Jessica Biggs, Hilario Dominguez and Victor Henderson vie to be Chicago's first elected school board president
If you live in Chicago, you'll find a race on your ballot for the 2026 election you've never seen before: school board president.
Three candidates are vying to become the first-ever elected president of the Chicago Board of Education and will be responsible for setting the board's agenda.
Current board member and former principal Jessica Biggs is vowing to focus on families and early childhood education.
"I really want to see the system move out of this political back-and-forth," she said.
Hilario Dominguez, a former Chicago Public Schools teacher and former deputy political director for the Chicago Teachers Union, is advocating for universal pre-K.
"Universal pre-K, full day, starting at three years old," he said.
He's also promising to prioritize youth jobs and better school food.
Attorney, accountant, and CPS parent Victor Henderson wants to break away from politics in Chicago's schools.
"Job number one is to change the culture," he said.
CBS News Chicago asked all three candidates how they would maintain their independence.
"You know, the other two remaining candidates have significant union support and significant support from PACs," Henderson said. "I don't have that, and even if there were someone in the last week or two who were to be willing to give me support, I'm not gonna let anybody pull my strings."
"I think Chicago is better served if there is real partnership and alignment between our schools and City Hall," said Biggs. "First and foremost, I would want to make sure that I am working to build a relationship, but it's also the board president's responsibility to always advocate for the interests of CPS and its students."
From Dominguez, we wanted to know how he would prioritize CPS over CTU, his former union, which has endorsed him.
"I do have the support of educators that have changed my life," he said. "My priorities are going to be aligned in the values that our people want."
Our full interviews with each of the three candidates are available in our Illinois midterm election guide here.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and early voting is already open daily in all 50 Chicago wards, plus two additional downtown sites. For more information on voting, take a look at our election guide. You can also find a complete list of Chicago early voting locations.
