Ex-Batavia school board member receives state award

Former Batavia Unit District 101 school board member Chris Lowe has received the 2023 Thomas Lay Burroughs Award, recognizing him as the state's outstanding school board member, from the Illinois State Board of Education.

Lowe was on the school board for eight years and was its first Black member, according to the ISBE. He championed inclusivity, community engagement, and identifying and working to close student achievement gaps, according to the ISBE. He co-founded the Batavia Community Diversity Initiative and expanded access to anti-racist educational materials via the BCDI's Freedom Library. He also partnered with the Batavia Historical Society and Batavia Depot Museum to celebrate Black History and to expand an exhibit, "Community, Culture and Conversations: African American Heritage in Batavia."

Lowe left the board in April.

Lowe received the award Sunday at the Joint Annual Conference of the Illinois Association of School Boards, the Illinois Association of School Business Officials and the Illinois Association of School Administrators in Chicago.