Your guide to the Chicago school board election
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Voters this November will be making history as they select members of Chicago's first elected school board.
The big picture: The current seven-member board is appointed by the mayor, but after November's election, the board will increase to 21 members, 10 of whom are elected and the remaining 11 filled by Mayor Brandon Johnson.
- The idea is to ease into a fully elected board, which will happen by 2027.
Why it matters: The Chicago Board of Education holds a lot of power, overseeing the fourth largest public school district in the country, with about 325,000 students and a $9 billion budget.
- School board members are responsible for hiring and evaluating CPS' CEO, approving contracts, the budget and districtwide policies.
Catch up quick: The state legislature passed a law in 2021 to establish a 21-member elected board, ending 30 years of mayoral control of CPS.
Between the lines: Supporters of an elected board have argued for years that allowing residents to pick the members is more democratic and makes members accountable to the public, not just the mayor. They've argued that previous mayor-controlled boards have approved damaging policies, like the closing of 50 schools in 2013.
State of play: 32 candidates are on November's ballot representing 10 districts. Voters select one person to represent the district where they live and the mayor will pick the second member of each district, plus the board president.
- Each district includes roughly 275,000 residents, per Chalkbeat.
Zoom in: Some races are more crowded than others, including the 4th District, which includes neighborhoods like Lakeview and Edgewater and has six people on the ballot.
- In the 10th district, which includes Hyde Park, Kenwood and Bronzeville, four candidates are running.
- No districts are uncontested.
- Candidates include CPS parents, former teachers, community organizers and former union leaders.
- Chalkbeat has a complete list of who's running.
The intrigue: Campaign dollars so far have mainly been pouring in for union-backed candidates and from supporters of charter schools, while independent candidates have received smaller, individual contributions.
What's next: Early voting begins Oct. 3 in the Loop and on Oct. 21 in all 50 wards. Vote by mail ballots will be sent out starting Sept. 26.