Hansen, Hawksworth, Lee win in Lake Villa Dist. 41
Lake Villa School District 41 voters aim to send two incumbents and a newcomer to the school board on Tuesday.
With ballots in all 22 Lake County precincts counted, unofficial results show winners as incumbent Kurt Hansen with 653 votes, Michele Hawksworth with 543 votes, and newcomer Jolene Lee with 535 votes.
Incumbent Peggy Kuzmanovich had 470 votes and incumbent Nancy Schell had 446 votes.
Jan Hope and James Creighton Mitchell Jr. ran as write-in candidates. Their vote totals were not available Tuesday.
The district’s deficit, communication and safety were among the candidates’ top issues.
Last year, declining enrollment and state aid caused financial troubles for the district, which meant teachers and other support staff members had to be laid off. Superintendent John Van Pelt said at the time the district needed to slash about $1 million in salaries and an additional $400,000 in operational expenses over the next two years.