April 25, 2025
Shaw Local
NewsSportsBearseNewspaperObituariesNewsletterWeekend PlansEvent Calendar

Yorkville School District Y115 Board of Education President Lynn Burks will not seek reelection

By Mark Foster
Yorkville School Board President Lynn Burks, right, presides over the March 28, 2022 board meeting. At left is Associate Superintendent of Learning & Instruction Nick Baughman. (Mark Foster -- mfoster@shawmedia.com)

Yorkville School Board President Lynn Burks, right, presides over the March 28, 2022 board meeting. At left is Associate Superintendent of Learning & Instruction Nick Baughman. (Mark Foster -- mfoster@shawmedia.com) (Mark Foster)

YORKVILLE – Big changes appear to be on the way for the Yorkville School District Y115 Board of Education.

School Board President Lynn Burks is stepping down from the board after 20 years. Burks said she will not be running in the April 4, 2023 election.

“It’s been an honor to be able to serve this long,” said Burks, who has served five four-year terms on the board.

“It’s a tough job,” Burks said. “It takes an incredible amount of time and commitment.”

Burks is proud of how the school district has handled the community’s growth and most recently the initiatives to add a full-day of kindergarten to the district’s offerings, along with the opening of a new Early Learning Center.

At the same time, Burks believes the School Board has been responsible when spending taxpayer dollars.

“We’ve been very prudent with our finances,” Burks said.

With just hours to go before the filing deadline on Dec. 19, none of the four incumbent school board members whose terms are up has filed to run for reelection and none are expected to do so.

They include Tom Kozlowicz, Ashley Rhea Fichtel, Jenny Morgan and Burks.

However, seven candidates have filed to run in next year’s spring election.

They include Darren Crawford, Jason Demas, Kristine Liptrot Rogowski and Jorge Ayala.

The others are Michael Houston, Michael Knoll and Molly Gerke.

School District Y115 uses a system by which board members are elected from one of two areas, either north of the Fox River in Bristol Township or south of the river in Kendall or Oswego townships.

Based on the addresses that the candidates included on their nominating petitions, it appears that Crawford, Demas, Rogowski and Ayala are from Bristol Township.

Houston, Knoll and Gerke appear to be from the southern portion of the district.

Burks said the system is designed to ensure equitable representation and avoid having all of the board members coming from one portion of the community.

Burks expressed admiration for the candidates who have filed to run.

“I want to commend the people who are taking that step and to be willing to sacrifice their time and family,” Burks said.