Jessica Biggs leads first elected Chicago School Board president race

Jessica Biggs holds 50 percent of the vote in the race for the first elected president of the Chicago Board of Education. The Associated Press reported this lead as of Tuesday, with 76 percent of precincts reporting. Hilario Dominguez trails with 30 percent of the vote. Attorney Victor Henderson has 17 percent.

Biggs declared victory at an election night party in River North before the race was officially called. Dominguez had not conceded by 9:30 pm. The winner will take office in January and work with 20 other board members to set goals for Chicago Public Schools. The role is unpaid. The president will represent the board publicly, run monthly meetings, and help set the agenda for a body that oversees a roughly $10 billion annual budget.

Biggs said she will focus on improving student learning and building a coalition with state partners to secure more funding for the district. She also vowed to protect students from attacks by President Donald Trump. “The road ahead will not be easy, the challenges facing our district are enormous, from our finances to our enrollment to the trust that we need to rebuild with families,” Biggs said. “But our resolve is just as big.”

The president’s race attracted the majority of campaign funds. Candidates raised more than $8.3 million directly, with $5.2 million going to the presidential race. Biggs raised nearly $1.9 million. Dominguez raised $1.7 million. Henderson raised about $700,000, most of which he loaned himself. Super PACs spent $13.9 million on the race. Of that total, $3.5 million went to oppose Dominguez. PACs funded by the Chicago Teachers Union spent $577,000 to support him.

Biggs built a coalition that included the Service Employees International Union Local 73. She also received $1 million from billionaire Michael Sacks. Dominguez ran as the choice of the Chicago Teachers Union. He served as the union’s former deputy political director and is currently a CPS special education teacher on leave. Henderson campaigned on fiscal responsibility and student achievement, despite lacking prior experience as an educator.

The board faces a budget shortfall. The current budget relies on additional state funding during a veto session later this month. Governor JB Pritzker said last month that he is not certain lawmakers can meet the district’s needs mid-year. The board assumed $150 million in state funds, a figure Mayor Brandon Johnson later reduced to $110 million in his budget plan. The plan also includes $286 million in tax increment financing dollars for CPS.

CPS enrollment declined by 11,500 students this year to 304,700. This is the lowest number in more than two decades. The district needs $1.9 billion more from the state to reach adequate funding levels. The district currently has 70 percent of the funds it needs, down from 73 percent last year.