From left, Jennifer Custer and Michelle Pierre. [Campaign photos]

Jennifer Custer and Michelle Pierre are running for the District 1 seat on the Chicago Board of Education in a race that pits the interests of the teachers union against charter school supporters. District 1 covers parts of Edison Park, Norwood Park, Portage Park, O’Hare, Dunning and Mayfair. 

The first district race’s fundraising limits were lifted earlier this month after the state elections board determined more than $100,000 had been spent by independent groups to support Pierre. In all but two of the school board races, contribution limits have been lifted as a result of the amount of money being raised.

Custer is a former language arts teacher in Itasca and served as union president for the Itasca Education Association, and also has served as an assistant principal and dean of students in the Addison School District. Pierre is the former chief of schools for the LEARN Charter School Network and now serves on the board for The Chicago High School for the Arts. Pierre also works as the national senior executive director of strategic partnerships and alumni impact for New Leaders, an executive-level coaching business for educators. 

Custer and Pierre are competing for a two-year term on the board, which is phasing in an all-elected board member model. In January 2025, 10 elected board members and 10 mayor-appointed board members will take office, and the mayor will appoint a board president. Early voting is ongoing in the school board race. 

Following the 2026 elections, all 20 board members and the board president will be elected by voters and seated in January 2027.  

The powerful Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has endorsed candidates in each of the board races. In District 1, it has endorsed Custer and CTU has contributed thousands in the form of in-kind donations.   

Custer, the teachers union-backed candidate, has amassed more than $82,600 in direct and in-kind contributions and transfers into her campaign committee as of Oct. 11. That’s more than double what her opponent has raised. 

Custer’s committee has reported at least $57,875 in direct contributions and transfers. Some of the biggest individual contributions include a $2,500 donation in June from Belmont Cragin-based J & A Auto Body, Inc., a $2,000 contribution in July from Theresa Preston-Werner, co-founder of the progressive, climate-focused philanthropy organization 128 Foundation, who lives in California and who is married to GitHub co-founder Tom Preston-Werner, who runs an angel investment firm. Custer’s other big donation is from Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic physician assistant Gregory Schalla, who gave $2,500 in April.  

Custer has received at least $16,000 in transfers into her committee from the Chicagoland Operators Joint Labor-Management PAC, at least $7,500 from the LIUNA Chicago Laborers District Council PAC and at least $2,500 from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399. 

Custer has reported support from the campaign committees of Alds. Ruth Cruz (30), Felix Cardona (31) and Samantha Nugent (39). Cruz’s committee gave Custer’s $500 in June, Cardona’s committee gave Custer’s a combined $3,000 in June and September, and Nugent’s committee gave $200 in June. Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36) gave a $500 individual contribution in May. 

Custer’s committee has reported over $24,800 worth of in-kind campaign contributions as of Oct. 11. Most of the in-kind contributions, about $19,000, have come in the form of data consulting and field staff from the CTU PAC. 

Pierre’s committee has raised at least $35,060 in individual contributions as of Oct. 11 and has not reported any transfers or in-kind contributions. Pierre is notably backed by the Illinois Network of Charter Schools (INCS) Action PAC, with her committee having received at least $5,000 from the political action committee and their independent PAC having spent over $114,000 on printed and digital media to support her. 

Pierre’s committee has received $6,900 from INCS Board of Directors member Jim Frank and $5,000 from INCS Board Chair David Weinberg. 

Her committee also has received at least $1,000 from Perspectives Charter Schools CEO Deborah Stevens, at least $1,000 from Montessori Network Executive Director Rita Nolan and at least $1,000 from University of Chicago Booth School of Business Professor Steven Kaplan. 

Additionally, the pro-school choice Urban Center’s political committee has spent over $27,000 to support Pierre’s candidacy through paid text messaging.