3 new faces on Kaneland school board

The Kaneland Unit District 302 School Board will have three new members on it as Joe Oberweis, Gale Pavlak and Tony Valente emerged from a crowded field Tuesday to each earn a four-year term along with incumbent Teresa Witt.

According to unofficial results, Oberweis was the top vote-getter with 1,286 tallies in a seven-person race for the school board.

Pavlak took second with 1,232 votes, and incumbent Witt and Valente rounded out he field with 1,216 and 1,042 votes, respectively, according to unofficial results.

“I have strong feelings about the district. I put the district above everything else. I was honest with (voters),” said Pavlak. “We’ve got a lot of work to do. I’m sure every one of us ready to get down to work.”

Deborah Grant, Patrick Denlinger and Pedro Rivas rounded out the field.

During the campaign, all candidates agreed that they didn’t want a tax increase.

But when asked if the alternative came to 35 kids per classroom or a tax increase, Oberweis said he would at least put the choice to voters.

Valente took it one step further by pledging to never raise taxes or borrow money, and to fight any efforts at what he called backdoor referendums.

The new school board members will help negotiate the next teacher contract, and two candidates — Pavlak and Rivas — have relatives or family member that work for the district.

Rivas said he would recuse himself from votes that directly affect his wife, who is a paraprofessional at an elementary school.

Pavlak, whose husband is a bus driver and son a Kaneland High School teacher and coach, said she would not recuse herself.