W E D N E S D A Y
Old by our standards
Homes, page 19
JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest
January 31, 2018 Vol. 36, No. 21 ONE DOLLAR
@oakpark @wednesdayjournal
To be or not to be independent D97 wants BRAVO and CAST to explore nonprofit status By MICHAEL ROMAIN Editor
Community members affiliated with two popular, longtime Oak Park Elementary Schools District 97 performing arts programs are going into 2018 with more stage fright than usual at the prospect of what could be their final acts (at least as many people have known them) if a resolution isn’t reached with district officials on how they’ll be funded after the 2018-19 school year. As part of ongoing efforts to practice fiscal restraint, district officials have been in talks with officials from BRAVO, the nationally prominent performing arts program based at Brooks, and CAST, the celebrated performing arts program at Julian, about ways the programs can become more financially independent. Representatives with both programs, however, say they aren’t seeking the autonomy. Last year, the district “explored cost-cutting options with the board,” according to a Jan. 23 memo drafted by Alicia Evans, the district’s outgoing assistant superintendent for finance and operations. “One of those options included the elimination of CAST and BRAVO positions,” Evans wrote. After the public learned of that option, there was “an immediate response to keep CAST and BRAVO staff and continue to support performing arts at both schools.” See D97 ARTS on page 13
The no-boots boot
ALEXA ROGALS/Staff Photographer
Adolfo Laborde, 13, of Oak Park, kicks the ball into the goal on Friday, Jan. 26, at the Ridgeland Common soccer field. A January thaw brought soccer players outdoors.
OP moves toward adopting racial equity model Community Relations Commission urges mindfulness in decision making
By TIMOTHY INKLEBARGER Staff Reporter
The village of Oak Park has a long history of aspiring to achieve racial diversity and inclusiveness, from the historic Fair Housing Ordinance of 1968 to the more recent Welcoming Village Ordinance, es-
tablishing Oak Park as a sanctuary city. But there still is more work to be done, according to members of the village’s Community Relations Commission, an advisory group which presented a plan to the Oak Park Board of Trustees on Jan. 29, to advance the concepts of racial equity in Oak Park.
The plan, known as “Governing for Racial Equity,” would train village employees and officials to approach decision-making through the prism of racial equity, according to members of the commission. See EQUITY on page 14
Coming March 2018
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