Southwest Side School Board Race Pits Incumbent Emma Lozano Against Jesus Ayala Jr. in District 7a

In this majority-Latino district, incumbent board member Emma Lozano, a longtime pastor and activist who fought overcrowded schools in Pilsen, faces a younger challenger, Jesus Ayala Jr. Lozano was appointed to the school board by the mayor in 2024. Ayala is a Chicago Public Schools graduate who has worked for a nonprofit after-school program for the past six years. The district covers South Lawndale, Near West Side, Lower West Side, Garfield Ridge and Archer Heights.

The race has drawn competing endorsements. Lozano is backed by the Chicago Teachers Union. Ayala has the support of charter school advocates and groups that oppose the CTU, as well as the Service Employees International Union Illinois State Council, which represents thousands of support staff in CPS and has split politically with the teachers union in recent years. Ayala also ran in 2024, but his name was removed from the ballot after a successful challenge to the signatures on his nomination paperwork.

The district is home to 48 public schools. Last year, 64% received the state’s second-highest designation, “commendable.” Another 4.5% received an “intensive” designation, which indicates that a school remained among the bottom 5% of low-income schools in the state for four years after receiving comprehensive support, or that it had a graduation rate of 67% or below.

Most students in District 7a schools are Latino, reflecting the surrounding community, and most come from families with low incomes. Nearly half are English learners. Both Lozano and Ayala have named protecting immigrant communities among their priorities, a commitment to defending people with less power to speak for themselves (Proverbs 31:8-9). Both also cite securing progressive revenue, but they propose different ways to reach that goal.

The candidates’ approaches to school funding have divided them. Lozano voted for a Chicago Public Schools budget that assumed additional revenue from the state. Ayala said that relying on unsecured funds is a mistake. These differences have contributed to dueling endorsements from the CTU and SEIU, labor unions that were once close allies but are now competing for influence on the school board.

Campaign finance records show that Ayala has outraised Lozano. His largest donations have come from the political action committees of SEIU and the Illinois Network of Charter Schools. Lozano’s biggest donations have come from Our Schools PAC, a CTU-affiliated PAC.

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