River Forester John Phelan has strong connections to Oak Park and River Forest High School.
Phelan is the father of six children—three are current OPRF students and three others eventually will be—and he is an alum himself.
He also wanted to give back to the community, which is why he ran for the District 200 school board last spring. He was elected in April.
“I may be accused of being naïve,” said Phelan, 46, who is a River Forest runner-up for Wednesday Journal’s Villager of the Year. But, he says, his idealism and lack of self-consciousness will help him speak his mind without fear as the board prepares to tackle tough issues in the upcoming year.
“I won’t be said to have let an opportunity to do the right thing pass because I was afraid of what people might say,” Phelan said.
The TIF settlement announced in December was a big accomplishment that stood out to Phelan this year because it takes care of students and protects taxpayers, he said. The settlement ended a three-way lawsuit initiated by the high school against Oak Park village government and the District 97 elementary schools. The institution this school year of a modified closed campus was important to help keep kids safe and improve attendance.
Also notable was the protection of feeder athletic programs by allowing them to use the high school’s facilities at little or no cost, which makes it easier for some kids to participate.
“A lot of kids at school aren’t engaged with something giving them more incentive to do better academically,” Phelan said, referring to athletics. “Why wouldn’t we help them get engaged?”
Phelan said he’s looking forward to addressing the achievement gap next year with the board and looking into ways for more students to get college-ready.
Phelan said data has shown that kids go through too many years without developing a relationship with an adult at school. Engagement with teachers or coaches encourages them to succeed, he said.
“We as a district seem to be doing better, but we’re not really doing well enough.”