Candidates running for the Summit Hill Elementary District 161 Board addressed the recent closing of two elementary schools at a forum Wednesday, noting that it is important to improve communication and community relations and heal the division that it caused.
Ten candidates are seeking five board seats in the April 1 election.
Incumbent Katie Campbell is running against Melissa Ryan for a 2-year term.
Incumbents Stefanie McCleish, Jim Martin and Amy Berk are running for reelection and are challenged by Adrian Chavez, Patrick Oliphant, Ronnie Petrey, Cicily Gant and Bill Curtin for four 4-year seats.
Curtin is running as an independent candidate while the others have joined together on slates.
Campbell, McCleish, Martin and Gant running together, and Berk, Oliphant, Petrey, Chavez and Ryan have also joined as a team.
.Most candidates have backgrounds and careers in education. District 161 serves areas of Frankfort, Mokena and Tinley Park.
The race has generated significant interest, in part due to the December 2023 decision to close Frankfort Square Elementary School in Frankfort and Arbury Hills Elementary School in Mokena after 15 consecutive years of declining enrollment. The board reaffirmed that decision in February 2024 after parents circulated a petition with more than 1,100 signatures and pleaded with the board to change its mind.
Campbell, McCleish and Martin said Wednesday they had to make a hard decision, but the closure was based on enrollment data and ultimately improved the finances for the district.
Martin, a retired teacher and administrator, pointed to nearby districts which operate fewer buildings. District 161 lost 1,300 students in a 10-year span, he said.
“We were starting to pay more for bricks and mortar than we were for students’ education,” Martin said. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
He said the district needs to pull everyone together and move forward.
Campbell, a teacher, said the students’ transitions to their new schools has been successful and the district can continue to make tweaks so all students feel at home in their new buildings.
Some candidates, including Berk, who voted against closing the schools, said community feedback needed to be considered.
“While fiscal responsibility is crucial, my representation bringing the human element is just as crucial,” said Berk, a teacher. “Students and staff are not simply analytics or numbers. Our community as a whole deserves empathy, respect and to be heard.”
Ryan, a certified public accountant, said she believed there was a lack of transparency and communication. The decision appeared to be made without input from taxpayers or teachers, she said.
“I feel like it was made just in haste,” Ryan said.
Petrey, a teacher, said when a “hot topic” comes up, there should be time for the community to provide feedback before any crucial votes are taken.
Oliphant, an engineer, said the board needs to restore trust.
“I think that the events that happened in the last 18 months are clear indicators of areas that need to be fixed in trust between local government and the people,” he said. “Houses cannot be built on sand. We must work to fix the foundation in the community.”
Chavez, a regional account manager, said a better culture starts with better communication.
Some incumbents said closing the schools has put the district in a better financial position, and candidates addressed teacher negotiations as the union contract expires in 2026.
McCleish, a teacher, said the district has a 95% retention rate, which is indicative it remains an attractive place to work. Collective bargaining should include not only salaries but working conditions, she said.
“We have some of the lowest class sizes in all of the neighboring districts,” McCleish said. “I think the decisions that we’ve made has set us on a good financial path so that we can continue to support our teachers and pay them not only a fair wage but a really, really good wage that they deserve.”
Gant, who operates a child care center, said competitive salaries will attract and retain quality teachers. An investment in the teachers will reflect in the students, she said.
Curtin, a former Kankakee County Educator of the Year recipient, said teachers deserve a fair, living wage that reflects their experience, expertise and training.
“Ultimately I believe budgets reflect values, and one of my values is that our educators are our most important asset and deserve to be compensated that way,” said Curtin, who leads a nonprofit that works with teachers and administrators to improve schools.
Curtin said he would like to introduce a path to leadership roles for teachers.
Candidates also discussed topics of diversity, equity and inclusion, with many noting the term DEI has been politicized.
Oliphant said the term has become so divisive that he asks residents to explain what it means to them when asked about his feelings on the campaign trail.
“I am a firm believer that every community member of ours has an equal opportunity to give their kids the best education possible … and that is a right,” he said. “That is not a DEI initiative. That is not a political term; that is a right for everybody. I really think that we can lead with actions and not words. We don’t have to call this a DEI thing. We can call it giving the best opportunities and the best resources to our children and our educators and hiring the best people for the job.”
Martin said he likes to change the term DEI to “access.”
“No matter what your economic or racial background is, access is what we want to provide to all of our students,” he said. “If you give students access and allow them to strive, the DEI pieces will take care of themselves. There will be diversity in the programs they are in. There will be equity among students and there will be inclusion of all students in all types of programs.”
Gant said she believes DEI is important, which encompasses special education, social-emotional learning and gifted education.
“My goal is to create an inclusive district where all students are given the tools to succeed,” Gant said.
Curtin agreed people may understand DEI in different ways. He said equity is needed to pay special attention to English language learners or students in special education who aren’t showing the same level of achievement. Inclusion also means helping parents and taxpayers understand district decisions, noting that not everyone can attend a board meeting.
“Can we find ways to increase access,” he said.
Petrey said if the district isn’t including everyone and giving them what they need, then it is failing.
Ryan said she doesn’t like the term DEI. She said she believes in acceptance and inclusion of all students, hiring being merit based and teaching children “respect, tolerance and kindness.”
A conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion led to a question by the teacher’s union moderator on an anonymous flyer that was placed this week in some Mokena mailboxes that expressed anti-Muslim sentiment after the former Arbury Hills Elementary School was sold to an Islamic prayer group.
All 10 candidates denounced the rhetoric, with some saying more needs to be done to call out hurtful behavior, especially in social media.
Michelle Mullins is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
Originally Published:
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