District 26 veteran says new board working well

Elections always promise a certain amount of change, but the school board election in Mount Prospect River Trails School District 26 this past spring went a bit further than most.

None of the board’s incumbents decided to run, so in May, four new members were officially sworn into office — Dan Miller, Kathleen Beck, Rathna Koka and Julia Nemcek.

That’s quite a bit of change for a seven-member board. But Donna Johnson, one of the three veterans on the board, said it’s been a good thing.

“The board is getting along, we have a good mix of interests and expertise,” she said this week. “I’m happy with how things are going.”

Johnson, who was named school board president after the election, is in her second stint on the board. She originally served from 1987-1998 and then rejoined the board in 2003. She said having four newcomers on the board this year has made her remember just how much there is to learn when you start out.

“When you deal with things for a long time, you start to assume everyone else knows all about it, too,” she said. “But of course that’s not true. It’s been good for me to remember that.”