District 50 candidates talk about motives

The field of candidates running for seats on the Woodland Elementary School District 50 school board is a big one, with seven hopefuls vying for four seats.

Not surprisingly, the candidates have different motives for running.

Only two incumbents, Lawrence A. Gregorash of Gurnee and Carla N. Little of Gurnee, are in the race for the posts, all of which have 4-year terms. The other candidates are: Bonnie Berger-Neel of Wildwood; Bari Faith Loebman of Grayslake; Joan Morris of Gurnee; Beth Nguyen of Gurnee; and Catherine Campbell of Gurnee.

The candidates discussed why they're running in e-mail interviews with the Daily Herald.

Berger-Neel, a longtime area resident and a quality manager at Abbott Laboratories, said she wants to bring a different perspective to the board. She also said the board needs to maintain fiscal responsibility.

Campbell painted herself as a taxpayer advocate. She said parents and teachers have told her they believe the board is out of touch with the community.

"Too many public officials have forgotten that they are public servants elected by the people to serve the people," she said. "I can be a voice for those who feel left behind."

Gregorash, a Woodland board member since 2005, touted his work to help balance the district budget by 2010. Additionally, he believes public service is the responsibility of every citizen.

Little, a board member since 1999, said she's running for re-election because of a drive to serve the community. She believes the board has helped improve the district's academic programs and has worked at reaching out to the community.

"We have consistently demonstrated that we honor the obligation of taxpayers to fund public education and will not frivolously squander their hard earned resources," said Little, who has served as president and vice president of the board.

Loebman, a former teacher, believes her experience as an educator, a parent and a school volunteer will benefit the board if she's elected.

"My vision is to reach out more to the community at large, which includes many households that do not have children attending school," she said. "We must look at creating a reciprocal relationship in which the wider community is compelled to become part of our school community."

Morris, the widow of former school board President Tom Morris, ran an unsuccessful write-in candidate for the board in 2007.

She cited her volunteer work in the district and in the wider community among her qualifications. She now serves on the district's external community committee and said she understands a seat on the board requires a commitment that "is much more than a couple meetings a month."

Nguyen, a global program manager at Abbott Laboratories, said she can use her professional experience to improve the school district.

She's particularly concerned about how parents interact with teachers and the board.

District 50 serves all of Gages Lake and Wildwood and parts of Gurnee, Grayslake, Park City, Third Lake, Old Mill Creek, Wadsworth, Lake Villa, Waukegan and Libertyville.