The School Board Election, Explained: What’s at Stake on Your November Ballot

Written by Lisa Wright, Director of Government Affairs, CASL

CASL is a nonpartisan nonprofit and does not endorse any candidate or party. This post is for voter education only.

For Chicago residents, one of the most-discussed races on the November general election ballot is the Chicago Board of Education (CBOE, or “the Board”). The 2026 election is historic: for the first time, every seat on the Board, including the president, is up for election. Who voters choose will shape the Board’s priorities and lay the foundation that future Boards will build on.

The Board dates back to 1840. For most of its history, its members were appointed by the mayor, and in recent decades it has had between five and seven members. In 2021, Governor J.B. Pritzker signed landmark legislation transitioning the Board from an appointed body to an elected one. In 2024, the Illinois General Assembly passed a follow-up bill with a more detailed transition plan.

The push for an elected board grew out of years of frustration with the appointed Board, including its 2013 decision to close dozens of schools. Those closures eroded trust among families, students, and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). The legislation aims to rebuild that trust with a Board that better reflects each district’s students and their needs.

Since January 2025, the Board has operated as a hybrid: 11 members appointed by the mayor and 10 elected by voters. It becomes a fully elected body in 2027.

In short, the Board governs CPS and oversees its finances. In practice, it shapes public education in four key areas:

1. Leadership: The Board hires the CPS CEO, evaluates the CEO’s performance, and holds the CEO accountable for running the district day to day and keeping it in compliance.
2. Policy and priorities: The Board sets educational priorities and policies for all Chicago public schools. That includes which schools stay open or close, which schools receive funding for building upgrades, and what CPS’s sexual health education policy covers.
3. Budget: The Board approves and monitors CPS’s annual budget of roughly $10 billion. That includes decisions on staff layoffs and the power to raise local property taxes to fund schools. CPS faces a deficit of more than $700 million, driven by declining enrollment, debt from borrowing (an estimated $9 billion), and other long-standing financial pressures. Like many districts nationwide, CPS also lost the federal COVID-19 relief funding that ended in September 2024.
4. Contracts: The Board gives final approval on all contracts and collective bargaining agreements (CBAs), including the CTU agreement that sets teacher salaries. It also oversees charter schools, which are independently operated but publicly funded.

All 21 seats are up for election. This is the only election in which every seat is on the ballot at once:

• Board President: one seat, four-year term
• 10 district seats with four-year terms
• 10 district seats with two-year terms

The president leads Board meetings, sets meeting agendas, and is elected citywide. The other 20 members represent districts. The city is divided into 10 school board districts, and each one is split into two subdistricts (for example, 1A and 1B), so every district has two representatives.

That means each voter casts two school board votes in November: one for their subdistrict representative and one for president.

Under state law, the terms are staggered so that only half the Board is up for election at a time after this cycle. This preserves continuity and institutional knowledge, much like the U.S. Senate, where only a third of seats are up in any given election.

Find your CPS board district and representative here: https://www.cps.edu/about/chicago-board-of-education/member-map/

Even if you don’t have children in CPS, a larger share of your property taxes goes to CPS than to any other local government. CPS serves about 300,000 students at more than 600 schools in the 2026–27 school year. Beyond setting priorities, policies, and the budget, the Board affects your daily life more than you might expect, and you decide who holds that power.

It’s about your taxes. The Board can raise local property taxes and decides how local, state, and federal funding is distributed to schools. On Cook County property tax bills, CPS accounts for roughly half of every dollar. The Board has long relied on annual property tax increases to cover rising costs.

Renters, this affects you too. Property taxes are billed to landlords and are often passed on through rent.

It’s an investment in your community. Many people stay close to family for school and work, and many who leave the city return when they start families, often because having grandparents nearby helps with childcare. Strong neighborhood schools build a stronger local workforce, encourage residents to stay, and tend to support property values.

It’s your voice. Your vote decides who speaks for you on education issues. If you feel the current Board hasn’t served your community well, this is your chance to choose someone who will. If you think your representative is doing a good job, this is your chance to keep them. The better the Board reflects your community’s needs, the better the long-term outcomes for your community.

• Chicago Sun-Times Chicago School Board Voter Guide (English, Spanish, Chinese)
• City Cast Chicago podcast, “What You Need to Know for School Board Elections”
• WBEZ and Chicago Sun-Times School Board Candidate Forum (video)
• Find your CPS board district and representative
• CBCAC Voter Guides: English | Chinese

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Early voting is already underway at sites in all 50 wards and at the downtown Supersite (137 S. State St.). You can vote at any early voting site in the city, no matter where you live.

Not registered yet? Illinois offers same-day registration at early voting sites and on Election Day. Bring two forms of ID, and at least one must show your current address. For locations and hours, visit the Chicago Board of Elections at chicagoelections.gov.