Nine candidates, including three incumbents, are seeking election to four 4-year seats on the Rich Township High School District 227 Board April 1.
With proficiency scores across the district consistently below the state average, according to the Illinois State Board of Education, academic improvement is a top priority for many candidates.
Board member Tiffany Taylor, seeking a second term, said the district has provided great facilities for students over the past several years.
After announcing in 2019 it would close Rich East High School in Park Forest, the district poured millions of dollars into renovating its other two schools. The former Rich South, located in Richton Park, reopened as the Fine Arts and Communications Campus, and the former Rich Central in Olympia Fields is now the STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics, campus.
“We’re focusing now on the academic side,” Taylor said Monday.
Taylor said the district has made slow progress on academics over the past several years. Between 2020 and 2024, the percentage of ninth graders on track to graduate jumped from 76% to 89%, according to data from ISBE. The 4-year graduation rate also rose from about 82% to 85% during the same period.
The district lags in proficiency scores for English/language arts, math and science, which are assessed each year.
Last year, 10% of Rich Township 227 students were assessed to be proficient in English/language arts, compared to 39% of students across Illinois. In math, about 4% of students were proficient, compared to 28% statewide, and in science, 26% were proficient compared to 53% statewide, ISBE reported.
“We are making strides,” Taylor said. “It’s a slow motion type of thing. It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight.”
Taylor is running as part of a slate that includes board members Andre Allen and Mia Carter as well as former board member Cheryl Monique Coleman. Taylor said Coleman’s former seat was up for election two years ago, but Coleman chose not to seek reelection for personal reasons.
Others seeking election this year include Petrina Bennett-Wilkins, Mason B. Newell, Jasmin S. Ford, Shagmond Lowery and Marla D. Johnson.
Lowery said he is running after a unsuccessful bid to bring a fresh perspective. A Rich Township High Schools alumnus and retired teacher, he said as a board member he would better engage the community in helping students succeed.
Lowery said he worked with neighboring schools to prevent bullying, fighting and school threats via an alert system he developed, MyPAL Schools, to share data on reported incidents. He said he also visits area districts to mentor students and prevent violence.
“The culture has to be changed,” Lowery said about District 227. He said as someone who lives in the community and is active at school events, he believes he has the respect and admiration of many students that will serve him well.
“I’m coming to keep these babies safe — I’m coming to make a difference with school safety,” Lowery said.
Petrina Bennett-Jackson, an alumae, also looks to improve safety and test scores. Bennett-Jackson said Tuesday the board has misplaced priorities and electing her would help fix the district’s “horrible reputation.”
“I would love to have better communication,” Bennett-Jackson said. “I would love for more people to attend the meetings and speak up on what’s going on in the schools and in the community and what we can do to collaborate, to work together.”
Bennett-Jackson said working as a finance director for Cook County puts her in an especially strong position to abate property taxes that have soared to record highs in the south suburbs.
“Our taxes are high, and it’s getting out of control,” Bennett-Jackson said. “You have people moving out of the community. You have businesses moving out of the community, and we need to bring those businesses back.”
She said she would work to get more community grants and bonds to cover district projects rather than relying on homeowners in the community.
Lowery also said he wants to lower taxes for homeowners, and as board member would leverage business partnerships he has developed through MyPAL Schools to bring funding in without relying on homeowners.
Lowery also wants to partner with businesses rather than out-of-state vendors to revitalize and, in turn, benefit the schools.
Taylor said the district has saved homeowners $23 million through state property tax relief grants, which abate $2.5 million each year.
She said as overall costs and worker salaries increase, taxes inevitably go up as well. She said it’s important the district continues to be fiscally responsible in order to minimize that extra burden.
Besides Lowery and Bennett-Jackson, district alumni running for board seats are Newell and Ford. The two candidates are running together with goals to similarly foster community engagement, minimize taxes and boost academic achievement.
“We are proud products of this community, and we are deeply invested in its success,” their website states. “Our unique blend of expertise in education, health care and mental health equips us to tackle the challenges facing our district … Together, we can create a district that reflects the strength and potential of our community.”
Newell, Ford, Coleman, Johnson, Carter and Allen did not respond to requests for comment by the Daily Southtown.
