District 5b neighborhoods: North Lawndale, Near West Side, East Garfield Park, West Garfield Park, West Town
Michilla “Kyla” Blaise was leading in District 5b early Wednesday morning, but the school board race was too close to declare a winner.
Blaise led with nearly 53% of the votes with about 95% of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press.
Blaise, a political aide backed by the Chicago Teachers Union, was appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson to the school board in 2024, and she was seeking a two-year seat on the school board representing a large swath of the West Side.
For challenger Anthony Hargrove, it was his second attempt at the seat after failing to make the ballot two years ago. Hargrove, who runs programs to help dropouts get back in school, had support from the Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council, which represents CPS support staff, charter school advocates like the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and the Common Ground Collective, an anti-CTU political action committee that’s heavily funded by billionaire Michael Sacks.
Blaise and Hargrove had not responded to a request for comment as of early Wednesday.
District 5b is one of the school board’s most economically diverse, stretching from the wealthy West Loop to historically disinvested neighborhoods such as North Lawndale and Garfield Park. It includes several neighborhood high schools struggling with declining enrollment, as well as some of CPS’ most in-demand magnet schools. Students who attend school here are mostly Black and Hispanic.
Students in District 5b are less likely to attend their neighborhood school than students in any other voting district in the city. Only 6% chose their local high school, while 35% chose their neighborhood elementary school.
The candidates homed in on different issues during the race. Blaise said she was focused on increasing funding for CPS, addressing declining enrollment and improving student mental health, while Hargrove zeroed in on improving reading and math proficiency, refining special education and expanding vocational and career education.
The two candidates aligned on some issues. They both support stronger restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence and cellphones in the classroom, and both oppose closing schools for any reason.
Notably, Blaise led the effort to pass a CPS budget that reversed some proposed cuts but banked on the state to provide $150 million in funding it had not committed. On his candidate questionnaire, Hargrove said the school board should continue to advocate for additional state funding and look for other savings “before cutting classroom programs or student services.”
Contributing: Mary Norkol