Woodland 50 board seeks applicants to fill state Rep. Joyce Mason's seat

After grappling with the decision, newly elected state Rep. Joyce Mason has decided to step down as a trustee on the Woodland 50 school board.

"It makes me very sad to resign because I've loved most every minute of being on the school board," said Mason, who was elected in November to represent House District 61. "That's why it took me until the inauguration to come to terms and realize I couldn't stay."

Mason, a Gurnee Democrat, isn't the first Woodland 50 board member who has had to wrestle with this decision.

Michael Bond, a Grayslake Democrat, was a member of the board when he was elected to the state Senate in 2006. He stayed on the school board and missed 24 of 27 official public meetings in his final year. Bond later told the Daily Herald he'd made a mistake in believing he could meet his obligations as a school board member while serving in the Illinois Senate and holding down a full-time job.

Mason, who was elected to the school board in 2017, said she considered Bond's choice when making her own.

"I wouldn't feel right having to miss meetings and not take votes," she said. "I think our community does better when we have as many voices as we can."

The board is accepting applications to fill Mason's empty seat.

"I hope a lot of people apply and they have really good choices," Mason said.

The district is asking applicants to send a letter of interest outlining qualifications to board secretary Laura Campanella at lcampanella@dist50.net by 4 p.m. Wednesday. Mason's term runs until April 2021.