Board Member Vacancy

Update July 8, 2014 
District 64 Board of Education to Appoint
Robert Johnson to Vacant Seat

The Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board of Education is expected to appoint Robert Johnson of Park Ridge to a vacant seat on the Board during a public meeting on Friday, July 11 at 5:30 p.m. at Emerson Middle School (Learning Resource Center), 8101 N. Cumberland, Niles.  Johnson will serve until a successor is seated following the next municipal elections in April 2015.  Selected from a group of eight candidates interviewed during an open meeting on July 7, he replaces Terry Cameron who resigned on June 30.

A senior vice president at Northern Trust in Chicago, Johnson manages relationships with non-profit organizations, including universities, foundations and endowments.  He received an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame.  An active community volunteer, his efforts have focused primarily on youth.  Over the past 17 years, he has been the head coach for hundreds of children teaching self-esteem, sportsmanship and teamwork in baseball, softball and basketball.  He also previously served as an elected school board member for a parochial school in Chicago, among his past activities.

Johnson is the parent of three District 64 children; the youngest will be an eighth grader at Emerson Middle School this fall and the oldest has graduated college.

“We look forward to welcoming Bob to the Board,” said Board President Anthony Borrelli.  “His perspective as a parent of children who are building on the important educational foundation they have received in our schools, as well as his deep financial services background will be assets to the Board,” he noted.

“Bob already has a clear understanding of the challenges District 64 is facing to implement the common core curriculum, particularly in math, as well as the strength of our differentiated instruction, which will let him have an immediate impact in our work,” he added.  “His genuine offer to commit his expertise and time to help ensure that our schools continue to be the hallmark of the community also impressed the Board,” President Borrelli noted.

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Update July 7, 2014
District 64 Board of Education Sets Candidate Interview Schedule
for Member Vacancy

The Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board of Education will be conducting interviews with eight candidates from an original group of 12 local residents seeking appointment to a vacancy created by the June 30 resignation of member Terry Cameron.

As a follow up to letters of interest and background information submitted to the Board on June 23, all 12 were invited to interview at a special meeting at 6:00 p.m. on July 7 at the District 64 Educational Service Center, 164 S. Prospect Ave., Park Ridge.  To prepare for the interviews, the Board requested that candidates submit short written responses to questions about a pressing challenge and particular strength of the District, and to identify their preparation for the position; candidates also were asked to be available in person for the interview.  Only eight candidates met these requests.

The expected interview schedule is as follows:

Candidate  - Interview Time
Vicki Loise #1:  6:00 – 6:20 p.m.
Kristin Gruss #2:  6:20 – 6:40 p.m.
Jennifer Kuzminski #3:  6:40 – 7:00 p.m.
Kimberly Miller #4:  7:00 – 7:20 p.m.
Patrick Moon #5:  7:40 – 8:00 p.m.
Holly Schneider #6:  8:10 – 8:30 p.m.
Katherine Ranalli #7:  8:30 – 8:50 p.m.
Robert Johnson #8:  8:50 – 9:10 p.m.

Interviews will be conducted as part of the public Board of Education meeting; all Board meetings are videotaped and available for viewing later through the District 64 website. Following the interviews, the Board is expected to move into closed session to deliberate as provided by Board Policy 2:70 in conformance with the Open Meetings Act.

Final selection of the member will occur at a special meeting on Friday, July 11 at 5:30 p.m., when the Board will vote publicly on the appointment and administer the Oath of Office.  That meeting will be held at Emerson Middle School (Learning Resource Center), 8101 N. Cumberland, Niles.  In addition, because Cameron also served as Board secretary, the Board anticipates electing a new secretary from among its members at the July 11 meeting.

The new Board member will serve until the new Board is seated following the municipal election in April 2015.
 

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UPDATE - June 10, 2014
District 64 Board Updates Timeline to Fill Vacancy
and Elect New Secretary

At its meeting on June 9, the Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board of Education agreed to a timeline and adjusted its policies on the selection process to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Board Secretary Terry Cameron, effective June 30.

The Board will appoint a replacement to serve until the next scheduled municipal election in April 2015. 

As previously announced, the deadline for interested candidates to submit an application remains Monday, June 23 at 4:00 p.m.  Information on qualifications and how to apply is available below.

The Board also established a schedule and process to review the applications:

• Monday, June 30 – special Board meeting to review applications and select finalists for interviews on July
• Monday, July 7 – special Board meeting to interview finalists
• Friday, July 11 – special Board meeting to vote on appointment to replace member and administer Oath of Office

To clarify how interviews will be conducted, the Board updated its Policy 2:70 that dictates how Board vacancies are filled.  As required by law, the Board’s final selection will be done by a public vote at an open meeting of the Board.

However, the Board adjusted its policy so that prospective candidates may be invited for personal interviews to be conducted during duly scheduled open meetings, but agreed that deliberations on the candidates would occur in closed session. The Board’s previous policy envisioned that both the interviews and any deliberations would occur in closed session, an exemption provided in the Open Meetings Act.

The Board also anticipates electing a new secretary at the July 11 meeting, following the seating of the new member.

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District 64 Board of Education Invites Community Members
to Apply for Vacant Seat

The Park Ridge-Niles School District 64 Board of Education is inviting interested community members to apply for a vacancy created by the resignation of Board Secretary Terry Cameron.  Cameron is resigning his seat effective June 30, due to his employment and upcoming move out of state; he was elected in April 2013.

The Board will appoint a replacement to serve until the next scheduled municipal election in April 2015. 

“Terry’s business foundation and his previous volunteer efforts on one of the Strategic Plan action teams brought valuable insights to our Board work, and his thoughtful contributions to our discussions will be missed,” Board President Anthony Borrelli noted.

“We encourage community members to offer their talents to our schools and our Board.  It’s a time of great momentum in District 64 – with the transition to a new Superintendent, a major facility improvement at Field School this summer, and the implementation of our 1:1 learning initiative rolling out this fall – and we would like to be able to select from a broad pool of candidates to help us carry this forward,” President Borrelli added.

Interested candidates should submit an application no later than Monday, June 23 at 4:00 p.m.  Information on qualifications and how to apply can be found on the District 64 website:  www.d64.org.  The Board will discuss the process to review applications at its June 9 meeting.

Applicant Qualifications & Instructions

The Board is required to fill the vacancy in conformance with state law as found in Board Policy 2:70.

A candidate must meet the following legal qualifications:

• Be a United States citizen.
• Be at least 18 years of age.
• Be a resident of Illinois and District 64 for at least one year immediately preceding the appointment.
• Be a registered voter.
• Not be a child sex offender.
• Not hold another incompatible public office.
• Not have a prohibited interest in any contract with District 64.
• Not be a school trustee.
• Not hold certain types of prohibited State or federal employment.

The term of office will be from the date of appointment to the April 7, 2015 municipal election.  The appointment will be made in conformance with state law as found in Board Policy 2:70. 

Applicants should show familiarity with the Board’s policies regarding general duties and responsibilities of the Board and a Board member, including fiduciary responsibilities, conflict of interest, ethics and gift ban.  The Board’s policies are available on the District 64 website.

Applications should be written, and mailed or delivered to:
     Board President Anthony Borrelli
     Park Ridge-Niles School District 64
     164 S. Prospect Ave.
     Park Ridge, IL 60068

The application should include:

• Full name and contact information
• A letter of interest summarizing:  why you would like to serve on the Board; the skills you would bring to the Board; previous relevant community or non-profit experiences
• A resume.

Applications must be received at the address above NO LATER THAN 4:00 p.m. on Monday, June 23, 2014.

Please direct questions to Board President Anthony Borrelli, or 847-344-7437.