Preliminary results from Tuesday’s elections in Illinois show that new leadership is on its way to some Metro East school boards.
The elections come as school districts across the region grapple with financial uncertainty as pandemic-era funding winds down and the Trump administration dismantles the U.S. Department of Education.
On Tuesday, the Illinois State Board of Education said in a statement that the Trump administration had reversed the U.S. Education Department’s decision on March 28 to grant the state an extension to use up its remaining pandemic relief funds of about $77.25 million. According to ISBE, the state has spent down 98.5% of the funds and has allotted the remaining money to “contracts, orders or payroll.”
ISBE said 27 school districts were impacted, including East St. Louis School District 189, which was supposed to receive over $19 million from the American Rescue Plan to repair HVAC systems.
In a statement, the district said the HVAC upgrades are essential for improved air quality and health in district buildings and that they won't happen without federal funding.
"Our original extension was approved on January 22, 2025, granting our school district until March 28, 2026, to complete the HVAC projects. The loss of the remaining ESSER III funds will prevent the completion of these essential HVAC projects. Additionally, the district will incur substantial financial penalties due to contract cancellation fees," a spokesperson said. "We appreciate Secretary Linda McMahon for offering a pathway to secure an extension and look forward to her response to our request."
The district asked for an extension to complete the repairs due to supply chain issues for construction materials and HVAC equipment.
ISBE also cannot access over $37 million designated for certain statewide programs, including new teacher and principal mentoring initiatives, as well as some administrative costs to help support the new programs.
“School districts depend on stability in funding to plan effectively and ensure continuity of services for students. The abrupt reversal of this extension disrupts stability and jeopardizes essential programs that support students’ learning recovery,” said state Superintendent Tony Sanders in a statement.
Mail-in ballots are counted until April 15, and the election results will be certified on April 16.
Edwardsville School Board results
Edwardsville Community Unit School District 7 has elected Sara Bauer, Alma Carver, Scott Ahart and Mathew Breihan to the seven-member board for four-year terms, according to preliminary results. Longtime board member Terri Dalla Riva was ousted. Some mail-in ballots are still being received and counted but are unlikely to make up the 873-vote difference between Dalla Riva and Bauer, who received the next-lowest vote total.
“I will be working to bring transparency, accountability, and trust back to our wonderful district,” said Bauer in a statement. “Our district has some of the most dedicated and talented teachers, and I am going to support them any way I can as a board member and current parent.”
This is Ahart’s first full term after being appointed to the board last year. He said he’s looking forward to working with the other board members to help steward the district through growing concerns over the changes to public education by the federal government.
“We're moving into uncharted waters with the current administration and their desire to dismantle the Department of Education, so that's going to require people to really dig into what's happening because [cuts to] funding is going to be a big thing that's going to affect not just our school district but all school districts,” Ahart said.
The results come on the heels of a contentious meeting last month when the school board voted 4-3 to dismiss 16 teachers from the district, citing a tightened budget.
Robert Unzicker, co-president of the Edwardsville Education Association, which is a union that represents over 500 ECUSD staff members, said he wants to see the board prioritize meeting the needs of both new and experienced teachers.
“There's some work that needs to be done to kind of right the ship to get Edwardsville back on the right track,” Unzicker said. “Where it's a district that people want to work at, they want to be here, and that the families want to move in.”
The union is headed into negotiations with the school district later this year as their contract expires on Aug. 20.
East Alton School Board results
The school board race in East Alton School District 13 has shown to be a tight one. According to preliminary results, Blake Compton, Jennifer Chandler, Jacqulyn McCann and Margaret Foiles are projected to win the four available seats on the board — each of which has a four-year term.
However, Foiles, the current board president, is ahead by only one vote, with Jeffrey Hinkle close behind.
Logan Sims won a board seat with a two-year term against Marvin Peterson.
Mail-in ballots postmarked by April 1 can still be counted as long as the Madison County Clerk’s office receives them by April 15. The clerk’s office will release final election results on April 16.
East Alton Education Association, which represents staff members in the EASD, said union members spent hours phone banking and knocking on doors to get out the vote. Four of the winners, with Hinkle close behind, were endorsed by the union.
“We are very excited and grateful to everyone in the East Alton community who came out to vote for public education,” Pete Kleeman, co-president of EAEA, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to working with the entire board and our community so that we can best support our students.”
McCann said that she was excited about her projected win, though nervous to see what the final results will be. She is a library clerk at the Special School District in St. Louis County and hopes to bring her in-school experience to the board, especially as it navigates possible budget shortfalls.
“We're going to do the best we can and make sure that our students and our staff members are taken care of and hopefully we can make a difference,” McCann said.
Blake Compton, who is also projected to win a board seat, said he was surprised by the low voter turnout but looks forward to helping the board rebuild its relationship with the community.
“I want them to know their voice matters, as a school board is to be the aspiration of the community,” Compton said in a statement. “This isn’t mine or any of the board members' district — it truly is the community’s district.”
This story has been updated to include a statement from East St. Louis School District 189.
