Candidates Announced for Chicago School Board President

A Historic Election for Chicago’s School Board

In a significant change for Chicago, all 21 school board seats will appear on the November ballot. Previously, the board comprised seven mayoral appointees. Now, it transitions over two years, with a mix of elected and appointed members—10 elected and 11 appointed.

Meet the Candidates

Jessica Biggs

Jessica Biggs, currently representing parts of downtown and the South Side, runs for president of the Chicago Board of Education. As a Southwest Organizing Project director and former Chicago Public Schools principal, she aims to stabilize the district’s financial situation. Biggs emphasizes collaborative work among board members to prioritize education and school improvement.

“We spent a lot of the last year, probably two years, in a political back-and-forth, and it feels like Chicago deserves to get back to a focus on teaching and learning, students, school improvement,” Biggs stated.

Jennifer Custer

Jennifer Custer emerged as a vocal critic of Chicago Public Schools’ civic initiative. Despite her 2024 election support from the Chicago Teachers Union, she often votes independently. Custer is running to prepare the board for future success, reflecting on past decisions during her tenure.

“Throughout this year-and-a-half process, there’s been so many times that I reflected on, ‘What if we did that differently?’” Custer remarked.

Hilario Domínguez

CTU political director Hilario Domínguez joins the presidential race. Formerly a special education teacher, he aims to protect Chicago Public Schools from financial cuts and advocates for more state funding. His work with the union was pivotal during Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2023 campaign.

Victor Henderson

Victor Henderson, a civil litigation attorney, seeks the school board presidency. His work with Urban Prep Academies inspired him to enter the race. He criticizes the political focus over educational issues, advocating for a shift towards student learning.

“I think it’s just emblematic of how there’s too much politics in the system. There’s too much talk of City Hall and who supports the mayor, and not nearly enough talk of study hall,” Henderson stated.

Sendhil Revuluri

Sendhil Revuluri, a former Board of Education vice president, announces his candidacy. He aims to unify the board and focus on student learning. Revuluri emphasizes the widespread agreement across communities to enhance student education, providing future opportunities.

“There is a massive consensus across Chicago, in every neighborhood, across different identities, different affiliations, that we want our students to learn as much as they can, because that’s how we give them opportunity in the future,” noted Revuluri.