District 301 to get two new board members

At least two new people will be elected to the Central Community Unit District 301 school board in April.

Two incumbents — board Secretary Laurie Kling and Keith Boron — are not seeking re-election.

Two other incumbents — board President Rose Diaz and Gary Weigand — are running for two of the four open seats.

They will have plenty of competition from five challengers: former District 301 Principal Richard Perry; Laura Rabe, a PTO president; Rick Pryor, a paramedic and athletic booster; David Maraccini, a coach at Central Middle School in Burlington; and Timothy Petsche, an orthopedic surgeon and team doctor at Burlington-Central High School.

Weigand, who has served two, 4-year terms on the District 301 board, said turnover may be a good thing.

“It's always good to get new blood,” Weigand said. “They can bring in fresh or different ideas.”

But Weigand, who is seeking a third term, said there are also advantages to experience. In his case, he hopes to bring his knowledge of school district budgets and programs to the fiscal challenges District 301 will face in the coming years.

“I felt there was more I could do,” he said. “I've learned a lot over the past eight years.”

Diaz, the board president, likewise says her work isn't done on the board. She hopes to raise expectations for students and bridge the disconnect between elementary school, where most students meet state standards, and high school, where many do not.

“Obviously, there is a problem there and we can't just rely on those tests,” Diaz said. “I think we need to be tougher with students and expect more.”

Perry, former principal of Howard B. Thomas Grade School in Burlington, said his focus would be on supporting educators as they implement new curriculum standards (as required by the state).

“The requirements for meeting and exceeding these standards place considerable demand on teachers and administrators,” Perry wrote in a Daily Herald candidate questionnaire. “The school board needs to be knowledgeable and supportive in this academically demanding pursuit.”

Pryor, who leads a girls basketball program in District 301, said he wants to explore ways to expand space for sports and physical education at Burlington-Central High School — perhaps looking at private fundraising in the same vein as South Elgin High School's stadium fundraising effort.

“There is a severe shortage of gym space when you compare our district to any other district,” Pryor said. “I'm not talking about building a massive huge field house — maybe just adding a couple courts onto the gym.”

Rabe, a sales analyst from Elgin, said she wants to help meet the educational needs of District 301's increasingly diverse student body.

“We are not the same district that existed when I moved into my home in 1996,” Rabe wrote in her candidate questionnaire. “I want to offer our students the tools to help them compete with students from other districts in the Chicago area and across the country.”

Maraccini, a financial planner from Elgin, says financial stability is one of his top priorities.

“I want to ensure that issues that pertain to the financial status of the district are well thought about and discussed,” he wrote in his candidate questionnaire.

Petsche, an orthopedic surgeon from Elgin, says District 301 needs to place a greater emphasis on science education.

“I would like our children to have an improved ability to use logic, science and mathematics to solve everyday problems in life,” he wrote in his questionnaire.