Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board President Sergio Hernandez stepped down from his leadership position at a special board meeting to discuss school closure scenarios Tuesday morning.
Sandwiched between the federal indictment of former Superintendent Devon Horton on 17 counts of wire fraud, embezzlement and tax evasion and the district’s deliberations over school closure scenarios, Hernandez’s resignation came with mounting community pressure.
Board member Patricia S. Anderson was named the board’s new president in a unanimous vote that was met with applause from attendees.
Hernandez said it was an honor and privilege to serve as District 65’s first Latino board president. He indicated that he would remain on the board, saying that it will continue to work to build trust in the community.
“It’s been an honor to really try to incorporate an equity lens in the work that we continue to do and to seek justice for all students, in particular, most marginalized populations,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez was appointed to the board in January 2017 to replace departing member Richard Rykhus, making him the longest-tenured board member by five years. After keeping his seat in an uncontested 2019 race, he became District 65 board president in April 2022 and has been elected to the leadership role every year since. The second-longest-tenured board member, Mya Wilkins, was appointed in October 2022.
Anderson was one of four new board members elected in April. She led a field of 12 candidates, earning about 16% of the vote. A former District 65 staff member for over 30 years, she campaigned on a platform of improving the district’s financial outlook and continuing the district’s work in equity.
The change in board president comes days after the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois accused Horton and three other men of an alleged operation that defrauded almost $300,000 from the district. The indictment also alleged that Horton misused the district’s credit card and failed to report either offense on his taxes.
Horton served as District 65’s superintendent from June 18, 2020 to June 30, 2023. The board and administrators participated in interviews and provided records for a two-year federal investigation that started weeks after his departure, Hernandez and Board Vice President Nichole Pinkard wrote Friday in a message to families.
A petition calling for Hernandez’s resignation garnered 329 signatures at the time of publication.
At the meeting, Anderson quoted the late writer James Baldwin, saying that not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.
She said she would work collectively with the board, the district’s bargaining unit and other sectors of the Evanston community to meet the many challenges that the district faces.
“Let’s turn the light back on in the lighthouse,” Anderson said.
Email: [email protected]
X: @sidvaraman
Related Stories:
— Devon Horton indictment investigation began in 2023, board leadership says
— ‘One shot to get this right’: D65 board mulls over school closure scenarios
— District 65 community says goodbye to Devon Horton, board discusses superintendent search
