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By WMAY Newsroom
Photo: Springfield School District 186 / Official Website
Two new Springfield school board members have been sworn in.
Buffy Lael-Wolf and Erica Austin won seats on the board with their victories in contested school board races last month. Departing board members Judith Johnson and Tiffany Mathis were honored for their contributions to the board.
Anthony Mares, who took over as board president earlier this year when Scott McFarland left, will stay on in that role for the next year.
Photo: Saga Communications
At District 186 headquarters, Monday night belonged to Judy Johnson. The twenty-year veteran school board member accepted plaudits, accolades, and the ACLU Civil Libertarian award (pictured, with ACLU Illinois Springfield president Ken Page).
Johnson has been known for her devotion to students, faculty, and staff – as well as for her outspokenness. And IHSA officials will not be spared her opinions, as the board and superintendent Jennifer Gill gave her a lifetime sports pass.
Exiting with Johnson is Tiffany Mathis, who lost a bid for a full-term. The new board members are Buffy Lael-Wolf and Erica Austin. The board elected Tony Mares to continue as president.
Two District 186 board of education members who will be sworn in at Monday s meeting said they will look to add fresh perspectives and new ideas at an unprecedented time.
The addition of Buffy Lael-Wolf in Subdistrict 5 and Erica Austin in Subdistrict 6 means four of the board s seven members have served two years or fewer. It s amazing how much the board has evolved in just two years, observed Micah Miller, who was elected from Subdistrict 4 in 2019.
Monday will mark the final board meeting for Judith Johnson, who has represented Subdistrict 6 for the past 20 years. The former school board president announced in November that she wouldn t seek another term in the April 6 consolidated election.