Hinsdale South May Get Zero Representation

DARIEN, IL – After next April's election, the Hinsdale South High School zone may be left without any representation on the seven-member school board.

As it is, only one Hinsdale High School District 86 board member, Cynthia Hanson, lives in the South zone. She announced this week she is not running again.

Hinsdale South makes up about a third of the nearly 4,000 students in the district. Hinsdale Central's enrollment is about twice South's.

Before the 2021 election, the board consisted of three members from the South zone – Hanson, Kevin Camden and Tamakia "TJ" Edwards, with Camden and Edwards losing in the election.

So far, four candidates have filed in the April election. They are Asma Akhras, Kay Gallo, Catherine Greenspon and Andrew Catton.

All but Akhras live in the Central area.

Because it is larger, Central has been able to offer a much wider selection of courses than South. South has a considerably higher percentage of low-income students.

Some in the South zone suggest a boundary change between the schools to equalize enrollment.

But such a move is considered politically untouchable. Central residents near the boundary fear their property values would plunge if the zones changed.