Members of District 115’s School Board, staff and administrators at a February 2022 meeting at the high school library. Photos by Paul E. Burd Photography
District 115 Board president invites parents’ input In these times of public
turmoil at school board meetings throughout the country, Dr. Lynn Burks, president of the Community Unit 115 School Board, wants Yorkville taxpayers to know that they are always welcome at District 115 meetings. “We want the community to
interact with us,” Dr. Burks says. Te board meets once a month for a business session at the high school library, where votes are taken. But all discussions on issues are held at the board’s committee meetings at 602 Center Pkwy. “It’s where we get all our work
done,” Dr. Burks says. “It’s kind of an inviting environment. We interact with stakeholders at our committee meetings. Staff come, teachers, community members. We allow them to discuss and interact with us.” Dr. Burks admits that she and
her six fellow board members don’t always agree on all the issues, and she wouldn’t want them to. But she says they are a true team. “We are all centered on one
thing -- the students. We don’t hold grudges. We are all professionals.”
parents choices. Remote learning, all day in-school, or half and half. “Our teachers were amazing.
Staff was amazing. We had partnerships with the City and police department. We all worked together. Was it perfect? Absolutely not. But we were able to meet almost every accommodation.” Dr. Burks, who was a faculty
Dr. Lynn Burks swears in new School Board 115 member Jenny Morgan.
She says this positive board interaction and listening to residents and staff input is why she thinks District 115 was able to navigate Covid so well.
“In March 2020 when
everybody was screaming and running around, we were planning,” she explained. “We put together a 100-member planning committee. We had multiple options on the table. By July we had been communicating with our parents about what was going to happen and we had a plan.” Unlike all the other large
school districts, District 115 was open all 180 days in 2021, and they gave 15
member for many years at DeVry University and recently became executive director of the Jacobson Institute, has been on the Yorkville School Board for 23 years. During that time, she has seen many positive changes in the District. She atributes that to the board’s fiscal responsibility. “We’ve always been very good
stewards of the taxpayers’ money,” she says. “We pay attention to the things that matter.” She says kids today are so
smart. She envisions the District adapting to meet their varied needs. “Tey know so much and they
really do care about their world. I am encouraged. You just want to be able to provide the most opportunity for them so they can go and thrive. Tis whole thing has to be about the kids.”
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