New Leader For Lyons Township High Board

LA GRANGE, IL – The Lyons Township High School board has a new president, its fourth since 2023.

At Monday's meeting, board members unanimously appointed the board's vice president, Tim Albores, for the top job.

At the meeting, incumbent Gioia Giannotti Frye, who was appointed in November, and newcomers Christine Kozelka Campbell, Shawn Kennedy and Elias Lopez took the oath of office. They prevailed in the April 1 election.

Albores, who was elected in 2023, works as the director of student services for high schools for Plainfield School District 202.

Albores joined the board after members held 10 months of closed meetings on a controversial proposal to sell the school's Willow Springs land to an industrial developer.

Albores, the top vote-getter in 2023, opposed selling the site to an industrial buyer. The attorney general later found the board violated the state's open meetings law with its closed sessions; the board then released the recordings.

Tim Albores, the Lyons Township High School board's new president, speaks to his colleagues Monday after being elected to the position. He joined the board two years ago. (David Giuliani/Patch)

After the 2023 election, member Dawn Aubert took the reins from member Kari Dillon. A year later, Aubert abruptly resigned, saying she was moving out of state. Jill Grech then took the helm.

At Monday's meeting, the board saluted the service of Grech, Michael Thomas and Paula Struwing, who was appointed a year ago to take Aubert's seat.

Grech called her four years as "some of the most humbling, fulfilling and eye-opening experiences of my life."

"I'm incredibly proud of the work that we've accomplished together," Grech said.

Struwing said board members needed to serve without political bias and that they have done a "pretty good job at that."

"We are living in a time when divisiveness is really big, and it's overshadowing what is truly best for our kids," she said.

Struwing filed to run for a board seat, but she was knocked off the ballot after a resident successfully challenged her election petition.

"While I look forward to the possibility of running a full campaign in the future, my priority needed to shift and focus on my family," Struwing said. "I needed to step back and put some support for my father, who is facing some significant medical challenges."

A half dozen residents spoke during public comments praising Thomas' service. He served on the board for 4½ years and the La Grange School District 102 board for 3½ years before that.

"He's incredibly thoughtful. He picks his words with so much intention," said Jessica McLean, who served with Thomas on the District 102 board. "Michael may not say a lot, but what he says, he says with purpose."

She also said Thomas was "particularly sensitive to students who might not always have had a voice in every room."

For his part, Thomas said the school has more work to do on the achievement gap, but progress has been made.

"I'm particularly proud of the equity and belonging work that the district has worked to incorporate into the culture of LT as well as the continued push for academic rigor that led to its first exemplary rating by the state," Thomas said.