Dist 214 board member Bragaw resigns after 11 years

Lenore Gonzales Bragaw is resigning after 11 years on the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 Board of Education.

Bragaw said Monday she is moving to Mundelein, and since her new home is outside the district's boundaries, she is no longer qualified to serve on the board under the Illinois School Code.

“Lenore has been an incredible board member,” Superintendent David R. Schuler said in a news release. “Her legacy will include advocating for all students and staff, especially those who were disadvantaged in some fashion, and completely revising the District 214 policies when she served as board president. She has been a dedicated servant and is wished the absolute best as she and her husband begin a new chapter in their lives.”

Throughout her tenure, Bragaw has worked with the community on multiple issues.

“(I will miss) the involvement with education and keeping up with new developments,” she said. “It's been an honor and a privilege and I thank (the community) for the opportunity.”

After joining the board in 2000, Bragaw became a strong advocate of the district's Newcomer Center. The center works to transition recent immigrant students into the school system. Students generally stay with the center for one to two semesters to learn English and other required subjects then are transferred into the main high schools.

“We found that new immigrants weren't succeeding and that the high schools were too overwhelming,” Bragaw said. “So instead of dropping them in the middle of high school, they come to the Newcomer Center and we place them in the appropriate classes to prepare them.”

The district is now looking to fill Bragaw's seat until the April 2013 regular school board election. The school board has 45 days to find a replacement.

Interested parties must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, a registered voter and a resident of the state of Illinois and District 214 for at least one year.

Letters of interest should be submitted by 3 p.m., Wednesday, July 6, to Rinn Knoepfle, assistant to the superintendent, Township High School District 214, 2121 S. Goebbert Road, Arlington Heights, IL 60005.