Jessica Biggs declares victory in race for Chicago Board of Education president
Jessica Biggs declares victory for Chicago School Board President
Jessica Biggs gives speech after declaring victory in the Chicago School Board President race. The victory would see Biggs as the first ever elected Chicago Public School Board President. Roughly 60 percent of the vote had been counted with Biggs garnering almost half of all votes when she addressed the crowd at her watch party. The Associated Press has not yet projected a winner in the race.
CHICAGO - Jessica Biggs, a former CPS principal, claimed victory as the next president of the Chicago Board of Education in Tuesday’s election.
Roughly 60 percent of the vote had been counted with Biggs garnering almost half of all votes when she addressed the crowd at her watch party, declaring victory. The Associated Press has not yet projected a winner in the race.
What they're saying:
"This is a victory for everyone who wants a great public school in every community. And it was built by a broad coalition of parents and educators, working families and faith leaders, and neighbors from every part of Chicago," Biggs said. "Families are tired of chaos and uncertainty. They want stability, and they want this board to turn its focus back to our students. They want schools they can trust, teachers who are supported, and leaders who put kids first. Starting in January, this new, fully-elected board will answer to the people of Chicago. And I will never forget who I work for."
Tuesday’s elections mark the first time that Chicago voters will elect the entire 21-member Board of Education that makes key policy and fiscal decisions.
Biggs was able to consolidate support from key union organizations and several Chicago aldermen in a campaign that saw millions of dollars spent to influence the future of CPS.
Dominguez was the candidate backed by the influential Chicago Teachers Union, which has also backed Mayor Brandon Johnson, another former teacher and organizer.
Chicago School Board President election results
What does the Chicago School Board do?
Why you should care:
Members of the Chicago Board of Education make key policy decisions that affect more than 315,000 Chicago Public Schools students, about three-quarters of whom come from low-income households, per state data.
The board votes on CPS’ nearly $10 billion budget that goes toward funding 626 schools and paying for more than 45,000 employees. Members are also in charge of hiring the district’s superintendent, like earlier this year when they picked Macquline King to lead CPS.
The full board will consist of a president, who is elected districtwide, and 20 other members, each representing a "subdistrict" within CPS.
Tuesday’s election also comes at a tense time after the sitting Board of Education passed a budget aimed at closing a $730 million deficit that banked on $150 million in additional funding from the state government that has not actually been approved. Garnering more state funding has been a key issue across the state as property taxes levied by Illinois’ public school districts tend to make up a disproportionate share of the average property tax bill.
Why is this race unique?
Dig deeper:
This year’s election for the Chicago Board of Education is historic as it’s the first election in which the entire board will be elected.
Previously, the board had fewer members and was at least partly made up of members appointed by the mayor. But then, in 2021 and 2024, state lawmakers passed bills to lay the groundwork for a fully elected board.
That set up a spending spree reaching millions of dollars both in support of and against the top candidates, Biggs and Dominguez.
As of mid-October, more than $6 million was spent on the campaign. Common Ground Collective, a political action committee backed by billionaire Michael Sacks, spent about $2.6 million, including more than $846,000 spent in advertising just this month against Dominguez.
What's next:
The new term for board members elected this November will begin on Jan. 15, 2027.