Fox Valley school board incumbents appear headed to victory, early returns show

Fox Valley school board incumbents appeared to retain their seats according to early, unofficial results from Tuesday’s election.

Here is a look at who is leading in the most contested races for high school and unit district boards in Kane County:

District 301

One of the most hotly contested races in the suburbs was in Burlington-based Central Unit District 301, where 10 candidates ran for four seats on the school board.

Eight candidates sought three 4-year seats on the board. They are incumbents Dornetria Hemphill and Marc A. Falk, Micheline Welch, Graciela Martinez, PK Parekh, Roumiana McMahon, Scott Mrkvicka, and Ryan Wasson.

Unofficial, early totals from precincts in Kane and DeKalb counties show Wasson leading with 1,721 votes, followed by Welch with 1,613 votes, Mrkvicka with 1,110 votes and Parekh with 1,014 votes. Incumbents Hemphill and Falk trailed with 972 and 821 votes, respectively.

DeKalb County results were not reported as of press deadline.

Incumbent Junaid “J” Afeef sought a two-year term against Andrew Dogan. Unofficial results show Dogan leading with 2,076 votes to Afeef’s 837 votes.

The election comes after Superintendent Esther Mongan has agreed to step down at the end of June. Meanwhile, parents have long been frustrated with what they see as a lack of communication and transparency from administrators.

District 301 cannot have more than three school board members from one township. Falk, Parekh, McMahon, Welch, Martinez, and Afeef are from Plato Township. Hemphill, Mrkvicka and Dogan are from Elgin Township, and Wasson is from Burlington Township.

District 303

In St. Charles Unit District 303, eight candidates sought four seats on the school board.

Incumbents Heidi J. Fairgrieve, Katherine (Kate) Bell and Thomas Lentz faced a challenge from Aaron White, Jenna Hancock, Elias Palacios, Kimberly Rich, and Antonietta Berton-Nicklaus.

Unofficial totals with precincts in Kane and DuPage counties reporting show Fairgrieve with 7,673 votes, Rich with 7,185 votes, Hancock with 6,921 votes, Bell with 6,512 votes, Lentz with 5,740 votes, Palacios with 3,510 votes, Berton-Nicklaus with 3,396 votes and White with 2,473 votes.

If Fairgrieve maintains her lead, she will become the board’s longest-serving member.

District 300

In Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300, six candidates competed for three 4-year seats on the school board.

Incumbents Christine Birkett and Emmanuel Thomas faced newcomers Aaron Kelly, Alisa “Lisa” Lindmark, Patrick Malia Jr. and Gianena Winkler.

Unofficial early totals from precincts in Kane, Cook and McHenry counties show Birkett leading with 6,333 votes, followed by Malia with 4,889 votes, Lindmark with 4,823 votes and Thomas with 4,164 votes. Kelly received 3,949 votes and Winkler received 3,498 votes.

DeKalb County results were not reported as of press deadline.

Leslie Lamarca ran uncontested for one 2-year seat on the school board.

District 300 cannot have more than three school board members from one township. Birkett, Thomas and Malia, Jr. are from Dundee Township. Lindmark and Kelly are from Hampshire Township, and Winkler is from Rutland Township.

District 158

Ten candidates emerged to run for five seats on the school board in Huntley Community Unit School District 158.

Eight candidates sought four 4-year seats on the board. They are incumbent Paul A. Troy, incumbent Sean Cratty, Richard Bobby III, Corine Burns, Andrew Martin, Jim Hollich, Cassie Khurana and Melissa M. Maiorino.

Unofficial totals of precincts in Kane and McHenry counties show challenger Maiorino leading with 2,816 votes, Troy with 2,562 votes, Cratty with 2,497 votes, Bobby with 2,367 votes, Burns with 2,164 votes, Martin with 1,778 votes, Khurana with 1,244 votes and Hollich with 1,057 votes

Meanwhile, Dana Wiley and Andrew Fekete competed for one 2-year seat on the board. Unofficial results showed Fekete leading with 2,466 votes to Wiley’s 2,176 votes.

Districts 101, 302

Five candidates sought four seats on the school board in Batavia Unit District 101.

Incumbents Aaron Kilburg and Craig S. Meadows faced a challenge from Katherine “Katy” Swiecicki, Rose McNaul and Kristin Gehrels.

In early tallies, unofficial results showed Kilburg with 3,693 votes, Swiecicki with 3,689 votes, Meadows with 3,622 votes, Gehrels with 3,586 votes followed by McNaul with 1,945 votes.

In Kaneland Unit District 302, Addam Gonzales, Jennifer Simmons, Scott Stalcup and Aaron Lawler ran for three 4-year seats.

In early tallies, unofficial results from precincts in Kane and DeKalb counties showed Lawler with 3,225 votes, Stalcup with 2,859 votes, Simmons with 2,857 votes, and Gonzales with 2,148 votes.