Endorsements: Kueter, Pedersen, Silverberg for Big Hollow District 38
Among four candidates seeking three, 4-year terms on the Big Hollow Elementary District 38 board, the choices stand out.
We heartily endorse incumbent Vivian Kueter, an assistant principal in the Rockford school system and a parent of two Big Hollow graduates. She has a wealth of ideas for pulling the district out of its deficit, including studying the financial viability of bringing in house its transportation, building maintenance and special education programs. She also recommends a vigorous review of staffing to see if reductions can be made.
Likewise recommended is another incumbent, Douglas Pedersen, a senior operations tower planner for American Airlines at O'Hare Airport, who also makes a priority of pulling the district out of its deficit and ending its need to issue Tax Anticipation Warrants to raise cash. A 10-year veteran of the board who says he has never missed a meeting, Pedersen describes the residents of the Big Hollow district as “a family.” As such, he says, the district should do all it can to avoid asking residents for a tax increase to pull out of its tough financial straits.
For the third spot, we like newcomer Farrah Silverberg. We're especially impressed with Silverberg's credentials; she has both teaching and administrative experience in schools, most recently in Elgin Area School District U-46.
The fourth candidate is Joseph Cernuska, a network engineer.