Endorsements: Klamecki, Slinn, Legutki for Villa Park District 45 school board

This endorsement is a consensus opinion of the Daily Herald Editorial Board.

Four good candidates are running for the Villa Park Elementary District 45 school board: two two-term incumbents - Carol Klamecki and Melissa Slinn - plus Allen Legutki, running for his first full term after he was appointed in March 2022, and Katie Wagner, seeking a seat for the first time. Klamecki, who works in customer service for a Batavia company, is now the board's vice president and clearly demonstrates knowledge of the school district, ideas for how instruction should work and experience with how the board operates.

Slinn, a speech therapist, similarly shows how her board experience has given her a perspective on the classroom and district operations. A lot of the perspective for both Klamecki and Slinn comes from working through the pandemic, the divisions it created and the lessons it provided about students' needs.

Wagner, who does outreach for a state rep and has served on the boards of community organizations, and who has taught math in Chicago Public Schools, brings an impressive concern for the mental health of students, teachers and administrators.

Legutki brings experience as a former teacher as well as valuable perspective from instructing teachers as a professor at Benedictine University.

Voters can't lose with any of these candidates, but the current school board can rightly tout successes in an impressive district. Klamecki, Slinn and Legutki are endorsed.