Three candidates vie for Joliet-adjacent Chicago Board seat in District 6a

Elections in Chicago School Board District 6a are shaping up as a contest between an incumbent with union backing and two challengers with distinct policy focuses. The district covers the Near North Side and West Town, areas that serve as the city’s commercial and business center. Because of this location, the district has just 14 public schools, the fewest of any Chicago Public Schools electoral district. No neighborhood high schools are located within these boundaries.

The candidates bring different professional backgrounds to the race. Anusha Thotakura, the current board member, was appointed by the mayor in 2024 after finishing second in the initial election. She is running for re-election with support from the Chicago Teachers Union and the Service Employees International Union. Her campaign focuses on improving reading and math scores for students in the district.

Isaiah White, a school support worker, is challenging Thotakura with a platform backed by special interest groups. He has received thousands of dollars from The Urban Center, a centrist political organization that advocates for school choice. He is also supported by the political arm of the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. An anti-CTU political action committee, heavily funded by billionaire Michael Sacks, has endorsed him. That group states it aims to engage voters around effective progressive policies.

Brenda Lee Anderson, a Northwestern University lecturer currently on leave, represents a third option. Her campaign operates without backing from major special interest groups. Unlike her opponents, Anderson’s primary goal is to address the chronic budget crisis facing Chicago Public Schools rather than focusing solely on academic metrics like reading and math.

The student population in District 6a differs from the rest of the city. The district includes a more diverse mix of students than most other areas. However, the schools there have higher percentages of white and Asian American students compared to Chicago Public Schools as a whole. This demographic shift is part of the context for the upcoming vote.

State data released last week provides a snapshot of school performance in the district. Two schools in District 6a received the highest rating from the state. In contrast, 60 percent of the schools received the two lowest designations, labeled as developing and comprehensive. The state currently uses six levels of designations, an increase from the five levels used last year. The bottom two categories were previously called comprehensive and intensive.

The race highlights the tension between union-backed incumbents and challengers supported by school choice advocates. Thotakura relies on established union networks, while White draws funding from charter school groups. Anderson runs an independent campaign focused on fiscal health. The outcome will determine the leadership for the 14 schools in this densely populated commercial district.