Blake Harvey is leaving the Forest Park District 91 Board of Education, after serving for about three years as a member of the board.
He was first elected to the board in April 2015, with two children in the D91 system. Harvey said he has been renting since moving to Forest Park eight years ago and, by word of mouth, found a home in Oak Park, where a few of his friends already live.
“Perfect situation we couldn’t pass up,” he said. “Honestly, for me, the hardest part of moving is having to leave the board and the district.”
Harvey has coached soccer for nearly four years for the Park District of Forest Park, and also worked for about three months as an assistant T-ball coach, according to his LinkedIn. He works as a software engineer in the Chicago area.
After formally filing his nominating petitions in December 2014, he cited Common Core instruction and increasing job competition in a global economy as challenges schools will have to face. He considers it the school board’s role to align and organize district resources to support the efforts of teachers and administrators.
“As a board member, I will always keep the educational achievement of our children foremost in my mind,” he told the Forest Park Review in December 2014.
Harvey would have been up for re-election, along with board members Christina Ricordati and Shannon Wood, next April.
Board President Mary Win Connor and Superintendent Louis Cavallo did not immediately respond to interview requests.
D91 announced on July 18 there was a vacancy on the board. The district will appoint an individual to fill Harvey’s vacant seat until the unexpired term ends. Whoever is appointed to fill the vacancy will have to decide whether or not to run for election next spring.
Prospective candidates should submit letters expressing their interest in the board position to the Forest Park School District 91, 424 Desplaines Ave., by 3 p.m. on July 27. Applicants can submit a resume for the position, too.
Once the deadline passes, the school board will schedule interviews with selected candidates.
“Not all candidates for the board vacancy will be interviewed,” according to the district’s vacancy announcement.
Anyone with questions should email Cavallo at lcavallo@forestparkschools.org.
