According to unofficial results reported by the Cook County Clerk’s office, the race for the District 97 school board seats has been decided.
Nancy Ross Dribin, Becky Perez and Venus Hurd Johnson garnered the most votes in a five-person race for three open seats on the District 97 Oak Park elementary school board.
The Cook County Clerk’s totals indicate that Dribin received 5,928 votes, putting her at 25.58% followed by Perez who received 5,469 votes, putting her at 23.60%. Johnson came in third with 5,185 votes, receiving 22.37 percent of overall votes.
While Dribin and Johnson are both incumbents, Perez is a newcomer to the board.
Currently a psychologist at Oak Park and River Forest High School, Perez is a former district employee and a parent to a second grader and fourth grader at Washington Irving Elementary School. She holds a doctorate in school psychology and a master’s degree in educational psychology from Indiana University.
Perez previously told Wednesday Journal that her professional experience has earned her a deep understanding of early childhood literacy; an area she considers a key priority for the D97 board.
“I understand the principles of learning, from math to reading, to writing,” she said. “Oftentimes I am the person that’s helping solve how we are going to help our students achieve on an individual level and close gaps through special education. But I still understand the big systems that drive decision making when it comes to resources.”
Perez said President Donald Trump’s rhetoric against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and funding for public education galvanized her to run for the school board, with the hope that she could be part of the local effort to shield D97 from the new administration’s influence.
“I think I bring a lot of energy to revitalizing conversations that are being silenced nationally,” she said. “A lot of my research and my training was on English learners and immigrant populations and culturally responsive practices in both special education and school discipline.”
Dribin, who serves as the board’s vice president, was first elected in 2021. She has nearly three decades of experience in education research and resource development with a focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. Currently, she is pursuing a PhD in information studies.
Hurd Johnson, who was also first elected to the board 2021, is an account executive for Vitas Healthcare.
At a District 97 School Board Election Forum hosted by Growing Community Media in March, Dribin said she has made strong connections during her 12 years in the community and four years as a board member.
“I feel like I would be remiss to step off now when we are just on the cusp of doing such amazing things for our students,” she said of her decision to run for re-election.
Echoing that sentiment, Hurd Johnson said there’s still lots of work to be done.
“Our superintendent has got some really great ideas,” she said. “To make those ideas to come to fruition, she needs the support of a board that is seasoned and that believes in the vision and wants to move our community forward.”
District 97 includes eight elementary schools and two middle schools. The board consists of seven members serving four-year terms.