School board incumbents fare well in DuPage County
Incumbents in the most contentious school board races in DuPage County appeared to hold onto their seats Tuesday.
Here is a look at the results of the contested races in high school and unit districts in DuPage. Unofficial vote tallies include voter day turnout, early voting and some mail-in ballots.
District 203
The Naperville Unit District 203 school board will have at least two new faces after voters selected candidates to fill four 4-year seats on the board.
Charles Cush and Amanda McMillen were the only incumbents seeking reelection. The three challengers in the race were Holly Joy Blastic, Jillian Langer and Marc Willensky.
Unofficial results from precincts in DuPage and Will counties showed Willensky with 8,761 votes, McMillen with 8,693 votes, Cush with 8,319 votes Blastic with 7,855 votes and Langer with 7,125 votes.
The election comes as board members are weighing a proposal to implement changes to the school day that include block scheduling at the high school and changes in start and end times at all schools.
District 204
In Indian Prairie Community Unit School District 204, five candidates sought four 4-year seats on the board.
Incumbents Laurie Donahue, Allison Fosdick, Susan Taylor-Demming, Supna Jain faced newcomer Allison Albert.
Unofficial results from precincts in DuPage and Will counties showed Donahue with 10,105 votes, Taylor-Demming with 9,434 votes, Fosdick with 8,942 votes, Jain with 8,520 votes and Albert with 5,696 votes.
During the election, the candidates talked about the district's challenges, including overseeing school improvements. Last fall, voters approved a request to borrow $420 million for the work.
District 200
Seven candidates ran for four 4-year seats on the Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 school board.
The three incumbents in the race were Angela Blatner, Rob Hanlon and John Rutledge. Also running were Katy Ebbesen, Amy Erkenswick, Brooke Gennaro and Sara Paver.
According to the unofficial results, Rutledge had 7,118 votes, Ebbesen had 7,132 votes, Blatner had 7,076 votes, Hanlon had 6,941 votes, Erkenswick had 4,819 votes, Gennaro had 4,293 votes and Paver had 3,868 votes.
Blatner is a pediatric physical therapist from Wheaton who has served on the board since 2021. She said she would like the district to reconsider its current “no zero” grading system at the high school level.
Ebbesen, an attorney working in finance and fund management from Warrenville, wants to be a voice for Warrenville, which she feels has been underrepresented on the board.
Hanlon has served on the board for eight years and is its current president. His priorities include strong governance and continuing to uphold and enhance academic excellence in the district. Hanlon wants to see the middle school transformation projects through to completion.
Paver, who lives in Wheaton, serves on the district's Citizens Advisory Committee. As a mother of a young student with disabilities, she has been frustrated with the marginalization experienced by her elementary-school-age son, which is fueling her to advocate for all District 200 schools to adopt an inclusive model of education.
Gennaro said she is focused on improving student learning, modernizing safety protocols, transparency and fiscal responsibility. She has been a member of the Citizens Advisory Committee for five years.
Erkenswick, a Wheaton resident, said she wants to bridge the gap between the school board and the community by advocating for those who feel unheard. She campaigned on a slate with three other challengers two years ago.
Rutledge, a former city councilman, said he is focused on governance and prioritizing academic excellence.
Elsewhere
In Elmhurst Unit District 205, five candidates ran for three seats. The candidates were Nicole Slowinski, Brian Bresnahan, incumbent Athena Arvanitis, John S. Bishof III and Tom Chavez.
Unofficial results showed Slowinski, Bresnahan and Arvanitis leading in votes.
In West Chicago High School District 94, five candidates competed for four seats. The candidates were Catalina Chavez, incumbent Rich A. Nagel, incumbent Katherine M. Doremus, Tammie Murphy and incumbent Gary R. Saake.
Unofficial results showed Murphy, Doremus, Nagel and Chavez in the lead.
In Lake Park High School District 108, there were nine candidates for four seats. The candidates were Melissa Johnson, Eric Albrecht, Donna L. Limper, Oleg Sheklarevski, Andrea Wittig, Zachary Cook, incumbent Beata E. Swacha, incumbent Chris Casaccio and incumbent Thomas Hollatz.
According to unofficial results, Johnson, Limper, Wittig and Swacha were leading in votes.