Millions raised in Chicago school board race

Catch up quick: State legislators divided the city into 10 school districts and voters will elect one board member from their district, while the mayor will select a second person from the same district, to make up 20 members.

• The mayor will also appoint another person to be board president.

Friction point: The now seven-member board resigned en masse earlier this month over disagreements with Johnson on how to plug the deficit.

• CPS CEO Pedro Martinez pushed back on Johnson's idea for a high-interest loan to get the money.

The latest: Some candidates are using the Johnson-Martinez turmoil as a talking point in the final days of the campaign, calling CTU-backed opponents fiscally irresponsible if they don't reject Johnson's spending plan.

• Aaron "Jitu" Brown, the only name on the ballot in the 5th District, said at a recent Chalkbeat forum that if a loan meant keeping resources in "Black and brown schools" then he would support it.
• Ellen Rosenfeld in the 4th District is using the proposed loan to attack her opponents.

Follow the money: More than $4 million has been poured into the races, according to the Sun-Times. That's about the same as was spent on the Cook County state's attorney primary, the Trib reported.

• The biggest contributions have come from CTU political funds and committees, Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS)-backed committees and the Urban Center Action, chaired by former charter schools head Juan Rangel.
• INCS Action's committees have spent about $600,000 on the races, according to campaign finance reports from July to September.
• CTU committees have contributed about $375,000 in the same period.
• Individual donations make up a significant portion.

Zoom in: CTU has referred to opponents of their endorsed candidates as "backed by out-of-state billionaires and extreme Trump Republicans with a dangerous Project 2025 agenda."

• CTU-endorsed candidate Jason Dones, running in the 3rd District, has raised three times as much as his opponent, Carlos Rivas. Dones' campaign has distributed flyers claiming Rivas is propped up by "villains," including former CPS CEO Paul Vallas and former charter operator Juan Rangel.
• Vallas has not made an individual contribution, according to campaign disclosures, but Rangel has given $500 to Rivas.

The other side: INCS-backed candidates are taking aim at CTU-backed candidates, saying the union and Johnson oppose school choice and are trying to close selective enrollment schools.

Yes, but: The mayor and CTU have always been open about more support for neighborhood schools, but Johnson said in May closing selective enrollment schools is not on the table.

Between the lines: The districts that have seen the most cash pour in are:

• District 2 on the far North Side, including Andersonville and Rogers Park, with candidates Ebony L. DeBerry (CTU-backed), Maggie Cullerton Hooper, Kate Doyle and Bruce Leon.
• District 7 on the Southwest Side, including Pilsen, Brighton Park and parts of Bridgeport, with candidates Yesenia Lopez (CTU), Eva A. Villalobos (INCS-backed), and Raquel Don.
• District 10 on the Southeast side, stretching from Bronzeville to South Chicago, with Adam Parrott-Sheffer, Che "Rhymefest" Smith, Karin Norington-Reaves (INCS) and Robert Jones (CTU) running.

What's next: The new mayor-selected board has its first meeting this Friday. Some members could stick around if Johnson chooses them as part of his 11 appointees after the election.

Go deeper: Chalkbeat has a comprehensive breakdown of the race and the Sun-Times has questionnaires with each candidate.