Meet The Candidates For La Grange District 105 School Board

LA GRANGE, IL- District 105 will hold a candidate forum on Wednesday, March 22, at 7 p.m. at Gurrie Middle School.

Four seats of the seven-member Board of Education will be filled at the April 4 election. There are five candidates running for the four open seats; Julio daSilva, Elyse Hoffenberg, Eileen Tucker, Kristine Lonsway and David Herndon. The candidates filled out a questionnaire that is posted on the district's website.

Julio daSilva

According to the questionnaire, daSilva earned his Bachelor's degree in Culinary Nutrition and currently works as a TruGreen Specialist. He will have two children in the district next year, a first grader and a kindergartner.

daSilva believes that his experience in early child education as a mentor and an after school class leader will be helpful to the school board. He believes the role of a board member is, "to speak for the children and the community involving policy and finance."

His vision for the future of District 105 includes focusing on student growth where all students are prepared for high school as well as college.

Elyse Hoffenberg

According to the questionnaire, Hoffenberg has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law. She is an attorney at law, and has three children in the district; a first, fourth and sixth grader. She has also served as co-chair for the 2016 Spring Avenue School Auction Committee.

Hoffenberg believes that her legal training and experience as a practicing attorney can help her be a player in collective bargaining, contract law and due process, all of which part of labor and disciplinary matters.

She has also served as a member of the Board of Fire and Police Commission for the village of La Grange, and has insight into safety and emergency preparedness.

Her biggest concern for the district is that "our most vulnerable students may be falling by the wayside." She believes that these issues need to be identified and solutions presented.

"It is essential to focus on the idea of the whole child," Hoffenberg said.

For the future, Hoffenberg sees the district as a "caring and collaborative learning community that will ensure that each student is valued and respected; achieves academic and personal excellence; is well prepared for high school, college, and career pathways; and will be an enlightened citizen capable of making decisions based on critical thinking."

Eileen Tucker

Tucker has served on the District 105 school board for eight years, most recently serving as the secretary of the board. She has also served on the programming committee, construction committee and school day committee.

According to the questionnaire, Tucker has a Bachelor's degree in Parks and Recreation Management from Norther Arizona University. She currently works as the Director of Recreation at Hodgkins Park District.

Tucker believes her prior experience with the school board and her 32 years with the Hodgkins Park District has brought her an understanding of what families in the district expect.

Her biggest concern for the district is student achievement.

"As board members we should make decisions on what is the best practice to help students improve in
their learning," she said.

Tucker's vision for the future of the district is, "continued student growth where all students are prepared for high school as well as a transition to college.

Kristine Lonsway

Lonsway has served on the school board for eight and half years; she was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2008. Currently, she serves as the vice president of the board. She has served on the district leadership team, strategic planning committee, parent involvement committee, program committee and communications committee.

According to the questionnaire, Lonsway has her Ph.D and Master's degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Illinois. She is the founder and president of Lonsway Consulting, and also a facilitator at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business’s Leadership and Team Development Launch Program for new MBA students.

Lonsway's concerns for the district include transition in superintendent leadership, student achievement and growth, staff satisfaction and engagement and continued financial health.

Her vision for the future of the district includes students meeting or exceeding national academic performance standards, large and active PTO programs across all schools, high-functioning facilities that meet all needs at a reasonable cost, and a cohesive community that understands and values the district’s contributions and effective use of resources.

David Herndon

Herndon has been on the school board for eight years, and has served as president of the board for the past four years. He has served on the construction committee, kasarda committee, finance committee, communications committee, strategic planning committee and continuing excellence committee.

According to the questionnaire, Herndon has a Bachelor's degree in Communications from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He works as the vice president of marketing at Nuveen Investments.

Herndon believes his leadership over the last four years has continued to foster a positive relationship with the teachers association and administration.

"I have led a diverse board with different backgrounds that is constantly striving to provide educational excellence to our students. I am proud of how well this Board works together as a team and strikes the right balance between district needs and parent needs," he said.

Herndon's biggest concerns for the district include closing the achievement gap in the student population, improving progress in mathematics, and helping to ensure a smooth transition to a new superintendent in 2018.

For the future, Herndon said he wants each student to feel valued and prepared, communities to feel pride in the work of the board and each staff member to make a positive difference in the lives of their families.