A vital role for the League of Women Voters is encouraging and supporting educated voters, and the election of Board Members for Evanston-Skokie School District 65 (serving Pre-K through 8th-grade students) will be an important part of the upcoming municipal elections. We have an obligation to use our right to vote; voting expresses our hopes and aspirations, and it is also our responsibility and civic duty.
I write as a parent, grandparent, and retired educator and administrator in District 65. Public education is a vital part of our community, and we all do our part by choosing members of the School Board. Many voters without children feel uncertain about how to vote for School Board candidates. Fortunately, we all have access to information in our local news media, widespread candidate forums, and conversations with our friends and neighbors. When we make the effort to learn about the candidates, we recognize that the education of every student is important to their future and to the future of our community.
School Board members fulfill their duty by examining and questioning the big picture goals, mission, and values of the school system. Board members are not micro-managers, but must hold each other and administrators accountable. Their role is to govern, to listen, to do their homework, and to identify with the community. This is important to all of us because currently District 65 takes 41% of each property tax dollar. Of course, we also benefit when good schools attract families to our community and when the schools produce well-educated citizens.
As we prepare to vote, we must ask candidates to articulate their understanding of:
• Fiscal responsibility
• Transparency
• Roles and committee responsibilities
• Accountability
• Legal issues, including the “Open Meetings Act”
We all need to ask questions, and remember that our vote can bring needed change. Turnout is an important message to the successful candidates, and we all need to participate.