# Five days left to count, and no new school board numbers since Nov. 6. What the new board's first decision waits on

*The races in 3b, 5b, 6a and 7a are still uncalled by any outlet we found. The current board wants to settle midyear cuts in December, after the City decides its TIF payment to CPS.*

By Chicago Politics · Updated Nov 12, 2026

We found no newer published count in Chicago's four undecided school board races, districts 3b, 5b, 6a and 7a, than the one from Friday, Nov. 6, as of Thursday morning. We are not calling any of them. The Board of Elections has until Tuesday, Nov. 17, to count mail and provisional ballots, and official results are due Nov. 24.

Why it matters: the 21-member board takes office Jan. 15, and its first big choice, how to cover a hole in this year's CPS budget, depends on a decision the City Council makes first.

This follows [Wednesday's story](/on-my-block/chicago-school-board-final-count-week-6a-margin-187-board-seated-jan-15).

## Where the numbers stand

All figures are unofficial.

- **6a:** Isaiah White led incumbent Anusha Thotakura 10,541 to 10,354, 187 votes, as of Nov. 6, the [Chicago Defender reported](https://chicagodefender.com/close-chicago-school-board-races-remain-unresolved-as-election-officials-count-remaining-ballots/). Brenda Lee Anderson had 9,712.
- **3b:** Jason Dónes led incumbent Carlos Rivas Jr. by fewer than 200 votes as of Nov. 6, with all precincts apparently counted, the [Chicago Tribune reported](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/chicago-school-board-takes-shape-004500747.html). Another report put the margin at 303 votes for the same day; we couldn't open that report to confirm it, so we use the Tribune's figure.
- **5b:** Incumbent Michilla "Kyla" Blaise led Anthony Hargrove by 1,302 votes on Nov. 5 with one precinct out, per the [Sun-Times and WBEZ](https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/11/05/missing-election-day-results-holding-up-race-calls-in-two-chicago-school-board-districts). Block Club on Thursday described her as reelected; we have not seen a call by the Associated Press or the Board, and count it as unofficial.
- **7a:** Emma Lozano led Jesus Ayala Jr. on Nov. 5; we haven't found a confirmed margin.

## Why counting takes this long

On Nov. 5 the Board had 131,131 uncounted votes, mostly mail ballots, plus more than 4,000 provisional ballots, WBEZ reported. About 34,000 people registered on Election Day, the second-most in city history after 2024, which the Board said delayed final results, the Tribune reported. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day count if they arrive by Nov. 17.

We tried the Board's results page again at 9:30 a.m. Thursday; it returned an access error, as it has to us since Nov. 2.

## What the board inherits

- **A midyear gap.** The current board passed a $10.1 billion budget that counted on $150 million in new state money that hasn't come, the Tribune reported. Layoffs, furloughs and a spending freeze have been floated.
- **A December decision.** Board President-elect Jessica Biggs wants the board to decide at its December meeting, after the City settles a one-time TIF surplus payment to CPS, the Tribune reported.
- **Votes.** If leads hold, nine members would have Chicago Teachers Union backing, and Biggs would lack the two-thirds majority needed for some votes, such as budget amendments.

## What our records add

The City side of that December decision is the Council's. The Mayor's 2027 budget counts on declaring about $520 million in TIF surplus, and CPS is counting on $285 million from the City ([our story](/on-my-block/chicago-tif-revenue-record-1-62-billion-2025-clerk-report-surplus-budget)). Twenty-eight alderpersons say that budget can't pass as written ([our story](/on-my-block/budget-letter-objections-priced-head-tax-lease-tax-335-million-signers-votes)). The TIF surplus isn't among the items their letter rejects, but no budget is final until the Council votes, by Dec. 31.

## What's next

- Nov. 17: last day to count mail and provisional ballots.
- Nov. 24: official results.
- Jan. 15: the board president and 20 district members take office.

*Sources: [Block Club Chicago: After Google warns schools about disabling AI feature, protesters push back, Nov. 12, 2026](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/11/12/after-google-warns-schools-about-disabling-ai-feature-protesters-say-we-dont-want-your-gemini/).*


## Sources

1. chicagodefender.com: [Chicago Defender reported](https://chicagodefender.com/close-chicago-school-board-races-remain-unresolved-as-election-officials-count-remaining-ballots/)
2. yahoo.com: [Chicago Tribune reported](https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/chicago-school-board-takes-shape-004500747.html)
3. WBEZ: [Sun-Times and WBEZ](https://www.wbez.org/education/2026/11/05/missing-election-day-results-holding-up-race-calls-in-two-chicago-school-board-districts)
4. Block Club Chicago: [Block Club Chicago: After Google warns schools about disabling AI feature, protesters push back, Nov. 12, 2026](https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/11/12/after-google-warns-schools-about-disabling-ai-feature-protesters-say-we-dont-want-your-gemini/)

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Source: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/on-my-block/chicago-school-board-count-no-new-figures-since-nov-6-five-days-left-tif · Chicago Politics, an independent tracker of the Chicago City Council. Guide for agents: https://www.chicagopolitics.org/llms.txt