Grundy Reporter

Candidate for Minooka District 201 school board Brian Pohlman says that he will be a strong representative for local parents if elected. 

Grundy Reporter previously interviewed Pohlman and had an opportunity to follow up with the candidate. Pohlman says that his main motivation for running is to make sure that children and parents get the support and representation that they deserve. 

"My main motivation is to make sure kids and parents have all the support they need. I stand for more transparency to protect the kids and empower the parents by giving them more of a voice in the process," Pohlman told Grundy Reporter. 

Pohlman believes that his ability to connect with parents in the community and 'empower them to be able to make decisions about what's best for their children' makes him a strong candidate for a seat on the school board. 

"It's about letting them know about all things that are going on and understanding their concerns about what they feel is working and not working for them and their children," Pohlman said.  

Pohlman, 41, is currently a security engineer and has three daughters, ages 11, 9, and 6, currently attending the Minooka District 201 school system.

In his previous interview with the Grundy Reporter, Pohlman said the district has been facing challenges since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and believes that transparency is a growing concern among parents.

"We've had some challenges within this district going back a couple of years since COVID had started," Pohlman said. "We had really started to see more of a push towards lack of transparency and getting away from the academic excellence and integrity that we had. We're also looking at fiscal responsibility, as well.”

Minooka District 201 has close to 5,000 students spread over seven schools. Minooka serves as the district headquarters. There are 278 instructors employed by the school system and approximately 16 students per teacher.