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Mixed results for CTU as Chicagoans vote for first elected school board

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Published  November 6, 2024 12:29pm CST
Chicago School Board
FOX 32 Chicago

Chicago's first elected school board comes into focus after election

The makeup of Chicago's first elected school board is coming into view.

The Brief

    • Chicago's first elected school board took shape after a highly contested election involving significant spending and endorsements from both the Chicago Teachers Union and charter school supporters.
    • While four CTU-backed candidates won, the results were mixed, with the union facing both victories and setbacks.
    • Mayor Brandon Johnson retains the power to appoint 11 more members until the board is fully elected in 2027, leaving the future of CPS leadership uncertain.

CHICAGO - The makeup of Chicago's first elected school board is coming into view.

More than $5 million was spent on these races to help shape the future of the beleaguered Chicago Public Schools system.

It pitted special interests such as the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) against charter school companies. Voters went to the polls in 10 districts throughout the city.

Here are the winners, or those who are up, with only a few precincts left to be counted (from District 1-10): Jennifer Custer, Ebony Debarry, Carlos Rivas, Ellen Rosenfeld, Aaron "Jitu" Brown, Jessica Biggs, Yesenia Lopez, Angel Guzman, Therese Boyle and Che "Rhymefest" Smith.

The CTU made endorsements in all of these races. Four of their endorsed candidates won, although one ran unopposed and another has been critical of the union.

The election elicited mixed results for the CTU who had spent a lot of their members' money on a school board takeover.

Mayor Brandon Johnson will still get to appoint 11 other members until 2027, when all members will be elected, meaning the future of CPS CEO Pedro Martinez is in doubt, as the mayor and CTU have expressed desire for him to step down. 

The CTU had sought to tie opposing candidates to Donald Trump, Republican billionares and Project 2025. Some of the opposing candidates sought to tie the CTU candidates to Johnson. At the end of the day, the election results were a mixed bag.

CTU President Stacy Davis Gates called it a victory, saying in a statement: "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."