Sendhil Revuluri, a former board appointee and education consultant, is dropping out of the race to be the first elected school board president.
Revuluri said in a statement Wednesday he was suspending his campaign in part because he is unable to compete with the money pouring in from labor unions and other special interest groups.
“I ran my campaign the way I hope our schools are governed: realistically, honestly, and focused on our students’ success. But given what’s actually standing in the way, I can’t responsibly keep asking Chicagoans for their contributions, their time or their votes,” Revuluri said, arguing “the gusher of special-interest cash has crowded out the voices of real Chicagoans.”
His withdrawal leaves only three candidates vying for the top seat on the Board of Education, though Revuluri’s name will still be printed on the ballot. The remaining candidates are current board member Jessica Biggs, former Chicago Teachers Union deputy political director Hilario Dominguez and attorney Victor Henderson.
Revuluri was the first candidate to announce his campaign nearly a year ago, and got an early start to fundraising — eventually loaning himself $400,000. He still has the largest war chest, but he doesn’t have endorsements from the district’s largest labor unions, or significant backing from special interest groups.
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More than $2 million has already poured into the board president race alone.
Biggs was endorsed by the Service Employees International Union, which represents support staff in Chicago Public Schools, and has contributed $160,000 to her campaign. Dominguez has the backing of CTU, and has reported more than $250,000 in donations and in-kind contributions from the union. Those endorsements also carry weight because of the unions’ boots-on-the-ground organizing power.
Much of Revuluri’s campaign cash came from individual donors. He has also received support from Chicago Democrats for Education, a relatively new political action committee that has pushed for a school board independent of CTU.
Henderson also lacks union backing, but he has contributed $500,000 to his own campaign.
Revuluri is the second candidate to drop out: Northwest Side board member Jennifer Custer withdrew last month, also citing that “special interests are prepared to spend millions of dollars.”
Revuluri, who lives in West Town, is a former teacher who later worked as a financial services executive. In 2019, he was appointed board vice president under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. After three years on the board, he became a leadership and education consultant.
Throughout his campaign, he has criticized the current board — made up of 10 elected representatives and 11 appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson — saying it has competing priorities and is not focused on student learning. He also pushed back against the CTU’s influence on the board. Revuluri was the candidate most explicit about supporting some school closures, arguing that closing underenrolled schools could give students a richer experience.
In his statement Wednesday, he did not endorse any of the three remaining candidates, but left the door open to doing so.
“I haven’t yet seen evidence that any of the other candidates have the integrity and courage that our students need,” Revuluri said. “If one of them shows they’re willing to tell the truth about the district’s budget, confront the reality of half-empty schools, and always stay focused on our students’ success, I’ll say so.”