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Deborah "Debby" Pope is a member of the Chicago Board of Education and representative of District 2B.[1][2] She has been serving since October of 2024.[3] She is also vice president of the Illinois Labor History Society (ILHS), a non-profit dedicated to preserving knowledge about labor history in Illinois. She has been a member of the ILHS since 2002.[4] Pope is a member of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU).[5]
Personal life and activism
[edit]Pope was born in Brooklyn, New York, where she was educated at Erasmus Hall High School.[6] She is bilingual.
As a teenager, she engaged in politcally-motivated activism, organizing a walk-out following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. She was against the Vietnam War. Pope was admitted into the University of Wisconsin at Madison due to her father's veteran status, but later expelled due to lack of academic participation. After being expelled, Pope moved to Chicago where she would remain.[7]
Despite being expelled from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Pope earned a bachelor's degree in history and a minor in women's studies from Roosevelt University. She also earned a master's degree in bicultural curriculum and instruction from National Louis University.[7] In addition, Pope earned a second master's degree in Couple and Family Therapy from Adler School of Professional Psychology.[1]
Pope endorsed Sunjay Kumar in the 2026 Democratic Primary for Illinois House of Representatives District 13.[8]
Career
[edit]In the 1980s, Pope negotiated a contract with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).[4] After becoming a substitute teacher in Chicago, she began work for the USDA where she became an advisor to midwest states on the application of food stamp programs.[1]
Following her tenure with USDA, Pope taught at several schools, including Benito Juarez High School and Schurz High School, both of which are in Chicago. She was a delegate for both Schurz High School and Gage Park High School.[4]
Her campaign for Board of Education District 2B was endorsed by the CTU.[9] She won the position in 2025, at the age of 72.[6]
In 2026, Pope signed a pledge to ban artificial intelligence in Chicago Public Schools for a total of three years. She cited personal worries about artificial intelligence's potential to limit students' creativity.[10]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 "Debby Pope - Chicago Board of Education". www.cpsboe.org. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
- ↑ "Committee Detail Information". www.elections.il.gov. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
- ↑ "Debby Pope - Chicago (Ill.) Board of Education (Oct. 2024-), Board Member, District 2B - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
- 1 2 3 "Board & Staff". Illinois Labor History Society. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
- ↑ "Debby Pope". Against the Current. 2020-07-29. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
- 1 2 Sun-Times, Chicago; staff, WBEZ (2025-01-29). "Debby Pope, appointed Chicago School Board member, District 2". WBEZ. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
- 1 2 "Debby Pope". Chicago Teachers Union. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
- ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
- ↑ Koumpilova, Mila; Karp, Sarah (2026-07-14). "CTU endorses 15 school board candidates, throwing weight behind incumbents, mayoral picks". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2026-09-06.
- ↑ Koumpilova, Mila (2026-09-01). "Chicago school board candidates sign pledge to ban AI use in schools". Hyde Park Herald. Retrieved 2026-09-06.