Endorsements: Donahue, Piehl, Raczak, Taylor-Demming for Indian Prairie Unit District 204 Board of Education

Voters in Indian Prairie Unit District 204 will choose four board members in April from a strong field of seven candidates.

The district, which serves roughly 28,500 students from portions of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield, faces many issues, including continued uncertainty about state funding and concerns about growing class sizes, particularly on the north side of the sprawling district, that someday could force officials to consider boundary changes.

The field of candidates features two incumbents - Cathy Piehl and Michael Raczak - and newcomers Vasavi Chakka, Laurie Donahue, J. Randy Sidio, Reneta Silva and Susan Taylor-Demming.

Piehl is a social service worker who has served effectively for eight years. She brings a clear understanding of issues and a straightforward approach. Raczak is a retired educator, and his experience has been a major plus on the board. Piehl and Raczak are endorsed.

Taylor-Demming is a consultant in marketing and workforce development with excellent experience in volunteer programs involving kids. She will bring a clear-eyed and reasoned approach, be willing to dig in and do the necessary work and, when needed, be able to clearly articulate the challenges facing the board and how it plans to address them. Taylor-Demming is endorsed.

The choice for the fourth seat is a close one among Chakka, Donahue and Sidio, but we give a slight edge to Donahue, a senior director of global quality at Nokia. Voters can't go wrong with any of the three, but we're impressed by Donahue's knowledge of the district and her business background, and we think she can hit the ground running. Donahue is endorsed.