The FFRF Action Fund is pleased to endorse Elana Jacobs’ April 1 bid for the Skokie School District 73.5 Board of Education.
Jacobs currently serves on the Niles Township High School Board of Education. Her term is up, and she is running for a position in a smaller district representing pre-K to eighth-grade schools. Jacobs has over 10 years of experience in public schools and is dedicated to amplifying diverse voices through her work. She has worked in some of the most high-poverty and high-violence neighborhoods in Chicago and uses her experience in underfunded districts to best help Illinois’ underprivileged students and address equity gaps.
Jacobs is an open agnostic. District 73.5 is a highly diverse district. Jacobs has expressed her commitment to building an interfaith bridge for its students, ensuring that every student is represented and protected, regardless of religion or nonreligion. She is dedicated to keeping voucher schemes out of Illinois and maintains that there should be a wall between state and church. As a member of the Illinois LGBT Education Task Force, she helps implement the law teaching LGBTQ-plus history in K-12 schools. She also serves on the race and equity task force at her current high school and has undergone anti-racist training.
Jacobs is a driver’s education teacher and a former high school science and special education educator. She has led over 20 professional development workshops in leadership, focusing on STEM, special education, technology and career and technical education.
Four seats are open on District 73.5’s Board of Education, and six candidates are in the running. According to Jacobs, one of her opponents, Sam Goldstein, supports voucher programs and opposes sex education. Jacobs has worked to fight against vouchers with Chicago teacher unions and on political campaigns.
The FFRF Action Fund joins the Victory Fund in endorsing Jacobs.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.