Name the one issue you think is most important for the Chicago Board of Education to focus on this year.
During my term here, looking at student achievement and student success is the top priority of the board. We are responsible for working with the district to create movement forward, and I look forward to continuing to do that work. The district has made great gains since the pandemic, and I hope to continue to help them keep that momentum going for all students throughout the city of Chicago.
In the first ever school board election on Nov. 5 2024, stay-at-home mom and former educator Jennifer Custer beat veteran educator Michelle N. Pierre in the race to represent District 1. Custer, a former assistant principal and suburban union leader, was endorsed by the Chicago Teachers Union, which strongly supports a neighborhood school focus.
But during the campaign Custer said she wants to equally invest in neighborhood schools and charter schools, and will prioritize the needs of students.
“I’m vowing that I will be open and available to community members to share ideas and talk about education-related issues,” Custer said after the election. “I represent them and I want to make sure that their voice is heard in this process.”
More on Jennifer Custer
Custer moved to the Chicago area 12 years ago from West Bend, Wis. She lives in the Dunning neighborhood. Her eldest attends Locke Elementary, her neighborhood school. She holds an M.S. in educational administration from Northern Illinois University.
She was an assistant principal in Addison and taught in northwest suburban Itasca, where she was president of the teacher’s union.
When running for the Chicago School Board, Custer said the selective enrollment school system is the most pressing issue in her district, with many residents disapproving of an effort last year by the board to away from school choice. She does not support charter expansion.
Custer also campaigned on building up bilingual programs across CPS and hiring more bilingual teachers to meet the needs of the Latino children who make up 53% of the district.
Custer also supports requiring all schools to select from a certain set of curriculum authorized by CPS.
“There should be standards that all the schools follow, but every classroom is going to look different just because every community looks a little bit different,” Custer said.
Maintaining school buildings across the 1st District and the school system was also high on Custer’s list of campaign promises and she is willing to raise the property tax levy to the maximum allowed to fulfill it, she said in a WBEZ/Sun-Times/Chalkbeat questionnaire.