently underserved. It demands transparent data and holds district leadership accountable for results. It requires honest, long-term fiscal stewardship rather than short-term fixes that leave difficult decisions to future boards. It grounds policy in research, evidence, and the real experiences of students and families, treats authentic parent and community voice as essential, and respects the autonomy of local school communities to make decisions closest to students.

Above all, good governance respects an often-ignored distinction: the board governs, the superintendent manages. When board members cross that line, governance becomes micromanagement and district leadership becomes less effective.

Students pay the price when these principles are ignored. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, only about 2 in 5 CPS students read at grade level, and just 1 in 4 are proficient in math. More than 40% were chronically absent last year. Those numbers demand a board whose attention is on students, not on the political pressures that have consumed so much energy over the last two years.

That is why more than 20 organizations across Chicago, with more signing on, have formally endorsed these principles.

The shift to a fully elected school board was a hard-won reform, driven by communities that wanted a real voice in how their schools are governed. This November, voters have both the opportunity and the responsibility to make that reform deliver on its promise. They can elect leaders who understand that effective governance starts with an unwavering focus on students.

Daniel Anello is CEO of Kids First Chicago. Heather Anichini is CEO of The Chicago Public Education Fund. Arnie Rivera is Executive Director of the Chicago Education Alliance.

Calendar

Thursday, Sept. 3: 46th & 48th Ward School Board Presidential Candidates Forum, 6-7:30 p.m., McCutcheon Branch, 4850 N. Kenmore Ave. RSVP here.

Friday, Sept. 4: Meet & Greet with Hilario Dominguez & Emma Lozano (7A), 5-6:30 p.m., Hair Flow Studio, 1701 W. Cullerton. No RSVP required.

Tuesday, Sept. 15: WTTW Presidential Candidates Forum, 5-6:30 p.m., 5400 N. St. Louis Ave. RSVP here. The forum will be televised and available later on YouTube.

Tuesday, Sept. 15: Community Watch Party for the WTTW Forum, 4-7 p.m., Malcolm X College, 1900 W. Jackson Blvd. Refreshments and free parking will be available. RSVP here.

Saturday, Sept. 19: District Candidates Forum, sponsored by the Chicago Public Education Fund, Kids First Chicago, and the Chicago Education Alliance, 10:30 a.m., Intentional Sports, 1841 N. Laramie Ave. RSVP here.

Wednesday, Sept. 30, District 3 Community Forum, including all candidates running in Districts 3A and 3B, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Pritzker College Prep, 4131 W. Cortland St. RSVP via QR code here.

Final Note: Early Voting Date Change

Early voting in Chicago will begin on October 1 at the New Downtown Voting SuperSite, 137 S. State St., and at the Chicago Board of Elections offices, 69 W. Washington, 6th Floor.

You can request to vote by mail now through October 29.