District 219 School Board Fills One Vacancy As Another Is Created

SKOKIE, IL — A seat opened up on the Niles Township High School District 219 school board Wednesday for the second time in two months.

Hours after the board completed the process of filling a vacancy created by the resignation of its president, another member of the board announced plans to step down.

On June 4, district officials announced the resignation of former Board President James Specker due to personal health reasons and called on those interested in succeeding him to apply.

District 219 board members this month held several sessions of closed-door discussions to deliberate, emerging from executive session at Tuesday night's special meeting to unanimously approve an appointment without comment.

Mateo Farzaneh, of Lincolnwood, was named the newest member of the board. He is set to serve on the board through the April 2023 elections.

A native of Iran who grew up in Southern California, Farzaneh has been a professor of history at Northeastern Illinois University since 2010. He speaks Persian, English, Spanish and Arabic, according to an announcement from the district.

In a statement, Farzaneh thanked the board for appointing him and said he was humbled, honored and proud to be picked.

“Serving a district that is as colorful and diverse as our beautiful community will give me an opportunity to give back in my humble ways that all responsible citizens strive to seize," Farzaneh said. "I pledge through hard work, collaboration, communication, civility, and humility to serve D219’s students and their families without exception.”

On Thursday morning, Rebecca Abraham submitted her resignation from the board, creating a fresh vacancy.

In a statement announcing her reasoning, Abraham, a critical care nurse, said career obligations prevented her from being able to fully commit to the board.

District officials announced plans to accept applicants through Aug. 13 from those seeking to fill Abraham's former seat until 2023.

Read full statement from former District 219 board member Rebecca Abraham:

After weeks of contemplation, I have decided that it is best for my family and Niles Township District 219 that I resign from my position as Board Member. COVID19 and the events of 2020 have had a profound effect on both my family life and public life. When I ran for this seat in 2019, I couldn't have imagined how my life would change in one short year. This is not a decision I take lightly, but after interviewing passionate community members for the recently open board seat, I see that there are many qualified, passionate, and intelligent people in our community ready to contribute their time to public service.

I have always felt that when a public servant can't give 100% to a position, it is their ethical duty to resign their seat. I have no interest in holding onto my seat and not being able to give it the 100% attention I feel it deserves. This is something that deeply upset me throughout the COVID19 pandemic—that I couldn't give more time to the needs of the District 219 community due to my career as a nurse amidst the pandemic and family needs. We are living in extraordinary times that highlight the lack of safety nets for families during a crisis.

2020, and still evident today, showed glaring gaps in our society: the racial justice system, economic inequality, and most obviously in healthcare. I am still committed to serving my community and fighting for an equitable society; it will just be in a different capacity moving forward. I will be focusing on growing a new nursing specialty, helping patients, and obtaining a doctorate in nursing to ensure what happened to at-risk communities, essential workers, and teachers never happens again.

I want to make it clear that I am resigning due to unforeseen family and career obligations, especially as a healthcare worker family, drastically changing due to COVID since my election. My resignation is in no way connected to district business, dynamics, or Mr. Specker's prior resignation.

I was proud to serve District 219. I want to thank the district and those who voted to gave me an opportunity to serve in this capacity. Our community has bright and passionate students and educators. Lastly, I want to thank my fellow board members and everyone at D219, Dr. Isoye, administrators, and staff for their hard work and friendship over the last few years. It was an honor to serve with you.

Sincerely,
Rebecca Abraham