Chicago School Board District 1 results
The race to represent the 1st District on Chicago’s new elected school board pits two educators with surprisingly similar views against one another.
Jennifer Custer, a former suburban administrator and union leader, is endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union. Meanwhile, Michelle N. Pierre, a former chief of schools at a Chicago charter network, has financial backing from the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. However the two candidates are aligned on many of the top issues facing the distinct. Pierre and Custer are both against the current board’s move away from the school choice system, and both support charter schools as an option for students.
The 1st District covers much of the city’s Northwest Side, including Portage Park, O’Hare, Dunning, Jefferson Park, Norwood Park and Edison Park, an area typically known for its high concentration of police officers and other city employees. Both Pierre and Custer told WBEZ they support having sworn Chicago Police officers stationed in schools. The two also are united in their opposition to closing schools for low enrollment.
The key difference between the two candidates is their positions on raising the property tax levy to the maximum allowed by state law each year. The levy is how much revenue CPS wants to raise through property taxes. CPS each year can raise the levy by 5% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. This year that rate was 3.4%
Custer wants to equally invest in neighborhood schools and charter schools — even if it takes raising the property tax levy each year, which CPS consistently does. Pierre is against raising the levy, and only as a last resort.