Board of Education

District 65 is governed by a locally-elected, seven-member School Board. Correspondence may be sent to the School Board Secretary at 1500 McDaniel Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201 or can be sent via email to schoolboard@district65.net. Messages may be left with the School Board Secretary at (847) 859-8111.

Name	Development and Training	Date Completed
Pat Anderson	Basics of Governance	May 1, 2025
Pat Anderson	Professional Development Leadership Training (PDLT) and Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) Training	May 2, 2025
Pat Anderson	Open Meetings Act (OMA) Training	May 4, 2025
Sergio Hernandez	Open Meetings Act (OMA) Training	April 19, 2017
Sergio Hernandez	Professional Development Leadership Training (PDLT) for School Board Members	April 20, 2017
Sergio Hernandez	Beyond Diversity Training	June 23, 2017
Sergio Hernandez	Trauma-informed Practices for Veteran School Board Members	September 27, 2023
Omar Salem	Basics of Governance	August 18, 2023
Omar Salem	Professional Development Leadership Training (PDLT), Performance Evaluation Reform Act (PERA) Training and Trauma Informed Training	August 18, 2023
Omar Salem	Open Meetings Act (OMA) Training for School Board Members 2023-2025	July 24, 2023
Mya Wilkins	Open Meetings Act (OMA) Training for School Board Members	December 4, 2022

Pursuant to School Board Policy 2:150, the Board of Education may establish committees to assist with the Board’s governance function and, in some situations, to comply with state law requirements. Each committee reports directly to the Board of Education. 

Committee members may include both Board Members and non-Board Members depending on the committee’s purpose. Committee appointments are made at the organization meeting of the Board that is held following the consolidated election in April of odd numbered years. The Board of Education President makes Board Committee appointments unless specifically stated otherwise.

A Board Committee may not take final action on behalf of the School Board and may only make recommendations to the entire Board.

Members of the School Board may also serve on both internal district committees and are assigned to serve on the following Board Committees: Curriculum and Policy Committee and the  Finance, Buildings & Grounds and Personnel Committee. Board Members are also actively involved as appointed representatives to external boards and committees. These include but are not limited to the Board for the Joint Agreement for the Operation of Park School, the City School Liaison, Ed-Red, Foundation 65, and the Joint D65/D202 Committee. All Board Committee meetings shall comply with the Illinois Open Meetings Act.

2025-2026 Assignments

committee	members
curriculum & policy committee	Mya Wilkins (Chairperson) Andrew Wymer Pat Anderson
personnel, building & grounds, finance committee	Maria Forres Opdycke (Chairperson) Omar Salem Dr. Nichole Pinkard
park school advisory board	Pat Anderson Andrew Wymer Sergio Hernandez
joint district 65/202 committee	Dr. Nichole Pinkard Sergio Hernandez Mya Wilkins
city school liaison committee	Dr. Nichole Pinkard Omar Salem Sergio Hernandez
ed-red	Maria Forres Opdycke
illinois association of school boards delegate	Mya Wilkins
head start parent policy committee	Pat Anderson

 

School Board members are encouraged to become familiar with the entire District 65 school community. Additionally, in order to establish and maintain connections and communication links with parents, individual school board members are assigned certain schools where they can serve as a liaison.

2025-2026 Assignments

school	member
bessie rhodes	Omar Salem
Chute	Sergio Hernandez
dawes	Andrew Wymer
Dewey	Mya Wilkins
early childhood center	Patricia Anderson
foster	Nichole Pinkard
Haven	Maria Opdycke
king arts	Nichole Pinkard
kingsley	Mya Wilkins
Lincoln	Andrew Wymer
Lincolnwood	Nichole Pinkard
nichols	Omar Salem
Oakton	Sergio Hernandez
orrington	Sergio Hernandez
park	Patricia Anderson
rice	Patricia Anderson
walker	Omar Salem
washington	Sergio Hernandez
Willard	Maria Opdycke

 

School Liaison Protocols

• A liaison to each school shall serve until the next reorganization meeting before rotating.
• Each school liaison is responsible (via phone calls, small group meetings, school visits, attendance at PTA or other school meetings, etc.) for familiarizing him/herself with the school's program, principal, and parents and for providing information on School Board proposals and school system procedures so that the school community can successfully bring its needs and concerns to the attention of either the Superintendent or the School Board.
• The school liaison does not serve as a direct advocate for the school/program on issues.
• The school liaison does not involve her/himself in administrative/operational matters but instead refers concerns to the appropriate staff.

For each designated school, the liaison shall:

• provide information to individuals/groups (e.g. PTA, civic associations) on how best to communicate to the Superintendent or full School Board specific needs/concerns, acknowledging that all operational matters should be routinely referred to appropriate staff or the Superintendent;
• keep Board Members and the Superintendent informed of concerns or issues that may develop at the school over the course of the year;
• provide information to individuals/groups on upcoming issues that may impact the school/community;
• return citizen phone calls made to the School Board office or to the member's home regarding that particular school/community;
• represent the School Board at events and official functions, as invited; and
• communicate School Board policies and actions as requested.

The last consolidated election was held April 1, 2025. District 65 had four seats to fill, with four-year terms expiring April 2029.

In accordance with changes to the Election Code in 2014 (10 ILCS 5/1-1 et seq.), prospective school board candidates will no longer file nominating petitions with the school district. Petitions must be filed with the Cook County Clerk's Office. Please contact The Cook County Clerk's Office at (312) 603-1127 for further election-related information.

Prospective school board candidates may visit the websites of the Cook County Clerk's Office, Illinois State Board of Elections or Illinois Association of School Boards for information regarding School Board Elections, including important School Board Election Deadlines, checklists, petition forms, and more.

Additional resources:

• Key Dates for School Board Candidates (April 1, 2025 consolidated election)
• Qualifications and Characteristics of a School Board Member
• Dates and link for four upcoming webinars (fall 2024)
• Illinois State Board of Elections documents