Who Sent You?

With just days left until Chicago’s historic Elected School Board election, who is really sending the candidates?

In this episode, we speak with Michael Neal, candidate for District 6B (covering River North down to Park Manor, including Bronzeville, South Loop, and Woodlawn).

Neal is a pastor, youth non-profit leader, and former Kenwood Local School Council member. He shares his vision for community-led education oversight

We dive into the tough questions facing CPS voters:
• Lived experience with school closures: What happened to Price Elementary and Neal’s stance on the upcoming CPS moratorium
• Funding & PAC support: Addressing contributions from INCS and Common Ground Collective vs. independence from union machine politics
• Black Student Success: Increasing Black male educators and creating culturally responsive support
• The role of a board member: Oversight vs. day-to-day operations and bridging community partnerships

Tune in for a candid discussion on what’s at stake for District 6B students and families

---
📍 Episode Chapters / Key Moments:
00:00 - Introduction to Season 1 & District 6B
01:09 - Who Sent Rev. Michael Neal?
03:50 - Ground-Level Experience: Kenwood LSC & Literacy Programs
08:29 - What Does a Chicago School Board Member Actually Do?
10:22 - Black Student Success & Male Educator Representation
12:11 - School Closure Moratorium & Repurposing Empty CPS Buildings
17:37 - Campaign Funding, INCS, Common Ground Collective & CTU
24:40 - Closing Thoughts: Serving Beyond the Election

---
🔗 Important Links & Resources:
• Find your Chicago School Board District
• Chicago Early Voting & Polling Places: 
• Subscribe & Share "Who Sent You?" Podcast

Brittany Kimble is a mother, defense attorney, and compassionate advocate. 

As the moratorium on school closures for Chicago Public Schools school  comes to an end, there's a movement to extend the moratorium. 

Brittany does not support school closures simply because a plan to maintain student success is rarely in place, which negatively impacts the students. 

Learn more about her candidacy on Episode 10. 

PS. Early voting in all 50 wards in Chicago is now up and running. 

Find out a nearby polling place here. 

I spoke with Victor P. Henderson, the self-proclaimed independent candidate in the race for CPS Board President. 

Lawyer, CPA, and former CPS parent, he is running to speak up for children, families, and taxpayers. 

Learn more about him at victorforthefuture.org

Check out the UChicago and Johns Hopkins report on impact of mass CPS school closures here.

Election Day is November 3, 2026 and Early voting at two downtown locations started October 1

Early voting in all 50 wards opens on Oct. 19. 

Learn more here. 

Che 'Rhymefest' Smith is no stranger to using his voice. 

Famed rapper, and award-winning songwriter, he has used his talents and commitment to community, to serve on Chicago's Elected School Board. 

Elected in 2024, he represents District 10A. 

For the 2026 election, he's the only candidate in his race on the ballot, though there is a write-in candidate, see Season 1 Episode 1. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• his lessons learned
• his north star through all his community endeavors 
• His vision for the future of Chicago Public Schools 

Find out what district you're in. 

On part two of the CPS Board President series, we bring in Jessica Biggs. 

She's a current board member. 

She's a former classroom teacher and school leader. 

She lays out her plan to address the district's financial woes, support of the Black Student Success Plan, and speaks on school closures. 

biggs4chicago.com

This is part 1 of the Chicago Elected School Board candidate series. 

This episode features Hilario Dominguez, who is running for school board president. 

In this espisode, we talk about his vision for the district which includes universal Pre-K, no school closures, ever, and community schools that offer wraparound services to the neighborhoods they are located in. 

To learn more about Hilario, head to his website. 

University of Chicago Consortium on School Research Attendance and School Climate resource

While the Trump administration  seeks to control federal elections, it makes you wonder if your ballot is safe. 

To answer this question, I spoke with Ami Gandhi, director of strategic initiatives & Midwest Voting Rights Program at Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.

And Jane Ruby, president of the League of Women Voters Chicago. 

Together, we got up to speed on Executive Order 14399, Illinois's expansive voting rights protections, and trusting our electoral systems. 

Resources:

• Election Protection Hotline: 866-OUR-VOTE
• ballotready.org

In November 2023, organizers convened and advocated for a Black Student Success Committee. 

This would ensure that the forthcoming elected school board would be on the hook for improving Black student academic outcomes. 

In this episode, we hear from:

• Valerie Leonard, founder of Nonprofit Utopia, and the Black Student Success Committee member
• Dominique (Dom) McKoy, executive director of the To&Through Project at the University of Chicago
• Grace Asiegbu, freelance journalist who recently published a Block Club Chicago investigation on the Black Student Success progress three years after its passage. 

After listening, you'll learn the needs this plan intends to address, how it came to pass, and the plan's goals. 

Additional Resources:

• Access the Black Student Success plan here
• Access Grace's article here or here

On episode 3, we're joined by Sarah Karp, senior education reporter at WBEZ. 

To get you up to speed ahead of the November 3rd elected school board race, we discussed all things Chicago Public Schools: 

• Chronic absenteeism 
• CPS Budget woes
• The real work of a CPS Board member

Check out some of Sarah's reporting below

• Funding re-instated for CPS from federal government 
• 10 years after CPS school closures
• Chronic absenteeism

Find your CPS district and representatives

Follow Sarah on X

On this week's episode of the Who Sent You? Podcast, we discuss what it takes to be a qualified Chicago Public School board member.
This conversations includes Bridget Lee, founding executive director of the Academy for Local Leadership.
In this interview, she include's the ALL Governance Compass, access here

If you're looking for your board member and your district, find it here