Endorsements: Kaplan, Kegarise, Saternus, Van Dyke for Schaumburg Dist. 54

Schaumburg Elementary District 54 is in an enviable position among suburban school districts. Building capacity is not a problem right now and there appears to be no outcry about class sizes. School board members appear to operate well together, parents seem generally satisfied and the district is in excellent financial shape, with more than seven months' worth of its annual $227 million budget in reserves.

The only hint of controversy came in 2014 when Superintendent Andy DuRoss was arrested on and pleaded guilty to DUI charges. The board scolded him at the time and made revisions to his contract. But, he redeemed himself in the eyes of the board with accomplishments over the next two years that members considered so remarkable they gave him a 10 percent raise. Among those accomplishments were opening an Early Learning Center and launching full-day kindergarten without charging parents extra for it.

In this context, five people are running for four seats on the school board: longtime board member Charlotte Kegarise, 2016 board appointee Bob Kaplan and newcomers Jim Pye, Matthew Saternus and Kenneth Richard Van Dyke.

Kegarise, once the board president, has served on the board for 24 years and clearly has a thorough knowledge of the district. Her latest chief concern is the effect of the state pension and budget crisis on the district, particularly if property taxes are frozen and the district's transportation funds are cut.

Kaplan, once a principal in the district and a longtime administrator and teacher, already seems like a veteran board member and brings good perspective from that wide range of experience.

Van Dyke wants to jump up to the full school board after serving for four years on a variety of board committees and as leader of several PTA projects. The postal carrier clearly has learned the district and is ready to make the leap.

Pye and Saternus would be newcomers to the board. They are not well-versed in the district operations yet. Pye has lived in the district for decades and has coached youth sports; he says his years of business experience would be helpful to the district. Saternus, a firefighter, has children in the district and has been a high school teacher himself, a distinguishing perspective that could be useful on the board.

We endorse Kaplan, Kegarise, Saternus and Van Dyke.