Endorsements: Galante, Magnus and Le Vine in Roselle Elementary District 12
This endorsement is a consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.
No incumbents are on the ballot in the Roselle Elementary District 12 race. And while one sitting board member has mounted a write-in campaign, there will be at least two new faces on the board after the April 4 election.
Lydia Galante, Sheryl Le Vine, Casie Pezzarossi and Victoria Tiberi are on the ballot for the three 4-year seats. Amy L. Magnus, who was appointed to the board in 2021, is the write-in candidate.
Magnus filed her candidacy paperwork in December amid a move to a new house and was declared ineligible by the DuPage County clerk's office over an address discrepancy. After Christmas, she said, she regrouped and was encouraged by many who signed her nominating petitions to launch a write-in bid.
Magnus, who worked for 10 years in early childhood education, says she hopes to retain her seat so she can help the district achieve its current goals, such as integrating the social-emotional learning curriculum throughout the school day. Another priority is having a larger gymnasium built at Roselle Middle School.
Magnus has formed an unofficial slate with Galante and Le Vine.
As the treasurer of the Roselle library foundation and a member of the village's zoning board of appeals, Galante already has experience in board settings and demonstrated a firm grasp of the latest educational trends and research during her candidate interview. She's staunchly opposed to banning books from school libraries and says children of all backgrounds should see themselves represented in literature.
Le Vine is a retired educator who taught in District 12 for more than 30 years. She cites that experience as giving her an edge in "knowing what's best for kids." Le Vine also would like to see the return of cursive instruction, saying handwriting lessons not only help young children develop hand-eye coordination understand spatial concepts, but they also foster creativity.
Pezzarossi is allied with Tiberi, although the latter has virtually no public presence and did not respond to Daily Herald invitations to complete a candidate questionnaire or participate in an endorsement interview.
Pezzarossi, a self-employed project consultant who spent three years as a teacher and serves on the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy admissions committee, is clearly passionate about education, particularly local decision-making. She supports developing a gifted program, modernizing the writing curriculum and encouraging community engagement.
But she also sued District 12 over its COVID-19 mitigations, and we have serious concerns about whether she could work effectively with current board members.
Diversity of opinion is essential in government, but some of Pezzarossi's give us reason to question whether she'd be as strong a collaborator as an effective board needs.
Galante, Le Vine and Magnus are endorsed.