Education Matters

Community Must Count in School Board Elections

Candidates are willing to engage the community before the election but will it continue after the votes are counted Tuesday, April 5.

Is community engagement a high priority for our local school board candidates? It better be. On any school district organization chart, Community is at the top.  They have one employee – the School Board.  Every two years the Community has the opportunity to conduct a performance evaluation on those members whose terms are expiring yet want to continue to be employed.  There is no tenure on school boards. New applicants have just as much a chance at proving themselves to the Community to secure one of those four-year positions. Over the past few weeks, Community Consolidated School District 15 and Township High School District 211 school board candidates had the opportunity to answer questions in public forums and complete questionnaires …

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Louise

11:57 am on Saturday, March 19, 2011

Mr. Brandt, Since as you say it is your responsibilty to respond to citizens I do have a question. It is election related so I will not use government resources, afterall that is illegal. What are you doing to insist D211 resources are not used inappropriately. The D211 email system has a great deal of campaign activity right now. What are you and the administration doing to put a stop to this? …   more ›

Elections

D-15 Candidates Tackle Issues

Palatine sent questionnaires to the six candidates competing for three seats on the Community Consolidated School District 15 school board.

Six candidates are vying for three open seats on the Community Consolidated School District 15 board in the April 5 election. Palatine Patch asked each candidate to answer questions related to their candidacy. Gerald Chapman Biography: Questions 1) What steps should District 15 take to balance its budget? It is the superintendent's responsibility to provide the school board with options and recommendations to reduce expenditures. That process is underway. Once those options and recommendations have been received and considered, then the school board will make final decisions. It is important to me that the reductions which have long-term impact be given highest priority so that the district can maintain long-term financial stability. 2) …

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Elections

D-15 Candidates Forum: Part II

Candidates for the District15 school board squared off at a forum Saturday morning.

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Seiffert Appointed to D-15 School Board

The Community Consolidated District 15 school board appointed Palatine resident Dave Seiffert to fill a vacant seat.

The District 15 school board appointed David Seiffert to fill a seat left vacant by Mark Bloom's resignation earlier this month. Bloom had two years remaining on his term and resigned from the board because of scheduling conflicts with work. Seiffert already was a candidate for the school board in the upcoming April election. Seiffert was appointed by a 4 to 2 vote, with two of the yes votes coming from board members he is facing in the April election. Despite being appointed to the school board, Seiffert will remain on the April ballot. "I hope to secure a four-year seat," Seiffert said, adding that he plans to campaign hard. Seiffert said he was committed to the children and the school district. He said he had made a commitment to run …

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Six Candidates for D-15 School Board

There will be six candidates vying for three seats this April for the Community Consolidated School District 15 board.

Six candidates will compete for three spots on the Community Consolidated School District 15 board in the April election. The final day to file was Monday and two candidates waited until the final day to drop their election petitions off at the district office. The field features two incumbent school board members – board president Gerald Chapman and James Ekeberg. The four challengers are Scott Herr, Manjula Sriram, Dave Seiffert and Gerard Iannuzzelli. Incumbent Sue Quinn chose not to seek reelection. Chapman has the most experience in education. Before becoming a school board member for District 15 in 2007, Chapman worked for Township High School District 211 for 36 years, including 11 as superintendent. "Education has been my career …

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Vicki Wilson

2:17 pm on Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The only way to rebuild trust in the community is to work openly and honestly, the way Sue Quinn has tried to steer the board since she was elected. But being in the minority on the board, she can only do so much. The citizens of this district expect transparency and accountability, which is not the way Gerald Chapman has been working since he was elected. Dr. Chapman rules the majority of the …   more ›

Quinn Will Not Seek Reelection in D-15

Community Consolidated School District 15 board member Sue Quinn has announced she will not seek another term on the board.

Community Consolidated School District 15 board member Sue Quinn will not seek another term. "It's been a great privilege to serve the community for these past four years," Quinn said. "The time has come for me to focus on my family." Monday, Dec. 13 was the first day for candidates to file for the school board. Two incumbents – school board president Gerald Chapman and board member James Ekeberg – did so. Also filing were newcomers Scott Herr and Manjula Sriram. The last day election petitions can be filed is Dec. 20. In all, three seats will be up in the April 5 election. Quinn said the decision not to run was a personal one. Among the factors was her writing career. "My writing career is starting to take off and I need to focus on that…

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Vicki Wilson

3:12 pm on Monday, December 13, 2010

Sue Quinn will be deeply missed once her term expires. She fought for the kids of this school district. That is not something Chapman, Ekeberg, Bokor, and Babcock do.   more ›