This Northwest Side district is represented by Jennifer Custer, who opted to run for board president but dropped her candidacy in August, saying there was too much special-interest money funding other candidates for her to compete. Running for Custer’s old seat are Michelle Pierre, who narrowly lost to Custer in 2024, and Claudia Peralta, who is currently progressive U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez’s district director and is endorsed by both the Chicago Teachers Union and the Service Employees International Union, which represents many nonteaching Chicago Public Schools employees.
Pierre, 50, is endorsed by Common Ground Collective, an organization opposing CTU and Mayor Brandon Johnson and financed in large part by the chief executive officer of GCM Grosvenor, Michael Sacks. Pierre is eminently qualified, having previously been schools chief at the LEARN Charter School Network in Chicagoland and a board member at Chicago High School for the Arts, which her daughter attended. She works now for New Leaders, which provides training for school leaders such as principals.
More Top Picks Best Kids Art Easels For Toddlers
Pierre is a supporter of charter and selective-enrollment schools and would take a pragmatic approach to budgeting for the chronically deficit-riddled district. Peralta, 43, was brought to the U.S. from her native Ecuador at age 12, went to CPS schools and sends her kids to CPS schools. Echoing the CTU refrain, her focus on CPS’ budget woes is winning “progressive revenue.” We believe this Northwest Side district is more in tune with Pierre, and Michelle Pierre has our endorsement.
Read all of the Tribune Editorial Board’s endorsements for the 2026 Illinois general election here.
Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email [email protected].