After more than a decade, Justin Karubas is stepping down from Indian Prairie School District 204’s board.
The lifelong district resident and graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora recently announced his intention to resign effective May 24.
Karubas, 52, started on Indian Prairie’s school board 13 years ago, when he was elected to fill the two years left in the term of former board President Curt Bradshaw, who resigned. Karubas’ three children have all gone through the district, attending Neuqua Valley High School, he told The Beacon-News on Tuesday.
But his connections to the district go back even further. A lifelong resident of Naperville, Karubas graduated from Waubonsie Valley High School in 1991, he said Tuesday. Before that, he attended Clow Elementary and Hill Middle schools.
Karubas, who previously spent his career working as a lawyer, said he joined the board because there was a lot of “negative energy” among the board and division within the community due to conflict at the time over the building of Metea Valley High School in Aurora.
And he thinks that the school board has successfully focused on policy, rather than division, since.
“My belief is, if you don’t hear about the school board, we’re doing a good job, right?,” Karubas said. “The focus should be on the students and the teachers.”
He said the board has focused on policy and district priorities, which he cited as an accomplishment. School boards can get in the weeds on school matters, he explained, but should be focused on “five, 10 years down the road.”
Karubas also pointed to other major endeavors the district took on during his time on the board — among them efforts to equip all of the district’s elementary schools with air conditioning, the passage of a $420 million bond referendum in 2024 that is funding a district-wide facilities overhaul and the hiring of a new superintendent to take over when current district leader Adrian Talley departs this summer.
Karubas’ resignation letter to the school board indicates that his decision to step down comes at “a natural transition point” for his family. Karubas cited health issues, as well as the upcoming graduation of his youngest child from Neuqua Valley.
“Serving on this board has been one of the greatest honors of my professional and personal life,” Karubas’ resignation letter reads. “I am especially thankful for the collaborative spirit and effective governance that has defined our work.”
Now, as Karubas’ time on the board comes to a close, the district is also looking for candidates interested in serving out the remainder of Karubas’ term, which extends until April 2027.
A posting on the district’s website says applications will be accepted until 4 p.m. May 13. To qualify for the appointment, a candidate must be at least 18 years old, a United States citizen, a resident of Illinois and the district for at least one year and a registered voter, and must file an economic interest statement.
Individuals interested are being asked to submit a cover letter and resume, and can submit their application materials at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVSp48fw7-f7r34Jw-FEKqrg481vt1gIVFo6SoBry6wsuOOQ/viewform.
Following the deadline, applications will be reviewed, with interviews to be scheduled after May 20, according to the district. Candidate interviews are slated to be held on May 26-27, with the board set to select a candidate on May 28.
For Karubas’ part, he hopes the person who’s ultimately selected is another district alumnus.
Born in Naperville when it was considerably smaller than it is today, Karubas said he thinks he’s provided a historical — and district — perspective to the job.
“In order to learn from the past, you have to know and understand the past,” he said Tuesday. “Just having lived here this long, I can’t drive down the street without saying, ‘Well, I remember when that was two-lane. I remember when that was a stop sign.’”
But, having spent more than a decade providing an alum’s experience on the board, he’s hoping the torch can be passed on to someone with first-hand experience attending school in the district — and ideally more recent experience, he said.
“When things change or when you need to have a fresh look … you can also look back to provide that point of view,” Karubas said of the benefits of having the perspective of a former student.
But, with a few weeks left on the board, Karubas is looking forward to what will be a milestone for students and for himself: graduation.
This year will not only be Karubas’ last as a board member, handing out diplomas at the ceremony, but also his last as a district parent.
That means, as he and the rest of the board give out students’ diplomas one last time in a few weeks, one of the recipients will be his youngest son.
“(It’s) going to be a great personal end to my school board career, and very honoring as a parent as well,” he said.
Particularly because being a school board member was “a family involvement,” he said, requiring he skip soccer games or theatre events on Monday nights in favor of attending the district’s regular school board meetings.
Being on the school board also taught his children a valuable lesson, he said on Tuesday.
“They get to see you as somebody that cares about the community and tries to be a leader and a role model,” Karubas said.
Going forward, Karubas said he’ll be focused on his health and his children. He said he doesn’t have any plans to run for another office, or to take on a major community leadership role, but he might help out with events in the community from time to time.
“You don’t have to be the leader all the time,” he said. “My ambition wasn’t, kind of, to get my name out there. My ambition was just to help, and I think we’ve … done a pretty good job.”
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
