Twenty Chicago Board of Education members — half elected, half appointed — will gather in newly renovated chambers for a historic first meeting on Jan 30.
This represents a major change for Chicago, where for the last 30 years the mayor has picked the board members. Chicago has always had some form of an appointed board. It was long the only school district in Illinois without an elected board.
Advocates began pushing for an elected board in Chicago more than a decade ago. The legislation passed in 2021 called for a hybrid board for the first two years. In November 2026, Chicago voters will elect all 21 members.
The new hybrid board was sworn in on Jan. 15. It includes 10 members elected on Nov. 5, along with 10 members and the president appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson. The mayor still needs to appoint a final board member.
The seating of this new board comes after a fall and early winter that featured a hard-fought campaign for the elected seats, the existing school board resigning en masse and the CPS CEO being terminated without cause — though he’s staying on until June. As CPS grapples with financial distress, this new 21-member board already has a great deal to wrestle with.
Below are details on each board member. Chicago currently has 10 voting districts, with one appointed member and one elected member in each district.
Chicago School Board elected members
Chicago School Board appointed members
