Chicago School Board Elections Begin in 2024
Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will begin the transition to an elected school board with the General Election on November 5, 2024, when half of the Board members will be elected. Chicago has been divided into ten school districts, each comprised of two subdistricts. These districts are based on legislation recently signed by Governor Pritzker. Seach for your district on the interactive map.
Each of the ten districts will be represented on the Chicago Board of Education by one elected Board member and one Board member who is appointed by the mayor. The mayor will also appoint the president of the Board. All appointments must take place no later than December 16, 2024. All Board members must be over the age of 18, a registered voter, and live in the district they are representing. The appointed Board members must live in the subdistrict not represented by the elected Board member. The 21 total elected and appointed Board members will serve a two-year term, which begins January 15, 2025. Board members may run for reelection.
At this writing, there are about a dozen Chicagoans who have publicly shown an interest in running, although not every district has potential candidates yet. Candidates for the Chicago Board of Education must submit a nominating petition with signatures of at least 1,000 but no more than 3,000 voters living within their district. The petition circulating period is underway now. Candidates may file with the Chicago Board of Elections between June 17 and June 24, 2024. The Chicago Board of Elections website has the necessary information for interested candidates.
The Chicago Board of Elections provides a Voter Information Look Up that will identify all districts for voters, including the new school district. Voter cards sent prior to the upcoming General Election will also show the school board district. Chicago voters will only have the school board candidates from their district on the ballot they receive on Election Day.
The 2024 General Election is just the first step toward a fully-elected Chicago Board of Education. The signed legislation provides for all Board members to be elected for the term starting in 2027 and a set of election rules for the transition.
