Indian Prairie District 204 draws crowded school board race
A Naperville school board race promises to be among the most hotly contested on DuPage County ballots this spring.
Candidates began filing nominating petitions Monday, and so far five hopefuls are running for three available board seats in Indian Prairie Unit District 204.
That contest is an early outlier as many school board races attracted little competition at the start of the filing period.
Candidates must submit their paperwork to the DuPage County Election Commission by the end of the day Dec. 17.
Here's a look at how races are shaping up:
Indian Prairie Unit District 204: District voters will have their pick of at least five contenders for three spots on the school board. Incumbents Mark Rising, Justin Karubas and Natasha Grover are seeking re-election. Challengers Carole M. Jones and Gautam "GB" Bhatia also filed Monday. The district serves portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook.
Naperville Unit District 203: Janet Yang Rohr and Kristine Gericke turned in their paperwork Monday to get their names on the ballot. An investment analyst, Yang Rohr joined the board in July 2017 to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Mike Jaensch. Gericke won a 2-year seat in 2017. There are three available seats in the April 2 election.
Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200: Chris Crabtree, a former District 200 teacher who won her first term in 2015, is vying to keep her seat, one of three up for grabs in April. Two newcomers - Susan Booton of Wheaton and Dave Long of Winfield - officially launched their campaigns Monday. The other two seats are held by Jim Vroman and Jim Gambaiani.
Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41: Stephanie Clark, the current board president, and Kurt Buchholz, the panel's vice president, are seeking their second terms. Clark and Buchholz first ran in 2015 as part of a slate critical of district leadership and curriculum changes. The future of Superintendent Paul Gordon's tenure in the district could loom large over the race with his contract ending after this school year in June 2019. Erica Nelson's seat also is up for election. Nelson has sat on the board since 2007.
Glen Ellyn Elementary District 89: Scott Pope and Timothy Jedlicka are running for their second and third terms, respectively.
Elmhurst Unit District 205: Three candidates filed Monday, Paul DeMichele of Bensenville, Christopher Kocinski of Elmhurst and Bojana Ozegovic Carey of Elmhurst. Incumbents have yet to file for four available board seats in the 13-school district.