Chicago Holds Forum for First Elected School Board President

Chicago’s 46th Ward Democrats held the first major forum for the first ever elected school board candidates 6-7:30pm Aug. 27 at McCutcheon STEAM Elementary School. The event, located in the Uptown neighborhood, drew a crowd of approximately 350 people. 

For the first time in Chicago’s nearly 200 year history, the city is preparing to vote for a fully elected school board. In the past, school board employees have always been appointed, according to the Chicago Board of Education. Whoever wins this race will be in charge of the $10 billion Chicago Public Schools (CPS) budget and the school system’s over 300,000 kids. Questions were submitted before the forum and the four candidates had a 60 second period to respond. 

In attendance were the four candidates — Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez, Victor Henderson and Senhil Revuluri.

Forum organizer and 46th Ward Committeeperson Sean Tenner said there hasn’t been much media coverage on the forum. Polls show voters aren’t familiar with the candidates and remain undecided. This forum was many people’s first exposure to any candidate outside of their past campaigns, Tenner said.

“It takes a lot of work, so I appreciate everybody who helped out on this one,” Tenner said. “We in the 46 and 48th wards are very engaged electorates. Forty-six and 48 are among the highest turnout wards in the city, and people take their government and their politics seriously.”

Questions were submitted before the forum, and the four candidates had a 60 second period to respond. 

When the questions started, Moderators Laura Washington and Stephanie Skora said the president will inherit the decision-making for the $732 million deficit, school success rates, special education resources, sustainable community models, enrollment and affordability. 

Tenner said he strategically chose McCutcheon Elementary School to host the forum to highlight the school and its specific needs, highlighting that over 20% of the school’s population is unhoused at any given time and there are large numbers of students with special needs and IEPs

Alderwoman Angela Clay of the 46th Ward said out of the 322 students at the school, 86% of students come from low-income households, 150 of them are English learners and over 100 students have IEPs. 

Former CPS principal and current CPS board member Jessica Biggs said her presidential campaign operates around four pillars — students, community, finances and governance.

“This is a real opportunity to have families, students, communities, voices represented in spaces where big critical decisions are being made about them,” Biggs said. 

She said some major focuses of her campaign are standing up for federal funding resources and making sure Chicago’s schools are protected from current threats of the Trump administration against immigrant students, LGBTQ+ students and transgender kids. 

“It’s really important that we get this right so that we can deliver a better experience for families all across the city to make sure students really have access to high quality schools and options in their neighborhood, and that we can rebuild some trust with families all across the system,” Biggs said.

CPS graduate and former special education teacher at Cooper Elementary, Hilario Dominguez said his campaign aims to begin universal pre-K starting at three-years-old, offer healthier school food and promote a Sustainable Community School district under the SCS model. 

Dominguez is the only candidate who was educated and taught by CPS, which he believes gives him a unique perspective on the students in the school system and their communities, especially vulnerable students such as those of color.

“Right now, we have opponents talking about school closings at a time where our Black and Brown students continue to be left behind,” Dominguez said. “We need to make sure that we are investing in our schools including schools like Drake that have a full time clinic, rather than closing them when we know school closings don’t work. It doesn’t save us money, and it increases violence in the area.” 

Former teacher and former Vice President of the Chicago Board of Education Sendhil Revuluri said he’s campaigning around student success rates, community engagement and reality-based budgeting. In the forum, he said he believes public schools are one of the best investments and that there should be more advocacy for funding since the district is facing a $732 million deficit. 

“I’m running for president of the board because we have to put our students first, and that means facing reality,” Revuluri said in the forum. “It means making choices that may sometimes be hard, uncomfortable or unfamiliar. It means we have to do what our students need, even if it’s not what we’re used to doing.”

Revuluri’s team did not respond to The Phoenix’s requests for further comment.

Attorney and former President of the Chicago Bar Association Victor Henderson said he’s campaigning around families, student success, communities and fiscal responsibility. In the forum, he said he believes when it comes to student success rates, more instruction time is critical. He said even though it’s a difficult conversation to have, it’s a simple solution — more instruction time means students will do better.

“The issue is having somebody who is tough and will make the tough decisions that need to be made at CPS,” Henderson said in the forum. “One of the main differences between me and the other candidates is that I don’t know anybody at CPS, and I don’t owe anybody at CPS, which means I will be 100% independent.” 

Henderson’s team didn’t respond to The Phoenix’s request for further comment.

The election will be held Nov. 3, and the new president will serve a four-year term. More than 1,200 polling locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Illinois registered voters. Early voting begins Oct. 19 in all 50 wards and runs through election day. Vote by mail applications are open until Oct. 29 at 5 p.m.