Now there are two seats open on the District 97 Board of Education in next year’s election.
Following the announcement that D97 member Bob Spatz will run for reelection next April, fellow member Peter Traczyk tells Wednesday Journal that he will not seek another term on the board.
Both Traczyk and Spatz were first elected to the board in 2007 and reelected in 2011. Spatz says he will run for a third term. Fellow member Denise Sacks, who was elected to the board in 2011, confirmed Wednesday that she will not seek a second term.
In an interview Thursday, Traczyk confirmed that he won’t run again and has enjoyed his time on board.
“…I’ve been lucky to serve on a very high-functioning board. I will continue to follow the district closely and, if asked, would gladly play a role in advocating for their referendum in 2017,” he said.
Traczyk said his decision to not run was made easier, in part, by Spatz’s decision to run again.Â
“I can’t overstate how instrumental Bob is in leading the board on financial issues,” Traczyk said. “He has an impressive level of institutional knowledge of the history and workings of District 97.”
Spatz, Traczyk and Sacks made their election announcements during their regular board meeting on Tuesday.
In an interview Thursday, Spatz said not running again was always a consideration but that he decided to again because there’s still more to accomplish with the district. He’d also like to maintain some continuity on the board given that at least two seats are now open — fellow member Jim O’Connor, whose term is also up next April, has not said yet if he’ll seek a second term.
Spatz is also currently the board’s president but said it is premature to talk about seeking that position again.
As for his and the board’s accomplishments during his tenure, Spatz says he’s proud of the role he’s played in several initiatives, including the launch of full-day kindergarten and successful passage of the district’s rate hike referendum in 2011.
The board has targeted 2017 or 2018 to run its next referendum. Shepherding that process and continuing to stabilize the district’s finances are among Spatz’s goals for running again, he said.
Spatz was elected to the board in ’07 after several previously-unsuccessful runs. Sacks and O’Connor were first elected in 2011’s uncontested race. O’Connor said Thursday that he has not yet made a decision about running for a second term but he hopes more people will run for the board this upcoming election.
“I hope that more Oak Park residents consider running for a seat on the D97 school board. Whether I run or not, I hope that our candidates have a lively debate prior to the election, and that our voters have even more choices than usual.”
Over in District 200, board seats currently held by John Phelan, Ralph Lee and Sharon Patchak-Layman are up on April 7. Phelan, who was elected in 2009 and is currently D200 board president, said on Wednesday that’s he’s not ready to announce anything yet. Patchak-Layman, a two-term member, said she’s not yet made a decision about seeking a third term.
Lee did not immediately respond to the Wednesday Journal.
CONTACT: tdean@wjinc.com