Endorsement: Yes to remove residency clause on Antioch Dist. 117 board

If the Antioch High School District 117 referendum on the April 4 ballot seems like simple, common sense, that's because it is. The district is seeking voter approval to change the way school board members are elected. Under the archaic and inefficient method in place today, two of the board's seven members must reside in the unincorporated portion of the district. The remaining five members can hail from any part of the district, which includes the communities of Antioch, Lake Villa and Lindenhurst.

While the policy may have made sense when it was established in the 1960s, it's proven to be a time-wasting burden for the district and an unnecessary limitation om voter choice. Superintendent Jim McKay says it's been increasingly difficult to find residents from the unincorporated areas willing to run for the school board. That's meant those seats being filled through school board appointment, as has been the case three times in just the past seven years.

"The board of education would much prefer for the public to vote people in," McKay says. If voters approve the referendum, the requirement would be dropped and all board members would be elected at-large, beginning with the 2019 election. McKay notes that making the change would come at no cost to taxpayers.

The proposal is good for voters, good for taxpayers and good for the district. We endorse its approval.