Chicago’s elected school board races: District 8

The 8th District extends from the Southwest Side, through part of the South Side and then veers north, covering slivers of the Near South Side and Downtown. The School Board District primarily includes Garfield Ridge, Clearing, West Lawn, Ashburn, Chicago Lawn and New City, but also touches portions of the West Elsdon, Gage Park, Brighton Park, McKinley Park, Bridgeport, Armour Square, Douglas, Near South Side, Printers Row and Loop neighborhoods.

Here’s what to know about the race in the 8th 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 two candidates running in the 8th District: Angel Gutierrez and Felix Ponce.

How much money has been raised?

In the 8th District, roughly $308,000 has been raised among the two candidates on the ballot through Oct. 21.

Ponce has significantly out-raised his competitor, raking in around $238,000 for his campaign compared to Gutierrez’s roughly $70,000.

What are the candidates’ campaign platforms?

Angel Gutierrez

What is your background in education?

I worked at Chicago Hope Academy as the Chief Advancement Officer leading all of the fundraising, communications and external relationships of the organization.

Why are you running for a seat on the Chicago Board of Education?

I’ve always been engaged in my community, but I hadn’t considered running for elected office until I received my property tax bill with a 40% increase, which made me wonder how our tax dollars are being used to invest in the future of our city? As a father of school-age children, it struck me that I am paying higher taxes to further fund an underperforming district that fails to effectively serve our students. Under-enrolled schools, overpaid leadership staff and lack of effective budgetary oversight are all harming our district and ultimately our students.

How would you describe your campaign platform?

My vision for our school district is centered on:

• Establishing Board Transparency
• Ensuring Top-Quality Education for Every Student
• Responsible Management of Chicago Tax Dollars

What is the single most important issue facing CPS students?

As a school district we have to do a better job of ensuring that every student has every opportunity to succeed. If only 31% of elementary students in Chicago Public Schools are meeting state standards in reading and only 19% are meeting math standards, what does that mean for the long-term trajectory in school? When our students are dreaming about becoming video game designers and doctors and we can’t provide them with the math fundamentals to begin paving that path, we have failed them.

Provide three to four key points you want voters to know about your campaign.

• Establish Board Transparency — I aim to establish transparency within the Chicago Board of Education so that no stakeholder feels “left in the dark.” In order for all our community members, school staff, educators, parents, and students to advocate for the necessary change they need, they need access to clear, accurate, and timely information. I aim to empower our constituents by bringing transparency while bringing everyone together.
• Ensuring Top-Quality Education for Every Student — I will work to ensure that families have more top-quality education options to choose from. As the current system leans into becoming a one-size fits all model, we will see this serve some families but not all. I will lead with a true, equity lens and try to serve all families based on their specific needs.
• Responsible Management of Chicago Tax Dollars — In addition to providing more transparency around the district’s budget, I will work towards a budget formula that equitably distributes resources without compromising the quality of education at high-performing schools. The current approach does not account for the unique needs and context of every school. The board should work towards understanding all these needs and challenge themselves to meet those needs with the resources available.

To read this candidate’s questionnaire in its entirety, click here.

Felix Ponce

This candidate did not respond to this questionnaire by the time of publishing.

The candidates’ responses shown here have been edited for length, style and clarity.