Libertyville woman appointed to District 128 school board
A longtime Libertyville resident has been named the newest member of the Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 board.
Casey Rooney was selected to replace former trustee, Mackenzie Thurman, who resigned in June because he moved out of the district.
The district's two campuses are Libertyville High and Vernon Hills High.
In a district-issued news release, Rooney described herself as a fiscal conservative who will "be a good steward of our community's tax dollars."
But Rooney also said the award-winning schools are an asset to the community and to residential property values, and she supported spending the money needed "to make this possible."
The school board is finalizing a roughly $105.8 million budget for the 2019 fiscal year, which began July 1.
Rooney was among 21 applicants and five finalists for the volunteer post. She was unanimously chosen to fill the seat by the other trustees during a special meeting Monday night.
Rooney has lived in Libertyville for 24 years, having relocated from the San Francisco area. She works as the client services manager for RetireUp, a Libertyville technology company.
She also is the mother of three Libertyville High alumni.
Rooney has volunteered in a variety of roles for District 128 and Libertyville Elementary District 70, including as a board member for the Libertyville High Parent CATS booster club and as a representative on the District 128 calendar committee.
"We're very pleased to have Casey join our team," board President Pat Groody said in the news release. "She brings a unique skill set and community commitment to our already diverse board team, and we look forward to working with her."
Rooney will finish Thurman's term, which began in 2017 and was due to expire in spring 2019. At that time, she can run for election if she chooses.
She is the second person chosen this year to fill a District 128 board vacancy.
Vernon Hills resident Lisa Hessel joined the panel in April. She replaced Ellen Mauer, who had resigned after pleading guilty to violating election law.