Six seats, but only four will win in District 79
In an unusual situation, six seats on the seven-member Fremont District 79 school board are up for election next month, but only four of them are contested.
Five candidates, including four incumbents, are seeking four 4-year terms on the Mundelein-based school district's board of education in the April 4 election. Meanwhile, nobody is running for two 2-year terms that will have to be filled by appointment after Election Day.
The circumstance was created after Jeff Luckett and Mark Ponce were appointed to fill 2-year terms after the 2015 election. Ponce now is pursuing a 4-year seat and Luckett is not running.
Joining Ponce on the ballot are incumbents Jason Bonds, Michael Jandes and Maria Simoncelli, along with newcomer Shawn Killackey, who's making his first run for public office.
Only Killackey completed a Daily Herald candidate questionnaire.
An artist, author and stay-at-home dad, Killackey, of Mundelein, previously served on the board of his kids' preschool for six years and wants to continue assisting in their development at Fremont. He favors increasing arts-related programs.
"I know music has many outlets in the schools with band, choir, and such, but I would like to see art grow and affect more students in school," he said.
"I'm an artist so art is very important to me and I think it's very important to kids," he added.
A longer lunch break or additional recess to allow students to reboot and have more time to eat are issues Killackey said he has heard from residents.
"I just want to be part of that team at Fremont," he said. "It seems well-oiled."
Simoncelli is a Round Lake resident and real estate broker who was appointed to a board vacancy in January. She said she is a new parent in the district, with 6-year old twins at Fremont Elementary.
"I figured this was a great opportunity for me to be involved with the schools," she said. "I've learned so much I didn't know being involved as a parent."
An evaluation of lunch and recess times may be in order, she said.
Possible changes in grading standards might alleviate a lot of the "negativeness" children have when they receive a bad grade, she added.
"They may feel a little bit more motivated by having a different standard of grading," she said.
In an email response, Bonds, the board president, said he is seeking a third term to continue work related to developing the whole child and being fiscally responsible.