Six state legislators joined local elected and appointed officials as well as parents and community members at District 58’s 2024 Annual Legislative Breakfast Feb. 2. It is a years-long tradition in District 58 to welcome state and federal legislators, along with nearly 100 school and community leaders, to discuss education and how legislators and educators can partner to find solutions.
Thank you to the following legislators who participated in the event:
- U.S. Rep. Sean Casten
- Sen. John Curran
- Sen. Suzy Glowiak-Hilton
- Rep. Terra Costa Howard
- Rep. Jenn Ladisch Douglass
- Rep. Anne Stava-Murray
The forum opened with comments from legislators then broke into smaller groups to discuss issues such as the youth mental health crisis, school safety, unfunded mandates, social media and bullying, social-emotional learning and more. The event closed with remarks from Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell. “This event gets bigger and better every year,” he said, thanking legislators for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend. “We’re proud to host this event that brings together so many to promote and highlight education and civic engagement,” he said.
The District 58 Board of Education's Legislative Committee annually plans the Legislative Breakfast. Co-chairs of the Legislative Committee Emily Hanus and Melissa Ellis served as hosts for the event and committee members served as moderators for the small group discussions. Herrick Assistant Principal Kelly Novotny served as a facilitator. Audience members included the boards of education from District 58 and surrounding communities; District 58 administrators and PTA leaders; District 58 Board committee members; leaders from surrounding school districts; and local community leaders.
The event opened with music performed by the O'Neill Jazz Band led by director Christine Kaminski. Herrick and O'Neill Student Council officers introduced the legislative panel. See photos from the breakfast in the Photo Gallery.