Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, Ald. Desmon Yancy endorse Jessica Biggs for CPS Board President

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Ald. Desmon Yancy endorsed Jessica Biggs for President of the Chicago Board of Education on Tuesday. 

“I urge Chicagoans to support Jessica Biggs in the November election for CPS board president,” said Preckwinkle. “Jessica is an experienced educator who is committed to making sure every kid in Chicago has access to a great education, no matter what neighborhood they’re growing up in. I trust her to bring responsible, principled leadership to our school system.”

Preckwinkle taught high school history on the South Side for ten years and served nearly two decades as 4th Ward alderman before becoming President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2010, where she leads a government serving more than five million residents.

"Jessica has spent her whole career inside schools and alongside the families who depend on them, and it shows in the way she governs," said Yancy. "She listens to parents, she works to hold district leadership accountable, and she keeps the conversation where it belongs, on whether our kids are learning. That is the kind of leadership the board needs at the top."

Yancy, a longtime South Side resident, came up as a community organizer before winning the 5th Ward seat in 2023. He represents Hyde Park, South Shore, and Woodlawn.

"President Preckwinkle and Ald. Yancy have shown us what it means to deliver steady leadership and sound governance to our communities,” said Biggs. “I'm proud to have earned their support, and am grateful to have her with us in the fight for a school board that puts students and their learning first, governs responsibly, and answers to Chicago's families."

Biggs, who currently represents District 6 on the Chicago Board of Education, is a former special education teacher and CPS principal at Burke Elementary in Washington Park, a community organizer with the Southwest Organizing Project, and a current CPS parent. Preckwinkle joins a broad coalition of endorsers of Biggs’ campaign, including the SEIU Illinois State Council, Alders Pat Dowell (3); Lamont Robinson (4); Scott Waguespack (32); and Timmy Knudsen (43); Chicago Board of Education Members Therese Boyle, Carlos Rivas, Jr., and Dr. Che "Rhymefest" Smith; Cook County Democratic Committeewomen Laura Yepez (1) and Lucy Moog (43); State Representatives Curtis Tarver (25th District) and Nick Smith (34th District); Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry (3rd District); Pastor Chris Harris; Former CPS CEO Dr. Janice Jackson; and former Alderman Dick Simpson (44).