Evanston/Skokie School District 65 board members swore in newcomer Donna Wang Su and reelected members Elisabeth “Biz” Lindsay-Ryan, Joey Hailpern and Soo La Kim at Monday’s board meeting.
Outgoing board member Suni Kartha (Weinberg ’97), who did not seek reelection, said she was proud of the board’s work over the last eight years. Over the years, Kartha said the board has made policy changes and addressed curricular refinements and investment in early childhood education, with more recent accomplishments including safely educating students during the pandemic.
The former D65 board president also said there is more work to be done in the district, especially around dismantling policies that perpetuate anti-Black institutional racism.
Evanston Now
District 65 board member resigns
Rebeca Mendoza, who was appointed to the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 board in 2017, has resigned, and the board is seeking a replacement.
Rebeca Mendoza.
Rebeca Mendoza, who was appointed to the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 board in 2017, has resigned, and the board is seeking a replacement.
Mendoza, appointed to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Omar Brown, had sought to run as a write-in candidate for 5th Ward alderman this year but failed to get on the ballot after a paperwork mix-up that she blamed on City Clerk Devon Reid.
Mendoza had won a four-year term on the school board in 2019.
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In the wake of Evanston’s election results getting finalized, organizers, electees and residents said they are looking forward to the potential for positive change under new local officials.
Candidates campaigned in the most crowded election cycle in decades, school board races featured a prominent push for racial equity and long-entrenched alderpeople were unseated. Many residents said it’s important not to throw in the towel after a long election cycle. Instead, the results can be a springboard for a new season of change.
Kristen White, a longtime resident and Evanston/Skokie School District 65 parent, said she believes the election of District 65 board members Soo La Kim, Elisabeth “Biz” Lindsay-Ryan, Joseph “Joey” Hailpern and Donna Wang Su will continue a vision of enacting anti-racist policies. Of the four, Wang Su is the only newcomer to the board.