Election special: 6 Signs your school board is ripe for takeover

In west-central Cook County, a new website is showing the connections between local school boards and the elected officials of neighboring towns up and down the Des Plaines River.

The site was started by veteran community reporter, Jean Lotus, who covered Proviso Township High School District 209 for three years as editor of the Forest Park Review.

The www.schoolboardfocuswest.com site shows the connections between and among politicians and school boards in Berwyn, Cicero, Melrose Park, Maywood, Broadview and Bellwood.

Why would political officials want a school board under their influence? Being able to suggest candidates for school district positions and vendors for school board services is easier if board members are under a politician’s control.

Here are some of the signs a school board election is under the influence of local politicians:

Sign No. 1: CANDIDATES RUNNING WITH THE HELP OF ELECTED OFFICIALS - Candidates recruited by an elected official are a sign that a school board is targeted for a political takeover.

Sign No 2: LARGE CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS - The appearance of slick mailers and signs for specific school board candidates is a sign that a campaign money spending is lopsided.

Sign No. 3 CHALLENGES OF CANDIDATE PAPERWORK - Filing campaign challenges intimidates many school board candidates - who are often running with their own money - to withdraw.

Sign No. 4 CANDIDATES ARE EMPLOYEES OF A MUNICIPALITY - When candidates are drawing a paycheck from a political entity, their livelihood depends on the largess of an elected official.

Sign No. 5 CANDIDATES ARE NOT PARENTS/GRANDPARENTS OF STUDENTS IN THE DISTRICT - There is a place for school board volunteers who represent the taxpayers and have no children in the school district. But having parents and grandparents on the board, with connections to actual students in the schools, always improves the school board and allows the board to have a perspective apart from the reports of the superintendent.

Sign No. 6: CANDIDATES HAVE NOT ATTENDED A SCHOOL BOARD MEETING BEFORE THE ELECTION - If candidates are willing to spend hours of unpaid volunteer work on a school board without attending a meeting in advance to see what the position entails, they are likely to be running as a favor to someone else, like their boss, the Mayor.

Read the whole report here: http://www.schoolboardfocuswest.com/uncategorized/six-signs-show-your-local-school-board-is-politicized/