Keep Harms on Dist. 57 board

The school board race in Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 is surprisingly contentious for a district with high test scores and no imminent budget crisis. But a new superintendent is coming, three board members are retiring and the debate over Westbrook School remains in full roar.

Joann Harms, the only incumbent running, has been accused of having an agenda, but having a point of view isn't the same as having an agenda. She argues that moving first-graders to Westbrook would drain the district's resources quicker than is wise. The four challengers all disagree, saying students are not being served if Westbrook has empty classrooms while the other schools are overcrowded.

But this race must be about more than Westbrook. Despite District 57's enviable cash reserves - nearly 60 percent of budget - unpopular choices lie ahead. Happily, we believe all five candidates are capable and willing to do the homework and deliberate carefully.

For the four seats we endorse Michael Berry, Joann Harms, Sann Knipple and Karen Nedjl. We like Martin Malone, but both he and Nedjl were on the facilities review committee and they think very similarly about it. We'd like to see him back in two years.

Currently, the board micromanages too many decisions that should be left up to the professional staff - the sign of a board without a real crisis at hand. In the next four years, unfortunately, that will undoubtedly change.