Elecciones de la Junta de Educación de Chicago 2026: La carrera en el Distrito 4a

Chicago's 2026 District 4a School Board Race: Contenders Address Fiscal Responsibility and Ambitious Goals

In Chicago's District 4a, Karen Zaccor, a retired educator and Uptown community advocate, faces two opponents with varying stances on fiscal responsibility and ambitious goals for the city's public schools. Ellen Sherratt, a recruitment and retention expert in teaching, and Angel Álvarez, a stem cell researcher, are the two contenders.

District 4a, located along Chicago's north lake shore, is home to 15 schools, more than in most other districts. These include high-performing neighborhood schools, popular magnet schools, and a charter high school. Around 57% of students attend their neighborhood elementary school, but the figure drops significantly in secondary education.

The district's student body is diverse: of the 8,400 CPS students in the previous school year, about 37% were Latino, nearly 26% were white, 23% were black, and nearly 8% were Asian. In the 2024 School Board elections, District 4a was part of a larger District 4, with Ellen Rosenfeld winning the race unopposed.

Zaccor has consistently voted alongside a majority block of mayor Brandon Johnson-nominated or CTU-backed members on the School Board. Her priorities align with those of the CTU, which has supported Zaccor. She plans to raise new progressive sources of state revenue, such as a tax on millionaires, to increase school funding and expand the Sustainable Community Schools program, which provides additional $500,000 annually to high-need schools to collaborate with local nonprofits and expand services.

Sherratt and Álvarez argue that the district needs to tackle the growing deficit by carefully drafting budgets and eliminating unnecessary expenses. Sherratt, who has received financial support from the SEIU Council of Illinois representing support staff and other political groups opposing the CTU, claims to bring expertise in teacher quality and ambitious performance goals for student achievement. Álvarez, who leads a family advisory council for the district's Office for Students with Disabilities, would advocate for better special education services and protect families from property tax increases.

Sherratt believes the School Board should have experts with national education trends understanding. She plans to contribute an independent voice, not tied to the CTU or other interest groups, and aims to represent various parts of the country. Sherratt intends to set ambitious goals, including improving math performance before Chicago's bicentennial in 2037, and seeks broad participation from students to define these goals.

She also supports increasing state funds but rejects what she calls "phantom budget" tactics to pressure the state for approval.