UPDATE: Molinare to Join Lincoln-Way Board, Must Quit Summit Hill Board

board member Dee Molinare said she will always look back fondly on her time as a school board member.

"I have enjoyed my board service in 161 and I feel it's a progression, I can serve a wider audience," Molinare said by phone Saturday night.

Molinare was picked to join the high school board, meaning she must resign the elementary school board, 210 board President Arvid Johnson said. Molinare said she will put in her official resignation Thursday.

"There is nothing that I set forth to change (in 210). We already have an excellent district in 210," Molinare said. "I hope to maintain the level of excellence we have achieved and hopefully improve upon that."

The 210 board picked Tinley Park resident Molinare from a field of 10 candidates interviewed Saturday morning to replace Dave Izzo. The board covers all four Lincoln-Way high schools and represents more than 7,300 students.

"The board was impressed and humbled by the qualifications of all the candidates we saw," Johnson said.

Counting Molinare, the last four new Lincoln-Way board members—Johnson in 2008, Steve White last year and Kevin Molloy in 2005—were by appointment.

The board met with the 10 candidates for about 20 minutes at a time from 8 a.m. to a little after noon on Saturday.

Johnson said Molinare's experience as a board member was one determining factor. He cited professional development efforts like Molinare's role as a fellow of the Illinois Association of School Boards' LeaderShop Academy as evidence of her dedication to education.

"She clearly understands the role of a board member as well as some of the challenges we face and can hit the ground running," Johnson said.

Molinare will be seated on the 210 board at the Dec. 8 meeting, a move that requires she quit the Summit Hill board, Johnson said.

"She will have to resign the Summit Hill position to join the Lincoln-Way board," Johnson said. "She can't hold the two positions."

Molinare has lived in Tinley Park for 15 years with her husband and four children, two of whom are now at the University of Illinois. She's an adjunct professor of math and psychology at Joliet Junior College

Summit Hill board President Mary Kenny could not immediately be released for comment on Saturday afternoon.

Updated at 9:15 p.m. with comment from Molinare.