The 10th District covers the Southeast Side, part of the Far South Side and the lakefront neighborhoods on the South Side, namely, Oakland, Kenwood, Jackson Park, South Shore, South Chicago, Avalon Park, Chatham, Burnside, Calumet Heights, Pullman, South Deering, East Side, Riverdale and Hegewisch. The district also encompasses portions of Douglas, Grand Boulevard, Hyde Park, Woodlawn and Grand Crossing.
Here’s what to know about the race in the 10th District. For a look at how the elected school board will work and more on the races in the other districts, click here.
Who’s running?
There are four candidates running in the 10th District: Adam Parrott-Sheffer, Che “Rhymefest” Smith, Karin Norington-Reaves and Robert Jones.
How much money has been raised?
In the 10th District, roughly $554,000 has been raised among the four candidates through Oct. 21.
The majority of the money in this district has been raised by Jones, amassing around $281,000. That’s followed by Smith, at $124,000, then Norington-Reaves, with just under $79,000, and lastly Adam Parrott-Sheffer, with close to $70,000 in his campaign coffers.
This does not include independent expenditures.
What are the candidates’ campaign platforms?
Adam Parrott-Sheffer
Have you worked at Chicago Public Schools or another school? What is your background in education?
I have spent two decades as a classroom reading and special education teacher, a school principal, and a district leader. I teach and write about school district improvement and new-to-role leadership that advances equity for the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
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I worked for CPS at Bret Harte Elementary School as a school leader and was principal of Peterson Elementary school where we reduced behavioral referrals by 55% and increased student learning in reading, math, and science during my tenure. Since leaving CPS as an employee, I have presented at CPS principal and teacher professional learning institutes and I have coached new-to-role principals.
I also volunteer at my children’s schools.
Why are you running for a seat on the Chicago Board of Education?
It matters to me that our board consists of current Chicago Public School parents who have experience creating the conditions for powerful learning and have improved large bureaucracies. That is my story. I am a 5th generation Chicagoan and proud public school parent who has spent 20 years making our schools work better for all kids. I am frustrated with the experiences our students with disabilities and multilingual learners have in our schools and I know we can do better. That starts with a board committed to transparency, accountability, and increased communication. It will also require financial discipline. I want to deliver on that promise for each and every child who walks through our school doors.
How would you describe your campaign platform?
Our kids deserve joy-filled schools where all kids are respected. Everyday. This means that they feel significant, know they belong and have fun while learning.
Our kids should experience powerful learning. Everyday. This means providing learning opportunities that are rooted in showing mastery, leverage individual and community creativity, and allow learners to connect to their identities.
Our schools must be safe places where each kid thrives. Everyday. This means that we make sure that each kid can access an excellent education no matter their zip code, the color of their skin, their sexual identity or the money in their family’s bank account.
I care deeply about special education, multilingual learners, youth leadership, the arts, early childhood and increasing the number of Black and Brown educators and leaders. We must do these things while attending to the structural inequities in our school funding. We must ensure good governance and budget management so that we do not bankrupt future generations.
What is the single most important issue facing CPS students?
Persistent low academic performance due to systemic disinvestment in our public schools.
Provide three to four key points you want voters to know about your campaign.
I am the only candidate who is a parent, a teacher, and a principal with two decades of experience getting results for students through the arts, early childhood, career and technical education, and special education. Furthermore, I am an independent candidate who has not received funds from special interest groups. In fact, 72% of my donors are parents and educators. I have support from over 50 principals and over 10 superintendents. People who know our schools best know that I can deliver for each of our students.
To read this candidate’s questionnaire in its entirety, click here.
Che “Rhymefest” Smith
This candidate did not respond to this questionnaire by the time of publishing.
Karin Norington-Reaves
Have you worked at Chicago Public Schools or another school? What is your background in education?
I attended Shoesmith Elementary (K-2), Brenneman Elementary (2nd/3rd), Walt Disney Magnet School (3rd-8th), and Lincoln Park High School (Performing Arts program). All of my children have attended CPS, and one is currently enrolled. My son graduated from Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep in 2023. My daughter is in 6th grade at James Otis World Language School, where I serve as the LSC chair.
As the Executive Director of Teach for America (Chicago), I placed and supported over 200 teachers in Chicago Public Schools. I later joined Innovations for Learning as Director of Corporate Relations, connecting schools to corporate partners and implementing an evidence-based literacy program for K-3rd grades in schools throughout the city, including the 10th District.
While serving as Chief of Staff in the 20th Ward, I served on several education committees and was the liaison for schools within the Ward. I helped ideate and organize the efforts in Woodlawn to replicate the Harlem Children’s Zone and improve the schools within that community (Woodlawn Children’s Promise).
As CEO of the Chicago Cook Workforce Partnership, I collaborated with CPS on numerous initiatives, including training CPS career counselors on the public workforce system’s resources to benefit high school students. I also developed, funded, and implemented programs for CPS students, such as integrating the SOAR centers with the workforce development system (moving them from co-located partners to integrated Hubs).
Finally, before departing The Partnership, I led the efforts to create the now annual skilled trades expo, which debuted in March 2022. I secured a budget, provided the framework, and led my team and our partners to a successful event that has been replicated twice.
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Why are you running for a seat on the Chicago Board of Education?
As a K-12 graduate of CPS, a Chicago taxpayer, and parent of a CPS student, I am running to represent families like mine who want to remain in the city we love and want quality schools for our children to do so.
I am running for my daughter, who came to CPS as a newly adopted, blind English language learner.
Despite my experience as a former teacher and attorney, I found the IEP process overwhelming and secured legal counsel for assistance. It occurred to me that if it was that complicated for me, what was it like for other families? So, I’m running too for the families struggling to navigate the byzantine IEP process to secure appropriate services for their student’s unique needs. I run for the families that aren’t even aware that their kids are entitled to such services.
I am running for the students who cannot read, whose career prospects will be severely constrained if they don’t make significant gains in literacy and numeracy. And for the students who graduate without direction, guidance, or support.
I am running for the families who contemplate leaving Chicago to find a better school system for their children and for the taxpayers whose hard-earned dollars fund our flawed but resilient system.
I am running to ensure that we have experienced fiscal and education stewards on the Board, to decrease partisanship, and ensure that our children are not sacrificed on the altar of politics. I run because we need competent, experienced leaders who understand what is at stake if we don’t get this right.
How would you describe your campaign platform?
My campaign is centered on my long-term vision for every child to attend a well-resourced, safe neighborhood school that offers a high-caliber education that meets them where they are, regardless of need, through expert educators while fostering a deep sense of belonging. This is my Northstar. We get there through intentionality and political will — by putting our money where our mouth is and funding the amplification of the things we already know work.
I envision a school district that fully equips students with the academic, social-emotional, and career skills they need to make meaningful contributions to our workforce and community. Fulfilling this purpose depends upon our ability to provide equitable education that addresses the student’s unique needs and allows for critical thinking, innovation, and career development.
Increasing literacy and numeracy skills for all students is paramount to moving us forward, as these are foundational for any long-term educational success. I would focus on standards-based instruction and test for mastery before advancing a student to the next topic or subject.
Career and technical education is only offered at a small percentage of the District’s schools, creating an inequitable system that leaves many students needing direction. Our schools need solid career readiness, exposure and exploration for all grades 6-12 students. Other districts in Illinois require students to develop career plans as early as 7th grade and provide robust offerings for middle and high school students to help them discern their career path and, most importantly, be prepared for it. Chicago is behind in developing the career pathway endorsement as state law requires. As a workforce development practitioner, I would also champion this vital aspect of middle and high school education.
What is the single most important issue facing CPS students?
School quality and access to high-performing schools are the most important issues in CPS. Students compete for the top-rated schools, and the educational quality of the other schools varies wildly. This is the tale of our city in some ways. Still, when we have high-performing Level 1 schools that receive students from across the city, it disenfranchises neighborhood kids who are equally talented but may not be aware of the selective enrollment process. We need to expand access to high-caliber schools.
Provide three to four key points you want voters to know about your campaign.
My first priority is to address the pressing financial challenge faced by Chicago Public Schools (CPS) — a projected $500- $700 million deficit for the upcoming school year. My strategy centers on meticulously balancing the budget while safeguarding a commitment to equitably fund all schools, especially those serving our most vulnerable students. To do this, I will target waste and redundancies while streamlining resources.
I would aim to secure additional funding sources for CPS. These partnerships would not only provide financial support but also foster collaborations that enhance educational outcomes across the district. Our schools have a duty to equip our students with the skills and opportunities needed to succeed in the workforce. Currently, CTE is only offered in a very small percentage of the district’s schools, effectively creating an inequitable system that leaves an overwhelming number of students without direction.
As a school board member and mother of a special needs child, I will give voice to the community of families whose children have Individual Education Plans and 504s, the community of students who are dissuaded from inclusive classrooms, and the community of children who are enrolled in cluster programs. My priority is to ensure that every school in Chicago has a robust and inclusive special education program. It is unacceptable that parents are forced to transport their children across the city simply because their local school cannot accommodate them or, in some cases, chooses not to provide inclusive education.
I am committed to promoting inclusivity and accessibility in our schools. This involves creating environments where students with disabilities feel welcomed and supported, and where their educational experiences are fully integrated into the school community.
To read this candidate’s questionnaire in its entirety, click here.
Robert Jones
This candidate did not respond to this questionnaire by the time of publishing.
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The candidates’ responses shown here have been edited for length, style and clarity.