Protecting immigrant communities top priorities for District 7a candidates on the Southwest Side in Chicago School Board race

District 7a neighborhoods: South Lawndale, Near West Side, Lower West Side, Garfield Ridge, Archer Heights

In this majority-Latino district, a longtime pastor and activist who fought overcrowded schools in Pilsen and was appointed to the school board by the mayor in 2024, is facing a younger challenger and Chicago Public Schools graduate who worked for a nonprofit after-school program for the past six years.

Incumbent board member Emma Lozano is endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, while Jesus Ayala Jr. has the backing of charter school advocates, groups that oppose the CTU and the Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council — which represents thousands of support staff in CPS and has split politically with the teachers union in recent years. Ayala tried to run in 2024, but his name was removed from the ballot after a successful challenge to the signatures on his nomination paperwork.

This Southwest Side district is home to 48 public schools. Last year, 64% received the state’s second-highest designation, “commendable,” while 4.5% received an “intensive” designation, indicating they remained among the bottom 5% of low-income schools in the state for four years after receiving comprehensive support or continued to have a graduation rate of 67% or below.

The students who attend District 7a schools are primarily Latino, matching the community demographics, and most come from families with low incomes. Nearly half are English learners.

Both Lozano and Ayala identified protecting immigrant communities and securing progressive revenue among their priorities, but they want to take different paths to get there.

For example, Lozano voted to pass a Chicago Public Schools budget that assumed additional revenue from the state. Ayala said relying on unsecured funds is a mistake. These differences have led to dueling endorsements in the race from the CTU and SEIU, labor unions that were once close allies but are now fighting for influence on the school board.

Ayala has outraised Lozano, drawing his largest campaign donations from the political action committees of SEIU and the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. Lozano’s biggest donations have come from Our Schools PAC, a CTU-affiliated PAC.