Four days left to count school board ballots, still no new public figures. Springfield's veto session opens the same day counting ends

As of Friday morning, we found no published count in Chicago's four undecided school board races, districts 3b, 5b, 6a and 7a, newer than the figures from Friday, Nov. 6. We are not calling any of them. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day and provisional ballots can be counted through Tuesday, Nov. 17, and official results are due by Nov. 24.

Why it matters: these four seats decide how large a bloc the Chicago Teachers Union has on the 21-member board that takes office Jan. 15. That board's first big decision, how to close a midyear CPS budget gap, depends partly on what state lawmakers do starting the same Tuesday counting ends.

This follows Thursday's story.

Where the numbers stand

All figures are unofficial, from the most recent reports we could find.

• 6a: Isaiah White led incumbent Anusha Thotakura 10,541 to 10,354, 187 votes, as of Nov. 6, the Chicago Defender reported. Brenda Lee Anderson was third.
• 3b: Jason Dónes led incumbent Carlos Rivas Jr. by fewer than 200 votes on Nov. 6, the Chicago Tribune reported; the Defender's Nov. 6 report put it at 303. We couldn't open the Defender's report to check which count it used, so we give both.
• 5b: Incumbent Michilla "Kyla" Blaise led Anthony Hargrove by 1,302 votes on Nov. 5 with one precinct out, per WBEZ and the Sun-Times.
• 7a: Emma Lozano led Jesus Ayala Jr. 11,229 to 9,609, a margin of 1,620, on NBC Chicago's results page. That page shows no update time, and its 6a figures are lower than the Defender's Nov. 6 count, so it is an earlier snapshot; we use it only because we've found no later 7a number.

We tried the Board of Elections' results pages again at 9:48 a.m. Friday; they returned an access error, as they have to us since Nov. 2.

Why the veto session matters to CPS

The current board's $10.1 billion budget counts on $150 million in new state money that hasn't come, the Tribune reported. The General Assembly's fall veto session runs Nov. 17 to 19 and Dec. 1 to 3, according to the Illinois Municipal League. Under the state constitution, a bill passed after May 31 that takes effect before June 1 of the next year needs a three-fifths majority in both chambers.

If the money doesn't come, the gap is the new board's to close, Borderless Magazine noted. Board President-elect Jessica Biggs wants a December decision after the City settles its one-time TIF surplus payment to CPS.

What our records add

The City side is still open. The Mayor's 2027 budget counts on declaring about $520 million in TIF surplus, and CPS is counting on $285 million of it (our story). A majority of the Council has said the Mayor's budget can't pass as written; the surplus isn't among the items its letter rejects.

TIF decisions also shape CPS's future property tax base. On Monday, the Finance Committee takes up extending six South Side TIF districts by 12 years, which would keep their growth from flowing to CPS and other taxing bodies until 2038 (our story).

What's next

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

Sources: Chicago Tribune (via Yahoo News): A new Chicago school board takes shape, Nov. 7, 2026.