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New Dist. 57 board member hopes to help maintain “spectacular” schools

John Krupa, the newest school board member in Mount Prospect Elementary District 57, believes he represents a growing constituency in the community.

“There are lots of people like me moving to Mount Prospect,” said Krupa, a 33-year-old husband and father. “One of the key reasons is the spectacular school system. I want to do my part in maintaining that level of quality.”

Krupa was appointed to the board to fill a two-year vacancy. He was sworn into office last week.

Though he just recently moved to Mount Prospect — he and his wife purchased their home in 2011 — Krupa’s roots in the village run deep. His house was built by his grandfather in the 1950s. His grandfather lived in it, as did Krupa’s father.

“My son, who is 2, represents the fourth generation of my family to live in the house,” Krupa said.

Krupa works as a communications officer for the Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund. Prior to that, he worked in communications at two suburban school districts.

“Because of that experience, I think I have a good sense of how districts operate and how they are structured,” he said.

Krupa said he didn’t come to the job with any specific agenda. Generally speaking, he hopes to work well with his fellow board members and be a diligent steward of local taxpayers’ money.

He joins the board at a time when the district, like most school districts in the suburbs, is wrestling with difficult questions about how to continue providing quality services in the face of declining or static revenues. Board members are expected to discuss whether to approach voters with a tax-hike request in 2014.

“It’s a challenging time, but we’re fortunate in that we’ve managed to stay in a fairly strong position so far,” Krupa said.

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