South Cook News

Gov. J.B. Pritzker recently donated $500,000 to the Democratic Party of Illinois to bolster school board candidates in what critics charge seeks to boost a liberal extremist agenda that promotes inappropriate sexual education curriculum, among other things. 

The move has elicited some reaction from Republicans.

“Right now I'm not sure how it's going to affect the race, but I do have to say that I am not surprised by their actions, or the governor’s,” Rod Soderlund, (R-Sparta), who is running for school board, told the South Cook News. “The Democratic Party will do anything and everything to grab as much power as they can, and anyone who disagrees or opposes them are labeled negatively.”

As part of the plan, Democrats funded mailers against 74 school board candidates and funded campaign messaging for 84 candidates in 17 counties. 

“So long as I’m governor, our state will be a bulwark of progress, equity, and justice," Pritzker recently posted to Twitter, "We’re in a battle between an extremist GOP and a Democratic party that offers a future of strong leadership and possibility."

Soderlund said Pritzker’s move is just another example of how far they will go to get their way.

“Their corruption knows no bounds, and they truly do not want any kind of bipartisanship so the majority of the people can't be represented properly,” Soderlund said.

School board races across the nation have been generating attention as parents have expressed opposing views on the content of what is being taught. In Illinois, some liberal districts are promoting a sexual education curriculum that teaches young children about gender identity and hormone blockers. Many of those school districts also are offering such subjects as critical race theory, which teaches about race superiority and asserts that the U.S. is fundamentally a racist country. Often, the curriculum has been titled “culturally, responsive teaching,” “social/restorative justice,” “equity/gender support plans” and “social-emotional learning,” Illinois Review reported.

Pritzker has stood behind the liberal districts’ agendas. He went on the attack during a recent press conference, going so far as to label conservative grassroots organizations that back candidates that oppose such agendas “racists” and “anti-LGBTQ.” Some of his most disparaging comments have been directed at local mother and conservative grassroots activist Shannon Adcock, Illinois Review said.

The hot-button topic has made political races more challenging, with some candidates during the 2021 session saying they had not expected the backlash and personal attacks that came because they voiced opposition to the orthodoxy of the teachers’ unions.

Soderlund has not experienced that.

“I am running for my local school board, which is located downstate,” he told the South Cook News. “I have not personally experienced any personal attacks or backlash as of yet. I also don't anticipate any.”

He says he’ll take the election outcome as it comes.

“If I win a seat on the school board, I plan (to dive) right in, learn as much as I possibly can, and most importantly I look forward to working with the other board members on any and all issues that come before us,” Soderlund said. “If I were to lose, then I will congratulate the winners, and just go back to my daily life. I work full-time, and I coach my daughter's softball team and swim team. So, I will still have plenty to do.