Libertyville District 70

Angela K. Balanag, a Libertyville resident and Copeland Manor parent, was sworn in as the new school board member during a Board of Education meeting Monday night.

Balanag was unanimously approved by the school board and was sworn in by School Board President Wendy Schilling during the meeting. Schilling replaced Tom Vickers as board president as he stepped down from the president position due to work obligations on Nov. 19th. Under board policy, the vice president, which was Schilling, moves to president. The board then voted 6-1 to have Marc Grote step into the role of vice president. 

Balanag, 47, will serve until the April 6 Consolidated Elections, completing the term of  Linda Lucke, who resigned after moving out of District 70 boundaries. An English teacher at Grant Community High School, Balanag noted in her application that, “I am an educator who is passionate about equity. I think all students, staff, faculty, administrators, parents, and community members deserve high-quality opportunities to grow.”

With a master’s degree in school leadership from Northeastern Illinois University and a master’s degree in English and teaching and learning from DePaul University, Balanag first majored in mass communications and history at Illinois State University. She worked as a professional broadcaster while working on her bachelor’s degree. 

“I have great respect for public service and the role of the community in public education,” Balanag said. “I recognize the high-quality decision-making process of the staff, faculty, administration, and board of education that District 70 engages in. It would be an honor to serve the community for a few months.” 

She began her education career as a substitute teacher in Community District 128 (LHS) and in Waukegan Community School District 60. She also has taught at Antioch Community High School and served two years as the head coach of the Boys Bowling Team at Grant Community High School. 

Balanag and her husband, Edgar, have a daughter, Vivian.

Tom Vickers is stepping down as board president of Libertyville School District 70, saying his work obligations have increased dramatically and can no longer give the school board and school district the attention they deserve. He will remain on the board and supportively serve out the remainder of his term.   

According to School Board Policy 2:110, board Vice President Wendy Schilling will step in to serve as board president beginning with the Nov. 23 school board meeting.

Please self-certify your child(ren) before 7:30 a.m. before school.

For the first several weeks of hybrid, in-person school families will receive an email with a link to self-certify. You may bookmark that link after submitting the health form to return to self-certify again for the next day. A text also will be sent to families of students attending school in-person to remind them to self-certify.

By law, District 70 may only send text messages to families who opt-in to the service. Information on how to opt-in to text messages can be found on the announcement page of each school website, as well as the district website. 

District 70 has created an e-Learning Plan to replace Emergency Days through the next three school years, 2020-2023.  

The plan would allow District 70 to use e-Learning days, instead of Emergency Days (such as Snow Days), so that students can continue to learn remotely.

The state mandates that five emergency days are built into the school calendar to accommodate emergency school closures due to inclement weather or other events beyond our control (flooding, school power outages, etc.).  The emergency days are built into the school calendar at the end of every school year.

The e-Learning Plan, approved by the school board and the Regional Office of education, will allow students to learn remotely when school has to be closed and also will allow the school year to end on a set date without being extended to accommodate the built-in emergency days. 
e-Learning Letter to Families, e-Learning Proposed Plan, eLearning Verification Form for ROE, Oct. 26 School Board PowerPoint Presentation 

• On the d70schools.org website, go to HOME, then NEW STUDENT REGISTRATION and follow the directions.
• You may also register on your home school website, under PARENTS. 
• Please register as early as possible so we can make sure we have staff in place for all students.
• We encourage you to pay online. 
• You may pay by check by mailing the check to Libertyville School District 70, Educational Resource Office, 1381 W. Lake St., Libertyville, Il. 60048.  
• Questions? Email District 70 registrar, Cristina, directly at cdistefano@d70schools.org. 

• Go to your parent PowerSchool account at powerschool.d70schools.org.
• Sign in with username and password.
• If you forgot your password, select "Forgot Password" and create a new password.
• Fill out the section called School Forms. You must fill out School Forms separately for each of your children you are enrolling.
• We encourage you to pay online. 
• You may pay by check by mailing the check to the Libertyville School District 70, Educational Resource Office, 1381 W. Lake St., Libertyville, Il. 60048.   
• Questions? Email District 70 registrar, Cristina, directly at cdistefano@d70schools.org. 

Nominating petition forms for the April 6, 2021, school board election in Libertyville School District 70 will be available on Sept. 18 at the Lake County Clerk's Office, 18 N. County St., Waukegan, Il.

Petitions may begin to be circulated on Sept. 22. A school board candidate's petition must be filed in the Lake County Clerk's Office no earlier than 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 14, and no later than 5 p.m. on Dec. 29. 

Four of the seven-member board of education seats are open in the April 6 election. Candidates elected will take office at an organizational meeting to be held within 28 days following the election and serve the four-year terms until April 2025. 

To be eligible to serve, a school board member must be, on the date of the election, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years old, a resident of the State of Illinois and Libertyville School District 70 for at least one year immediately preceding the election, and a registered voter.

Elections are nonpartisan and board candidates do not indicate political party affiliation. Candidates should be aware of financial conflict-of-interest limitations set forth in the school code. 

Important information: 
April 6, 2021, Consolidated Election Calendar
2021 Candidate's Guide
2021 Election Campaign Finance Calendar  

District 70 is aware of and is monitoring developments in Waukegan and Gurnee about ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions.  EtO is a substance known to cause cancer. 

Medline Industries in Waukegan and Vantage Specialty Chemicals in Gurnee are being monitored for EtO emissions by the Lake County Health Department.  Other agencies, such as the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), are involved as well. 

The Lake County Health Department website has information about EtO and the results of air testing at and near both of these facilities in Waukegan and Gurnee. You can reach the Health Department at 847-367-8000.

District 70 is committed to safety and will communicate with staff and parent communities about this matter as appropriate. (Sept. 25, 2019)