NW Side resident Jennifer Custer running for Chicago school board president

by CYRYL JAKUBOWSKI

Jennifer Custer, who represents Chicago Board of Education District 1B, is running for board president in the Nov. 6 general election.

The district contains all or parts of Sauganash, North Park, North Mayfair, Mayfair, Irving Park, Old Irving, Albany Park, Portage Park Schorsch Village, Dunning and Montclare.

District 1A contains Edgebrook, Wildwood, parts of Sauganash, Forest Glen, South Edgebrook, Jefferson Park, Norwood Park, Oriole Park, Gladstone Park, Union Ridge, Big Oaks, Edison Park, O’Hare and parts of Dunning. Ed Bannon, who was appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, represents that district.

The elected school board was seated in January of 2025, and the city has been divided into 10 districts, each divided into two subdistricts.

Initially part elected, part appointed by Johnson, the 21-member board oversees a $10 billion CPS budget, hires and evaluates the chief operating officer, approves district policies, contracts and intergovernmental agreements, and approves firing of teachers and principals.

Published reports suggest the race for board president will be expensive, with various interests with deep pockets rallying behind their candidates. The Chicago Teachers Union will likely throw a lot of money behind its pick, and different unions will back others – Custer is one of them.

Custer said she’s been a teacher, a union leader and an administrator. When she was elected in 2024 she was endorsed by the CTU.

“I don’t think that will happen again,” Custer said of the teachers union endorsement.

Instead, several aldermen endorsed her, including Felix Cardona, Derrick Curtis, Jim Gardiner, Samantha Nugent, Gilbert Villegas, Nicholas Sposato, Raymond Lopez, and Matt O’Shea. She also has the support of Plumbers Local Union 130, and international Union of Operating Engineers Local 150. She received contributions from SEIU Council Super PAC and other unions.

What this all means is it’s going to get politically contentious before November.

Custer said she led the fight to make sure CPS did not take out a high-interest loan to help address its budget woes last year.

She said she helped rally members to support the budget without what critics called Mayor Johnson’s $200 million “payday loan” and lead a parliamentary fight on the floor to block a mayor’s ally from amending the budget.

Despite that, before Christmas last year, the board voted 15–5 to increase the property tax levy for the 2026 fiscal year by roughly $25 million to $30 million, Chicago Tribune reported.

This brought the levy to the maximum allowed under Illinois law, a move that resulted in a total tax increase of $188 million over the previous year. Custer voted for the levy. This is a normal precedent that the board increases its levy every year to the maximum allowed amount, which results in higher property taxes.

There has been turmoil on the board regarding finding a permanent Chicago Public Schools superintendent.

Recently, interim CPS CEO Macquline King, former NYC Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter, and former East Baton Rouge Superintendent Sito Narcisse were named as finalists who will interview with Johnson for superintendent.

Custer said she is the only person running who fought against Johnson’s billion-dollar tax increment financing district sweep that “hurts small businesses and union workers.” The City Council approved the plan, with more than half allocated for CPS.

“I think I’ve been pretty independent,” Custer said of her time on the school board.

As president, her one focus would be to set “a foundation for success” so an elected school board can be an effective government body for years to come.

“I’m a CPS parent. We have to give every child in every corner of this city the same opportunities to thrive that their peers in the suburbs have. That means a rigorous, wide-ranging curriculum. It means safe, clean classrooms and high attendance rates. It means resources beyond the classroom. And it means a transparent, balanced budget,” Custer said.

Alderman Nugent said that Custer “brings a thoughtful, collaborative approach to leadership and a clear commitment to students and families across Chicago. She’s someone who listens, builds consensus, and gets results. I’m proud to support her for school board president.”

“It’s no secret that the City of Chicago faces incredible budget challenges,” Custer said. “That’s no excuse to try to heap the city’s problems onto the district. I am fighting for a budget that fiercely protects our children and our schools.”

Others who announced a run for board president include Sendhil Revuluri, a former vice president of the school board under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The current board president is Sean Harden, who was picked by Johnson.

Reportedly running to replace Custer in District 1B are Claudia Peralta, who works for Congresswoman Delia Ramirez, and Michelle Pierre, who lost to Custer in 2024.

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