Outside groups are spending heavily on Far NW Side District 1b Chicago School Board race

District 1b neighborhoods: Portage Park, Dunning, Irving Park, Belmont Cragin, North Park, Montclare, Albany Park

The two women vying to represent Chicago’s Northwest Side are no strangers to politics — one ran for school board in 2024 and the other has run campaigns or worked for other elected officials for more than 15 years.

Michelle Pierre lost by a thin margin in 2024, which was her first time running for office after spending more than 25 years working in education as a teacher, principal in public and charter schools, district administrator and leadership coach. Claudia Peralta is making her debut as a candidate, but has worked with multiple politicians on the Northwest Side, including U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez.

District 1b is home to 20 Chicago public schools, which is among the fewest of all the school board voting districts. Families here choose their neighborhood elementary schools at a higher rate than in other parts of the city — but not their high schools. Students who attend school in this district are mostly Hispanic — 69% — while 19% are white and 5% are Black, according to data compiled by Chalkbeat.

This matchup isn’t so much about individual policies as it is about differing strategies for how to govern as a Chicago school board member.

Pierre is metrics-driven, weighing district financial decisions against their return on investment for students bettering their academic outcomes. Peralta is rooted in political savvy and using government relationships to secure the resources Chicago Public Schools needs for students to thrive. District 1b voters will ultimately choose which style they want to see prioritized.

Outside groups are spending heavily on this race. As of last week, it had attracted more spending by political action committees and super PACs — more than $830,000 — than any other school board district.

More than half of that came from the anti-CTU Common Ground Collective, which has thrown money behind Pierre and against Peralta. Pierre also got funding from the political arm of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and The Urban Center, an organization that advocates for centrist leadership and school choice, including private schools.

The winner will replace Jennifer Custer, who has served the past two years and ran for school board president before dropping out of the race in August.