Chicago is holding its first full Board of Education election, with all 21 seats on the ballot as the city moves toward a fully elected system.
Chicago had its inaugural school board election in 2024 and is set to have its second election November 3, but this one will look slightly different than the last.
This fall, all 21 seats on the Board of Education will be up for election. The city’s first fully elected school board will begin its term in January 2027.
From appointed positions to elections
Ten of the current members were elected in 2024, and Mayor Brandon Johnson appointed individuals to the remaining 11 seats, including that of the board president.
Prior to implementing a hybrid system in 2024, the Chicago Board of Education operated with only appointees. And for the last nearly 30 years, the mayor made appointments.
The election map categorizes Chicago into 10 districts, each of which is further broken down into two subdistricts. The subdistricts follow a lettered naming system within each numbered district. For example, District 1 contains subdistricts 1A and 1B. This pattern applies for all districts.
In November, the city will vote on a new board president, and each of the 20 subdistricts will elect one representative. The length of those terms will vary based on whether the current seat holder was elected or appointed.
Subdistricts with an elected incumbent will send their new member to a four-year term, while those with an appointed incumbent will have their new member serving two years. After that, elections will be offset so that half of the seats come up for a vote every two years.
Why does the shift to a fully elected Chicago Public Schools board matter?
This transition – fueled by concerns about inequitable school closures, underfunding and a board that didn’t reflect the needs of parents and students – has been a long time coming.
Historically, the Chicago Board of Education has been appointed by the mayor and has often included members drawn from business or political networks rather than directly elected neighborhood representatives. Critics argue this can distance decision-making from local school communities.
Reform advocates argue that representatives who are elected by communities will be more aligned with the needs of families. They hope to see more community control and accountability.
“When you have people who are independent and really represent the will of the people, you can see governance shift,” said Jennifer Custer, Far Northwest Side District 1B representative. Custer also noted that elected representatives are more attuned to communities’ priorities and needs for schools. “I don’t know that under appointed boards, that level of care has always been given.”
A fully elected board could generate more responsive decision-making due to board members’ geographic ties to the individuals they represent.
“Everybody’s going to have a responsibility to their community first and foremost,” said Therese Boyle, who has held the Southwest Side District 9B board seat since Jan. 2025. .
Families are optimistic that the change will result in their voices being heard.
“Parents still hold a lot of hope for how having a more representative elected school board, what it could mean for their communities and their families and their schools,” said Kristin Pollock, Chief Operating Officer at Kids First Chicago.
What will change when Chicago’s Board of Education is elected?
Current board members and education advocates say the shift to a fully elected board has potential to decrease mayoral influence.
“I’m really, really looking forward to having a fully elected board that is going to be able to reflect the needs and wants of the community and not necessarily the whims and desires of the mayor,” said Carlos Rivas, a lifelong Humboldt Park resident who was elected in 2025 to represent District 3B.
“Hopefully the interests of the students and of the families and of the welfare of Chicago Public Schools will be top of mind for all of the people that are elected, and there won’t be any other agendas that come from any other offices,” said Ellen Rosenfeld, who represented District 4B, which includes Lincoln Park and Lake View.
However, some raise concerns, noting that the elected system isn’t foolproof and that it is possible for big money to play an influential role.
“When you have big money interfering in an election, and you skew perceptions of candidates to the full electorate, then you may end up with candidates that are not reflective of people’s values,” said Anusha Thotakura, the North Side District 6A board member.
Pollock echoed Thotakura’s concerns, adding that big money can also make elections less accessible for everyday people to enter, especially when there are no campaign spending limits.
“If we really do want a fully elected school board that is inclusive to families within Chicago Public Schools, we have to consider what measures we need to make it accessible for them to participate: to run and serve,” she said. “Right now, it’s a really tall order for just anybody to be able to serve.”
School board members are not compensated for their work, according to board bylines.
Some argue that creates a barrier to participation, limiting representation to those with ample time and resources. While the elected system is meant to broaden parental involvement, it may still exclude working parents who are unlikely to find time for meetings, school visits and events on top of a full-time job.
“Your regular parent voice, do they have the resources and the ability to do this role?” said Boyle, who raised questions about whether parents really have the time and money necessary to serve as unpaid representatives.
“Are they going to be able to say, ‘I need to take off two days a month to attend board meetings, and I need to take off to visit my schools or to go to this community event?’” Boyle said. “I think it’s a little prohibitive of just your everyday parent for participating, and that’s a little bit of a concern to me because I don’t know how they do it.”
What does a Chicago Public Schools board member actually do?
Debby Pope described the roles of board members as “setting policy and direction for a district.”
The board is responsible for making large-scale, crucial decisions pertaining to the CEO and budget, Rivas told TCR.
“The budget is something that affects every single student and family in the district, and that’s one of our biggest jobs,” he said.
Additionally, many board members engage with their district by visiting schools to learn more about the community they serve and understand each school’s unique needs, Rivas said.
Many active board members reported that fulfilling their duties consumes more than 25 hours per week, including time spent in meetings, as well as site visits and community engagement.
According to board bylines, individual members don’t have any independent legal authority. They only have power when acting together as part of the board at an official meeting, meaning the board is not responsible for anything a single member says or does unless it was authorized by the board.
Who can run for a seat on Chicago’s Board of Education?
Illinois law says that in order to serve on the Chicago Board of Education, an individual must be a citizen of the United States and a registered voter as well as a resident of the city, district and subdistrict they plan to represent for at least one year.
Baltazar Enriquez, president of the Little Village Community Council, which houses Equal Education for Latinos, raised concerns with the eligibility standards.
He noted that many Chicago residents involved in the Chicago Public Schools community – specifically green card holders and undocumented immigrants – are excluded from the decision making process. He wishes the bylines were more inclusive and allowed all city residents, regardless of their immigration status, to participate.
“If they could revisit that and say, ‘Let’s turn this around. Let the city of Chicago residents decide and make the decisions. And that’s including everyone, not just some,’” Enriquez said. “That will be a big win for us.”