Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series of candidate profiles for the District 65 board election.
Andrew Wymer, a professor at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, is running to be one of four new members on the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education.
The Oakton Elementary School parent said he wants to use his experience in service to increase equity outcomes in the district.
“We have to keep working as a community until everyone has equal footing to thrive here (and) equal footing to know that they belong,” Wymer said.
He currently serves on Evanston/North Shore NAACP’s executive board and previously served on Oakton Elementary’s PTA executive board.
Wymer earned his bachelor’s in biblical and pastoral studies from Faith Baptist Bible College and his Ph.D. from Garrett in liturgy and homiletics, the study of preaching.
Wymer spoke to The Daily about his goals for District 65 if elected.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
The Daily: What went into your decision to run for the school board?
Wymer: My spouse and I were hearing some loud voices in the community that seemed like we’re pitting financial sustainability against racial equity. We don’t have to pit these against each other. I know that we can address both at the same time.
The Daily: What would your first goal be as a board member?
Wymer: So the most important (thing) for the board to address now is to begin the process of identifying our 2025-30 Strategic Plan. We need to ensure that it identifies our values and priorities for D65.
Long term clarity about the priorities of the district (will) help us to avoid sinking into reactivity.
The Daily: Phase 3 of District 65’s Structural Deficit Reduction Plan includes school consolidations. How would you approach these consolidations and Phase 3 of the plan as a whole?
Wymer: We need to learn our lessons from (the Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies). We need to be able to articulate to the public how consolidations fit into a broader long-term plan.
We need to also be really careful because the school closures have a long history of disparate impacts on our most marginalized populations.
The Daily: During Phase 2 of the SDRP, the district held several community meetings between November and January at different stages of the phase. How does your vision for these meetings differ, if in any way?
Wymer: One of the challenges around the Phase 2 meeting was that they were one-directional.
A listening session has value, but in this process, the district’s going to have to be able to have back and forth with the community if we want to communicate well around these hard decisions.
The Daily: During the discussions to close Bessie Rhodes, several community members said there wasn’t a lot of communication or transparency from the board. As a board member, how would you address that gap?
Wymer: Everything we do as a district has to take that lack of trust into consideration and speak in ways that acknowledge that there’s history, not just around Bessie Rhodes. There’s regularly been folk in our community whose voices aren’t listened to. We need to be proactive.
The Daily: On your campaign website, you use the term “intentional belonging.” Why is that important to you, and what does that look like in District 65?
Wymer: We love Oakton Elementary. It has been a place where our kids have thrived academically, relationally (and) emotionally.
There’s data that show our Black and brown students, our queer students, do not feel as strong a sense of belonging or empowerment.
I want D65 to be a place where everyone can have the experience that my family has had.
Email: anaviprakash2027@u.northwestern.edu
X: @anavi_52
Related Stories:
— Q&A: D65 candidate Randy Steckman talks deferred maintenance, school stability
— Q&A: D65 candidate Chris Van Nostrand shares academic rigor, clear communication goals
— District 65 board hears demography, equity progress indicator reports
