Angel Gutierrez Secures Second Term in Chicago School Board District 8a

Angel Gutierrez keeps his seat on the Chicago Board of Education for District 8a.

Gutierrez, who resides in Garfield Ridge, first won this position in 2024. The district covers Ashburn, Garfield Ridge, Clearing, West Lawn, Chicago Lawn, and West Elsdon. It is a heavily Hispanic area on the Far Southwest Side. No other candidates filed paperwork to run against him this cycle. He received endorsements from the Service Employees International Union and pro-charter school groups. The union represents thousands of support staff at Chicago Public Schools.

Gutierrez was declared the winner on Tuesday. He plans to be sworn into office in January. In an interview, he stated that his first priority is addressing the CPS budget. "We got to get our fiscal house in order, number one," Gutierrez said. He wants to implement the work of CPS CEO/Supt. Macquline King’s committee for financing schools. He noted that the district has faced a lack of money over the past two years. Despite running unopposed, he thanked district voters and the organizations that supported his campaign.

Students in District 8a are more likely to attend their neighborhood schools than students in other parts of the city. Data from Chalkbeat shows that 69% of elementary students in this district attend local schools, compared to a citywide average of 56%. For high school, 28% of students in District 8a choose a local school, compared to 23% citywide. The area has tended to vote more conservatively than other neighborhoods and has more families living in single-person households. In 2023, voters here strongly supported Paul Vallas for mayor. Vallas was a former CPS CEO. Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former Chicago Teachers Union organizer, lost in that election. In 2024, most precincts in the district favored Donald Trump for president.

Gutierrez has outlined several goals for his second term. He wants to improve special education services. He also aims to increase opportunities for students to learn skilled trades. He plans to ensure access to reliable transportation, including school buses. These proposals are intended to help students who attend neighborhood schools. He also supports the current CPS strategy that allows families to choose from schools outside their immediate area.

The political action committees for the Illinois Network of Charter Schools and SEIU donated to his campaign despite the lack of opposition. Gutierrez is the only board member who has called for Illinois to opt into the Trump administration’s federal tax credit scholarship program. This program offers a tax credit for donations to organizations that grant scholarships for private school attendance or other education needs. Illinois has not yet agreed to participate in the program. Gutierrez sends his own children to a Catholic school.