Here’s what to know about the race in District 4B, including the candidates and their campaign platforms.
The district
District 4B is located on the North Side of Chicago, primarily covering Lincoln Park, along with parts of Avondale, Lake View, Logan Square, Near North Side, North Center and West Town. By racial demographics, the population is approximately 76% white, 9% Asian, 9% Hispanic and 4% Black.
The district boasts 15 elementary schools — among them a regional gifted center, one scholastic academy and two Montessori schools. For high school-age students, there are three options, including one prestigious selective enrollment school, Lane Tech, and the district’s sole neighborhood high school, Lincoln Park High School.
The school board member currently representing District 4B is Ellen Rosenfeld, elected by voters in the 4th District in 2024.
The candidates
Incumbent Ellen Rosenfeld is running unopposed in District 4B. Rosenfeld is a former teacher and CPS community engagement specialist.
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Ellen Rosenfeld
What are your top three priorities if elected?
- Fiscal stability: Work with state and city partners and audit central office spending to direct money to classrooms.
- Student voices: Visit schools and bring concerns to board decisions.
- Address chronic absenteeism and declining enrollment by strengthening neighborhood schools, strategic consolidations with community input and adequate resources.
Do you support continuing the moratorium on school closings? YES / NO
I support a commission of thoughtful stakeholders to examine CPS’s footprint, operations and capital needs alongside authentic community engagement. This comprehensive approach ensures we make decisions based on data and community input, protecting neighborhood schools while addressing our enrollment crisis responsibly.
Do you support the Chicago Board of Education’s decision this summer to budget an additional $150 million in state funding to reverse layoffs and prevent a spending freeze? YES / NO
Budgeting $150 million in state funding that wasn’t guaranteed is the kind of phantom budget I’ve opposed. Reversing layoffs based on unpromised dollars created confusion among district leadership and families and represented poor planning. We need honest budgets based on real revenue.
Should Chicago Public Schools continue raising its property tax levy to the legal limit? YES / NO
Before maximizing the levy, we must exhaust other revenue sources like state funding reform, TIF dollars, central office efficiencies and operational savings. Working families already struggle with rising property taxes. We need to be fiscally responsible and creative, not default to raising taxes without exploring every alternative first.