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Candidates line up for Naperville, Wheaton school board elections

Voters in Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 and Naperville Unit District 203 will have plenty of choices in school board elections next April.

Candidates have started filing their nominating petitions with the county clerk’s office to secure a spot on the ballot.

As of Wednesday, many school districts don’t have enough candidates for available seats. No candidate has stepped forward in Itasca School District 10, though the filing period doesn’t end until Monday, Nov. 18.

Bucking that early trend are two large school systems. Interest is running high in school board races in District 200 and District 203. Here’s a look at the big contests so far:

District 200

Six people — including three incumbents — already have declared their candidacies for four board seats up for election next year.

Board President Rob Hanlon as well as sitting board members Angela Blatner and John Rutledge are running again. The other candidates are Katy Ebbesen, Brooke Gennaro and Amy Erkenswick.

Last year, Erkenswick ran in a high-profile race with a slate of school board challengers who argued parents ought to have a greater say over their children's education, who raised objections to graphic content in school libraries and who had green campaign signs. Erkenswick finished just 33 votes shy of winning a seat on the board.

Rutledge, a former Wheaton city councilman, bested one of the slate members to secure a 2-year board position.

Hanlon was first elected to the board in 2017.

“Since the referendum passed, I want to see that work through,” said Hanlon, referring to voters’ approval of a plan to issue $151.5 million in bonds for significant upgrades to Edison, Franklin and Monroe middle schools.

Noting the number of candidates, Hanlon said he expects “it’ll be a healthy debate.”

“I think when you have more candidates involved, who are focused on kids, you have a better election, and the community benefits and the students benefit,” Hanlon said.

District 203

The seats held by Charles Cush, Kristin Fitzgerald, Amanda McMillen and Donna Wandke are up for election in April. So far, Cush and McMillen have filed to run for another term.

“I still believe there’s a lot I can contribute as a member of the school board,” Cush, who was first appointed to the board in 2016, said Wednesday.

McMillen, a social worker, said she is passionate about DEI, green initiatives, mental health and social-emotional learning. She is seeking a second term.

Wandke, who will be completing her 12th year on the board in the spring, said she is not seeking reelection.

“It is time for some new and fresh ideas to help lead our district,” Wandke said in a text message Wednesday.

Four other candidates also have filed: Holly Joy Blastic, a co-founder of the Naperville chapter of Moms Demand Action; Margaret Collins, an environmental researcher who also blogs about toxic chemicals in the food supply; Jillian Langer, who heads up operations and project management at a forensic engineering firm; and Marc Willensky, a retired finance executive.

Uncontested races?

Indian Prairie Unit District 204 incumbents Susan Taylor-Demming, Laurie Donahue, Allison Fosdick and Supna Jain are all seeking reelection. No challengers have emerged yet.

Four board seats are available in Glenbard High School District 87, but only one person — Peter Nolan — has turned in their candidate paperwork to the county clerk.

Four seats are up in Lombard Elementary District 44, and incumbent James Robinette is the only candidate who has filed as of Wednesday afternoon.

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