District 34 Caucus Endorses Candidates For School Board Election

Press release from District 34 School Board Caucus:

Dec. 8, 2020

The Glenview District 34 Caucus has endorsed three candidates for three seats on the Board of Education in the April 2021 election: Jim Baumstark, James Dolan, and Diane Stefani. The comprehensive caucus process is open to any resident expressing interest. This year, the 55-member Caucus considered five candidates. The applicants submitted detailed written responses to an application questionnaire, participated in a thorough 45-minute in-depth interview, and presented during the final Caucus night. The Caucus greatly appreciates the continued offer to serve from many well-qualified citizens. However, the Caucus had to choose only three candidates and did so via significant majority individual voting.

“We are excited to endorse a well-rounded trio of candidates that will help shepherd our school district through tough current challenges; including the ongoing pandemic response, the management of the facilities updates, and guidance for future financial uncertainty,” Caucus President Brandy Isaac said. “For nearly 70 years, the Caucus has worked to endorse excellent candidates that produce our historically highly-functional school board. After extensive deliberations, the Caucus believes this group of candidates demonstrates the right mix of experience, strategic brainpower, and judgement to continue our positive direction.”

Baumstark is currently Vice President of the Board. He seeks to bring his finance, administrative and community involvement experience to a second term. He teaches and serves as Director of Business and Finance Operations at Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. Before then, he was an actuary and vice president of finance and capital management for Allstate Insurance. He is also former Chairman of the Glenview Education Foundation and served as a leader of the Glenbrook South Instrumental League. He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago, bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and music from Brown University, and teaching certification from National Louis University. Baumstark’s children are currently at GBS and in college.

Dr. Dolan is running for his first term. One of his major priorities is to support the district’s ongoing efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic recovery without compromising high educational standards. He is a life sciences professional and Senior Director at EY-Parthenon, a global strategy consultancy where he focuses on corporate strategy and commercialization. Dr. Dolan grew up in Glenview and has decades of community involvement, most recently as a youth baseball assistant coach and presenter for GBS Connects. He holds a doctorate in microbiology and immunology from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has five children in District 34 elementary school and pre-school.

Stefani, who also seeks a second term, is a civil defense attorney with Montage Legal Group. As a legal and advocacy expert, she has served as a district liaison to ED-RED and has been a member of the Board's Policy Committee. She has also served as a liaison with the Westbrook-Glen Grove PTA. Stefani holds a law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and bachelor’s degree in political science from Loyola University Chicago. She has a student in junior high and a student at GBS.

The D34 Caucus is made up of residents from across the majority of the precincts in District 34, representing an array of people in varied professions. They share a goal to provide excellent public education, even in the face of challenging resources and diverse student needs.

This press release was produced by District 34 School Board Caucus. The views expressed here are the author's own.