During a regular meeting on April 26, the Oak Park District 97 school board underwent a change in leadership. Board member Holly Spurlock, who was elected to her first term in 2015 was voted board president and two-term board member Jim O’Connor was elected board vice president.Â
Spurlock and O’Connor replaced James Gates and Amy Felton in the president and vice president positions, respectively. Both Gates and Felton chose not to seek re-election. In addition to electing new officers, new board members Rob Breymaier, Keecia Broy and Katherine Murray-Liebl were also sworn-in.
Spurlock, who was influential in the passage of the district’s two referenda, will lead a school board with three new members and only two members who have served more than one term.Â
“I am honored that my fellow board members have trusted me with this responsibility and look forward to working with them and supporting Supt. Carol Kelley, her team and all of our staff as we pursue our community vision of creating a positive learning environment for all of our kids that is equitable, inclusive and focused on the whole child,” Spurlock said.Â
“I was also absolutely energized, participating in conversations with the community over the last few months, and our board is committed to continuing the momentum and dialogue,” she added.
Spurlock noted that outgoing board members Gates, Felton and Graham Brisben “will definitely be missed,” before adding that each of them brought “unique talents and perspectives to our collective effort.”Â
“Whether we are talking about Jim’s 40-plus years of experience in education in the district, Graham’s incredible ability to break down complicated subjects, or Amy’s exceptional intuition and understanding of our community, to name just a few of their contributions to the board, the value they each brought cannot be overstated,” Spurlock said.
CONTACT: michael@oakpark.comÂ