Rosenfeld Retains Lake County School Board Seat in Uncontested Vote

Incumbent Ellen Rosenfeld won a second term on the Chicago Board of Education for District 4b on Tuesday after finishing the general election without an opponent. Rosenfeld is the sole representative for the North Side district, which includes Lincoln Park, North Center, Lake View, and Logan Square.

Rosenfeld previously won the seat in 2024, defeating five other candidates in a contested race. She has served as the board’s district engagement specialist since leaving her prior role in Chicago Public Schools family and community engagement. She now treats board service as her full-time position.

Despite having no rivals on the ballot, Rosenfeld raised more than $100,000 in campaign contributions. The majority of these funds came from individual donors. This total exceeded the fundraising amounts of several candidates running in competitive districts. The Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council, which represents Chicago Public Schools support staff, has backed her candidacy. Other groups that oppose the Chicago Teachers Union also provided support.

Rosenfeld aligns with a bloc of seven board members who have frequently opposed the majority faction comprised of mayor-appointed seats and elected allies. She has argued that the current board structure creates political friction that hinders decision making. She stated that the next fully elected board should focus on academic improvement, specifically raising reading proficiency and lowering chronic absenteeism.

Rosenfeld described chronic absenteeism as a primary concern for the district. She emphasized that the board needs to agree on specific goals to improve the school system. Without a shared vision, it is almost impossible to get the good stuff done, she said.

District 4b contains 18 schools. The district includes high-performing neighborhood schools, magnet programs, and Lane Tech College Prep, a selective-enrollment high school. Families in this district choose their neighborhood schools at higher rates than in many other Chicago school board districts.

Student demographics in District 4b differ from the citywide average. Approximately 46% of students are white, 25% are Hispanic, 12% are Black, and 9% are Asian American. These figures were compiled by Chalkbeat. The district also had the highest share of schools receiving the state’s top academic rating of exemplary in the previous school year.