Voting for Change: 2026 CPS School Board Candidates on Students with Disabilities

How do CPS School Board Candidates Plan to Support Students with Disabilities? We Asked Them.

This fall, Chicagoans will vote for the CPS school board. The historic November 3 election is only the second time in more than 30 years that the board has not been handpicked by the mayor. A total of 21 seats are up for grabs, including school board president.

Access Living and Legal Council for Health Justice have teamed up to find out where school board candidates stand on issues affecting students with disabilities. Of the approximately 40 candidates actively running, 34 responded to our questionnaire, and their answers can be found below.

Why the School Board Matters

According to CPS data, there were more than 316,000 students enrolled during the 2025-26 school year, with about 17%—nearly 55,000 students—identified as having a disability. Historically, CPS has not always supported its most vulnerable students, especially students of color with disabilities, leading to court settlements and corrective actions in recent decades.

Recently, the district has made efforts to hire more special education teachers and established a Special Education Advisory Committee on the Board of Education. But more work needs to be done to ensure that all CPS students are given the opportunity to succeed—and school board members play a big role in that effort.

Your District & Votes

Know your district already? Jump to candidate responses.

School board districts don’t follow the same boundaries as other Chicago elected officials. Every voter’s address is assigned to one of the 10 school board districts, which are then subdivided into “A” and “B” sections. Voters will cast two school board votes—one for their district and one for school board president. Look up your district using this tool or preview your entire November ballot.

Whether you decide to vote early or on Election Day, in person or by mail, you’ll want to make sure your voter registration up to date and keep in mind these key dates.

Candidate Questionnaires, by School Board District