I am supporting Nate Mellman and Josh Gertz for the District 200 school board and their plank to “challenge all students academically.” Each student must be supported, especially if they fall into the cracks. This is personal for our family.
My wife and I moved to Oak Park in 1982, before kids, for the reasons many of us did: a diverse community, welcoming, where schools are prized, particularly the high school. We expected the kids we hoped to have would get a great education.
When our daughter started school in District 97, we learned differently. She struggled for years. We asked for help but things never improved. It wasn’t until middle school that we made a breakthrough. On our own, we found private resources that diagnosed her learning issues and provided tools. One of the things we learned was that she missed learning critical reading skills early on, which went unnoticed by her teachers and compounded year after year.
She had to relearn to read, at our expense. We thought OPRF would give her a new start. New teachers and new resources. But it was more of the same.
When she entered D200, our daughter’s IEP followed, as did her problems. Support always felt lacking. At one meeting about her IEP, 10 or so staff attended. It started off with a staff member saying, “You all know my job is to say no.” To which everyone laughed! We were likely not the first, or the last, to be humiliated this way. That is my one memory of her experience at OPRF.
Our daughter went on to college and to receive two master’s degrees, despite her rocky start.
Our granddaughter is a future Huskie, and I am looking to Nate and Josh on the board to provide a better opportunities for her.
Alan Peres
Oak Park