Copyright Chicago Tribune
The Orland High School District 230 appointed Tim Danlow, a lifelong resident of Orland Park and a District 230 graduate, to the board last week, about a month after board member Nadia Scodrine resigned due to personal reasons. Danlow will serve on the board until the April 2027 election, when his position will be up for a vote by residents in the district, but he said he would like to run again for the position and serve for “many years.” He said the board has experienced too much turnover in recent years, which creates instability. “Having a solid board that has a lot of time together gives us more time to see our goals, and that consistency is very important,” Danlow said. Danlow said his first meeting as a board member Thursday night meant a lot to him as a former student who has lived in the district his whole life and now has children attending district schools. “To come back and to be able to have an opportunity to sit on the board to sit in on these discussions and contribute where I can, to help fuel discussions about the direction of our district for, you know, 20, 30, 40 years, it’s really special to me,” Danlow said. He said his top priorities are improving student test scores while also bringing financial discipline and efficiency to the district without compromising the quality of education. He said test scores in the district have continually fallen, even preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. He said other districts have recovered from the pandemic, but District 230 is “lagging.” As a business owner, he said he brings experience in negotiating contracts, managing budgets, overseeing insurance and employment, facility maintenance and cost analysis. Danlow is the owner and president of construction distributor Key Metals Inc. and also works as a real estate investor and manager. He said balancing funding for the district might be the biggest challenge. “Its such a balance line walk of trying to keep everybody’s taxes where they want them to be, to make them happy but to still turn out the best product possible to educate our kids for our entire community.” Several board members welcomed Danlow Thursday night. Board member Mark Kelly advised Danlow to ask plenty of questions, and board member Tony Serratore assured him it is a good board that does good work. “We do our best, and I think you’ll fit in well with us, and I look forward to working with you moving forward,” Serratore said. Danlow has three children in the district and volunteers coaching youth sports. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois, where he was also an All American hockey player. In appointing Danlow Tuesday, the board met the 60 day requirement to find a replacement member. The board accepted online applications shortly after the vacancy through Oct. 10, then held candidate interviews in mid-October. Applicants were required to be a registered voter, have lived in the district for at least one year prior to applying, at least 18 years of age at the time of appointment and be legally eligible to hold office. Board president Lynn Zeder said it was a hard decision choosing a new member and that a lot of great applicants applied, but she said Danlow’s “perseverance” to continue showing up at board events stood out. Danlow previously ran for the board in April and continued attending meetings on a monthly basis and serving as a member of the District 230 Building and Finance Committee, according to the district. Zeder said she hopes the other applicants continue showing up at board meetings and events.
