District 87 board moves to fill vacancy created by member’s death

Glenbard High School District 87 is looking for a new school board member to fill a seat left vacant by the recent death of Mireya Vera.

The board will appoint a district resident to complete Vera’s term through the 2025 election. Vera died last month at age 66.

Vera was first appointed to the board in December 2018. A longtime hospital administrator, Vera retained her seat after a crowded school board race in April 2021.

“Mireya was dedicated to serving the students, families, faculty and staff of D-87,” Superintendent David Larson said in a district message Jan. 2. “She was particularly focused on meeting the needs of each student. Mireya was passionate about public education and preparing young people for their lives after high school. She will be greatly missed.”

It was her experience as a Latina parent – Vera noticed poor Spanish translations of letters to families – that prompted the Lombard mother of three to get involved with the district.

“It is so critical and important to reflect the communities that you serve, the students that you serve and the parents that you serve,” she told the Daily Herald in 2019. “They have to have a voice at the table.”

Vera was director of community services for Sinai Health System when she ran in the last school board election.

“When she wasn’t working, she was looking for a path to run on, a beach to bury her feet in, and a sunny day to soak up the sun,” her obituary reads. “Her most precious memories were spent with her family, many of which were captured on the white sands of Cancun. She stayed connected to her roots throughout her life.”

Board members hope to select a candidate to take her seat during a meeting Feb. 6.

The district is asking anyone seeking the interim post to complete an application and submit a brief resume to board secretary Donna Gastel at donna_gastel@glenbard.org. Application materials must be received by 4 p.m. Jan. 16.

Under Illinois law, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years old and a registered voter who has lived in the district for at least a year.

The four-school district covers parts of Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Bloomingdale, Wheaton and Hanover Park.