Business was interspersed with goodbyes as Evanston Township High School board members bid adieu to 12-year member Elizabeth Tisdahl at their Monday meeting.
Martha Burns, the parent of an ETHS senior, replaces Tisdahl on the District 202 school board. Tisdahl decided not to seek re-election in April and encouraged Burns to run for the position.
Burns said she is eager to accept the challenges of being on the board.
“I know we’re going to have good times and bad times, and I am up for both,” Burns said after taking the oath of office.
Student board member Jeremy Linsenmeier thanked Tisdahl for the respect she had shown in not treating him “like some kid off the street,” while board member Ross Friedman credited Tisdahl with “keeping new members on their toes.”
Even those who sometimes disagreed with Tisdahl wished her well.
“Our relationship has not been a harmonious one,” board member Mary Wilkerson said of Tisdahl. “Thank you for having the audacity to disagree with me. In doing so, it’s been a learning experience for me.”
After saying goodbye, the remaining board members reorganized board leadership and unanimously re-elected Willie J. Miller Jr. as president and Margaret Lurie as vice president. Business Manager Jeffrey Taggart was unanimously named board secretary and treasurer.
During the meeting, the board proposed reviews of graduation and program participation requirements and discussed the possible cancellation of the school’s international field trips.
D202 Superintendent Allan Alson will present the graduation requirement proposal to the board at its Nov. 26 meeting, but it will not be open for discussion.
The proposal, which examines requirements in reading, writing and math, will be taken to the Parent Teacher Student Association for discussion Nov. 29, Alson said.
In addition to reviewing graduation requirements, Wilkerson proposed that the board also examine the school’s extracurricular program participation requirements.
The school currently requires students to maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average to participate in Illinois High School Association programs. IHSA programs include most sports and activities such as drama, music and debate.
Wilkerson said she wants to look into the possibility of probation programs and other incentives that would encourage students with a borderline GPA to “do better and to attain higher goals.”
Some studies show that students who participate in extracurricular activities maintain higher GPAs during the time of involvement, Alson said.
The board also addressed the possible cancellation of its international field trips to Spain, Germany, France and Japan in light of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Lurie supported the proposal so long as parents were not in danger of losing deposits because of trip cancellations.
Friedman, who said the educational benefits of the trips might outweigh perceived dangers, wants a case-by-case review to see which trips needed to be canceled.
During the meeting, the board also proclaimed Literacy Awareness Week, which runs until Friday. Activities include exhibitions at ETHS, the Great Bank of Evanston and the Evanston Public Library, “reading nights,” a used book sale and an open house at ETHS.
The board also accepted the School Report Card and the Truth-in-Taxation resolution.
