Chicago, Illinois: Jessica Biggs Declares Victory in First Elected School Board President Race

Former principal and current board member Jessica Biggs declared victory on Tuesday night in the race to become the first elected president of the Chicago Board of Education, capping the first election in which Chicago voters chose the entire 21 member board. Biggs addressed supporters at her watch party with roughly 60 percent of the vote counted and almost half of all votes cast going to her. The Associated Press has not yet projected a winner in the race.

A count snapshot reported by The Real Deal just before 9:30 p.m. put Biggs at 201,030 votes, or 49.5 percent, ahead of former Chicago Teachers Union official Hilario Dominguez at 122,381 votes, or 30.1 percent. Attorney Victor Henderson had 71,506 votes, or 17.6 percent, and Sendhil Revuluri, who suspended his campaign but remained on the ballot, had 11,144 votes, or 2.7 percent.

Why the job matters

The board makes policy and fiscal decisions for Chicago Public Schools, which serves more than 315,000 students, about three quarters of them from low income households, according to state data cited by FOX 32. It votes on a nearly $10 billion budget that funds 626 schools and more than 45,000 employees, and it hires the district superintendent. Earlier this year the board picked Macquline King to lead CPS.

The president sets the board's agenda and direction. Come January, the president will also be a full voting member, after being able to cast only tie breaking votes until now, Chalkbeat reported. The full board will consist of a president elected districtwide and 20 other members, each representing a subdistrict within CPS.

A costly and tense race

Biggs, a former CPS principal, was backed by SEIU Local 73, the union for CPS support workers, and by the Common Ground Collective, a political action group heavily funded by billionaire Democratic philanthropist Michael Sacks. Dominguez, a former CPS teacher backed by the Chicago Teachers Union, promised to push for more state dollars and preschool for all city 3 year olds. Henderson, whose campaign was largely self funded, pledged more transparency and a forensic audit of CPS spending.

"For too long decisions about our schools have been made in the backrooms of City Hall, and families have been left to live with the consequences," Biggs told supporters. "Tonight that changes." She also named the work ahead directly: "The challenges facing our district are enormous, from our finances to our enrollment to the trust we need to rebuild with families. But our resolve is just as big."

Dominguez struck a defiant tone at the teachers union headquarters. "Keep your head up, Chicago," he said. "We got to get back to work tomorrow. In this city, we answer to no billionaires."

More than $6 million had been spent on the campaign as of mid October, FOX 32 reported, including about $2.6 million from the Common Ground Collective. The election also came after the sitting board passed a budget aimed at closing a $730 million deficit that counted on $150 million in state funding that has not been approved.

State lawmakers passed bills in 2021 and 2024 laying the groundwork for the fully elected board, ending the system in which the mayor appointed at least part of the board. The new term for board members elected this November will begin on Jan. 15, 2027.