Mayor Brandon Johnson has filled what may be his last Chicago school board vacancy with Connie Anderson, a longtime parent leader whose résumé includes robotics, fundraising, and one of the city’s most closely watched school mergers. The appointment gives Anderson a few months on the Far South Side seat she is already seeking in November, turning a temporary board assignment into an immediate campaign advantage.
The mayor’s office announced Wednesday that Anderson will represent District 10B, according to WBEZ Chicago. She is stepping into the seat formerly held by Olga Bautista, who left the board in March as the city’s school governance system moved toward a fully elected model.
Anderson is not a newcomer to CPS politics. She helped develop student robotics teams, served for 12 years with the Friends of Ogden parent group, and has worked on education and community initiatives, while Chalkbeat Chicago reported that Bautista stepped down after receiving a sabbatical award.
From North Side Integration Fight To Far South Side Board Seat
Anderson’s most visible education role came during the 2018 merger of Ogden International School and Jenner Academy of the Arts, a plan meant to bridge a sharp racial and economic divide between the two North Side school communities. WBEZ Chicago reported that the merger brought together Ogden’s whiter, more affluent student body and Jenner’s Black students from lower-income families, many connected to the former Cabrini-Green public housing community.
That background now follows Anderson into a board seat representing Chicago’s Far South Side. Her appointment lands during a historic election year, with residents set to choose all 21 school board members on Nov. 3, including 20 district representatives and an at-large board president, according to WTTW News.
The Chicago Board of Elections’ candidate filing report lists Anderson as a candidate for Board of Education Subdistrict 10B. Her appointed service will therefore overlap with the campaign for the full term she hopes to win, giving voters a chance to see her work on the board before they cast their ballots.
Chicago’s Mayoral School Board Era Is Running Out
Under Illinois law, each Chicago district has one elected and one mayor-appointed member through Jan. 14, 2027. After Jan. 15, 2027, each district will have one elected representative, according to the Illinois General Assembly.
Johnson’s earlier school board overhaul came after the prior board resigned en masse amid a clash over CPS finances and leadership, a turning point previously covered by Hoodline. This appointment is different: It appears to be less about rebuilding the board than filling one of its final vacancies before Chicago voters take over the entire process.
