The discipline of candidates within the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 college board race is rising.
David Schaafsma, a 25-year Oak Park resident, will file to run this week after candidate Tania Haigh was eradicated from the poll final month attributable to a problem to her nomination papers by fellow candidate Josh Gertz. Haigh didn’t submit the required declaration of candidacy type.
Schaafsma, an English professor on the University of Illinois at Chicago, won’t have his title seem on the poll, however he and his progressive colleagues will mount a broad marketing campaign to persuade voters to write down his title, he stated.
Schaafsma’s essential motive for operating is to attempt to stop board candidate Nate Mellman and his operating mate Gertz from successful a seat on the varsity board. Haigh’s removing from the poll left simply 5 candidates – Mellman, Gertz, Kathleen Odell and incumbents Fred Arkin and Audrey Williams-Lee – operating for 4 seats, seemingly guaranteeing that at a minimal Mellman or Gertz could be elected.
The opposition to Mellman comes within the wake of his criticism of some college officers for permitting what he describes as an environment of anti-Semitism on the college. Mellman filed a proper criticism with the Illinois State Board of Education and the Illinois legal professional basic’s workplace final summer season accusing three academics, one in every of whom resigned final month for unrelated causes, of anti-Semitism. The different two academics focused by Mellman are sponsors of the varsity’s Middle Eastern and North African Student Club. Mellman criticized a few of the group’s actions within the wake of actions following the beginning of the struggle in Gaza in 2023.
Schaafsma, 71, is the director of the English schooling program at UIC, the place he oversees this system that prepares college students to turn out to be highschool English academics.
“Many of the members of the English division at OPRF High School are former college students of mine,” Schaafsma stated. “They inspired me to attempt to get on the board as a write-in candidate, they messaged me and wrote to me, they inspired me to do it.”
Schaafsma, who’s the daddy of two latest OPRF graduates and a present OPRF senior, stated his participation is a blatant effort to maintain Mellman and Gertz off the varsity board.
“This is an element that led others to encourage me to do it, and I wasn’t conscious of Mellman earlier than they referred to as consideration to it,” Schaafsma stated. “They stated ‘we want you; we actually don’t need him on the varsity board due to the actions he is taken.’”
Schaafsma stated he was involved that Mellman seemed to be concentrating on a bunch of scholars.
“I by no means met this man, however what I heard, if true, inspired me to be a special type of consultant on the board than Mellman,” Schaafsma stated.
Schaafsma stated he would take a extra cooperative method if he had considerations in regards to the actions of a bunch of scholars.
“He may be proper about some facets of what the scholars have been doing, however my method could be extra based mostly on listening than I believe he was doing,” Schaafsma stated. “I might be somebody who would work with that group and take heed to all of the events concerned, and I believe that is the operate of a board, to take heed to the varied constituencies and never are available with an ax to grind.”
Schaafsma additionally stated he did not like that Mellman challenged Williams-Lee’s nominating paperwork and Gertz challenged Haigh. Mellman’s problem to Williams-Lee’s presentation was unsuccessful.
“Trying to exclude the 2 girls of colour from the poll appears to me to be one thing that’s inconsistent with the values of Oak Park,” Schaafsma stated.
Three folks linked to the group Committee for Just Peace in Palestine/Israel mounted an unsuccessful problem searching for to exclude Mellman from the vote, arguing that he had a battle of curiosity as a result of he had filed a criticism in opposition to the varsity and particular academics.
Schaafsma has fashioned an alliance with incumbents Arkin and Williams-Lee.
“I’ve talked to Audrey and Fred and we expect it is a smart factor to type some form of casual record,” Schaafsma stated.
Schaafsma and Arkin appeared Saturday evening at a marketing campaign launch occasion at Tacos ’76 restaurant in Oak Park, an occasion sponsored by Activate Oak Park, an area progressive activist group. They have been amongst a handful of candidates for varied native places of work operating within the April 1 election who spoke on the occasion that drew a crowd of about 50 to 75 folks.
“I believe there needs to be somebody on the varsity board who is aware of about instructing, who is aware of the classroom,” Schaafsma stated, referring to her expertise as a highschool and faculty instructor.
Arkin, who’s Jewish, made clear his considerations about Mellman and Gertz with out naming them, saying they’re special-interest candidates.
“It’s a political curiosity that has nothing to do with what’s in one of the best curiosity of all of our college students, and I do know David has that in his coronary heart, so I’ll assist David and encourage everybody to assist him,” Arkin stated.
School board members Graham Brisben and Jonathan Livingston, who should not up for election this 12 months, attended the launch occasion.
Mellman and Gertz hosted their launch occasion Jan. 9 on the house of a River Forest supporter. They additionally simply launched a marketing campaign web site that options endorsements from River Forest Village President Cathy Adduci and former Oak Park Village worker Sandra Sokol.
Mellman welcomed Schaafsma to the race.
“We want him one of the best of luck,” Mellman stated. “We will proceed to ship on the marketing campaign we got down to do and we consider group assist is behind us. We have numerous nice accolades.
Schaafsma stated he is aware of will probably be an uphill battle to be elected as a write-in, particularly with a reputation that is not the best to spell.
“Almost everybody says that is the most important drawback for me as a candidate is that nobody can write the rattling title, however we’ll have items of paper that we’ll be handing out all day on Election Day,” Schaafsma stated.
Bob Skolnik is a contract reporter for Pioneer Press.