Aaron Brown (Illinois)

Aaron Brown

Nonpartisan

Chicago Public Schools school board District 5a

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

0

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Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Personal

Birthplace

Chicago, IL

Profession

Education advocate

Contact

Campaign website

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Aaron Brown (also known as Jitu) is a member of the Chicago Public Schools school board in Illinois, representing District 5a. He assumed office on January 15, 2025. His current term ends on January 14, 2027.

Brown ran for election to the Chicago Public Schools school board to represent District 5a in Illinois. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Aaron Brown was born in Chicago, Illinois. His career experience includes working as an education advocate.

Elections

2024

See also: Chicago Public Schools, Illinois, elections (2024)

General election

General election for Chicago Public Schools school board District 5a

Aaron Brown defeated Jousef Shkoukani and Kernetha Jones in the general election for Chicago Public Schools school board District 5a on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Aaron Brown (Nonpartisan)	97.3	40,249
	Submit photo	Jousef Shkoukani (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	2.6	1,063
	Submit photo	Kernetha Jones (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)	0.2	65

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,377
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Michilla Blaise (Nonpartisan) (Unofficially withdrew)
• Anthony Hargrove (Nonpartisan)

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Brown in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Aaron Brown completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Brown's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a Chicago Public Schools alum and parent and a proud resident of the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side. For over 30 years, my work has focused on educational justice and equity. For many years I was the education organizer at the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization, one of Chicago’s longest standing community organizations, where I organized campaigns for greater investment in public education, worked to improve schools serving Black students, and ran youth leadership programs in schools. I was the lead organizer in the campaign to save Dyett High School from closure, which culminated in myself and others going on a 34-day hunger strike that led to Dyett being reopened with over $14 million in new investments. Out of that campaign, I helped envision the Sustainable Community School model now being implemented in communities across the country. From 1999 - 2013, I served on Local School Councils and trained hundreds of LSC members across the city. I was the community school coordinator at Chicago’s first community school, South Shore School of Entrepreneurship and taught Black history at St. Leonard’s High School, the nation’s only accredited high school serving people returning from incarceration. Since 2013, I have served as National Director for the Journey for Justice Alliance of grassroots organizations in 40 cities. My unique understanding of school communities, systemic failures, and vision will equip me to be both effective and accountable when elected.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I believe every child and their family deserves a world class pre-K through 12th education within walking distance of home. Inequity and underfunding are at the heart of what’s wrong with our education system, which means that equitable and full funding for our schools must be at the heart of our solutions.
• Having built culturally relevant youth leadership programs and curriculum for many years, I have seen the relevance and importance of having a school reflect the community it services. One of my priorities will be recruiting and retaining more Black and Brown teachers and ensuring schools have culturally relevant curriculum and programs.
• Neighborhoods in the 5th District like Austin, Garfield Park, North Lawndale and West Humboldt Park were extremely hard hit by school closures. I have seen first-hand the devastating impact of school closures and the transformative potential of revitalizing once neglected neighborhood schools. I am running to connect with parents, students, West Side stakeholders, residents, and school communities beyond election season but in a year-round collaboration to bring investment and equity to the public schools in District 5.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am especially passionate about models for equitable school funding. It is not right that there are some schools in our district that barely have a library or a counselor, while others have world languages, nice facilities, diverse sports options and the kinds of programs and investments that all young people deserve. This means my priorities will be to secure full and equitable funding for Chicago Public Schools, to invest in neighborhood public schools.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have organized with communities and won; both policies, saving institutions and resources!

I have stood with my community at the forefront of the struggle for education equity in Chicago and across the country. I have organized with parents, youth and community to stop racist schools closings and won. I have organized parents to struggle against injustice and win; as i was the organizer of the fight for Dyett campaign culminating in the 34 hunger strike where we risked our health and won the reopening of Dyett as a neighborhood schools with $14 million in new investments.

I have consistent history on the front lines in organizing for education equity and youth investment.

What strategies or plans would you advance to ensure the schools are properly funded?

Additional resources from the state and the federal government are needed to address not only the immediate fiscal crisis but the decades of underfunding that have led to the under resourcing of and inequitable funding for our Chicago Public Schools. We should be advocating for a prioritization of education funding from the state and federal government, identifying long-term, progressive streams of revenue that don’t burden the working class, and examining how TIF resources could be spent on school improvement instead of the enrichment of corrupt alderman and private developers.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Mayor Brandon Johnson

Rep Chuy Garcia
Rep Delia Ramirez
Alderman Jason Ervin
Alderman Chris Taliaferro
Alderwoman Jeanette Taylor
Alderman Byron Sigcho Lopez
Alderman Walter Burnett
Alderman Mike Rodriquez
Alderwoman Angela Clay
Commissioner Tara Stamps
Sen Lakeisa Collins
Rep Camille Lilly
Rep Lilian Jimenez
Rep La Shawn Ford
Network for Public Education Action
Chicago Federation of Labor
Chicago Teacher's Union
CCCTU Local 1600
SEIU Local 73
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 399
Ironworkers Local 63
IBEW Local 134
Chicago Journeyman Plumbers Local 130
United Working Families
People United for Action
Our Schools Coalition
290 IPO
Personal PAC
Planned Parenthood of IL Action

Equity & Transformation Action Fund

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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