Five people are running for four four-year seats on the Wilmette Public Schools District 39 board. Mark Steen is an incumbent. The other five – Gail Szulc, Lisa Schneider Fabes, Ellen Sternweiler and Jonathan Cesaretti – are running for a first term.
The candidates all said District 39 is a well-run district with high student education outcomes. Some said the district should continue to prepare for possible funding losses if state legislators pass changes to teacher pension and property tax law. Candidates also pinpointed fiscal prudence, changes in school schedules, more communication with residents, and consideration of all-day kindergarten as issues they were interested in.
Jonathan Cesaretti
Cesaretti and his family, including three children who attend district schools, have lived in Wilmette since 2009. He is a state tax law specialist who is a partner at a large accounting firm, and also teaches as an adjunct professor at Loyola University. He said he decided to run because the time was right, and “because I think the district can always be improved.”
Cesaretti, 46, said his tax law experience could provide a different perspective on taxes when the board considers its finances. He said he could also help the board communicate with district residents about how the district is funded and where the money goes.
“I think I have a realistic view of the district. I agree that taxes are high, but you see that the district is fairly conservatively run,” he said.
He said one of the issues he has heard the most about from residents during his campaign is a need for the district to be more transparent about what it does: “Primarily, I’d like to make very clear what the agenda is for the board.”
He also said he would like to work on increasing cooperation between the school district and other local government units, like the park district or the village.
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Lisa Schneider Fabes
Fabes, 52, is a consultant specializing in educational analysis and planning on public sector and not-for-profit issues. She has lived in the district for seven years. She has three children in district schools and said, “From the minute we got here, I rolled up my sleeves and started volunteering.” She served on the district’s community review committee and has worked with the district’s village-wide parent teacher organization. She also ran unsuccessfully for the school board in 2015.
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Fabes said she would bring her professional experience to the board, as well as her volunteer experience in the district.
She said the district doesn’t have one big issue facing it, but several smaller ones: “I can’t imagine anything happening quickly in Springfield, but the district needs to monitor that closely. I think that District 39 has capital needs that exceed our budget. For instance, Highcrest (Middle School) needs work, we need more air conditioned rooms in the schools, a lot of people want all-day kindergarten, so how do we allocate the money we have?”
She praised the district for quickly responding to parent concerns about its initial rescheduling efforts, but said she worried about the potential costs the revamped proposal might engender. She also said she doesn’t think the changes address long-term school band and orchestra practice scheduling problems.
Mark Steen
Steen, 48, is an independent financial analysis consultant who also has a doctorate in physics. He and his family have lived in Wilmette for almost 10 years; his three children attend District 39 schools. He is seeking his second term on the board, where he is currently vice-president.
“I think the first thing to know about our district is that we get great educational outcomes and we are incredibly fiscally responsible,” he said.
He said he believes one of the top issues for District 39 over the next few years will be to oversee potential personnel changes in the district’s senior leadership: “We’re going to see some turnover as they reach the time in their lives where they can consider retirement.”
Steen also said the district must prioritize a large number of capital needs, because the number of valid projects far outstrips the money the district has to undertake them.
Steen said that, while board policy prevents board members other than the board president from making statements on board issues, as an individual he supports the district’s efforts to redesign the school day schedule. He also said he approves of the district’s quick response to concerns about the proposed changes from parents of children in kindergarten through fourth grade.
Ellen Sternweiler
Sternweiler, 49, moved to Wilmette roughly three and a half years ago. She has three children with what she called developmental learning differences, all of whom are in district schools. Sternweiler, a former graphic artist and designer who owned her own firm, now owns a business that provides toys and other items for children, including therapeutic and adaptive learning aids. She has been a national commissioner with the Anti-Defamation League for 18 years and is a standing chairperson of the Chicago Neighborhood Parents Network developmental differences group.
She said she is running to give back to a community where “my roots have grown really deep after only three and a half years … I am so pleased with what this community and school district is providing for my kids.”
Sternweiler said her experiences with multiple types of school models could help the board, as could her ability to work well and collaborate with others, which she said is a skill she honed in graphic arts and marketing.
She said capital fund prioritization will be important in the district, as will considering full-day kindergarten, and making decisions on school day schedule changes.
The board is financially conservative and is already trying to plan ahead for possible state induced funding changes, she said, adding that “the most important job is to look out for the interests of our children.”
Gail Szulc
Szulc, 72, is a former Chicago Public Schools principal who retired in 1996. She has lived in the district since 1985. She said she has been a member of the Illinois State Board of Education school review team for Chicago, and was formerly a leadership coach for principals.
She said her experience as a principal who sat on a local school council while she was in the Chicago Public Schools system will help her on the board.
“I think that a principal has the same interests as a school board. I think the duty is to look out for the students. It’s not a line item, it’s the only item,” she said.
Szulc said she believes District 39 schools are well run and that “the board is on top of everything,” but added she thinks the board should consider instituting all-day kindergarten, since she has heard from residents while campaigning that they would support that.
She said she believes the district will have financial challenges stemming from potential funding changes that state legislators might impose, and she also said she knows some older district residents worry about increasing taxes. She said her experiences in holding down budget costs as a principal might help the district find creative ways to save money and support teachers.
For more information, visit the League of Women Voters of Wilmette website at www.lwvwilmette.org.
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