15 West: Brown or Williams? What to Know About the District 5A School Board Race
Reported byChalkbeat
AI-assisted summary
Two candidates on the ballot for the District 5A seat on the Chicago Board of Education answered questions at an October 1 community forum held at a high school in Austin. Incumbent Aaron Brown, a longtime organizer, and LaPamela Williams, a real estate broker running for the first time, discussed money, school closures and attendance. A third person, retired teacher Kernetha Jones, was taken off the printed ballot after a petition challenge. She is running as a write-in and did not attend. The district includes 39 CPS schools and roughly 13,933 students, and fewer than 7% of its students choose their neighborhood high school.
On spending, Williams said she would examine the budget line by line and redirect money that does not help students. Brown said he rejects the idea of trade-offs for neighborhood schools and argued that the state should supply more funding. CPS approved a $10.11 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 that counts on $150 million in added state revenue, and the district has said midyear reductions could follow if that money does not arrive. On closures, which are paused through the 2026-27 school year, Brown favored community-school programs in buildings with space, while Williams stressed consulting families and school staff early. Neither gave a numerical attendance goal. The forum school lists a chronic absenteeism rate of 88.8%.
Election Day is November 3, 2026. The winner will hold one vote on the 21-member board.
Why it matters
The board sets districtwide policy, approves the budget and hires the superintendent, so a single seat can influence funding, school closure decisions and student services for West Side families. The forum also left some questions about specific plans and measurable goals unanswered.
- Candidate forums
- Elected school boards
- Budget deficit
- School closures
- Chronic absenteeism
- Voter guides
Written with AI from the publisher's article and may contain errors. The original reporting is the authoritative source.
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- What specific information would help voters judge whether a school board candidate's funding and attendance plans are realistic?
- How should a school board balance limited money against concerns about neighborhood schools with falling enrollment?
- What could encourage more families to choose their neighborhood high school, and how could a board track whether it works?
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