A realtor supported by school choice advocates is challenging a longtime education activist with connections to the Chicago Teachers Union in the contest for the District 5a seat on the city’s West Side. The district spans from the predominantly Black Austin neighborhood through parts of Garfield Park and Humboldt Park, concluding with Ukrainian Village to the east. This expansive stretch of the West Side includes 39 schools that primarily serve Black and Latino students.
Disinvestment and enrollment decline
Following years of reduced investment, numerous schools in the area are working to stabilize enrollment and help students reach grade-level proficiency. Residents of District 5a are less likely to enroll their children in neighborhood schools compared to families in most other city areas, especially for high school. Fewer than 7% of high school students in this region selected their local school option, according to CPS data. Frederick Douglass Academy in Austin, for example, enrolled only 27 students last year, making it a central issue in discussions about how CPS should manage declining enrollment.
Three Candidates Vie for District 5a Seat
All three candidates reside in Austin. Incumbent Aaron “Jitu” Brown, a seasoned community organizer, is advocating for additional state funding and reduced bureaucratic costs within Chicago Public Schools. His opponent, LaPamela Williams, also an Austin resident and Lane Tech College Prep graduate, is focused on enhancing financial oversight and eliminating expenditures that don’t benefit students. Kernetha Jones, who was disqualified from the ballot, argues that test results must improve before investing further in what she describes as a “failed system.”
Williams receives backing from the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and The Urban Center, a centrist political group that champions charter schools and school choice initiatives. She is also endorsed by the Common Ground Collective, a business-oriented, anti-CTU political action committee funded significantly by billionaire Michael Sacks. While Williams supports establishing new charter schools in areas of need, she insists that such efforts should only proceed when operators have stable funding and a defined strategy for improving academic outcomes. She stated that CPS should provide stronger backing for existing charter schools if they demonstrate results and are “meeting the criteria that they should be meeting.”
Williams Seeks to Fix District’s Struggling Schools
Williams decided to run for the board driven by her passion for education and community. Born and raised in Austin, she continues to live there. “Education is forever, and the kids in my district are really suffering, especially academically,” Williams remarked, pointing to high absenteeism rates and students leaving high school without essential skills. Though relatively new to education advocacy, Williams believes her background in customer service—including work as a nursing home aide—has equipped her for public service. “Everything about my work is customer satisfaction,” Williams said. “Breaking information down so people can understand it … Actually listening to what people are saying and putting that action into it.”
Brown, raised on Chicago’s Far South Side, was instrumental in long-standing campaigns against school closures and in support of a fully elected school board. His activism included a hunger strike that contributed to the reopening of Dyett High School in Washington Park. He ran unopposed for re-election in 2024 and was endorsed by the CTU. As chair of the board’s Black Student Achievement Committee, Brown focuses on reducing racial disparities and improving educational outcomes for Black students.
Brown’s involvement in education began in the 1990s when his rap group visited a South Side elementary school. He recalls encountering a student slouched in his seat who said, “Man, you cool, but you ain’t coming back.” “That kind of stuck with me,” Brown reflected. Subsequently, he began mentoring youth through the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, where he observed disparities in school resources. “These children on 39th Street have one computer in their class, and that’s it,” Brown noted. “There’s no Black history being taught to these young people. I realized that there’s an equity issue, and that began my path.”
Brown Pushes for More State Funding to Close Gap
In a neighborhood where a single computer might be shared among many students, debates over how to improve underperforming schools are deeply personal. Brown continues to advocate for increased state funding to bridge the district’s budget shortfall. He is calling on state legislators to raise taxes on high earners and eliminate corporate tax exemptions. “The political will is there,” Brown said, to “not only tie a tourniquet” but also “heal the wound.”
Jones, a West Side native and graduate of Farragut High School, taught students with learning and behavioral challenges in CPS during the 1980s and 1990s. There, she voiced support for school choice and parent vouchers, which are often used to help cover private school costs. Jones has also criticized full sex education, alleging without proof that CPS materials sexualize children and resemble pornography. Chalkbeat found no evidence of such content in CPS curriculum during a previous review of similar claims made during her 2022 write-in campaign.
Candidate Positions on Education Policy
Brown’s work focuses on reducing racial disparities and improving classroom experiences for Black students. He opposes the expansion of charter schools and supports neighborhood public education. Williams wants to improve financial oversight and remove non-student spending. She believes parents should have the option to choose schools but supports charters only when groups have sustainable funding and a clear plan.
Brown Fights to Protect Neighborhood Public Schools
Brown’s nonprofit efforts have centered on strengthening neighborhood schools and resisting the expansion of charter schools. He argues that local communities should have more influence over school operations and that the school board must be more responsive to public concerns. His tenure as a community organizer has given him extensive insight into neighborhood priorities and challenges.
