Endorsements: Stuefen, Kocinski, Snyder and Trautmann for Elmhurst Unit District 205 school board

A very deep and talented field of candidates is running for four seats on the Elmhurst Unit District 205 school board.

Incumbent Karen Stuefen is joined on the ballot by challengers Paul DeMichele, Christopher Kocinski, Bojana Ozegovic Carey, Elizabeth "Beth" Hosler, Stephan Schlesinger, Gordon Snyder and Courtenae Trautmann.

The new board will guide how the district uses the $168.5 million that voters in November approved for a number of different projects.

The district is replacing two schools, upgrading other buildings in the district and rolling out all-day kindergarten.

Stuefen's experience on a board that will definitely feature several new faces will be important. She deserves another term and is endorsed.

Kocinski, Ozegovic Carey, Hosler, Schlesinger and Snyder would all make excellent board members and voters can't go wrong with any of them. DeMichele did not take part in the endorsement process.

Among them, our endorsements go to:

- Trautmann, a retired FBI agent who served as a co-chair on the Yes for D205 campaign to pass the 2018 referendum;

- Kocinski, whose background in finance would serve the board well; and

- Snyder, who would bring construction management experience to the board.