Oak Park schools seek parent input

Communication between parents and the Oak Park Unified School District will be the goal of a forum at 9 a.m. Thurs., Nov. 12 at the Oak Park Community Center, 101 Kanan Road.

The public is invited to attend the meeting, where educational issues will be discussed and parent input obtained. The forum is an opportunity for parents to share ideas or ask questions in an informal setting, said Barry Myerson, president of Friends of Oak Park Schools, which is organizing the meeting.

“Our goal is to promote conversation,” Myerson said. “Our hope is that everyone will walk out learning something about our schools that they were not aware of before.”

Myerson, Superintendent Tony Knight and school board President Jan Iceland will speak. Afterwards parent-led sessions will address the role of the school board, the district’s successes, financing and anticipated future challenges. There will be opportunities for participants to comment and ask questions.

Issues have been raised at previous forums that alerted the school board to community concerns which helped shape direction and policy, said board member Marie Panec. Forum input will also guide the future funding of school programs by the Friends, she added.

“In this unstable economic climate, when the board will be making decisions on what programs to cut and what to preserve, it is critically important that parents and community members attend and voice their opinion,” Panec said.

The nonprofit Friends of Oak Park Schools raises funds to support educational programs that would not otherwise be funded. Panec commended the group for its support.

“Given the current economic situation, the school board is challenged to meet the cost of basic programs with the curtailed funding from the state,” Panec said. “Friends has stepped in with funds to support programs that integrate students’ book learning with handson learning experiences.”

This is the third such forum Friends has held.

“This is a great chance for people to get together and talk about our schools,” Knight said. “Friends of Oak Park is good at bringing people together for a common purpose—making our schools the best for our kids.”

For more information, visit www.friendsofoakparkschools.org.