West Cook News

A Park Ridge resident who took a stand against Gov. J.B. Pritzker won a seat on the Maine 207 School Board.

Ashley Kilburg is grateful to all who elected her to the post. She is one of the two candidates who ran for the District 207 School Board who has been calling for the immediate opening of in-school classes.

“Thank you to all who came out, voted, and supported me!,” Kilburg wrote on Facebook. “I look forward to serving you and the students of district D207 for the next four years!! #NewVoiceNewIdeas.”

Kilburg previously complained that the governor’s eight-page COVID-19 disaster proclamation had only four lines that discussed Illinois students’ education. She is protesting his one specific directive “to continue to alleviate any barriers to the use of remote learning.”

“Students who used to do well in school are failing academically and suffering emotionally,” she said. “On Feb. 3, the director of the CDC says schools may now safely reopen. Given this federal guidance regarding health and education, why aren’t Illinois schools following those guidelines and supporting our children’s needs?”

A professional educator with master's degree in education, she campaigned that she would address the issue of how to best educate children.

“My candidacy is based on my dedication to this community and to education,” she previously stated.

She plans to create quarterly Zoom meetings to provide students an avenue to express their thoughts to enhance their education and help them find a solution.

Kilburg’s many years of service included being a third and fifth-grade teacher at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School in Chicago and a mentor at One Million Degrees and Room to Read.

She has been living in Park Ridge with her family for six years. Her husband Jeff grew up in Park Ridge and attended Maine South High School.