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Transgender debate likely to play role in District 211 race

A story in some Wednesday editions of the Daily Herald incorrectly reported the number of open positions on the school board for Des Plaines District 62. There are five open positions.

The debate over transgender students' access to locker rooms and bathrooms in Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 is likely to play a role in the April 4 school board election.

The District 211 race, which already includes two incumbents and three newcomers vying for the three available seats, is one of many developing throughout the Northwest suburbs.

Joining incumbents Anna Klimkowicz and Robert J. LeFevre Jr. on the District 211 ballot are challengers Ralph T. Bonatz, Katherine Jee Young David and Jean J. Forrest.

At least one of the newcomers is affiliated with the group District 211 Parents for Privacy, which is suing the district over its policy allowing a transgender student limited access to a girls locker room. The group organized a signature drive for Bonatz's nominating petition Dec. 3 in Palatine, according to its Facebook posts.

Bonatz could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

Parents for Privacy co-founder Vicki Wilson of Palatine said her group is not yet ready to announce its endorsements.

Forrest said Monday that she believes it is too early to discuss her candidacy. David could not be reached for comment.

Incumbent Mike Scharringhausen, whose current term is ending in the spring, has not filed for re-election and isn't expected to.

LeFevre, the current board vice president, is seeking his fourth term on the school board. He said he has no intention of running on any slate of candidates.

"My long history and personal preference is that it's just me running," he said.

Klimkowicz, the current board secretary, is seeking her sixth term. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

District 214

Six candidates - including four running as a slate - are seeking four available seats on the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 board.

Running together are current board Vice President Todd Younger, a five-year member from Arlington Heights; Mark Hineman, an eight-year board member from Mount Prospect; Millie Palmer, an attorney from Arlington Heights, and Lenny Walker, a senior executive at Kenicott Brothers Wholesale Florist from Wheeling.

Making his second run for the board is Kevin Lindell, a Mount Prospect insurance consultant who lost in 2015 after negative mailers went out that referenced his claiming of homeowner exemptions for two homes in 2012 and 2013. Lindell later paid the Cook County assessor additional taxes with interest.

Making a first run for office is Ben Scherr, a Buffalo Grove sports writer who has a master's degree in higher education. He says he's a big supporter of Superintendent David Schuler's Redefining Ready initiative, which proposes different metrics than just test scores to judge whether students are prepared for college.

Arlington Hts. District 25

Four incumbents and three challengers have filed for four seats at stake in Arlington Heights Elementary District 25. Seeking re-election are board President David Page, board Secretary Erin Johannesen and board members Denise Glasgow and Richard Olejniczak.

Also running are Christopher Salituro, a sociology teacher at Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire; Joseph P. Selbka, a lawyer and member of the Arlington Heights zoning board of appeals; and Anisha Ismail Patel, who runs an educational consulting firm.

Schaumburg Twp. District 54

Two incumbents and three newcomers have filed nominating petitions to run for four available seats on the Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 board.

The incumbents are board President Charlotte Kegarise and board member Bob Kaplan, who was appointed serve out former board member Karen Strykowski's term after her resignation in June. Also running are Jim Pye, Matthew J. Saternus and Kenneth Richard Van Dyke.

Kegarise said she's not aware of any organized slate among the candidates.

"You don't want to start forming alliances until you know who's running," she said Tuesday.

Des Plaines District 62

At least five candidates will seek five open spots in Des Plaines Elementary District 62.

President Stephanie Duckmann, Vice President James Poskozim, and members Ronald Burton and Brian Inzerello have all filed for re-election as well as newcomer Daniel Bachar.

Bachar is a coordinator of blended learning and intervention analytics for Maine Township District 207, working to determine whether curriculum and programs work for students.

Barrington District 220

Two incumbents and one challenger filed for the four seats at stake April 4 on the Barrington Area Unit School District 220 board. Seeking re-election are Penny Kazmier and Sandra Ficke-Bradford, the second- and third-longest tenured members of the board, respectively. Kazmier, who is the board's vice president, is seeking a fourth term in office, and Ficke-Bradford, who is the board secretary, is seeking her third.

Also running is Gavin Newman, a political newcomer. A call to Newman's home Tuesday afternoon was not immediately returned.

Christopher Geier and Wendy Farley, the other incumbents up for re-election, had not submitted nominating paperwork by Tuesday afternoon.

Elk Grove Township District 59

Four incumbents filed for re-election to serve on the school board for Elk Grove Township District 59. Vice President Janice Krinsky, Secretary Karen Osmanski and members Sharon Roberts and Mardell Schumacher are each seeking another term.

Maine Township District 207

The Maine Township District 207 school board has four open seats, but only two candidates had filed for election so far. Board President Carla Owen and newcomer Linda Coyle each filed nominating petitions Monday.

Prospect Heights District 23

Incumbents Kevin Novak and Pat Chester are seeking re-election to the school board for Prospect Heights District 23. Four seats are available.

River Trails District 26

For the four available seats in River Trails District 26, only incumbents William Grimpe and Julia Nemcek and newcomer Susan Therese Stotzer have filed nominating papers. Incumbents Ratha Koka and Dan Miller, whose terms are ending in the spring, had not filed for re-election as of Tuesday.

Mount Prospect District 57

Five candidates have filed for the four available seats in Mount Prospect Elementary District 57.

The candidates so far are incumbents Eileen B. Kowalczyk and Gerald R. McCluskey and challengers Gwynne G. Ryan, John M. Dyer and Vicki S. Chung.

Kildeer-Countryside District 96

The Kildeer-Countryside District 96 has five open school board positions, including a seat left vacant by the death of member Laura Gordon. No incumbents had filed for re-election Monday. However, newcomers Joel Marhoul, Daniel Hunt, Nick Lambros and Jeffrey Miller are all seeking 4-year terms.

Aptakisic-Tripp District 102

Four seats on the school board for Aptakisic-Tripp District 102 are open, and three candidates had filed for election Monday morning - none of whom are incumbents. Andre Thomas, Edward Campbell and Michael Melendez are all seeking a position.

• Daily Herald staff writers Christopher Placek, Chacour Koop and Doug T. Graham contributed to this report.

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