Dist. 21 board member Pritzker lobbies for students in Washington

Wheeling Township Elementary District 21 senior school board member Phil Pritzker joined with more than 1,000 school board members and administrators from across the country last week at the National School Boards Association's Advocacy Institute in Washington, D.C.

Pritzker, president of the Illinois Association of School Boards, led a delegation of two dozen board members and administrators from Illinois. Together they participated in informational sessions about equity in education, the implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), federal funding issued through ESSA, Title I, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Later, the Illinois delegation advocated for students and schools during meetings with U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk and U.S. Reps. Bob Dold, Randy Hultgren, and Robin Kelly. Meetings were also held with key legislative aides responsible for education issues from the staffs of U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin and U.S. Reps. Tammy Duckworth and Adam Kinzinger.

This was Pritzker's third year representing District 21 and Illinois at the Advocacy Institute.