Prospective candidates for Chicago’s first fully elected school board lined the block Monday morning to submit nomination petitions and vie for a spot on the ballot.
Flanked by family members and campaign representatives, board hopefuls turned in hundreds of signatures to advance their campaigns to the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners.
First in line was Andre Smith, a staffer saving a place for board president candidate Victor Henderson. Smith had claimed his spot at 11 p.m. the night before, settling into a gray folding chair just outside the building’s glass doors in the Loop.
“Good thing it was warm. I ate, used the washroom before I came, and camped out,” Smith said with a laugh. “I just sat here and waited.”
The board overseeing Chicago Public Schools is in a two-year transition period, with 11 mayoral appointees and 10 elected representatives. This year, all 21 seats will be on the ballot; candidates have until Tuesday, May 26, to file their nominating papers.
As of early afternoon Monday, 26 candidates had filed, including four contenders for the at-large president position.
Monday’s line was a tableau of Chicago education politicians, incumbents and fresh-faced challengers alike seeking to leave their mark on a historic election. The race is the product of more than a decade of community advocacy, and has long been championed by progressives as a vehicle for equity and democratic governance.
Henderson, a business attorney who serves on the board of Urban Prep Academies charter network, said it was “important” to be first in line. Any candidate who arrived prior to 9 a.m. will be entered in a lottery to appear at the top of the ballot.
“It shows the work that we’re putting in, it shows our commitment, it shows our dedication, it shows that we’re serious,” Henderson said.
Board hopefuls must submit between 500 and 1,500 signatures to appear on the ballot. Those seeking the at-large president position must turn in no fewer than 1,500. Along with signatures, candidates needed a notarized statement of candidacy and a statement of economic interests — a financial disclosure form to prevent conflicts of interest.
“There’s really good energy. I feel like a sense of camaraderie that extends beyond typical party lines, which feels good,” said elected board member Jessica Biggs, who is running for president. “There’s a shared experience that everybody just went through to get on the ballot.”
Also running for board president are Northwest Side board member Jennifer Custer and former board appointee Sendhil Revuluri.
Appointed incumbent Karen Zaccor said she took a selfie with two candidates running against her to represent District 4A on the North Side — who, coincidentally, lined up beside each other.
“Everybody has to deal with the trials and tribulations of the petitions,” Zaccor said. “We don’t have to be mean to each other. We don’t have to be mean to each other ever.”
Many said it was a challenge to collect hundreds of signatures while balancing personal and professional obligations. An added obstacle, according to incumbent Ebony DeBerry, is that voters are often unaware of the transition to an elected body. A December poll from Kids First Chicago found that just 10% of respondents could name their board members.
“I’m hoping that in the next few months, people will take notice and start looking into who the candidates are, and figuring out that it doesn’t matter whether they have children in the system or not,” said DeBerry, who represents District 2A on the Far North Side.
If a candidate is elected to the seat of an appointed member, they will serve a two-year term. If they are elected to fill the expired term of an elected member, they will serve a four-year term.
Prospective candidates will likely face petition challenges, an often convoluted ballot process where the legitimacy of signatures is formally contested. In 2024, more than half of board candidates faced objections, and more than a dozen ultimately dropped out.
Still, the long campaign season ahead didn’t seem to dampen the day’s excitement. Jason Dónes, who ran and lost in 2024, brought his mother and his two young sons with him to file. Last election, he was a “doe-eyed dad” and a political newcomer, Dónes said. Now he feels more prepared.
“With this fully elected board, it’s a beautiful opportunity for parents and community members to be heard,” said Dónes, who is running for District 3B on the Northwest Side. “It feels like an immense responsibility, and it also feels like a privilege.”
