Jessica Biggs was elected to the Chicago Board of Education two years ago. But Biggs is choosing to give up her seat, which represents parts of downtown and the South Side, and not run for reelection. Instead, the former CPS principal is aiming higher by running for school board president.
"I've led on our superintendent search process. I played a lead role in a coalition that ultimately delivered passage of a responsible budget last August. So, I intend to bring all of those experiences to bear as board president," Biggs said.
Biggs is also a former CPS special education teacher. She is currently a neighborhood school community organizer after her career as a principal quickly ended when she was accused of altering attendance records and not properly collecting paperwork for student rides to school.
Biggs was placed on the Do Not Hire list. She says the abrupt firing was politically motivated, and she fought it.
"This has been well litigated in the public, and I am happy to report that outside counsel has determined that my DNH designation should be removed, so I do not have such a designation," Biggs said.
Despite being removed from CPS's Do Not Hire list, elected school board member Jenni Custer says Biggs' background should be considered.
"It's not disqualifying when you're elected, but it's certainly something for voters to think about," Custer said.
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Custer is the only other current school board member who is running for board president. The former suburban teacher, union representative and principal was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union in 2024.
"I don't anticipate they're going to throw their support behind me. This time around, I've really tried to establish myself as a pretty independent voice and fight for all kids," Custer said.
If elected, Custer and Biggs say closing a massive CPS budget deficit will be their biggest challenge. Both say closing schools must be part of the conversation.
"You know, I know a lot of people don't want to talk about it, but we are going to have to look at our utilization of schools across the district," Custer said.
Biggs was principal of a school that was placed on then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel's original list of closures in 2013. Ultimately, her school was saved.
"What's clear to me is that as we move forward as a district, any move that we make has to be fundamentally different than what we did in 2013," Biggs said.
Former appointed Board Vice President Sendhill Revuluri and Chicago attorney Victor Henderson are also running for board president.