Overview
- The city held the election Tuesday for all 21 school board seats and the first elected board president in a contest that could shift who sets policy for Chicago Public Schools.
- Outside groups and PACs have poured millions into the campaign, with more than $5 million reported in the three-way president’s race and heavy spending in many district contests.
- The vote is a proxy fight between Chicago Teachers Union–aligned incumbents and challengers backed by pro–school-choice groups and the Common Ground Collective, which is funded by billionaire Michael Sacks.
- Top issues driving voter choices include CPS’s roughly $10 billion budget shortfalls, falling enrollment that prompts talk of school consolidations, and sharply divided positions on charter expansion and classroom priorities.
- Low public awareness of the new election and its stakes raises the chance that turnout will shape control of CPS and could signal political momentum ahead of next year’s mayoral contest.