The District 65 School Board unanimously selected Sergio Hernandez to fill the vacant positon left on the Board when Richard Rykhus resigned earlier this month.
“Mr. Hernandez has more than 12 years of experience in the field of education, non-profit leadership, and community engagement,” said Board President Candance Chow. He has a bachelor’s degree from North Eastern University and a Masters in Education from Northern Illinois University, and he has taught bilingual education at the elementary school level, and consulted on early childhood education. He has worked with Latino Resources and the Greater Logan Square Early Learning Collaboration, Ms. Chow said.
Mr. Hernandez is shown in the photo above, with Ms. Chow behind.
At the January 23, 2017 Regular Board Meeting, the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 School Board welcomed Sergio Hernandez as its newest member. Mr. Hernandez will fill the vacancy left by Richard Rykhus who resigned his position, effective January 11, 2017.
The School Board invited interested community members to apply for the opening and applicant interviews were held January 20-22, 2017. “Between the upcoming April election and the applications the Board received to fill the recently vacated seat, we know there is genuine interest by our community in serving the students, staff, and families of District 65,” said Candance Chow, Board President. “We are excited for Mr. Hernandez to join in the important work of the School Board. The Board believes his experience and knowledge of PreK-8 education and his commitment to engaging the diverse voices within our community will be a strong asset as we move forward.”
Mr. Hernandez has over 12 years of experience as a PreK-8 bilingual/English as a Second Language (ESL) educator. He is also an advocate for early childhood services and has served as an Illinois Early Childhood Fellow. He is an active community member and is a participant in the collective impact initiative, Evanston Cradle to Career. He has also advocated for racial and educational equity through work with community organizations including Latino Resources and Organization for Positive Action and Leadership (OPAL). Mr. Hernandez has a deep knowledge of both state and local education regulations having previously worked as a consultant with the Illinois State Board of Education.
“Mr. Hernandez has always served as a strong advocate and a leader within the Latino community. He has a passion for the education of all children and he will certainly bring an important perspective to the table,” said Ms. Chow.
“I wanted to become a board member because I am dedicated to ensuring ALL students receive a high quality education in District 65. As a board member, I will work with my board and administrative colleagues, teachers, parents, and community members to ensure the district’s initiatives on racial and cultural equity, social justice, and parent and community engagement are successful in reducing the achievement gap,” said Mr. Hernandez. “I also want to work with my colleagues on leveraging our community and institutional relationships and resources to serve our students and their families through a dual generational approach, building teacher capacity, and aligning best practices across the District 65 educational continuum.”
The District 65 School Board voted unanimously to appoint Mr. Hernandez as a school board member and his term will run until the April 2019 election. As a result of this appointment, Mr. Hernandez plans to withdraw his name from the April 2017 election ballot.