Experience counts on Lake Zurich school board

In recent months Lake Zurich Unit District 95 has closed a school, redrawn boundaries and set out plans to cut programs and extracurriculars to plug a $4 million budget hole. That usually sets the stage for a ballot crowded with candidates critical of how things have been handled. That's not the case in District 95, and it's one reason we endorse incumbents Kathy Brown, Mike Finn, John Kropf and Jan Putbress for four 4-year seats over challengers Paul Pike and Kathleen Sassan-Wallis.

Their experience and willingness to listen to and work with constituents will help the district face many more tough challenges that lie ahead - building cash reserves, continuing to raise test scores, putting all elementary schools on the same academic footing, repairing old buildings.

Two newcomers are running for a single two-year seat on the District 95 board. Jim Burke served on District 95's boundary study committee and would work to reduce disparity among schools and to find a more permanent home for special education classes that have been frequently moved among buildings. Joel Honegger, a member of District 95's strategic planning committee since 2002 and a Lake Zurich schools alumni, focuses on changing the district's financial picture and improving long-term planning. Either would make a fine addition to the board, but Burke has a slight edge and is endorsed for his suggestions for using business practices to improve efficiency.