Voters retain incumbents to Dist. 200 board
With their school district facing financial challenges in the coming years, most Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 voters apparently decided it wasn't time for a change of leadership.
Incumbents Andy Johnson, Joann Coghill, Barbara Intihar and Ken Knicker kept their seats on the District 200 school board, with all 79 precincts reporting on Tuesday night.
The only non-incumbents seeking the four seats - Charles Pfeister and George Kocan - fell short.
Unofficial vote totals showed Intihar with 4,746 votes, Johnson with 4,532 votes, Coghill with 4,510 votes, Knicker with 4,040 votes, Pfeister with 3,246 votes and Kocan 2,645 votes.
"We are all delighted to continue working," Johnson said. "We look forward to serving another four years."
All four incumbents campaigned on the need to continue their joint efforts to improve the district.
They stood united while making the decision of cutting roughly $7.4 million in spending to help eliminate a projected $14 million shortfall in the 2009-2010 budget.
In addition to to the cuts, the board also is expected to borrow $20 million to help cover budget deficits until solution for the district's financial woes is found.
Ultimately, the goal is to have District 200 achieve a balanced budget in three years.
"I think they (voters) realize that things are moving in the right direction," Johnson said. "They want to keep the same people to make that happen."
One priority for the district will be to help find a buyer and developer for the Hubble Middle School property in downtown Wheaton. The site at the corner of Roosevelt and Naperville roads will be available for redevelopment when the new Hubble opens in the fall in Warrenville.
Board members also said they will need to find a cost-effective way to redevelop Jefferson School, a special needs pre-school located on Manchester Road in Wheaton.
Johnson, who is board president, has been a board member since 1997.
Coghill has been on the school board since 2004. Intihar and Knicker have served since 2001.