Endorsements: Groody, Huber, Lundstedt, Mauer, Thurman for District 128 school board

Libertyville-Vernon Hills Area High School District 128 voters will choose from five candidates running for four seats with 4-year terms. They are incumbents Pat Groody, Karin Lundstedt and Ellen Mauer facing newcomers Kevin B. Huber and Jeffrey Harte.

In addition, two newcomers, Mackenzie Thurman and Kris Hoult, are running for one seat with a two-year term.

All the candidates are thoughtful and involved in the community and pledge to hold the line on taxes and keep expenses under control. However, we see no reason to make changes on a school board that has worked well together to forge improvements in several important areas. Incumbents Groody, Lundstedt and Mauer are endorsed.

For the remaining four-year seat, both Huber, a retired financial executive, and Harte, a financial analyst, would bring a wealth of experience to the board at a critical time of fiscal uncertainty in Springfield. Huber, a 1986 Libertyville graduate, has an edge with a background in education and pensions. Huber is endorsed. He is chairman of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission, member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education and has managed pension funds.

For the two-year term Hoult, a human resources director in the corporate world, brings passion and good ideas. Thurman, a 24-year-old recent graduate of the district, brings an asset of seeing issues from a different perspective. The University of Missouri-Columbia graduate and former marketing analyst has well-formed ideas when it comes to technology and vocational training. His youth could provide a perspective any school board needs. Thurman is endorsed.