Independent CPS board candidates outspent by rivals take lead in some races

Jessica Biggs spent Election Day running from one polling place to another, trying to convince as many voters as possible to pick her to represent District 6 on the Chicago Board of Education.

Biggs, a former Chicago Public Schools principal, knew the encounters were many voters’ first introductions to her. Meanwhile, they had likely gotten texts and mailers or seen signs with the names of her two opponents. They may have even gotten a visit from the candidate or one of their surrogates.

One of Biggs’ opponents was backed by the Chicago Teachers Union while the other had the support of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. Those opposing organizations were among the biggest players in these first-of-their-kind elections and spent millions to vault their candidates into office.

But with votes still being counted, Biggs and two other independent candidates were ahead of their opponents, according to early returns reported by the Associated Press.

“I feel really proud,” Biggs said Tuesday night. “I feel really loved.”

The two others were longtime school psychologist Therese Boyle in District 9 and Grammy Award-winning rapper Che “Rhymefest” Smith in District 10.

Biggs and Boyle were significantly ahead of their opponents. Smith held a narrow lead over Karin Norington-Reaves, who was supported by INCS and other anti-CTU, pro-charter super PACs.

There were independents running in six of the 10 districts.

INCS and another group that’s highly critical of the CTU spent about $3 million, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. The teachers union spent $1.6 million on its endorsed candidates through its own political action committees and at least eight other affiliated PACs. The CTU had its thousands of teachers and support staff to help campaign, while INCS had a direct line to the parents of the 48,000 students that attend charter schools.

Those clear advantages have stacked the odds against anyone unaffiliated with the union or charter group.

Carmen Gioiosa, one of four independent candidates in the 4th District on the North Side, said it was “incredibly challenging” competing against two candidates with lots of cash and support. Community forums, which theoretically level the playing field with voters hearing from all candidates equally, did not draw big crowds. Gioiosa was down big Tuesday night, only getting 7% of the vote in early returns.

“The territory is so large,” she said of the districts’ geographic size, which is hard to cover without resources.

Many of the 10 voting districts are sprawling, each running through several neighborhoods and stretching from wealthy communities to low-income ones. There are about 275,000 people in each district.

When the school board becomes fully elected in 2027, those 10 districts will be split in half to create 20.

Adam Parrott-Sheffer, one of two independents in the 10th District, said he was surprised at how expensive things like mail ads were, as much as $1 per household. He, too, was down by a wide margin, only receiving 16% of the early votes.

Parrott-Sheffer only raised $84,000. The other independent in District 10, Che “Rhymefest” Smith, had $129,000, but most of it he loaned to his own campaign. Smith held a narrow lead in the early counts.

The CTU-endorsed candidate in the 10th District, Robert Jones, received $321,000. The average for candidates backed by the union was $229,000. And District 10’s charter-supported candidate, Karin Norington-Reaves, raised $174,000, plus INCS spent another $331,000 on her race through its super PAC. She was just behind Smith in the early count.

INCS spent an average of $250,000 in each district to support its candidates and oppose CTU hopefuls.

Biggs said money would have been helpful to have some paid staffers. Instead, she had to rely on family and friends, who acted as good surrogates because they know her so well. But she said it was lot of work.

“I am tired,” she said.

Some tried to use their independence to their advantage.

“A lot of people really want the school board members to be independent,” Biggs said. “It doesn’t seem like a lot of that money has penetrated.”

But that didn’t work for everyone.

La’Mont Raymond Williams, running in District 9, often touted his independent credentials when participating in forums. Pointing to the avalanche of negative ads by union and charter groups against each others’ candidates, Williams said “not being part of the fray allows me to distinguish myself.” But he was far behind in the early vote count with 17%, trailing Boyle’s 39%.