New Unit 4 Board Member Anxious to Get Started

The newest member of the Champaign School Board says she wanted to take on a more active role as a community member and parent.

Ileana Saveley was selected earlier this week among the 8 who interviewed to fill the open seat left by Greg Novak, who passed away earlier this year.

Reflecting on her own struggles in grade and high school, the 33-year old Saveley hopes to help other native Spanish-speaking students and parents who have had trouble learning English.

"The immigrant children are coming in to our community, (I'll be) talking to those parents, trying to help them," she said. "You know, there's a need for someone who can communicate in both directions and feels like the can communicate to be actively involved."

Saveley says she'll take her time getting her feet wet before weighing in on the issues impacting Unit 4, and isn't sure yet if she'll run for the remaining two years on Novak's term.

Saveley is a Chicago native. She has two kids in the Unit 4 system - a son at Jefferson Middle School and another at Champaign's early childhood center.

Saveley works as an operations supervisor at the Social Security Administration Office in Decatur.