Overview
- On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Chicagoans voted to fill all 21 seats on the Board of Education and the citywide president position in the first-ever fully elected school board contest.
- The president’s race is a high-profile three-way contest between Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez, and Victor Henderson that attracted heavy outside spending and union endorsements.
- Dozens of district races have become direct CTU-versus–pro–school‑choice battles with deep-pocketed PACs such as the Common Ground Collective, the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, and The Urban Center pouring millions into campaigns.
- Voters will decide how the board addresses CPS’ roughly $10 billion budget shortfall, declining enrollment, and choices over school consolidations versus taxing wealthy residents or cutting costs.
- The election follows state laws passed in 2021 and 2024 that created the fully elected board and will reshape who sets district priorities when the new term begins on Jan. 15, 2027.