Batavia, Kaneland, Geneva school candidates' views on campaign contributions
Inquiring minds at several school board candidate forums want to know: Have the candidates accepted or sought campaign contributions and endorsements, including those from teachers unions?
Many of those seeking Batavia, Geneva and Kaneland school board seats say they have not sought endorsements, particularly from unions.
But one candidate is proud to be endorsed by a union.
Evelyn Schneider is seeking a four-year term on the Geneva school board. She works as a school guidance counselor in a DuPage County district.
She said Monday she has received support both from the union at her school, and from the Geneva Education Association.
"They (teachers) take care of my children. ... if being endorsed by them means I don't get a seat at the table, we (the community) need to take a close look at how we've been treating our teachers," Schneider said at a forum sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Central Kane County.
Schneider said she developed her printed campaign materials before she received any endorsements. "Those are my thoughts, feelings and emotions" on the brochures, she said.
The other five candidates present said they have not solicited campaign contributions.
"It's just me and my signs," incumbent Mary Stith said. She joked she has lost campaign workers now that her three children are grown-ups.
Incumbents Kelly Nowak, Mike McCormick and Tina Yagla, Taylor Egan and Ann Murtaugh are also candidates in Geneva District 304.
In Batavia, the Batavia Education Association has endorsed three people for school board: Incumbent Cathy Dremel, retired teacher John Dryden and Christopher Lowe. The union's political-action committee is supplying yard signs for them.
Incumbent Melanie Impastato and Ellen Knautz said they are spending their own money for materials. Candidates Bill Gabriel, Ron Rechenmacher and Michelle Olache - running as the GROBatavia slate - said they have not accepted money from the union, or from people or businesses outside of Batavia. Gabriel said he considers the BEA to be an "outside" organization.
The Kaneland Education Association has endorsed incumbents Gale Pavlak, Teresa Witt and Peter Lopatin, and Ryan Kerry, for the four available seats. Incumbent Tony Valente and Dan Nagel, Jerry Elliott and Pam Voorhees are also candidates in District 302.
A check of the state election board's website showed none of the candidates in the Batavia, Geneva and Kaneland races have filed statements of organizations of campaign committees. They would have to do so if they accepted or spent more than $5,000 in the year before the election. There are no records indicating what, if anything, the teacher unions in each district have spent on campaigns. First-quarter 2015 reports aren't due until April 15.