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Parent urges board to deny district funding for CAST summer theater; board approves $59,375 allocation
Summary
A parent told the Oak Park ESD 97 board she opposes using district tax dollars to fund the CAST summer theater program and questioned budget transparency. The board voted to approve up to $59,375 for the 2025 CAST summer program after a split vote.
Rachel Maddox, a parent of two District 97 students, urged the Board of Education on March 18 to deny district funding for the CAST summer theater program, saying the district’s limited tax dollars should prioritize academic interventions such as literacy.
Maddox described the role performing arts played for her children but said her daughter needed literacy intervention rather than a tuition-free summer theater placement. “D97 has a finite amount of taxpayer dollars and we have to make choices on where to spend our money. We cannot fund an extracurricular summer theater program when our students are not meeting…
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