Illinois lawmakers approve elected school board for Chicago. What comes next?

Just eight months before Chicago’s very first school board elections, Illinois lawmakers have finally agreed on how voters will pick their board members.

The Illinois House voted 75-31 Thursday to pass the same elected school board bill that the Senate approved Tuesday, sending legislation to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk that would put 10 of 21 school board seats up for election this November. Mayor Brandon Johnson will appoint the rest, including the board president.

Johnson and the Chicago Teachers Union backed this version of the bill. The agreement resolves disputes from last fall over whether to elect all 21 members this year instead of starting with a partially elected board and transitioning to a fully elected one in two years as the original 2021 legislation called for.

After Johnson made his views clear last month, the General Assembly quickly moved on the plan this week — but with muted enthusiasm and some lingering concerns.

A few community groups were upset that the plan won’t immediately give the city a fully elected board. Valerie Leonard of the Illinois African Americans for Equitable Redistricting group said the approved plan is “deeply flawed” and accused the General Assembly of giving the CTU’s voice more weight than Black voters.

“The CTU fought for a fully elected school board for years,” Leonard said. “They reversed course now that one of their members has been elected as mayor.”

Leonard said the bill requires a higher number of signatures for school board candidates than congressional campaigns, hurting grassroots candidates who aren’t backed by powerful groups. And she argued the election process is confusing.

State Rep. Kam Buckner, D-Chicago, said this bill was a good first step, but he hopes to keep working on campaign finance rules.

Lawmakers could still work to address those and other concerns, like whether to pay board members for the time-consuming work, and whether non-citizens will be allowed to participate.

For now, here’s how the settled part of this — the election process — will work.

What happens between now and Election Day?

Candidates can begin circulating petitions March 26. They’ll need to file 1,000 valid signatures by June 24 — but no more than 3,000 — to be eligible to run. The ballot will be set soon afterward.

Chicagoans can start applying to vote by mail Aug. 7. Early in-person voting will begin in late September into October. School board elections will be held on the general Election Day, Nov. 5.

How will elections work this November?

The new election map features 10 districts, each split into two subdistricts. District 1 is made up of Subdistricts 1A and 1B, District 2 is made up of Subdistricts 2A and 2B and so on.

In the first elections this November, voters will pick one board member per district for a total of 10 elected members. Johnson will appoint a second member in each district, plus a board president to complete the 21-member hybrid school board.

If voters in District 6 pick a candidate who lives in Subdistrict 6B, for example, Johnson’s appointment will have to come from Subdistrict 6A. The board president can come from anywhere in the city. The mayor has to pick his appointees by Dec. 16, about six weeks after Election Day.

Every member, whether elected or appointed, will serve two-year terms beginning in January 2025.

What about elections in 2026?

All 21 seats will be up for election in November 2026 to create Chicago’s first fully elected school board.

In that election, voters will choose one member from each of the 20 subdistricts. But their terms will depend on whether that subdistrict had an elected or appointed incumbent.

If District 6B was represented by an elected member, the new member picked in District 6B will get a four-year term.

If District 6A had an appointed board member, the new elected member in that subdistrict will get a two-year term.

Candidates in the 2026 elections will only need 500 to 1,500 valid signatures. Those running for school board president will have to submit at least 2,500.

From there on, elections will be staggered so half the seats are up for election every two years.