EVANSTON – Five local unions: District 65 Educators’ Council (DEC), Evanston Teachers’ Assistant Association (ETAA), Evanston Association of Childcare Professionals (EACCP), District 65 Educational Secretarial and Clerical Association (DESCA) and Evanston Custodial Maintenance Association (ECMA), are recommending Sergio Hernandez, Mya Wilkins and Omar Salem in the upcoming school board election for Evanston Community Consolidated School District 65 (D65).
The following statement is attributable to DEC President Maria Barroso, ETAA President Cynthia Battle, EACCP President Natalie Copper, DESCA President Dana Smalley and ECMA President Thomas Wharton:
“After thoughtful consideration and a robust discussion, we came to the conclusion that the strongest, pro-public education candidates for the D65 Board of Education are incumbents Sergio Hernandez and Mya Wilkins, and newcomer Omar Salem. The local associations strongly believe in equity and diversity for all. We believe in partnering with the board and school leadership. We look forward to, and strongly encourage, open communication and transparency in order to reach the optimum for our students. We believe these candidates will provide just that.”
The five locals hosted a board candidate forum on Sat., March 18. All board candidates were invited to attend virtually in specific time slots. Representatives from each association, as well as local presidents, were present. Each candidate was asked the same specific questions pertaining to District 65 students and staff.
The EACCP, DEC, DESCA, ECMA and ETAA together represent more than 1,000 employees within the D65 school district. There are more than 6600 students who attend D65 schools.
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At 135,000 members strong, the Illinois Education Association (IEA) is the largest union in Illinois. The IEA represents PreK-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty and support staff, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.
