Endorsements: In District 11, we endorse Durante, Mallory, Strzewski; find Ott and Schwede qualified too

That Medinah Elementary District 11 has its set of challenges ahead there is no doubt. A small district with a small tax base, the school board has grown adept at juggling the demands of education with the realities of limited resources. One of those realities is that superintendents sometimes leave for bigger districts or bigger dollars. So, in addition to the financial challenges looming down the road, District 11 recently lost its superintendent. Joseph Bailey is moving to Lincolnwood Elementary District 74 in the summer. With a superintendent search ahead and no clear succession plan from within, experience matters on the school board. Six solid candidates are running for four seats on the school board, and we find it hard to narrow our choice. We heartily endorse incumbents Stephen Durante, Jim Mallory and Polly Strzewski. All of them are strong and common-sense collaborators. In addition, we are torn between two of the other three. We find both incumbent Dale Ott, who brings technological expertise to the board, and Jeff Schwede, a retired airlines manager who offers a practical perspective on the district’s operations, to be qualified candidates and recommend both for consideration for the final position up for election. The other candidate, Mara Thanos, is capable but not to the same level as the other five.