District 2a neighborhoods: West Ridge, Rogers Park, North Park
Incumbent Ebony DeBerry has retained her Far North Side seat on Chicago’s school board, convincingly beating out attorney Hector Morales.
DeBerry, a former Chicago Public Schools teacher with a background in community organizing, had 67% of the votes to Morales’ 33% with 95% of precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, according to Associated Press election results.
She was one of the few candidates endorsed by both the Chicago Teachers Union and Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council amid the two unions’ feud. DeBerry raised more than $76,000 to stay on the board. DeBerry was first elected to the school board in 2024, when she beat out three other candidates.
DeBerry claimed victory and thanked her voters and those that supported her campaign in a statement on Instagram late Tuesday.
“Over the next four years, I will continue to advocate for fully resourced schools, an expansion of Sustainable Community Schools, and increased mental health support for our students and staff,” DeBerry wrote.
She said education funding is an issue that “must be carried to City Hall, Springfield, and Washington.” DeBerry also reiterated her position of taxing the wealthy to fund CPS.
“The work does not end with this election,” she wrote. “We must continue our organizing for more equitable funding for education in this city, and ensure we do not fund our schools on the backs of our working class.”
District 2a is home to a large number of immigrant families. More than 80 languages are spoken throughout the Rogers Park neighborhood alone, according to the Rogers Park Business Alliance.
The district’s 18 schools serve a diverse group of students, too. Around 33% are Hispanic, nearly 26% are Asian American, 22% are Black and almost 15% are white, according to data compiled by Chalkbeat. CPS students in this district are more likely to choose their neighborhood schools compared to the city overall. More than 40% of high school students attend their neighborhood schools, compared with only 24% across the city.
The two candidates’ views differed on how to fund and invest in bilingual and dual-language education programs while also addressing CPS’ budget deficit.
“We have to find ways to make corporations, millionaires, and billionaires pay their fair share,” DeBerry said in an interview leading up to the election, while Morales said board members “need to make sure we’re using what we got now, before we start asking folks for more money.”
DeBerry won 43% of the vote in 2024, edging out three other candidates.
DeBerry was one of four candidates who was endorsed by both the CTU and SEIU, which represents CPS support staff. Political action committees for both unions contributed to DeBerry’s campaign, too.
Morales was endorsed by the Common Ground Collective, a political action committee that is anti-CTU, heavily funded by billionaire Michael Sacks and said it aimed to engage voters around “effective progressive policies.”
Morales was also endorsed by The Urban Center, a centrist political organization that advocates for school choice across public and private schools.
Contributing: Molly DeVore, Block Club Chicago