Parsons, Rolewicz, Piekarz and Anti win election to serve on D202 Board of Education

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Illustration by Lily Ogburn

The Chicago mayoral runoff between Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson occurred Tuesday following the nine-person general election Feb. 28.

Jessica Ma, Assistant Campus Editor

Evanston voters elected Monique Parsons, Liz Rolewicz and Leah Piekarz to serve four-year terms on the Evanston Township High School District 202 Board of Education on Tuesday. Current school board member Mirah Anti won a two-year term. 

Three incumbents and two newcomers vied for four positions on the board. Of the 9,962 ballots cast, incumbent Parsons won with 31.95% of the vote, while newcomer Piekarz followed with 28.61%. Incumbent Rolewicz had 21.15%, and first-time candidate Kristen Scotti came close with 18.29%. Anti, who was appointed to the board in 2021, ran as the only declared write-in candidate to keep her two-year seat, so she was guaranteed to win.

Parsons has been on the District 202 board since 2015 and served as its vice president during her last term. Parsons is also the current president and CEO of the McGaw YMCA.

She said she’s “still processing” her win. For her, the election wasn’t about personal gain — the students will always be her focus. 

“This work is so important, so I’m a little emotional right now,” Parsons said. “I’m just overwhelmed that the community I love so much trusts me to make the best decision for our students.” 

Anti, who was appointed to the board in 2021, told The Daily she advocates for community schooling — a model where schools partner with outside organizations to provide resources like therapists for students. She works as the director of equity and inclusion at Township High School District 113. 

Anti was not immediately available for comment. 

First-time candidate Piekarz worked as an ETHS counselor for 21 years before retiring in 2022. As a union leader, Piekarz headed several collective bargaining efforts, advocating for better working conditions for teachers and learning environments for students. 

As a newcomer, Piekarz said she may experience a “learning curve” when becoming familiar with the board’s procedures but anticipates the current board will support her. 

“Right now, I’ll be really educating myself and doing my homework, so I can be a really informed, effective board member,” Piekarz said. 

Incumbent Rolewicz ran for a second term, having served on the board since 2019. She is the communication chair of the PTA Equity Project, which works to distribute PTA funds equitably across Evanston/Skokie School District 65. 

Rolewicz told The Daily her next step is to revise District 202’s four district goals: equitable and excellent education, student well-being, fiscal accountability and community engagement and partnerships. The revision is conducted every five years. 

“We have a huge job ahead of us,” Rolewicz said. “We’re looking to update (the goals) to make them more relevant for our students.”

Scotti, an ETHS parent, told The Daily she ran to work toward better outcomes for students with disabilities. 

As an outsider candidate, Scotti said they faced a “tall hill to climb.” But they said they did succeed in sparking conversations about the treatment of students.

“I’m not going anywhere, so people are going to keep hearing from me,” Scotti said. “Now is the time to hold the board accountable and to make changes that are necessary.” 

This is a developing story. The Daily will update it as more information becomes available.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @JessicaMa2025

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