Chicago Teachers Union could have advantage on new school board
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The two major funders of the Chicago school board race are both claiming victory after Tuesday's election.
Why it matters: School board campaign funds came primarily from the Chicago Teachers Union or the Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) and other school-choice proponents, with each side getting at least three candidates elected to the first-ever elected school board.
Yes, but: Mayor Brandon Johnson, a close ally of the CTU, will select the remaining 11 of the 21-member board, making it likely that CTU-backed policies will have more support on the board.
Zoom in: The 10 races broke down like this:
- CTU-endorsed Ebony DeBerry (2nd District), Jitu Brown (5th) and Yesenia Lopez (7th) won;
- INCS PAC-backed Carlos Rivas (3rd), Ellen Rosenfeld (4th) and Angel Gutierrez (8th) won; and
- Candidate Jessica Biggs, who wasn't backed by CTU or INCS, won in the 6th.
The latest: Races in the 1st, 9th and 10th districts were still too close to call as of Wednesday night, but CTU-supported Jennifer Custer is ahead in the 1st and un-endorsed Therese Boyle and Che "Rhymefest" Smith are ahead in the 9th and 10th, respectively.
Flashback: Johnson appointed seven members to the school board last month after his previous hand-selected board resigned, and just last week his board president resigned amid accusations of antisemitism and misogyny based on his social media posts.
Context: In the final weeks, the race became a referendum on Johnson, with school choice candidates telling voters in ads that their CTU-funded opponents would advance Johnson's "reckless payday loan" proposal to borrow $300 million to fund the pension and CTU contract.
- CTU-backed campaigns accused school choice opponents of being MAGA and Project 2025 supporters and taking money from out-of-state billionaires such as former Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.
- "I didn't expect how nasty the other side was going to be against me," District 3 winner Carlos Rivas tells Axios. "There were so many attack mailers and internet ads comparing me to Donald Trump, saying I was backed by Republicans, which is such a lie."
What they're saying: "Project 2025-aligned billionaires lost big in Chicago. Despite all they invested to block our union's vision for public schools, they won't be able to stop Chicago's commitment to finally delivering for communities who have been told to go without for generations," CTU president Stacy Davis Gates said in a statement.
The other side: "Despite CTU's best efforts, independent candidates prevailed because Chicagoans know students are more important than politics. Now that campaigning is over, we look forward to partnering in good faith with all CPS board members to advance the interests of our city's school children," INCS Action president Andrew Broy said.
What's next: Johnson still has at least five more appointments to make to the board, assuming he is willing and able to keep the six members who were just sworn in. All of Johnson's picks must live in a different part of the district than the members who were elected.
- The new 21-member board will meet for the first time in January.