Challengers join District 23 ballot

Plans for a tax-hike referendum and dissatisfaction from some parents over reorganizing the district’s elementary schools has sparked a heavily contested school board election this year in Prospect Heights Elementary District 23.

The four incumbents seeking re-election will face three challengers on the April 5 ballot, at least some of them motivated by the board’s decision this month to change from neighborhood-based schools to grade-level centers.

Challenger George Bouris of Prospect Heights said the decision was made without a professional study of the financial, academic, social and emotional effects. The board and administration have not been transparent about finances and other ways to save money, he added.

“There’s no real cause for a referendum today,” Bouris said. “I’m not saying that a year, two or three from now there might be. The referendum is just a way to get more money from the taxpayer.”

Board incumbents initially faced five challengers until Kristina Regal of Prospect Heights dropped out after an objector said she had not lived in the district a year and Robert Zeman of Arlington Heights dropped out after an objector challenged signatures on his petitions.

Joining Bouris in taking on the incumbents are James Bednar of Prospect Heights and Andrew Welter of Arlington Heights. Welter survived a challenge to his nominating petitions and later called the maneuver “big city politics in our small town.”

Seeking re-election are Mari-Lynn Peters, Wheeling; David Hess, Arlington Heights; Jeff Bowes, Arlington Heights, and Carol Botwinski, Arlington Heights.