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Health & Fitness

CLAIM Thanks Legislators and Community for Education Forum

District 97’s Committee for Legislative Action, Intervention, and Monitoring (CLAIM) – a group of 13 citizens, two board members, and the superintendent that advocates on behalf of Oak Park’s public elementary schools – thanks our state legislators and the community for participating in an education policy forum at Julian Middle School on October 9.

We are grateful for the participation of all four of our state senators and representatives, Senators Don Harmon and Kimberly Lightford and Representatives La Shawn Ford and Camille Lilly.  We are also especially thankful for the community members who asked insightful and pressing questions, and to all in attendance who demonstrated to our representatives that the Oak Park community expects to be an active contributor in the policy decisions they make in Springfield.

Many of the particularly vexing statewide issues we discussed at the forum, such as school financing and pension reform, often seem intractable here at the local level.  However, CLAIM believes that dialogue with our elected leaders is one important step that our community can take to ensure that Oak Park’s educational and financial interests are considered by our legislators.  We hope the community will continue to support these efforts, and we welcome any input on how we can do this most effectively.

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