http://ift.tt/2vtBWKt Chicago School District 33 Board Member Karina Villa has announced she will run for state representative in the 49th District as a Democrat in the November 2018 general election.

State Rep. Mike Fortner, R-West Chicago, has announced he would not seek a seventh term, according to his website http://www.mikefortner.org.

A resident of West Chicago, Villa is currently serving a second term as vice president of the school board, according to her campaign literature.

Villa’s leadership on the board led to full-day kindergarten and the expansion of preschool and dual-language programs “while being fiscally responsible with your tax dollars,” her literature states.

A lifelong DuPage County resident, Villa is the daughter of small business owners who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, she said.

Professionally, Villa is a school social worker in DuPage County, her literature states.

Her platform is supporting quality public education, building safer and stronger communities, creating and retaining jobs and supporting a responsible budget that protects children, families and seniors, her literature states.

More information is available by visiting http://www.karinavilla.com.

The 49th representative district is partially in Cook, Kane and DuPage counties, and includes St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia.