Board of Education

The Board of Education establishes a vision for the community’s schools that reflects a consensus of the board, community, and district staff. The school board has a wide variety of additional responsibilities, including, but not limited to, adopting a balanced annual budget, adopting the school calendar, negotiating contracts with employee unions, and approving curriculum programs. Some questions the school board asks when determining this vision include:

What philosophy of education do we want our local schools to have?

What should our students know and be able to do when they graduate?

How can schools best educate students who come from diverse backgrounds?

The District 33 Board of Education has a priority of maintaining two-way communication with its stakeholders. District 33 Board Members “adopt” a school for periodic visits and chats. This gives them increased opportunities for face-to-face contact with students, teachers, and parents. Listed below are our board members and their adopted school for the current school year. Additionally, District 33 Board of Education members actively participate in District 33 by serving on various District committees.

People who want to contact the Board via email can do so by sending a message to [email protected] which is the address for the entire group.

District 33 Board of Education Earns Governance Recognition Honor

The District 33 Board of Education has been recognized for its exceptional governance practices by the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB). District 33 was one of 46 Illinois school districts to earn the School Board Governance Recognition honor for their effective governance behaviors and their commitment to obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively lead the district.

IASB’s School Board Governance Recognition program acknowledges local boards of education that practice good governance behaviors as outlined by IASB's Foundational Principles of Effective Governance. The focus of Governance Recognition is on full board development and participation. Boards that meet the necessary requirements are recognized for the two-year honorary distinction.

The School Board Governance Recognition program aims to showcase how good governance creates a positive impact on students, staff, and the entire district community. It provides an opportunity for districts to tell their story about programs and projects that are improving outcomes in their local school districts and offers board members a chance to highlight how continuous learning, both by individual board members and the full board team, results in improved governance for the board of education and positive outcomes for the district.

The Illinois Association of School Boards is a voluntary organization of local boards of education dedicated to strengthening public schools through local citizens. Although not a part of state government, IASB is organized by member school boards as a private not-for-profit corporation under authority granted by Article 23 of The Illinois School Code.

More information about the IASB School Board Governance Recognition program can be found on the Illinois Association of School Boards website.

Rita Balgeman
President
[email protected]

First Elected: 2019
Re-Elected: 2023
Term Expires: 2027

24/25 Adopted Schools: Gary

Janette Hernandez
Member
[email protected]

First Elected: 2023
Term Expires: 2027

24/25 Adopted School: Pioneer

Molly Denton
Member
[email protected]

First Elected: 2025
Term Expires: 2029

24/25 Adopted School: Turner

Morgan Banasiak
Vice President
[email protected]

First Elected: 2021
Term Expires: 2025

24/25 Adopted Schools: LMS

Chad McLean
Member
[email protected]

First Elected: 2017
Term Expires: 2025

24/25 Adopted School: Wegner

Tom Doyle
Secretary
[email protected]

First Elected: 2019
Re-Elected 2023
Term Expires: 2027

24/25 Adopted School: Indian Knoll

Sandra Garcia
Member
[email protected]

First Elected: 2021
Term Expires: 2025

24/25 Adopted School: Currier