Elected officials come and go. That’s the grand nature of a democracy that is in good working order. Often we offer our thanks to departing trustees, commissioners, and school board members because, in almost every case, they have offered sincere service. And even when we might have disagreed with one decision or another, we almost universally value their volunteer service.
Today though, we are going to single out the service of Tom Cofsky as he has now closed out 12 years on the school board at Oak Park and River Forest High School. It is not an exaggeration to say that Cofsky has changed the trajectory of this essential institution — and OPRF is an institution that historically has not liked change, in fact over many decades has been arrogant and at a remove from the concerns of River Forest and Oak Park residents.
This editorial page has, over its 45 years, been more critical of OPRF than any other local governing body. For years we criticized its free-spending ways with contracts for teachers, administrators and staff that were always super-sized and which wildly drove up property taxes. And then our outrage focused on its greed and excess as over more than a decade it intentionally overtaxed residents and property owners through a loophole it exploited. Ultimately, OPRF built up a cash reserve that circled $150 million.
It was an obscene overreach that we rightly predicted would become an albatross around the neck of a school which, in the longer run, would need the trust of its communities. And so, when the school spent years trying to build new swimming pools, its fund balance and callous disregard of taxpayers stoked a determined opposition that blocked those efforts.
Cofsky came on the board with a clear-eyed take on the financial situation. He understood that OPRF had broken trust with its constituents and that the long road back started with methodically taking less than the max on the annual tax levy and then making a rational plan for spending down the cash reserve. He focused the board on controlling spending. And he was part of a board that made a conscious choice to boldly plan what is a massive, but overdue, investment in the Scoville Avenue campus. Far beyond the morass of the pool debate, the Imagine plan addresses new learning technology, new learning spaces, and invests in athletics and arts along with sustainability.
Beyond finance and infrastructure though, Cofsky has been part of a spine on the school board that has worked with purpose to address serious inequities in academics and discipline. And he, along with fellow board members and a strong administration, has been steady in backing reform efforts that are bold though imperfect. Too often in past years, OPRF has caved to criticism of its equity initiatives and then bailed.
Tom Cofsky is steady, drama-free, thoughtful and always ready to engage. His work at OPRF has been transformational and he leaves the school with a far more positive direction than he found it.
