There are six candidates running for three open seats on the Warren Township High School District 121 Board of Education.
Board members Tony DeMonte and Steve Carlson are running to retain their seats, while fellow incumbent Thomas Drake is not running for reelection. The challengers include Beth Pope, Mark Piszkiewicz, Lynn Ulrich and Mercedes Shackleford.
The election comes in the wake of district voters approving a referendum in 2022 raising the limiting rate, and bringing in an additional $13.25 million in taxes from residents each year.
DeMonte is running for his second term on the board, after first being elected in 2019. Serving on the board while the district has faced serious financial difficulties and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been admittedly tough for DeMonte.
“With the referendum, it’s been challenging,” he said. “I got on at a time when the finances were not in a great shape. Trying to cut staff, keep teachers paid, keep the lights on and all of those things, it’s been a wild ride. But it’s been rewarding in the sense that now the referendum has passed, and we can focus on priorities that are important to the district.”
– Original Credit: News-Sun
During his first term, DeMonte said that he is most proud of the referendum passing, and the hiring of the district’s superintendent, Daniel Woestman.
If elected to another term, DeMonte said that he wants to support “strong instructional programming,” as well as retaining and finding “great staff members.” He also hopes to update the district’s security systems and protocols.
“You can’t learn unless it’s a safe environment,” he said. “We want everybody to come to Warren and feel like they’re in a safe environment.”
Carlson is the board’s newest member, after being appointed in the fall to fill an open seat after board member Bency Beals moved out of the state. He formerly served on the Lake County Board of Commissioners, and currently serves on the board for United Way of Lake County.
Two of his grandchildren attend school in the district.
He said that throughout his tenure on the County Board, the most important thing that he learned was, “how to deal with your peers on the board and get things done,” something that he said he has carried over to the District 121 Board of Education.
– Original Credit: News-Sun
If elected to a full term, Carlson said that he wants to address the district’s security issues, and wants the district to offer more support to teachers. His other major goal would be to have meetings with representatives from school legislators throughout the Gurnee area, including representatives from Gurnee School District 56, Millburn School District 24 and Woodland Community Consolidated School District 50.
“We could come up with a legislative agenda, and then we could go to people like [State Rep.] Joyce Mason, or [State Sen.] Mary Edly-Allen, and I think they’d listen,” Carlson said.
An electrical engineer, Piszkiewicz, said that he’s had to adjust to quick learning curves, which will help him if elected to the board. The candidate was involved in canvassing in support of the referendum, to help retain programs and opportunities at the school which would have otherwise been cut. That inspired him to get more involved in the district.
“Being on the school board, I can help keep those programs where they need to be, keep those opportunities open and really continue to make this a desirable place to live,” he said.
– Original Credit: News-Sun
Piszkiewicz said that he doesn’t want to see many changes in the district. In fact, he volunteered to help with the referendum so the district would remain relatively the same, and be able to offer the same opportunities to all students. But he also said that if elected, he wants to have more transparency between the board and the community.
“I think if more people understood what the school did, and how it does it, and how it handles our tax dollars, I think that would go a long way,” he said.
Pope also helped out with the referendum in 2021 and 2022, and said that the volunteering experience also inspired her to get involved with the Board of Education. She also said that after putting her “name on the line,” in volunteering with the referendum effort, she wants to be on the board to make sure that the district follows through on its promises that were made while it was campaigning to get the referendum passed.
“That experience has catapulted me into wanting to take the energy that I have, and the information that I’ve learned about the district, and help it to move forward in this new chapter of being reasonably funded and being able to take care of the students,” she said.
– Original Credit: News-Sun
She said that another goal, if elected, is making sure social emotional support systems are in place for the districts’ students, especially with school shootings occurring several times a year throughout the country and after the COVID-19 pandemic. She also wants to oversee the hiring of psychologists and social workers to help students deal with social emotional issues.
“I’m in awe of this school district,” Pope said. “I can’t wait to see what the district is going to do now that it’s reasonably funded.”
Attempts to contact Ulrich and Shackleford were unsuccessful.
