Despite receiving nothing but compliments from their challengers, the two incumbents running for re-election to the Brookfield-LaGrange Park School District 95 Board of Education will have a contest on their hands when it comes to the April 5 election.
Three four-year terms are in play on the Dist. 95 board. Incumbents Lynn Waterloo and Christopher Blackburn are running for re-election. Both are Brookfield residents whose children graduated from Dist. 95 schools. Waterloo has been a member of the board since 2003, while Blackburn was elected to his first term in office in 2007.
They will be challenged by two other candidates, one of whom has a longtime connection to the district as a teacher. La Grange Park resident Doris Stanek retired in June 2010 after 23 years as a teacher in Dist. 95, many of those years as a language arts teacher at S.E. Gross Middle School.
“It was bittersweet leaving Dist. 95,” Stanek said. “I thought this would be a good way to keep my fingers on the pulse of the neighborhood. I have no agenda. We have a highly regarded school district, and because my children and grandchildren went there, I want to keep it that way.
“I have the background and skills to be involved on the board in a positive way. I have no complaints.”
The other candidate is Brian Elwart, a Brookfield resident with two children in district schools, one in fourth grade and one in seventh.
“I moved here because of the reputation of the schools, and I’ve only seen the quality of education increase,” said Elwart, a project manager for Northern Trust Bank. “I want to make sure to contribute to moving forward and keeping an eye on technology.”
Brookfield resident Thomas Powers, who has been on the Dist. 95 board for eight years, will not seek to retain his position. Instead, he is running for election to the Riverside-Brookfield High School District 208 board.
Waterloo has been a member of the board throughout one its most active periods, during the first decade of the millennium. She was finance chairman at the time the board successfully sought a property tax referendum and hired two superintendents.
Along with Blackburn, she was also on the board during a building addition project at Brook Park School and major renovation at S.E. Gross. The district also bolstered its curriculum offerings, including the addition of Spanish instruction at the middle school.
Waterloo said she’d like the board to find a way to bring foreign language instruction to Brook Park as well.
“I feel strongly about it,” she said. “Most universities and colleges require a second language.”
Waterloo added that the board has hired strong administrators, which allows them to concentrate on their policy-making role.
“We can work on a macro level and deal with the vision,” she said.
Blackburn said the last four years were a terrific learning experience and called himself a financial watchdog on the board.
“Where I’ve tried to contribute is that I’m a grouch on the board when it comes to paying salaries,” Blackburn said. “I’ve also liked the buildings and grounds experience. We’re making headway in improving the buildings.”
An employee of Brookfield Zoo, Blackburn said the board as it’s constituted is a well-rounded group.
“We have an excellent rainbow of talent there,” Blackburn said. “I think it’s important work, and with the knowledge I’ve gained, I have more to bring to the table now than I did four years ago.”