D-200 has 6 vie for board
By BRIAN SLUPSKI - bslupski@nwherald.com
WOODSTOCK – As District 200 confronts budget issues that could lead to program cuts in coming years, six candidates are vying for four seats on the school board.
District 200 this week announced the elimination of about 16 teaching positions, two administrative positions, and eight special-education positions. The cuts were made to fill a $2.1 million budget shortfall. However, the cuts were not expected to surpass their targets because enrollment is flat. Next year the budget picture might be even bleaker and could result in program cuts.
“Everything is going to have to be evaluated,” school board candidate Stephen Schreiner said. “We are going to have to evaluate every program on its merits. We are going to have to ask, ‘Is the administration as efficient as it can be?’ ”
Schreiner, 38, is the general manager-controller of a McHenry County manufacturing company. He also has been an active volunteer in District 200. Overall, Schreiner said, the school board had done a good job. Schreiner’s top priorities will be the education of the district’s children and managing district finances.
Schreiner said that even though growth in the district had dropped off in the wake of the recession, he was reluctant to second-guess the 2006 building referendum.
“We were over capacity at the time,” Schreiner said.
Katherine Lechner, 53, is hoping to return to the school board after a four-year hiatus. Lechner, a nurse practitioner at Centegra Primary Care in Woodstock, previously was the president of the school board. She chose not to seek re-election four years ago because she was concerned that she might not be able to give 100 percent to the board because of other commitments.
Lechner still is the chairwoman of the District 200 Education Foundation.
“I definitely missed being on the board,” Lechner said. “Right away.”
Lechner said that her past experience with District 200 would be beneficial. Lechner was involved in four union contract negotiations during her school board tenure. She also played a role in developing the initial new school plans that were carried out over the past four years.
Joel Ludwig, 47, is a commercial pilot and served for 12 years in the U.S. Air Force. Among Ludwig’s top priorities would be financial efficiency.
“In these economic times, the taxpayers from this district need to know that we are working together and doing everything possible to streamline and cut waste in the district,” Ludwig wrote in his Northwest Herald candidate’s questionnaire.
Ludwig said that Woodstock North High School was a fantastic facility and that the school board had made sound decisions. He said that although growth had tailed off as the economy has tanked, the school board’s decisions at the time were the right ones.
Incumbent Marcy Piekos is seeking a second term. Piekos is the owner of Maverick Minds Consulting.
Piekos said she was proud of the board’s record and accomplishments during the past four years, which included the construction of three schools on time and on budget. Also, Piekos said, she was proud of the district’s public outreach efforts and its communication with the public on issues such as boundary realignment.
In her candidate’s questionnaire, Piekos wrote that her top priorities were “meeting the needs of all students – a tall order we continually strive for through successful programs such as Freshman Academy, dual language, all-day kindergarten.”
Incumbent Paul Meyer, 50, has served on the school board for eight years and is seeking a third term. He works designing and constructing fine furniture out of his home.
Meyer cited communication, district finances, and the slowdown in growth and development as his greatest priorities in his Northwest Herald candidate’s questionnaire.
“With slowed growth, we need to adjust and take another look at needs versus wants,” Meyer wrote.
Incumbent Camille Goodwin, 47, is seeking her second term on the board. Goodwin is an attorney in Woodstock.
Goodwin wrote in her Northwest Herald candidate’s questionnaire that guiding District 200 through the coming difficult financial times was among her top priorities, as was ensuring a quality education for District 200 students.
“Continuing to improve our student academic achievement through sound and innovative programming will always, to me, be the highest priority,” Goodwin wrote.
Michael Griffin has dropped out of the election. Incumbent Russ Goerlitz is running unopposed for a two-year seat on the board. The election is April 7.
