Endorsements: Blockinger, Pos and Schroetter for Gurnee Dist. 56 school board

Four Gurnee Elementary District 56, candidates seek three seats on April 9. James Blockinger, the only incumbent, is on the ballot with Odie Pahl, Mark Pos and Lynn Schroetter. Blockinger has 30 years of education experience and has overseen a character building program, selection of a new superintendent and the iPad initiative. We endorse Blockinger for his successful tenure on the board. Pos is no newcomer to education. He knows the district and offers professionalism and respect. He wants foreign language courses available to students if money is available. Schroetter is business minded, data driven and proactive. Watching the budget and seeing more female students take a science or engineering path are important to her. We like Pos for his education experience and Schroetter for her business sense. Pahl would be a strong voice and facilitator in the district. A team approach is key for Pahl, who wants to expand programs that prepare students for college, but we think the best combination of candidates is Blockinger, Pos and Schroetter.