Woodland school board member resigns, citing personal reasons

Woodland Elementary District 50 school board member Nasima Patel has resigned her seat, the Gurnee-based district announced Tuesday.

In her resignation letter, Patel cited "personal reasons" for her decision.

"It has been a great pleasure serving on the board," Patel wrote in the letter. "I wish the board all the best and have no doubt that they will continue to do great things for the children of District 50."

When reached by email for follow up Tuesday, Patel did not elaborate on her reason for stepping down. She said the COVID-19 pandemic was not a factor in her decision.

Patel was serving her first term on the school board. In April 2019, she ran unopposed with two other candidates - fellow newcomer Ryan Koehl and incumbent Elizabeth "Lizzy" Helgren.

The school district announced Tuesday that anyone interested in filling the vacant board seat should send a letter of interest outlining qualifications and a resume to board secretary Laura Campanella at lcampanella@dist50.net by 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 14. Whoever fills the vacancy will serve on the board until the April 2021 election.

The board followed a similar process last year after Koehl resigned after attending just one school board meeting. At that time, the board conducted face-to-face interviews with the seven people who'd submitted applications. After the first round, the board selected three finalists for second interviews. After the entire process, which took about three and a half hours, the board unanimously voted to appoint David Weinstein to fill Koehl's vacancy.

District spokeswoman Brooke Hagstrom said the board will likely not hold an in-person interview process this time. Hagstrom said board members are hopeful they will receive as many good candidates as last year.