Time To Support Local School Board Members

Over the past few months – and honestly since the pandemic began — members of our local school boards have entered unknown territory in making decisions for their school communities. WGN News reported that audience members who left the CHSD 218 school board meeting on Feb. 14 in protest of the mask mandate called board members “pigs” and “savages."

Oak Lawn Community High School District 229 (has had ongoing discontent both between members of the board and between the board and community members. The daughter of a friend who serves on a neighboring school board thought someone had arranged a car parade past her home for her birthday; it was, in fact, a parade of angry community members who were driving past the homes of all members of the school board in an attempt to intimidate Board members regarding the mask mandate.

I am writing this missive in support of elected school board members locally, statewide and nationally. School board members are members of our communities who have chosen to run for office to represent the best interests of stakeholders, children, parents and taxpayers in their neighborhoods. There is no special training for candidates prior to election to a board. If elected, they have to learn (and quickly) to navigate school code, budgeting, TIFs, consumer price index, union negotiations, personnel and legal issues – the list goes on.

And school board members are, in fact, volunteers who are taking on these responsibilities. School board members do not receive compensation for these positions. My friend actually loses money by being on the school board, as she pays for child care when she attends meetings.

As with all elected officials, you may not agree with the decisions made by members of the local school board. And it certainly is your right to express your opinions and concerns to elected officials (goodness knows, I have). However, it is also a responsibility as a member of our community to remember that these are our neighbors, our friends, our family members, our son’s baseball coach, our daughter’s Girl Scout leader.

All discourse should be civil and not a personal attack. For the vast majority of our school board members, running for this office was seen as a civic duty for the greater good. There are a few grandstanding school board members who are clearly shining attention on themselves to further their own political ambitions. I believe, however, they are, thankfully, in the minority.

There will be readers who argue, “If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen.” And, yes, any board member should be willing and able to explain their votes and decisions to their constituents. Everyone will not be happy with their decisions. Those conversations cannot, however, devolve into personal attacks.

And there is always the beauty of the democratic process in which we have the ability to vote for other candidates. Be willing to step up and join in by running for your local school board. Just beware that you may reap what you have sown.