Chicago Board of Education member Jessica Biggs on Tuesday declared victory in the race to become the first school board president in the city's history.
With more than 88% of precincts reporting results in Chicago, Biggs was leading a three-way race with 49% of the vote against opponents Hilario Dominguez (30.6%), who conceded on Tuesday night, and Victor Henderson (17.7%). Sendhil Revuluri, who dropped out of the race in late September but was still on the ballot, was getting less than 3% of the vote.
Biggs thanked her supporters Tuesday night after becoming the first elected school board president ever in Chicago.
"For too long, decisions about our schools have been made in the back rooms of City Hall, and families have been left to live with the consequences, but tonight that changes," she said. "This is a victory for everyone who wants a great public school in every community."
Biggs vowed to never forget that it was Chicago voters who put her in office.
"Families are tired of chaos and uncertainty. They want stability, and they want this board to turn its focus back to our students," she said. "They want schools they can trust, teachers that are supported, and leaders who put kids first."
Before conceding late Tuesday night, Dominguez told his supporters that, regardless of the outcome, he would continue fighting on behalf of Chicago Public Schools students.
"This election was never about a finish line. It's a longer fight. We ain't goin nowhere," Dominguez said. We watched billionaires pour big money into this school board race. Outside political groups paid millions more to drown us out. You can write a million-dollar check, but you can not speak for a parent or the commitment of a teacher. You cannot buy the people of Chicago. They are not for sale. Children are not for sale. We are going to keep reminding this city of that."
Henderson has told supporters he won't concede until the results are final, though he acknowledged his position far behind Biggs and Dominguez.
The board currently has 10 elected members and 11 members appointed by the mayor, including the president. This year's election is the first time the entire board will be chosen by voters.
The president runs board meetings, helps decide the agenda, and represents the entire district. The president only votes to break ties on the board. Like the city's municipal elections, the school board election is nonpartisan; candidates do not run under the banner of a political party.
Biggs is a current member of the school board, representing District 6B which represents all or parts of several South Side neighborhoods and the Loop. She is a former Chicago Public Schools teacher and principal. She lives in Bronzeville and has a daughter who is a CPS student.
Dominguez is a former CPS special education teacher at Pablo Casals Elementary School in West Humboldt Park. He is also a former deputy political director for the Chicago Teacher's Union, which has endorsed him in the election. His wife is also an assistant principal in CPS and he said he plans to put his son in public school as well.
Henderson is an attorney and former certified public accountant who manages the Henderson Parks LLC law firm, which specializes in corporate litigation. He is a board member of Urban Prep Academies, a network of all-boys charter school in Chicago, and said his children, parents and in-laws have attended CPS schools.
Two other candidates, Revuluri and Jennifer Custer, dropped out of the race before Election Day, but because Revuluri dropped out after early voting began on Sept. 24, his name remained on the ballot.
CPS is facing budget uncertainty after the Board of Education approved a $10 billion budget that relies on $150 million in state funding that hasn't yet been approved.
