Challengers topping incumbents so far in Dist. 26 race

With 15 of 16 precincts reporting, the challengers appear to be overcoming the incumbents in the race for three spots in the River Trails Elementary School District 26 board Tuesday night.

Unofficial numbers show newcomer Frank Fiarito, an accounting manager at Allstate and mentor at Euclid, leading with 847 votes.

“When I get on the school board I hope to change some things around,” Fiarito said. “I believe we should share more with the community and have them more involved with the decision-making.”

Incumbent Linda Linder, a retired administrative assistant, has 783 votes.

Donna Johnson, a fiscal coordinator, has 664 votes. She also has served on the board from 1987 to 1998, then returned in 2003.

Incumbent Thomas Fallucca, an electronics group manager, has 623 votes. He also been on the school board since 2002.

The most pressing topic in District 26 has been grade level centers, but don’t expect the topic to come up again anytime soon.

The school board voted against abandoning its neighborhood school concept in favor of grade centers back in 2010 after a year of discussion.

ŸDaily Herald Staff Writer Sheila Ahern contributed to this report.