CPS’s proposed FY2027 budget put a $732.5 million deficit before the school board as District 2a voters choose who will help shape the district’s finances. Incumbent Ebony DeBerry and challenger Hector Morales have offered different approaches to the shortfall.
DeBerry, a former CPS teacher elected to the board in 2024, has advocated for corporations and wealthy residents to contribute more, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Morales, an attorney and CPS graduate, says the district should first ensure it is using existing resources effectively and spending them efficiently before seeking more money.
A District Shaped By Diversity
District 2a sits in Chicago's Far North Side lakefront area and covers West Ridge, Rogers Park and North Park, encompassing 18 schools. More than 80 languages are spoken throughout the Rogers Park neighborhood alone, according to the Rogers Park Business Alliance, as cited by the Sun-Times. Students in the district's schools are around 33% Hispanic, nearly 26% Asian American, 22% Black and almost 15% white, per Chalkbeat data reported in the same account.
The neighborhoods also stand out for how many families stick with their local schools: more than 40% of high school students in the district attend their neighborhood schools, compared with just 24% across the city. The figures show that neighborhood-school attendance is more common in the district than across the city.
Where The Money And Endorsements Are Coming From
The candidates have also drawn different institutional support. DeBerry was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union and the Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council, and political action committees tied to both unions contributed to her campaign.
Morales was endorsed by Common Ground Collective, which describes its work as engaging voters around effective progressive policies and is characterized as an anti-Chicago Teachers Union political action committee heavily funded by Michael Sacks. He also received an endorsement from the Urban Center, which advocates for school choice across public and private schools. The Chicago Tribune Editorial Board endorsed Morales in late September.
A Budget Crisis Looming Over Every Answer
To address the shortfall, CPS proposed counting on $200 million in TIF surpluses, five employee furlough days, and spending and hiring freezes, according to the district’s FY2027 budget documents.
The proposed FY2027 budget said CPS was receiving 73% of the funding needed for its schools, down from 79% in FY2025 and 81% the year before that. DeBerry and Morales also differ on funding and investment in bilingual and dual-language education programs as the district confronts its deficit—an issue with particular relevance in a district where more than 80 languages are spoken in Rogers Park.
What CPS data says about bilingual staffing
A 2023 review of CPS-wide staffing data by Chalkbeat found that the number of teachers designated as bilingual teachers had declined since 2015. The district noted that its staffing data does not designate every educator who provides bilingual instruction as a bilingual teacher. The review offers a staffing measure, not District 2a-specific figures on bilingual or dual-language enrollment.
DeBerry is seeking a second term after winning 43% of the vote in a four-way 2024 race, according to Chalkbeat. With the contest now narrowed to two candidates, District 2a voters will choose which approach to school finances they want represented on the board.
