New Board Member Sworn in; Former Member Thanks D161 Community

The Summit Hill school board Monday approved Denise Wildeveld to fill the seat recently vacated by Dee Molinare, who was honored by the board and superintendent.

It was about hellos and goodbyes for some of Wednesday's Summit Hill School District 161 board meeting. Denise Wildeveld was approved by the board and sworn in as its new member, replacing Dee Molinare, who resigned last month to take the open seat on the board for Lincoln-Way High School District 210. READ: New Cost-Cutting Model Could Close Mary Drew School The board voted 5-1 to appoint Wideveld, with board member Sean William Doyle dissenting. Doyle said after the meeting that his objection to the appointment was over the process and not Wildeveld's qualifications. The board received 14 applications for the position, which board members narrowed down to three candidates using a point system. Those candidates were interviewed in closed …

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Denise Wildeveld Tapped to Fill Open D161 Board Seat

Wildeveld, who served on the Summit Hill school board from 1999 to 2007, says her main priority will be to help find a creative solution to the district's more than $2 million budget deficit for the 2012-13 school year.

Denise Wildeveld has been chosen by the Summit Hill School District 161 board to fill that body's open seat. Board members will vote to officially appoint Wildeveld at next Wednesday's regular meeting. She will then be sworn in, filling the seat recently vacated by Dee Molinare, who resigned from the board after taking a seat on the Lincoln-Way High School District 210 board. Wildeveld was elected to two terms on the D161 board, serving from 1999 to 2007. During that time, she served as the board's secretary, worked on several committees and was involved in passing two referendums. Wildeveld has lived in the district for 20 years, and although her son and daughter are in college and high school, respectively, they both attended D161 …

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Square Mom

2:15 pm on Sunday, January 8, 2012

Thank you for reminding us about the power of words. "The flood of careless, unconsidered, cheap words is the greatest enemy of the profound word." -- Stephen L. Talbott   more ›

UPDATED: D161 Board to Interview Applicants for Open Seat Tonight

Do you have questions about the process the Summit Hill school board must go through to fill its open seat? We answer them before tonight's special meeting.

The Summit Hill School District 161 board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday to decide who will take over former board member Dee Molinare's open seat. Molinare resigned from the D161 board after she filled an open seat on the Lincoln-Way School District 210 board, replacing David Izzo, who stepped down so he could serve on the Will County Board. Unsure on the ins and outs of how the board picks a new member? We break it down by answering some questions surrounding the process. READ: D161 Board Hires Barb Rains as District's New Superintendent Yes, although the interviews and discussion about the appointment will be held in closed session. No action will be taken at the meeting. Under state law, the board appoints a new member…

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Joe Vince

12:05 am on Friday, January 6, 2012

Readers: This is a general reminder: Keep your comments civil. Personal shots accomplish nothing when discussing these types of issues. They come across as an attempt to mask an inability to make an effective argument. Everyone participating here is clearly passionate about these issues, and I encourage you to debate with as much passion as you can muster. Just do so respectfully, treating the …   more ›

D161 Board to Appoint New Member at Special Meeting Next Month

Current board members will interview the top three candidates from a field of 14 on Jan. 4.

Fourteen people applied for the open Summit Hill School District 161 board seat, and the current members will fill the spot at a special meeting Jan. 4. Board members will review applications and narrow the field to three candidates by the end of the month, according to instructions given to the board. The remaining three candidates will be interviewed by board members Jan. 4, and a decision will be made and the candidate notified that night, the instructions stated. READ: Molinare to Join Lincoln-Way Board, Must Resign Summit Hill The new board member will be seated at the board's Jan. 11 meeting. The board has an open seat after former member Dee Molinare was appointed Dec. 3 to the Lincoln-Way School District 210 board, filling its …

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Editor's Notebook

Budget, Superintendent or New Board Member: What's Most Important Issue for D161?

Dee Molinare officially resigned as a Summit Hill board member Thursday, and the district is now accepting applications to fill her seat. Is this task the most daunting for D161 right now? Take our poll and tell us.

Give this to the board of Summit Hill School District 161 this year: There's never been a dull moment. The newest wrinkle is finding a replacement for board member Dee Molinare, who turned in her resignation Thursday before she was seated on the board for Lincoln-Way High School District 210. Molinare was appointed to the D210 seat over the weekend, replacing David Izzo, who was recently appointed to the Will County Board. READ: Molinare to Join L-W Board; Must Quit Summit Hill Board Applications for her seat, which runs through 2013, must be submitted by 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, and are available at the district's website or the administrative offices. Applicants must be: READ: New D210 Board Member Welcomed; Lower Tax Levy Approved …

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UPDATE: Molinare to Join Lincoln-Way Board, Must Quit Summit Hill Board

Dee Molinare was picked from a field of 10 candidates on Saturday to replace board member Dave Izzo.

Summit Hill 161 board member Dee Molinare said she will always look back fondly on her time as a school board member. "I have enjoyed my board service in 161 and I feel it's a progression, I can serve a wider audience," Molinare said by phone Saturday night. Molinare was picked to join the Lincoln-Way 210 high school board, meaning she must resign the elementary school board, 210 board President Arvid Johnson said. Molinare said she will put in her official resignation Thursday. "There is nothing that I set forth to change (in 210). We already have an excellent district in 210," Molinare said. "I hope to maintain the level of excellence we have achieved and hopefully improve upon that." The 210 board picked Tinley Park resident Molinare …

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