District 5a neighborhoods: Austin, Humboldt Park, West Town, Montclare
Realtor LaPamela Williams unseated longtime education activist Aaron “Jitu” Brown to win a spot on the school board representing the West Side’s District 5a.
Williams, who had the backing of groups supportive of charter schools, received 64% of the vote with nearly 95% of precincts reporting as of early Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press. She did not respond to a request for comment late Tuesday.
Williams grew up in Austin and attended Lane Tech College Prep. She’s said she wants to increase financial accountability and cut expenses that don’t benefit students.
Her triumph over Brown, a veteran community organizer backed by the Chicago Teachers Union, represented an upset. Williams also beat Kernetha Jones, a retired teacher and write-in candidate.
District 5a stretches from the majority-Black Austin neighborhood to the west, through sections of Garfield Park and Humboldt Park, ending with Ukrainian Village to the east. The wide swath of the West Side encompasses 39 schools serving mostly Black and Latino students. After decades of disinvestment, many schools are struggling to stabilize enrollment and bring students up to grade level.
More than half of schools in the district last year received one of the state’s two lowest academic performance ratings, the highest share in the city, indicating many schools are in need of “targeted” or “intensive” support.
Students who live in District 5a are less likely to attend their neighborhood school than students in most parts of the city, particularly for high school. Less than 7% of high schoolers in this area chose their neighborhood option, according to CPS data. One high school, Frederick Douglass Academy in Austin, had just 27 students last year, and has become a focal point in debates over how CPS should address declining enrollment.
All three candidates live in Austin. Their views diverge when it comes to independently run public charter schools, with Brown and Jones opposing their expansion, while Williams supports opening more if there is community support.
The Illinois Network of Charter Schools endorsed and financially backed Williams. She was also endorsed by The Urban Center and Common Ground Collective, an anti-CTU political action committee funded by billionaire Michael Sacks.
Brown was endorsed and financially supported by the CTU and the CTU-funded group Our Schools Chicago. Jones, the write-in candidate, did not have any major endorsements.