Swanson steps down from District 200 board

After 16 years on the Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 school board, Rosemary Swanson is stepping down.

"It's bittersweet," she said. "I loved every minute on the board and certainly felt it was a wonderful, worthwhile adventure."

Swanson will be moving soon with her husband to Florida - a dream they have been thinking about for a while, but yet another change that she said will be bittersweet after living in Wheaton for 36 years.

"This is where we were married, where our children were born and raised, and where we made many fond memories, so our hearts will always consider this home," she said.

Swanson, 63, said she is looking forward to enjoying her retirement with a little more freedom to spend time with her three children, all District 200 graduates, and granddaughter, who live in different parts of the country.

When she first ran for the board in 1999, Swanson said she was focused on "building bridges" in the community, particularly between the residents and the district, and among the staff, administration and board.

"At that time, it was pretty divided over a number of different things," she said.

Since then, Swanson has supported many efforts to unify the district. She also has made tough calls on many important issues, including several superintendent contracts and construction of the new Hubble Middle School.

The latter is a project she is particularly proud of.

"That was the best thing for students," she said. "I feel really great about being part of a board that sort of went through that difficult decision and hung through it, and I think the right result happened."

During part of her time on the board, Swanson also served as director of the DuPage Division of the Illinois Association of School Boards.

She said the organization helped her realize how important it is for the district to "look outside itself" and be aware of statewide education issues.

Swanson said her one regret as a board member was not being able to bring forward a solution that the community would embrace for the Jefferson Early Childhood Center.

"I believe it is something that is in sync with what the community's heart is," she said. "I feel really bad that we didn't come up with something to properly attend to those students' needs."

Still, Swanson is hopeful for the future. She said she couldn't be happier with new Superintendent Jeff Schuler and feels the board is "strong" and "well-functioning."

"I think there's always a good time for an organization to refresh itself and this seemed like a good time for me to step back," she said. "I think we're in really good shape."

Swanson said she will miss all the people she has worked with, from administrators to teachers. "Honestly, it is inspiring and invigorating to realize the amount of talent we have in this district and the amount of dedication," she said.

As for advice for future board members, Swanson hopes "they're able to keep in mind the most important thing: that this is really our community's kids that we're educating."

"It's really a community venture that we're on here," she said. "Keep in perspective that it all comes down to the people, and the relationships that we have with the community."

And in that sense, she said, her time on the board has come full circle.