Chalkbeat's journalism is made possible by our sponsors.
Interested in becoming one? Reach out here.

Good morning!

Happy “Day After the Election” to all those who celebrate. This is Makiya Seminera and as I write up this newsletter, it’s past midnight and your Chalkbeat Chicago team is still working.

We kicked off our Election Day extravaganza by chowing down on some pizza from Home Run Inn (thanks everyone who voted in our pizza competition!) alongside our pals from Block Club Chicago. Several hours have since passed, and I would be lying if I said I haven’t gone back for a cold slice of turkey sausage and giardiniera pizza. We’re bleary-eyed, exhausted, maybe even a little delirious at this hour. But this is the moment we’ve been working up to for months: Chicago has fully elected its school board for the first time.

That means you’ve made it through to the other side of this contentious election cycle. All of the mailboxes stuffed with campaign flyers, the YouTube videos interrupted by attack ads, the long waits in line to vote — it’s all finally over…sorta.

Preliminary election results are in for the 21 school board races, but they won’t be certified for a few more weeks. Nevertheless, most races have a likely winner.

The contest for president is going in Jessica Biggs’ favor, with Hilario Dominguez and Victor Henderson falling short. Everyone from an influential Chicago billionaire to the union representing thousands of CPS teachers injected millions of dollars in the race, revealing just how invested special interest groups were in who controls the board of one of the largest school districts in the country.

You can see the results for yourself at our live election updates story, which gives you the latest on the state of the races. And if you have any election story threads you think is worth looking into, just reply to this email.

One last thing: This week, we're launching our end-of-year campaign to raise $55,000 to support our reporting in 2027. I'm asking you to become a Chalkbeat member today.

If you're able, please consider making a monthly donation. Even $5 or $10 a month helps us keep our reporters on the stories that matter. And thanks to generous matching funds, your donation will go twice as far.

Local education coverage is disappearing. Chalkbeat helps families and educators understand what’s changing. We can’t do it without you.

Illinois Midterm Election 2026: Here’s Who Won In Statewide Races, Congress, County Seats And School Board, Block Club Chicago

Remote learning day for NYC schools means remote chance of learning, parents say, The Gothamist