9 candidates vie for 4 seats on Rich Township District 227 Board
Nine candidates, including three incumbents, are seeking election to four 4-year seats on the Rich Township High School District 227 Board April 1.
With proficiency scores across the district consistently below the state average, according to the Illinois State Board of Education, academic improvement is a top priority for many candidates.
Board member Tiffany Taylor, seeking a second term, said the district has provided great facilities for students over the past several years.
After announcing in 2019 it would close Rich East High School in Park Forest, the district poured millions of dollars into renovating its other two schools. The former Rich South, located in Richton Park, reopened as the Fine Arts and Communications Campus, and the former Rich Central in Olympia Fields is now the STEM, or science, technology, engineering and mathematics, campus.
'We're focusing now on the academic side,' Taylor said Monday.
Taylor said the district has made slow progress on academics over the past several years. Between 2020 and 2024, the percentage of ninth graders on track to graduate jumped from 76% to 89%, according to data from ISBE. The 4-year graduation rate also rose from about 82% to 85% during the same period.
The district lags in proficiency scores for English/language arts, math and science, which are assessed each year.
Last year, 10% of Rich Township 227 students were assessed to be proficient in English/language arts, compared to 39% of students across Illinois. In math, about 4% of students were proficient, compared to 28% statewide, and in science, 26% were proficient compared to 53% statewide, ISBE reported.
'We are making strides,' Taylor said. 'It's a slow motion type of thing. It's not something that's going to happen overnight.'
Taylor is running as part of a slate that includes board members Andre Allen and Mia Carter as well as former board member Cheryl Monique Coleman. Taylor said Coleman's former seat was up for election two years ago, but Coleman chose not to seek reelection for personal reasons.
Others seeking election this year include Petrina Bennett-Wilkins, Mason B. Newell, Jasmin S. Ford, Shagmond Lowery and Marla D. Johnson.
Lowery said he is running after a unsuccessful bid to bring a fresh perspective. A Rich Township High Schools alumnus and retired teacher, he said as a board member he would better engage the community in helping students succeed.
Lowery said he worked with neighboring schools to prevent bullying, fighting and school threats via an alert system he developed, MyPAL Schools, to share data on reported incidents. He said he also visits area districts to mentor students and prevent violence.
'The culture has to be changed,' Lowery said about District 227. He said as someone who lives in the community and is active at school events, he believes he has the respect and admiration of many students that will serve him well.
'I'm coming to keep these babies safe — I'm coming to make a difference with school safety,' Lowery said.
Petrina Bennett-Jackson, an alumae, also looks to improve safety and test scores. Bennett-Jackson said Tuesday the board has misplaced priorities and electing her would help fix the district's 'horrible reputation.'
'I would love to have better communication,' Bennett-Jackson said. 'I would love for more people to attend the meetings and speak up on what's going on in the schools and in the community and what we can do to collaborate, to work together.'
Bennett-Jackson said working as a finance director for Cook County puts her in an especially strong position to abate property taxes that have soared to record highs in the south suburbs.
'Our taxes are high, and it's getting out of control,' Bennett-Jackson said. 'You have people moving out of the community. You have businesses moving out of the community, and we need to bring those businesses back.'
She said she would work to get more community grants and bonds to cover district projects rather than relying on homeowners in the community.
Lowery also said he wants to lower taxes for homeowners, and as board member would leverage business partnerships he has developed through MyPAL Schools to bring funding in without relying on homeowners.
Lowery also wants to partner with businesses rather than out-of-state vendors to revitalize and, in turn, benefit the schools.
Taylor said the district has saved homeowners $23 million through state property tax relief grants, which abate $2.5 million each year.
She said as overall costs and worker salaries increase, taxes inevitably go up as well. She said it's important the district continues to be fiscally responsible in order to minimize that extra burden.
Besides Lowery and Bennett-Jackson, district alumni running for board seats are Newell and Ford. The two candidates are running together with goals to similarly foster community engagement, minimize taxes and boost academic achievement.
'We are proud products of this community, and we are deeply invested in its success,' their website states. 'Our unique blend of expertise in education, health care and mental health equips us to tackle the challenges facing our district … Together, we can create a district that reflects the strength and potential of our community.'
Newell, Ford, Coleman, Johnson, Carter and Allen did not respond to requests for comment by the Daily Southtown.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Trump 'gold card' website opens. Here's how to join the $5 million waitlist
Trump 'gold card' website opens. Here's how to join the $5 million waitlist Show Caption Hide Caption Trump wants to sell $5 million 'gold cards' as path to citizenship President Donald Trump says he wants to offer wealthy immigrants "gold cards" that would give a pathway to citizenship in exchange for a $5 million purchase price. President Donald Trump's long-touted "gold card," which offers foreigners a path to U.S. citizenship after paying $5 million to the government, is open for business. But even if you have the money, there's a waitlist at And read the fine print carefully: Your $5 million doesn't buy you immediate citizenship. Trump has said that he is not seeking approval from Congress as he is not providing gold card buyers with citizenship - only a path to citizenship. The path to citizenship requirements for card buyers are unclear and White House officials have said more details will be provided soon. The most common path to U.S. citizenship through naturalization is being a lawful permanent resident for at least five years. It requires the applicant to be least 18 years old when they apply, be able to read, write, and speak basic English (depending on age) and be of "good moral character." Trump has described the card, which he has also dubbed the Trump card, as 'somewhat like a green card, but at a higher level of sophistication.' 'FOR FIVE MILLION $DOLLARS, THE TRUMP CARD IS COMING!,' President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social on June 11. 'Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up to ride a beautiful road in gaining access to the Greatest Country and Market anywhere in the World.' The website shows an image of the gold-colored card, emblazoned with a likeness of Trump's face, and asks a few questions including name, region, email address and if an applicant is applying for themselves or as a business. The new website asks interested people to fill out a form that specifies eight regions: Europe, Asia (including Middle East), North America, Oceania, Central America, South America, Caribbean and Africa. Other countries also offer immigration programs that offers permanent residency or citizenship to foreign investors in exchange for investment. Portugal, for example, offers residency and a path to EU citizenship after five years. When he first floated the idea in February, Trump said the card would replace the "EB-5" immigrant investor green card visa program, The EB-5 visa allows immigrant investors the option to invest between $800,000 and $1.05 million to obtain a green card. The investment money is used to help create or preserve U.S. jobs. 'Wealthy people will be coming into our country by buying this card,' Trump said in February. 'They'll be wealthy, and they'll be successful, and they'll be spending a lot of money, and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people.' 'It's a road to citizenship for people and essentially people of wealth or people of great talent where people of wealth pay for those people of talent to get in,' he said. Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for USA TODAY. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Premier League operating profit hits five-year high as PSR bites
Premier League clubs recorded their highest collective operating profit since 2019 last year as controversial PSR regulations enforced a greater emphasis on balancing the books. Aggregate operating profits among the 20 teams in the top division increased by 36 per cent to £533m in 2023-24, according to Deloitte's latest Annual Review of Football Finance published today. Premier League clubs' revenue grew four per cent to a record £6.3bn which, combined with tougher profitability and sustainability rules (PSR), led to their best operating profit figures since before the Covid-19 pandemic. 'We are starting to see a bit of a ripple when it comes to clubs focusing on compliance within regulations,' Jennifer Haskel, knowledge and insight lead in the Deloitte Sports Business Group, told City AM. 'As we continue within this evolving regulatory landscape, clubs are being run more and more as traditional businesses. While clubs are continuing to grow the top line and diversify their revenue streams, hopefully that will lead to more long term sustainability and profits.' Both Everton and Nottingham Forest received points deductions in the 2023-24 season for breaching PSR, while other teams – including Aston Villa and Chelsea – narrowly avoided sanctions with some late player trading. Premier League clubs made a pre-tax loss of £136m, although that was an improvement of almost £550m on the previous season. The relegation of heavily loss-making teams also contributed to the improvement. The total European football market grew by eight per cent to a record €38bn, with the Big Five leagues – England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France – generating more than €20bn for the first time. That growth may plateau due to a French media rights crisis, however, Deloitte said. Ahead of the imminent introduction of the Independent Football Regulator, meanwhile, the report warns that 'there can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain'. 'We still await the output of the Independent Football Regulator to fully understand how this may impact the game in England, but it is clear that the way in which the game is governed and the regulation that underpins it needs to seek to drive value, fan engagement (both physical and digital) and competitive balance,' writes Deloitte's lead sports partner Tim Bridge. 'The level of interest and the demand to engage with English football remains high and investors still see the opportunity, particularly when there is a strong community link or adjacent investment opportunities, but the lack of clarity over the future regulatory regime is now unhelpful.' Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Premier League 'under strain' despite record £6.3 bn revenues
Fan protests over rising ticket prices have become commonplace in the Premier League (Oli SCARFF) The combined revenue of Premier League clubs rose to a record £6.3 billion ($8.5 billion, 7.5 billion euros) in the 2023/24 season, but fan unrest and worsening competitive balance are cause for concern, according to financial experts Deloitte. The rise in income for England's 20 top-flight clubs was fuelled by commercial income surpassing £2 billion for the first time and a rise in matchday revenue beyond £900 million. Advertisement English clubs continue to enjoy a huge financial advantage over their European rivals. Spain's La Liga, the second highest revenue-generating league, earned just over half that amount at 3.8 billion euros, almost 50 percent of which came from Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, fan protests have become a common sight at Premier League stadiums over rising ticket prices and the squeezing out of local supporters to make way for more tourists willing to spend more for a special matchday experience. "There can be no doubt that the system in English football is under strain," said Tim Bridge, the lead partner in the Deloitte Sports Business Group. Advertisement "Repeated reports of fan unrest at ticket price and accessibility demonstrate the challenge in the modern era of balancing commercial growth with the historic essence of a football club's role and position in society: as a community asset." There is also uncertainty over the implications of an incoming independent regulator for England's top five leagues. And for the past two seasons, all three promoted clubs from the Championship have been immediately relegated back to the second tier. "The financial implications of the 'yo-yo effect' on clubs, their spending, and overall competitiveness are major factors to address in order to continue attracting high levels of investment across the system," added Bridge in Deloitte's Annual Review of Football Finance. Advertisement Total revenue of European clubs rose by eight percent in the 2023/24 campaign to 38 billion euros, boosted by increased commercial revenue and stadium developments. The women's game also continues to grow commercially, particularly in England's Women's Super League (WSL). Collective revenues in the WSL rose 34 percent to £65 million in 2023/24 and are projected to reach £100 million in the upcoming season. kca/nf