Lockport Township High School board member Navarra resigns

Lockport — Lockport Township High School District 205 Board member Zyan Navarra has announced his resignation from the board.

According to an announcement from the district Wednesday, Navarra revealed to board President Ann Lopez-Caneva in November that he was married and currently living with his wife in a suburb outside the district.

He was first elected to the board in 2021 and is a 2014 graduate of LTHS. His term on the board expires in April.

“They say major life changes happen all at once,” Navarra told the Herald-News. “I got married in April and I’ve been figuring out my new life circumstances. You have to start planning not just for yourself, but for the other person as well. It just didn’t seem like a wise decision to seek re-election while going into this next phase of my life and looking at starting a family.”

District 205 includes Lockport, Crest Hill, Homer Glen and Fairmont, an unincorporated area bordering Lockport.

Navarra’s resignation was officially submitted Monday.

Under Illinois state law, school board members must reside within the district’s territory in order to serve.

“The Lockport Township High School District 205 Board of Education is committed to upholding the values of transparency, integrity and service to our community,” the district said in an official statement. “Mr. Navarra’s relocation disqualifies him from continuing to serve in his role as a board member.”

The district said the board consulted with its attorney and the Will County Regional Office of Education after learning of Navarra’s relocation “to ensure compliance with legal requirements and state regulations.”

According to Navarra, he had been living in Lockport and commuting back and forth to stay with his wife on weekends. Something he said “was not viable anymore.”

He said he reached the official decision to leave the board and move in full-time with his wife last week after meeting with the board’s attorney and “speaking with several people about the election.”

Navarra’s vacancy reduces the already-crowded field in the upcoming election for school board seats.

Navarra was one of 16 candidates who submitted paperwork to run for six open seats on the board.

Five of those candidates will be seeking a pair of two-year terms, while the remaining 11 are running for four open four-year terms, one of which was held by Navarra until this week.

Lou Ann Johnson and Candace Gerritsen are now the only incumbent board members seeking election to a four-year term.

“I believe in many of the upcoming candidates for the board,” Navarra said. “I think they have a lot of heart for the board and would do a good job.”

Navarra also suggested that he could run again in the future, as he and his wife have plans to eventually move back to the Lockport area.

It is unclear how the board will address this temporary vacancy before the April election.

In its statement announcing Navarra’s resignation, the board said, “As we move forward with addressing this vacancy, we will share additional details regarding the board’s next steps to fill Mr. Navarra’s vacant seat.”

The board thanked district families for their “continued support” and assured “students, staff and families that the board’s focus on providing high-quality education remains unwavering.”