NATHAN R. MELLMAN

candidate for 2025 District 200 School Board

1. What motivates you to seek this office? What makes you qualified to serve? What sets you apart from other candidates? What metrics of success do you plan on holding yourself accountable to? 

I am thrilled about the opportunity to serve all parents, students, and residents of D200 and OP/RF. I’ve served on the OPRFHS Community Council since 2021 and as a RF Fire and Police Commissioner since 2022. I have been very concerned about a number of issues including the safety of all the students, teachers, and staff at the high school. One student said she was fearful of walking the hallways of the school every time she walked past a certain teacher, there are too many fights, and the response to the lockdown last February showed there was poor communication and lack of coordination. My adult life has been about serving the public; this next step in running for the school board is just an extension of that 35-year history.

I have served as a defense attorney, assistant Attorney General, prosecutor, adjunct professor, employment litigator, labor relations manager,  judge, and military officer, retiring as a colonel. 

I have had two children graduate from OPRFHS and one is still there. I have been a resident of OP/RF for more than 20 years. The Illinois Report Card and standardized tests are benchmarks for success. 

2. What do you see as the three biggest challenges or opportunities facing District 200 in and what role do you see the Board playing to address them over the next four years? 

Three issues: 

Keep students safe. 

Challenge all students academically. 

Safeguard tax dollars. 

It’s that simple. 

Regarding safety, we will improve the school’s Behavior Education Plan to reflect state law and ensure it is enforced, we will ensure the school is as prepared and is as safe as possible for worst-case scenarios, and we will be transparent on disciplinary action taken and the discipline imposed. 

Regarding challenging all students, while a one-room schoolhouse with 30 students may require a single classroom with one teacher for all students, we are blessed to have a well-resourced high school of over 3,200 students. Forcing students into a single classroom for basic freshman classes does not challenge those students who are more academically advanced and it overly stresses and fails to adequately teach students who need more assistance. 

And regarding safeguarding tax dollars, we will scrutinize spending on high-paying administrators, hold the line on property tax increases, and pay close attention to spending on the over $100 million-plus Project 2. 

3. What is your decision making process? What steps can the Board take to ensure transparency, clear communication, and community engagement – hearing from the broad spectrum of families about their experiences of the Oak Park River Forest High School, and the full range of District 200’s constituents? 

It’s important to have board members who by education and background are inclined to question. My wife and I have a number of signs hanging up in the back room of our house. One of them is “Ask good questions.” Whenever I dropped off a kid at school in the morning, I would always tell them “Ask good questions.” That is how we learn and that is what I expect teachers to do in school: teach students how to ask good questions. We need that on the Board as well. If everyone thinks alike, we leave out large segments of the community and we don’t achieve our potential. What makes me (and Josh) different from the other candidates is that we have experience asking good questions, listening well, and making informed decisions. As Socrates said: listen courteously, answer wisely, consider soberly, and decide impartially. That is how I am going to make decisions. And that is the commitment I am giving to the community. 

As discussed above, the Board needs to be more transparent with disciplinary infraction and the discipline imposed. We also need to be more transparent on how we spend our money. Clear and easy to read dashboards on D200’s website are an imperative. 

And if community members make the effort to speak at a board meeting, I will engage them and/or I will get their contact information and follow up. I want the community members to know that I hear them and I value their input. 

4. Please share your thoughts about District 200’s current financial picture. What’s your understanding of the Board’s role in the budgeting process and the allocation of resources? Do you have organizational finance experience? 

One of the greatest challenges D200 faces is that many in the community feel they can’t trust the Board with their tax dollars. In 2015, candidates voted to issue non-referendum bonds to circumvent voters on the funding of a new pool. In 2019, those board members told voters that that vote was a mistake and they would never bypass voters again. Four years later, board members went back on that promise. 

Whether Project 2 should have gone to the voters or not is water under the bridge. Project 2 is being built. In 2020, the Board approved $32.6 million to pay for Project 1. Three years later, the cost was over $42 million – a 29 percent cost overrun. What’s past is prologue; the community senses this with the $140 million-plus Project 2. 

I have a degree in finance and international business. Josh and I know how to ask good questions. I also have some construction experience. I know that contractors pad their bills. And I know that there are ways to value engineer a project to get what you want without overspending.

D200 needs independent, strong questioners who will safeguard taxpayer dollars to rebuild the trust with the community.

5. What would you say to voters who are worried about the tax burden? What are your thoughts about the Imagine Project, ongoing facility maintenance projects and how capital costs should be approached and balanced with the educational program offered to students? 

Voters should be worried. D200 spends over $25,000 per student; parents expect the best education possible for their teens and rightly so. Josh Gertz’s and my commitment to being financially responsible is set forth above. Now is the time to regain community trust by having independent, strong voices and critical thinking on the D200 Board. 

6. How will you work to ensure that District 200 provides an excellent educational experience for each student? What metrics of success do you plan on holding yourself accountable to? 

Josh Gertz and I care about each student. We want each student to be challenged and for each to graduate. 

I have three kids. They each grew up with the same parents, the same environment, and the same economic opportunities. But as any parent of more than one child knows, each kid can have very different academic needs. Regardless of the reason, though, each should be academically challenged. 

One in four Black and one in five Hispanic ninth graders are failing two or more core classes. This is unacceptable. 

We need to provide adequate resources and opportunities to those with lesser economic resources so they have the opportunity to succeed. The achievement gap is real and it needs to be addressed. We can do so with methods that have a proven history of success: tutoring and intensive supper programs. We support expanded tutoring for all students and intensive summer preparation programs for incoming freshmen. We agree with Oak Park Trustee Cory Wesley – both Josh and I spoke with him recently – that the school needs to actively intervene and provide tutoring to students who need it.

7. Special education is required by federal law. Please share your understanding of the special education programs at District 200 and how you will work to ensure that District 200 provides an excellent education for students in need of special education? 

D200 prides itself in providing a challenging educational environment for its special education students. As with anything, though, there are always improvements to be made. And with any other student, I will look at the data, listen to the parents and teachers, and be responsive to the best ideas to ensure all of our students are academically challenged no matter what kind of assistance they may need. 

8. What is your impression of the implementation of District 200’s Access for All detracking curriculum redesign program and of detracking efforts generally? 

Josh Gertz and I talk about this extensively on our campaign website at https://www.gertzmellmand200.com/priority-2-challenge-all-students. I encourage you to go there to learn about our thoughts on detracking. And then I encourage you to engage us, especially if you have teens who are current freshman through juniors and, thus, have been through the changed curriculum. We want to hear from you about what is working and what is not working. 

9. District 200 has taken some steps to move away from policing and surveillance in schools toward restorative justice, mental health supports, and other services in schools. Do you think these moves have been successful? Please explain. What work do you believe remains to be done in this area? 

As with detracking, Josh Gertz and I talk about this extensively on our campaign website at https://www.gertzmellmand200.com/priority-1-keep-our-kids-safe. As above, I encourage you to go there to learn about our thoughts on this subject. And then I encourage you to engage us. We want to hear from you about what is working and what is not working. 

10. Do you see a role for the District 200 Board in ensuring that OPRFHS is welcoming and safe for students in minority populations, whether immigrant, racial, religious identity, LGBTQ+, etc.? What specific actions or policies would you support? Please share your thoughts about District 200’s role in responding to recent national executive orders. 

As noted above, one of my top three priorities is to keep all students safe. If I learn of a student who does not feel safe – whether because of racial bias, identity, or some other factor – then my charge to the superintendent is to say, “Remove that roadblock.” Because if the student doesn’t feel safe, that student is not going to learn effectively. 

Regardless of what is happening at the federal level, our core mission does not change. The primary purpose of any school is to educate kids. When we take our oath as a school board member, we each swear or affirm to faithfully discharge our duties in accordance with the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the State of Illinois, and the laws of the State of Illinois. We are a nation of laws, not individuals. If there is a legal dispute, we will get legal advice on the best course of action. Josh Gertz and I are running on three priorities: keeping all of our kids safe, challenging all students academically, and safeguarding taxpayer dollars. We can do all three while navigating any changes that happen above the local level. 

11. Researchers continue to report that significant numbers of students experience poor mental health. Many students seriously consider attempting suicide and a subset of these students attempt suicide. What can District 200 do to address this trend? 

We can better train teachers and staff on how to recognize and address these issues. There is also a wonderful “Hope Squad” that was started at one school to address teen suicides in that school system. From averaging one to two suicides a year for over twelve years, this school system has now had, after this program was implemented, no suicides for nine years (https://hope4utah.com/our-story/). There are now Hope Squads in 2,000 schools nationwide (https://hopesquad.com/). We need to look at successful approaches such as this and implement them at OPRFHS. 

12. What approach should District 200 take towards intergovernmental cooperation initiatives such as the Collaboration for Early Childhood Development? Are there other specific initiatives that you would like to implement or expand upon with other local and or regional governing bodies and nonprofits? 

Josh Gertz and I fully support the IGA with Collaboration for Early Childhood Development!! Please look at our statement on this at https://www.gertzmellmand200.com/priority-2-challenge-all-students. We are in active communication with the executive director there about how to enhance and strengthen this partnership. We look forward to working closely with them once we are on the Board. 

We also look forward to working more closely with D90 and D97. Regarding D97, we believe there are opportunities to work with their busing subcontractor to provide transportation to the high school for students who live in south Oak Park. This will increase attendance, reduce tardiness, reduce congestion at the high school for drop off and pick up, increase safety at the high school and on the roads to and from the school, and improve our environmental footprint by reducing vehicular congestion. 

13. Should District 200 handle the question around the removal of books from library and classroom shelves, curriculum and other instructional tools if community members deem the content to be inappropriate, too controversial or objectionable? 

I am happy to listen to all community concerns about any subject. Generally, however, the best approach on specific issues is to try to get them addressed at the lowest level possible. Talk to the teacher. Talk to the administrator. But, if the issue persists, then the parent or community member should be welcome to bring the matter before the Board for consideration. 

14. One of the District 200 Board’s primary responsibilities is oversight of the Superintendent. What criteria do you believe the Board should use to evaluate the performance of the Superintendent? 

We should be evaluating the performance of a superintendent based on their ability to accomplish the goals set forth by the Board. 

15. Last November, Oak Park voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative that proposed that voters be able to approve ordinances and policies though a direct vote. At this point the vote on the ballot initiative was advisory or non-binding. The next step is for the Village or any other taxing body in Oak Park (as reported by the Wednesday Journal, November 7, 2024) to decide whether or not to place the issue on the ballot as a binding referendum. Please share your views on this initiative. 

While I applaud the recent OPRFHS graduate on his successful effort with this ballot initiative, it is the Board’s responsibility to consider the issues brought before it. We are elected by the citizens of Oak Park and River Forest. It is the Board that has the ultimate responsibility for providing the direction for D200. In retaining full authority for doing so, the Board can be most responsive to the community’s needs and desires.

Read more information about Nathan here:

Campaign Website