Springfield District 186 school board picks Jeff Tucka to fill open seat in Subdistrict 4
As a chemist with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Jeff Tucka said STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education is very much on his mind.
The newest member of the School District 186 board of education said his two children, a 15-year-old at Springfield High School and an 11-year-old at Lincoln Magnet, both went to good STEM schools in the district, but Tucka said that needs to extend to all of the schools in the district.
"Obviously, STEM education helps with problem solving and critical thinking and innovation and all those things that bring everybody up," Tucka said. "If you want to fix disparities within the school district, STEM curriculum is one of the ways to do that."
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That was music to Superintendent Jennifer Gill's ears Tuesday. While she wasn't in on the interview process through which Tucka emerged with six other candidates, Gill has pushed for more STEM education, noting the district's partnership with Kidzeum of Health and Science and "helping bring STEM alive in our youngest learners.
"It's always great to hear someone who has an interest in that and being a chemist I'm sure he'll bring a lot to the table," Gill said.
In a vote by school board members Tuesday, Tucka replaces Mike Zimmers, who spent three-plus decades in the district as a special education teacher, coach, principal and administrator. Zimmers was first elected to the school board in 2013 and served as board president.
The announcement about Tucka came after a couple of hours of debate by board members in executive session before members adjourned to open session.
"It feels good," Tucka said of the selection. "The wait was kind of long tonight, but that's OK. I understand it was a difficult decision, with seven total candidates. I appreciate them picking me."
Tucka is a native of St. Louis and a self-described "army brat" who attended junior high school and high school in O'Fallon.
Tucka has spent 22 years with IEPA and now does metals analysis on drinking water and surface water.
Tucka will represent Subdistrict 4, which is primarily on the city's south and west side.
Zimmers passed away on Oct. 5, hours removed from a bargaining session to negotiate a teachers' contract.
Tucka said he did not know Zimmers personally. Tucka said after the meeting that he planned to run for the seat in the April 4 consolidated election.
Filing for the election begins Monday.
All seven board seats are up for election. If Tucka wins, he would serve a four-year term.
Tucka moved to Springfield for his job with the IEPA. His children started in District 186 schools, then attended Ball-Chatham schools before returning to the district.
A first-time officeholder, Tucka said his wife, Gretchen, emailed him about the opening and that he should put his hat into the ring.
Tucka said he felt District 186 "was a very safe school district. I don't have any issues with that. I've never had any concerns about the safety of 186. We're very happy with the teachers and the district in general. That's why we moved here, to send our kids to 186."
The other six candidates were Kent Gray, a local attorney; Jill Grove, a retired District 186 principal; John Kim, a local attorney; Cheri Plummer, a commercial agent at Lee/O'Keefe Insurance Agency; Stephan Roth, director of personnel for the Illinois Secretary of State and Paul Wappel, public information officer for the Illinois Department of Transportation.
"I think they had great candidates and that's what made it so hard," Gill admitted. "I think the board felt the other candidates had different strengths. I look forward to sitting down with Jeff and about the work we do together to serve this school district."
Mike Zimmers 'always wanted the best for kids and schools in this community'
Gill, who administered the oath of office to Tucka, said the evening was particularly "bittersweet" with Zimmers, who she has called "a mentor," very much on her mind.
"I think (Mike) would be proud that (the new board member) is a parent in the district and someone who believes in public education because Mike did very deeply," Gill said.
Tucka has a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He did some post-graduate work at SIUC as well.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Jeff Tucka of Springfield IL is the newest member of the D186 board
