D-15 Elects Millar School Board President

A new school board was seated in Community Consolidated School District 15 Wednesday.

A new era began in Community Consolidated School District 15 Wednesday, with the seating of three newly-elected school board members. Scott Herr, Manjula Sriram and Gerard Iannuzzelli were elected to the school board April 5. Former school board president Gerald Chapman and vice president James Ekeberg were defeated in the election. Sue Quinn chose not to seek re-election. School board member Dave Seiffert also is relatively new to the board having been appointed in February to replace Mark Bloom who resigned his seat because of scheduling conflicts. After seating its new members, the school board elected Tim Millar president by a vote of 4 to 3. Millar voted for himself along with Herr, Sriram and Iannuzzelli. Millar is the longest …

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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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D-15 Legal Bill Raises Questions

Former District 15 board member Mark Bloom resigned on Jan. 14. The resignation led to the appointment of Dave Seiffert to the school board.

A billing invoice from District 15's attorney has raised questions about the timing of former board member Mark Bloom's resignation. Bills from District 15's law firm show that a series of consultations occured between Dec. 14 and Dec. 21 regarding the legal issues surrounding a potential resignation by a board member. Bloom resigned from the board a month later on Jan. 14. The timing of Bloom's resignation is significant because it determined how his seat would be filled. If Bloom had resigned by Jan. 7 there would have been a special election to fill the seat. Instead the school board was able to appoint someone to finish the two years left on his term. "I think there was obviously an attempt to talk to the attorney a month before Mr. …

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Louise

6:29 pm on Monday, March 7, 2011

Celtic – You are so off base. To anyone watching what has gone on with the school board over the last 4 years it is clear Sue Quinn has the best interests of the students and community at heart. She advocates for improving student achievement on so many fronts, insists upon decisions made openly and thoughtfully, fosters discussions among the board members (it is too bad most will not participate…   more ›

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 ›