Politics & Government

Meet Your Candidates: District 62 School Board

Candidates share their qualifications at debate Wednesday evening.

District 62 school board candidates were given the opportunity to speak and share their qualifications before a City Council candidate debate at City Hall Wednesday. 

Todd Wessell, managing editor of Journal & Topics newspaper who sponsored the event, introduced the candidates.

"This position requires patience, perseverance, dedication, intelligence and a love for their community," Wessell said. "All of the individuals have those qualities and they are to be congratulated whether they win or lose."

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There are three positions available on the board this year, with four candidates running for the four-year term.

Here is a recap of what each candidate had to say. Sharon Lynch, who is a current board member, was unable to attend the meeting. Candidates appear in the order they were introduced at the meeting.

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Brenda Murphy (Current President of District 62 Board of Education )

Brenda Murphy has been a Des Plaines resident since 1990 and works as a children's librarian and subsitute teacher. "As a board of education member since 1999 I've had lots of practice prioritizing and establishing goals," Murphy said. "And prioritizing is one of the key roles of the board of education."

She said the most important thing voters need to know about her are her beliefs because "beliefs drive action. ... Quality schools are the foundation of a strong community," she said, adding that schools belong to the entire community and not just parents with students in school at a particular time.

"District 62 must provide quality education to all students at a low cost to tax payers," Murphy said. "This requires long term planning and goal setting." During her time as vice president, the board engaged in a master planning process for continuous improvement in teaching and learning environments, while maintaining financial stability, she said. The master plan is responsible for the recent renovations to school buildings and "preparing students to be productive global citizens in the 21st century."

James Poskozim (Current Board Member)

James Poskozim has lived in Des Plaines for almost 30 years. His background includes 20 years as a registered professional engineer and more than 30 years as an attorney. He said he has reached the "position in my life where I have time to give back" pointing out that school board members are not monetarily compensated and that the position is really a community service role. He chose to work with the school board because he believes it is fundamental to all community members.

"So many people only listen to those they already agree with," Poskozim said. "One of the few places we all share common values is with our children and schools."  He said he wants the board to solve real problems and stay grounded. "People get wrapped up in ideological  issues and that detracts from what we really want to do which is take the task at hand and be effective and efficient," he said.  

Terry Lindsay

"I'm the newcomer," said Lindsay, whose son attends school in the district. Lindsay currently serves as an associate professor of cultural studies and dean of the office of diversity at North Park University in Chicago. Prior to that he was dean of students at Harper College in Palatine.

"I have over 17 years of experience in education, primarily at collegiate level," he said. "But I have significant experience working with K-8 students, as coordinator of the Upward Bound program at Michigan State University." Lindsay said the program provided academic and enrichment services for students, such as supplemental instruction, mentoring, support services and counseling.

He said he also taught courses at Michigan State in study skills and career exploration. "With more than 12 years of classroom teaching experience, I understand what some of the teachers might be thinking and some of the issues they might be dealing with inside and outside of the classroom," he said.


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