Longest-serving District 21 school board member defends DEI in farewell address
Wheeling Township Elementary District 21’s Phil Pritzker — one of the longest-serving elected officials in the Northwest suburbs who once was named the top school board member in the state — issued a strong defense of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public schools during farewell remarks Thursday night.
“There are some things that in my estimation are just simply fundamental to the mission of public education,” said Pritzker, first appointed to the school board in July 1989 who then went on to be elected to nine 4-year terms.
“DEI is an acronym that has gotten a lot of bad communication and emphasis recently,” he continued. “Fact: this is a diverse district. When I started 36 years ago, it was quite the opposite. Over the course of 36 years, we are now a majority-minority district. … Diversity of perspectives is something to be cherished.
“Who would not want their child or grandchild to be treated in an equitable fashion? That just defies logic in my mind, and should in this district. And the same thing with inclusion. Public education is about including. We are mandated to accept children regardless. That is our role. That is the role of public education.”
Pritzker’s parting comments came before the seating of new and returning board members following the April 1 election. Pritzker lost by 39 votes in a five-candidate race for four available seats.
He was board president for 11 of his 36 years on the panel, and is the longest-serving board member in the prekindergarten through eighth grade district’s history.
For two dozen years, he was a representative of the Illinois Association of School Boards, serving as the organization’s president from 2015 to 2017. In 2021, the Illinois State Board of Education honored him with its Thomas Lay Burroughs Award for outstanding school board service.
During his long tenure, Pritzker served with 26 board members, led two national superintendent searches, developed several strategic plans, and brought his expertise to capital building projects in every school that’s been renovated or added onto at least twice. The 71-year-old Buffalo Grove resident is general manager of a Loop high rise condominium association.
Soon after he joined the board, a new Whitman Elementary was built to replace what was the first school in the district. It was followed by library remodels at Twain and Field schools, foreshadowing the upgrades to library media centers across the district in recent years.
He helped pass the $69 million referendum in 2018 that led to facility improvements, tighter security at school entrances and full-day kindergarten. In 2023, the district opened its new administration building that doubles as a community health center.
The district also was among the first in the area to implement a one-to-one technology initiative that gave a Chromebook to every student.
Pritzker — who is unrelated to the Illinois governor — nonetheless rubbed elbows with political bigwigs. That included then-U. S. Sen. Barack Obama, who visited London Middle School for a town hall meeting.
And Pritzker says he’ll never forget when he and then-Tarkington Elementary Principal Avi Poster were walking through the halls of the U.S. Capitol in 1995. They were there to accept the school’s Blue Ribbon award, but they happened upon a going-away party for then-Sen. Howard Metzenbaum of Ohio, attended by a number of famous senators.
His farewell advice to colleagues? Don’t be afraid to make tough decisions, and don’t let perfect be the enemy of the good, he said.
“Stay true to your governance role,” he said. “Policy, vision and oversight — that’s the role of a successful board.”
Taking oaths of office Thursday were parent Carrie Devitt — the top vote-getter in the recent election — and incumbents Bill Harrison, Debbi McAtee and Arlen Gould. Board members also appointed parent Iliana Guzman to fill the two years remaining on the term of longtime board member Staci Allan, who stepped down last month amid her battle with multiple sclerosis.