District 207 board member Braam resigns
Joann Braam today announced she is resigning from the Maine Township High School District 207 school board because she will be moving out of the district.
Braam, of Des Plaines, first was elected to the board in 2003 and most recently re-elected in 2011. She served as chair of the board’s community relations committee and is a member of the education and policy committees. Braam previously served one term on the Des Plaines Elementary District 62 school board, and also was a member of the parents board of directors for Bradley University.
“Joann Braam was model board member who truly looked out for the best interests of District 207,” Superintendent Dr. Ken Wallace said in a news release. “She was keenly aware of and sensitive to the needs of all of our students, including our students with special needs as she is a parent of a special-needs child. An educator herself, she looked at the district in a global way and made decisions for the right reasons.”
School board President Sean Sullivan lauded Braam for her dedication to students and putting “the district’s constituents above all else.”
“Joann was a fiscally responsible board member, protecting the investment put forth by the taxpayers of the district,” he said in the news release. “Joann gave the board of education a unique view on special education, and her experiences allowed us fruitful discussions that I believe always led to the best decision.”
District officials are seeking qualified candidates to fill the vacancy created by Braam’s departure. The appointed board member will serve until the April 2013 consolidated election.
To qualify, a candidate must be a U.S. citizen 18 years or older; a resident of Illinois and the school district for at least one year; a registered voter; and may not be a school trustee or a school treasurer.
The deadline to submit applications is 4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 12. The school board will meet with selected candidates in November and appoint a new board member at the Dec. 3 school board meeting.
The seven-member school board serves a diverse population of roughly 7,000 high school students from Des Plaines, Park Ridge, and portions of Niles, Morton Grove, Norwood Park, Harwood Heights, Norridge, Mount Prospect, Glenview and Rosemont.
Interested candidates should submit a letter of interest and a one-page resume outlining their involvement in the community to Sean Sullivan, President, Board of Education, 1131 S. Dee Road, Park Ridge, IL 60068. Letters of interest and resumes may be submitted in person during normal district business hours, faxed to (847) 696-3254, attn: Ginny Edwards, or emailed to vedwards@maine207.org.