David Gurion appointed as newest member of District 15 board
The Palatine Township Elementary School District 15 school board Monday picked David Gurion as its newest member.
Gurion, who grew up attending District 15 schools, will fill the seat former board member Manjula Sriram left open when she resigned Nov. 24. He will officially be sworn in at the Jan. 13 board meeting.
Gurion has shown interest in a board position since earlier this year when he ran on a slate with board members Jessica Morrison and Zubair Khan. The slate ran on the idea that the District 15 board was generally headed in the right direct. Sriram's slate, including Frank Annerino and Gerard Iannuzzelli, was critical of the district's deficit spending.
"Losing in the election by a small margin was a disappointing experience, but also a learning experience," Gurion said. "I hope to bring a collaborative mindset to the table."
Gurion is a district sales manager for a specialty chemical manufacturing company, Zep Inc., and has volunteered as a football coach at Fremd High School and with the Palatine Amateur Football Association. He's also served as a District 15 PTA volunteer.
Board President Peggy Babcock said Gurion was chosen for his "child-centered" answers to board questions.
"He also demonstrated a thorough understanding of the function of the board, as well as an exceptional commitment to the community and district," Babcock said.
Gurion worked as a program assistant at District 15's Winston Campus Junior High in a self-contained classroom for students with learning and behavioral disabilities from 1997 to 2000. He worked one-on-one with children in the classroom.
"It gave me a unique insight into how a school and classroom operate," Gurion said.
He said his top priorities going into the new year include improving the proficiency of district schools and working on the safety of district buildings.
Gurion will be up for re-election in 2017.
The board received 19 applications for the position, and over the weekend, board members ranked their top choices. On Monday, the top five candidates were invited to interview with the board. They were Gurion, David Border, Sarah Winter, Tiffany Ferguson and Michael Prombo. Superintendent Scott Thompson said Prombo withdrew from the pool late Monday afternoon.