Palatine High School was one of only 10 schools nationally to be named a “New American High School” by the U.S. Department of Education in 2000. Three schools – Palatine, William Fremd, and Schaumburg High Schools – were named among the “Top 99” high schools in the country by U.S. News & World Report.[1]
High School District 211 was named among the elite school districts in Illinois by Expansion Management magazine, a publication for corporate re-location, in 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, and again in 2007.
On November 2, 2015, The New York Times reported that the federal government determined that District 211 violated anti-discrimination laws because "it did not allow a transgender student who identifies as a girl and participates on a girls’ sports team to change and shower in the girls’ locker room without restrictions." The New York Times added that the student in question "identifies as female but was born male."[11]
Board of education
The District 211 Board of Education meeting on May 13, 2021
Township High School District 211 is governed by a seven-member Board of Education.[12][13] Board members are elected to four year terms[14] in non-partisan,[15] at-large elections[16] with three seats up for election in odd years after presidential election years (most recently in 2021)[14] and four seats up for election in odd years after midterm election years (most recently in 2023).[17] As of June 2023, the membership of the Board of Education is:[18][19]
Anna Klimkowicz (board president)
Steven Rosenblum (board vice president)
Kimberly Cavill (board secretary)
Curtis Bradley
Michelle Barron
Peter Dombrowski
Timothy Mc Gowan
2023 Election
In the April 4th, 2023 race, the seats of all four incumbents, Peter Dombrowski, Steven Rosenblum, Mark Cramer, and Kim Cavill were up for reelection. There were 11 names on the ballot. Incumbents Rosenblum and Cavill were supported by the local union along with newcomers candidates Michelle Barron, a mental health expert, and Jane Russell. They were also supported by a Political action committee known as Palatine Supports Public School. The committee was created by a local democrat organization.
The conservative candidates, Mark Cramer and Peter Dombrowski, were support by C4KE, another Political action committee. They were joined by newcomers Susan Saam, and Barbara Valez.
There were two independent candidates who self funded their own campaigns, one was Meenal Dewan, and the other was 19-year-old author Aiden Branss.
The winners of the election were Peter Dombrowski, Kim Cavill, Steven Rosenblum, and Michelle Barron.
2021 election
In the April 6, 2021 race, the seats of board members Robert LeFevre, Ed Yung, and Anna Klimkowicz were up for election. Nine candidates ran for the three seats; Klimkowicz ran for reelection, while LeFevre and Yung did not. Curtis Bradley, Klimkowicz, and Timothy Mc Gowan—the winners of the election—ran as a slate. Jessica Hinkle, Kristen Steel, Robi Vollkommer, and Denise Wilson—the next highest vote-getters—were all supported by board member Mark Cramer. The four generally emphasized the importance of in-person learning over remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for fiscal discipline within the district. Roxanne Wittkamp received the least votes; she was the only candidate not to coordinate with another.[18] Amy Nelson announced on March 18, 2021 that she was suspending her campaign due to an employment conflict; although she was out of the race, she announced that it was too late to have her name removed from the ballot. Despite imploring supporters to not vote for her,[20] she received 3,453 votes.
Following the 2020 protests over the murder of George Floyd[21] and the district's subsequent establishment of an equity team, equity concerns played a notable role in the race. In particular, Bradley and Mc Gowan, who are both black, made social justice a central issue of their campaigns.[22] Their ultimate election to the board was described by The Daily Herald as a success for equity voices in the district[22] and was featured in The Herald's analysis of the impact of George Floyd's murder on the Chicago suburbs.[21] Bradley told The Herald that he thought the voters' acknowledgement of equity issues within the district was partially responsible for his election;[22] Mc Gowan said that he saw his ascendance to the board as a direct response to the previous summer's protests.[21]
Prior to his run for the board, Mc Gowan was an activist who led Palatine's first Black Lives Matter demonstration[23] in June 2020 and openly supported equitable changes to professional development, employment, and curriculum within the district.[24] After Palatine High School teacher Jeanne Hedgepeth[25] made a Facebook post that was critical of the Black Lives Matter movement and compared the term "white privilege" to a racial slur, Mc Gowan described the post as "unacceptable" coming from a teacher and called for her termination. Hedgepeth was placed under investigation for her remarks[24][26] and was later terminated. Three weeks before the election, Hedgepeth sued Mc Gowan for defamation, alleging that he had made false statements about her on Facebook that had led to her firing. Mc Gowan's attorney disputed Hedgepeth's allegation, suggesting that the lawsuit's proximity to the election might be for political purposes.[25]
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2021[27][18]
Candidate
Votes
%
Curtis Bradley
9,046
16.66
Denise K. Wilson
3,992
7.35
Robi Vollkommer
5,101
9.40
Kristen M. Steel
5,733
10.56
Jessica J. Hinkle
7,767
14.31
Roxanne Wittkamp
2,061
3.80
Amy K. Nelson
3,453
6.36
Anna Klimkowicz (incumbent)
8,915
16.42
Timothy Mc Gowan
8,220
15.14
Total votes
54,288
100.00
After the election, on April 29, 2021, the board selected its officers: Klimkowicz was selected as president, Steven Rosenblum was selected as vice president, and Kimberly Cavill was selected as secretary.[18]
2019 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2019[28]
Candidate
Votes
%
Steven Rosenblum
10,387
18.10
Peter R. Dombrowski
11,361
19.80
Will Hinshaw
8,789
15.32
Mark J. Cramer
9,375
16.34
Matthew Saternus
6,110
10.65
Kimberly Cavill
11,357
19.79
Total votes
57,379
100.0
2017 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2017[29]
Candidate
Votes
%
Ralph T. Bonatz
7,412
14.82
Katherine Jee Young David
8,045
16.09
Robert J. LeFevre Jr.
8,843
17.69
Jean Forrest
7,340
14.68
Anna Klimkowicz
10,093
20.19
Edward M. Yung
8,267
16.53
Total votes
50,000
100.00
2015 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2015[30]
Candidate
Votes
%
Peter R. Dombrowski
6,089
14.37
Richard Gerber
5,375
12.68
Will Hinshaw
5,569
13.14
Roman G. Golash
2,443
5.76
Mucia A. Burke
6,890
16.26
Lauanna Recker
6,168
14.55
Robert D. Lithgow
4,775
11.27
Edward M. Yung
5,075
11.97
Total votes
42,384
100.00
2013 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2013[31]
Candidate
Votes
%
Robert J. LeFevre, Jr.
5,352
19.04
Anna Klimkowicz
7,060
25.12
Roman G. Golash
4,265
15.17
Mike Scharringhausen
6,642
23.63
Edward M. Yung
4,790
17.04
Total votes
28,109
100.00
2011 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2011[32]
Candidate
Votes
%
George P. Brandt
9,436
17.34
Charles Fritz
6,731
12.37
Roman G. Golash
5,973
10.98
Richard Gerber
9,212
16.93
Bill Robertson
8,985
16.51
M. Bryan Neal
6,438
11.83
Mucia A. Burke
7,635
14.03
Total votes
54,410
100.00
2009 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2009[33]
Candidate
Votes
%
Anna Klimkowicz
13,431
34.11
Robert J. LeFevre Jr.
13,440
34.13
Edward M. Yung
12,503
31.75
Total votes
39,374
100.00
2007 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2007[34]
Candidate
Votes
%
George P. Brandt
7,064
13.39
Debra Strauss
7,645
14.49
Susan H. Kenley-Rupnow
7,789
14.76
Lynn Davis
7,457
14.13
Charles Fritz
6,598
12.51
Claudia Bailey
4,683
8.88
John M. Cason
4,902
9.29
Patricia S. Schueneman (Pattie)
6,622
12.55
Total votes
52,760
100.00
2005 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2005[35]
Candidate
Votes
%
Steve J. Marcis
9,274
10.76
Robert J. LeFevre, Jr.
13,039
15.13
Conrad L. Pritscher
7,858
9.12
Mark J. Koller
7,065
8.20
Bill Lloyd
10,305
11.95
Anna Klimkowicz
13,494
15.65
Claudia Bailey
9,864
11.44
William Gruzynski
6,291
7.30
Gerald D. Chapman
9,018
10.46
Total votes
86,208
100.00
2003 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2003[36]
Candidate
Votes
%
Robert J. LeFevre Jr.
4,300
10.48
Lynn Davis
4,640
11.31
Martha E. Swierczewski
6,525
15.90
Debra Strauss
5,374
13.10
Bill Lloyd
3,760
9.16
Daniel L. Yokas
3,915
9.54
Charles Fritz
4,816
11.74
Michael B. Morris
3,958
9.65
Donald K. "Don" Laxton
3,748
9.13
Total votes
41,036
100.00
2001 election
Township High School District 211 Board of Education election, 2001[37]
^The teacher ratio is calculated by taking the ratio of the total student enrollment in the fall to the number of full-time equivalent teachers in the district, excluding special education teachers. Discrepancies may therefore arise between the ratio yielded by simply dividing the number of students by the number of teachers.
