District 70 Board Member To Step Down

Longtime Board of Education member Joy Schwerman will step down in July, saying her election promise to help settle in a new superintendent has gone exceedingly well.

“I feel I have done what I wanted to do when I ran two years ago and that was to get Guy Schumacher on board and make sure the continuity and consistency was there to support his leadership,” Schwerman said during a special board meeting on June 6. “He’s well on his way and has done a great job in the last two years. I’m very happy about that.”

The school board election in April 2009 was hotly contested as 11 candidates vied for four seats carrying four-year terms. Schwerman, always a top vote-getter, ran on a pledge to help usher in Schumacher to the top post after being principal at Butterfield School for several years.

Schwerman, who is in the middle of her fifth four-year term, also said she wanted to step down to avoid any conflict of interest when her son-in-law is hired in July to be the new dean of students at . 

“Lorenzo is my son-in-law and he doesn’t want his mother-in-law looking over his shoulder,” Schwerman added. “This is Lorenzo’s time in District 70.

“And, it’s time for me to move on. It’s been 18 years; it’s time.”

Superintendent Schumacher noted that he saw Cervantes’ potential early on, adding, “He earned his position, he is a rising star. I certainly understand the relationship and know that this is a difficult but necessary decision.”

Board President Maryann Ovassapian said she appreciated Schwerman’s historical view on topics and that she was known for her positive and encouraging stance during her tenure. “You always brought a lot to the table,” she said.   

Schwerman is a well-known family name in Libertyville, often linked to the schools as family members worked, taught and attended the school system. Schwerman and her husband, Scott, raised three children in town and they attended Rockland and Highland Middle schools.

A human resource director, Schwerman served as the powerful finance committee chairwoman for years but always ruled with a focus on the students. “Our most important asset is our children and their future,” she often has said.

Schwerman will step down at the July 25 meeting. District 70 is checking with the Lake County Clerk’s office on what needs to be done to fill the board position.