Incumbent backed by CTU faces challenger funded by pro-charter forces in NW Side District 3a Chicago School Board race

District 3a neighborhoods: Avondale, Irving Park, Logan Square, Belmont Cragin, Hermosa, Albany Park

A newcomer building a coalition of support from private donors and charter school advocates is challenging a longtime community activist with ties to the Chicago Teachers Union and Northwest Side elected officials in the race to represent District 3a.

Incumbent Norma Rios Sierra, a Logan Square organizer appointed to the school board in 2024 by Mayor Brandon Johnson, is hoping to hold onto her seat against Peter Gonzales, a lawyer for the Illinois Secretary of State.

Schools in District 3a are struggling with teacher shortages, arts program cuts, charter school closings and access to mental health support. The Northwest Side district has a mix of 23 dual-language, charter and alternative schools serving mostly Latino students.

While both candidates have similar positions on increasing funds for CPS and supporting immigrant families, their support differs.

Rios Sierra is backed by the CTU and the Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council, which represents thousands of CPS support staff and has split politically with the teachers union in recent years. She’s one of only four candidates to be endorsed by both unions. SEIU’s political action committee and another PAC funded by the CTU have contributed to Rios Sierra’s campaign, too.

Gonzales has support from the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, a pro-school choice group, and the Common Ground Collective, an anti-CTU political action committee that is heavily funded by billionaire Michael Sacks and says it aims to engage voters around “effective progressive policies.” Gonzales is also backed by the Urban Center, a centrist political organization that advocates for school choice across public and private schools.

Gonzales advocates for equitable teacher wages that can strengthen student test scores and expand opportunities for students, such as having a stronger trades pipelines and more school choice, while Rios Sierra wants to see more mental health resources for students and more art and extracurricular programs for neighborhood schools.