Education
Ex-Board VP Sendhil Revuluri Drops Out of Race to Become Chicago School Board President
Sendhil Revuluri speaks during a WTTW candidate forum on Sept. 15, 2026. (Genie Lemieux / WTTW)
Former Chicago Board of Education vice president Sendhil Revuluri is ending his campaign to become the board’s first-ever elected president, blaming “special-interest cash” for blocking out the “voices of real Chicagoans.”
Revuluri in a statement said his decision wasn’t an easy one, but that because of what’s “actually standing in the way, I can’t responsibly keep asking Chicagoans for their contributions, their time, or their votes.”
“I’m grateful to every person who gave their time, money, and energy to this campaign,” he said. “Our staff and volunteers worked tirelessly for a year, collected signatures from all 50 wards, and never lost sight of why we were doing this. I couldn’t have asked for a better team, and Chicago’s students couldn’t have asked for better advocates.”
Revuluri’s announcement was first reported by WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times.
While his name will remain on the November ballot, Revuluri’s exit leaves three candidates left for the board president position: current board member Jessica Biggs, former Chicago Teachers Union political director Hilario Dominguez and trial attorney Victor Henderson.
The entire 21-member school board is up for election this November, marking a first in the board’s history.
Revuluri, who had previously been appointed to the board by then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2019, had been critical of the way the current partially elected board had been operating.
During a candidate forum hosted by WTTW News earlier this month, Revuluri said board members need to better understand what’s most important to Chicagoans and set very clear expectations.
“We have to go back, start with what our students need and not be bound by interest groups or familiar territory or what we’ve always done,” he said of fixing the district’s budgetary woes.
In his statement Tuesday, Revuluri said he raised more money “from real people” than any other candidate, but that the ongoing board president race has shown that “the gusher of special-interest cash has crowded out the voices of real Chicagoans.”
“I ran my campaign the way I hope our schools are governed,” he said, “realistically, honestly, and focused on our students' success.”
In a social media post Wednesday, Biggs said Revuluri brought “important ideas and a thoughtful perspective to this race. I hope he stays engaged in Chicago’s education conversation.”
Revuluri, who had earned the endorsements of U.S. Reps. Raja Krishnamoorthi and Ro Khanna, isn’t yet throwing his weight behind any other candidate, saying he thus far hasn’t “seen evidence that any of the other candidates have the integrity and courage that our students need.”
“If one of them shows they’re willing to tell the truth about the district’s budget, confront the reality of half-empty schools, and always stay focused on our students’ success,” he said, “I’ll say so.”
