Downers Grove District 58 to accept applications for board vacancy

DOWNERS GROVE – Residents in Downers Grove Grade School District 58 interested in applying for a vacancy on the Board of Education will have until June 7 to submit their application.

Board member Beth Taylor announced in April she would be stepping down following the June meeting. Taylor has not yet formally resigned, but she is expected to within the next few days, district officials said.

Once her resignation is formal, interested residents can apply on the District 58 website or pick up an application at the district office, 1860 63rd St., Downers Grove.

Board members will review the applications and select a group of candidates for in-person interviews. The board is not obligated to interview candidates and could select Taylor’s replacement from the individuals who apply for the position.

However, the board does plan to interview finalists in June and July and appoint a replacement by July 27. The appointed board member will serve until the consolidated election on April 2, 2019.

Taylor, a 35-year Downers Grove resident, is moving out of state.

“I really didn’t plan on moving when I ran,” Taylor said at an April 23 workshop meeting.

Taylor was elected to the board in April 2017. She was the top vote-getter in a race in which Jill Samonte, Gregory Harris and Darren Hughes also were elected to the board.

She was a teacher for 30 years, 20 of which were in Downers Grove schools, according to a Suburban Life election questionnaire she completed. Her two children attended District 58 and Community High School District 99 schools.

Taylor decided to run for the board because she believed it was important for a teacher to serve on the board, she said in the questionnaire.