2009 Wednesday Journal Endorsements
With a strong field of capable candidates running for the District 200 Board of Education, Wednesday Journal endorses incumbents Jacques Conway and Dietra Millard, along with newcomers Victor Guarino and Rosa Higgs. For those we didn’t endorse – George Bailey, Terry Finnegan and Amy McCormack – the call was close.
It was a difficult choice not to endorse Bailey, a Columbia College professor and longtime Oak Park resident. He has an impressive academic and activist background, which includes actively mentoring at-risk black male students at Oak Park and River Forest High School. Finnegan, also of Oak Park, has a background in finance, having worked previously at Park National Bank, and would bring that much-needed expertise to the board. McCormack, a River Forest resident, has a long history of activism in the schools, including co-chairing a successful District 90 referendum campaign in 2006. All three seem committed to addressing the achievement gap and keeping the high school on solid financial footing.
Conway, elected in 2005, has served as board president the last two years, during which he led the board through a series of discussions on race and the achievement gap at OPRF. He’s been candid about the school’s challenges while also acknowledging its accomplishments. A resident of River Forest, former Park District of Oak Park commissioner and retired Oak Park police officer, Conway has represented both communities effectively.
Millard, despite criticism from a handful of stakeholders, has shown herself to be an independent voice on the board. A pediatrician and mother of an OPRF graduate, Millard has been cautious and pragmatic in her deliberations and decisions. Though we disagreed with some of her decisions, her reasons behind those decisions were thoughtful and well reasoned.
Guarino, a member of the Oak Park Plan Commission, brings the kind of pointed, progressive thinking the school board needs. He is an OPRF graduate and father of two children in Dist. 97, including one at Percy Julian Middle School. Currently a project manager for Argonne National Laboratory, Guarino understands school finances and the need to help those students who are struggling the most.
Higgs, an Oak Park resident since 1988, is the only candidate running with a professional background as an educator. A retired teacher and author of phonics-based curriculum books, Higgs brings expertise and knowledge of the classroom to the board.
Whoever is elected in this strong field, we believe it is essential that the new board get beyond conventional, safe thinking and attack the achievement gap with a sense of mission.