In the final days of this campaign, Jessica’s opponents are spreading smears to mislead voters about her strong record as an educator. Here are the facts about these political attacks:

What is Jessica’s position on school closures?

Jessica Biggs will never pursue a campaign of top-down mass school closures like the one undertaken during Rahm Emanuel’s administration. Jessica was a principal at the time, where six CPS schools were closed within a mile of Burke Elementary School, where she worked. She saw firsthand the harm the closings did to her school community. The disruption caused by closing even a grossly underenrolled school can have devastating impacts for our kids, their families, and entire communities for years to come. She believes that Chicago school closures have generally come about as a result of a lack of responsible budgeting, a lack of investment by every level of government, a lack of solidarity and a lack of care, and should only ever be considered as a last resort, on an individual basis, and with the community at the center. Jessica’s opponents are lying about her position on school closings. 

Who is funding Jessica’s campaign?

Jessica is proud to have built a broad coalition in this campaign with hundreds of individual donors–some of whom have given to her campaign despite not being aligned with her on every ideological or policy issue. They have invested in her vision for a CPS focused on student success, not political games. Every one of them knows she’ll do what's right for Chicago's students and families, no matter who is on the other side. You can review a full list of Jessica’s endorsements here. Jessica’s policy positions on issues like views on school closings, private school vouchers, new charter authorizations and privatization are well known and deeply held–and they can’t be swayed by any donor.  Meanwhile, Jessica’s opponent Hilario Dominguez is facing a complaint for filing blatantly inaccurate campaign finance reports – in an apparent attempt to hide how he’s funding his campaign.

What happened when Jessica was a principal? 

Jessica was an exemplary principal. Under Jessica’s leadership:

• The percentage of students performing at or above grade level in reading and math doubled

• Jessica received the Community Educator Award from the Bronzeville Alliance in 2015 and the South East Chicago Commission recognized her as the Community Leader in Washington Park and presented her with an award for outstanding service to the community in 2017

• Burke’s out-of-school suspension rate decreased by a factor of nearly thirty while she was principal

• In 2013, Jessica was given Mayor of Chicago’s Principal Achievement Award for reading and math growth above the 90th percentile

• Burke’s 5Essentials evaluation improved from “Not Yet Organized” to “Well Organized”

Attacks on Jessica’s record as a principal center on a deeply flawed investigation that she was denied a proper chance to respond to and that did not warrant the severe punishment she received. 

CPS’ actions were seen as retaliatory. Jessica had spoken out against flawed clean-up practices by CPS clouted contractor Aramark on May 3, 2018 – and was fired just weeks later. The school community was outraged, and rallied to protest.

Former CPS Chief Talent Officer Matt Lyons later wrote that Jessica’s firing centered on “two unrelated, minor policy violations … Neither posed harm to students, reflected dishonesty, or called her judgment or character into question.”

Matt Lyons Letter of Support to CPS, 7/27/25

A Federal Court agreed, finding that:

“The OIG [Office of the Inspector General] did not review relevant physical records, such as tardy books and logs, and did not evaluate prior audits of Burke Elementary’s attendance records, which did not note significant discrepancies. The OIG also declined to consider evidence that the Board’s policy dictates that each school determines its own use of the tardy codes—i.e., Burke Elementary independently determines the time at which a student will be marked “tardy” versus “absent for half a day.” The OIG did not interview certain relevant personnel and did not substantiate claims made by former Burke Elementary personnel.”

Jessica remains proud that she spoke out against the policies that were harming her students. And as CPS Board President, she will continue to lead with integrity and put the needs of our kids above petty politics. 

Who are Jessica’s opponents?

Two candidates are running against Jessica Biggs: Hilario Dominguez and Victor Henderson.

Hilario Dominguez has been investigated four times, including for sexual harassment of a minor, a teen who was his subordinate at the non-profit organization The Resurrection Project. 

As a teacher, Dominguez also faced serious harassment and discrimination allegations. In one case, a staff member who filed a complaint against him for inappropriate harassment also reported that Dominguez repeatedly referred to them as Hitler and made Nazi salutes in front of students. A staff member also alleged that Dominguez asked them inappropriate sexual questions.

Victor Henderson’s ex-wife said that Henderson had severely violently abused her and her son. 

According to ABC7 Chicago, court records showed that Henderson "proceeded to take their older son into the garage and beat him repeatedly with the wooden handle of a garden hoe." Another filing said the same child told his mother and therapist that "Victor will sometimes come into his bedroom in the middle of the night and whip him with a belt while he is asleep under the covers."