Editor’s note: This is one in a series of stories looking at contested races in the Aurora area in the April 4 general election.
Seven candidates are vying for three four-year seats on the Oswego-based School District 308 board in the April 4 election.
On the ballot are incumbent Dominick Cirone and Heather Gregar, Joanne Anastasia Johnson, Amy Murillo, Mary Jo Wenmouth, Richard B. Gilmore and Nicky A. Boecker.
The hiring of a new superintendent, taxes, leadership, finances and mental health were among issues addressed by the candidates recently in a request for responses from The Beacon-News.
Cirone said he would make it his priority to hire a superintendent with a proven record of academic improvements under a tight budget.
Current District 308 Superintendent John Sparlin announced in January that he will retire at the end of the school year.
“We can accomplish this through a sound hiring strategy considering community, staff and board input,” Cirone said of hiring a new superintendent.
Cirone, a treasury manager for a Fortune 500 company, said he has the experience to help move the district forward financially and academically.
“I understand the value of unlocking the operational effectiveness for better performance and results,” he said. “I want to help the district prioritize academic achievement and implement plans based on their educational impact.”
Cirone was appointed to the board in February 2022 during a tumultuous time during the pandemic. He filled an unexpired term of Ruth Kroner who resigned because she was moving out of the district.
“We all want to set up our students for the best possible academic, behavioral and future success,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we should be dictating specifics. Educators need to be empowered.”
Short- and long-term strategic planning will be a priority if elected, he said. This approach will ultimately better prepare students academically and be more efficient financially for the district, he said.
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Gilmore was prompted to run for a seat on the District 308 board because of property taxes, he said.
“My property taxes have doubled since moving into Montgomery nine years ago. The majority of my taxes go to the school district. I have definitely felt the burden,” Gilmore said.
“I have felt like a cash cow and it has felt like residents are the only source for school funding,” he said.
Gilmore would oppose any proposal for a future referendum, he said.
“It’s time for accountability. I believe I can help bring accountability to the district’s budget,” he said.
Gilmore is a U.S. Army veteran, having served almost 22 years in the Armed Forces. He has not served in an elected position.
He said he has experience in leadership service as a maintenance platoon sergeant and maintenance instructor. He has also worked as a maintenance planner in the civilian industrial sector, he said.
His skill sets would help him look at the district’s buildings, property and bus fleet, he said.
Gregar said she has two children who attend schools in the district and has personally witnessed the positive results of the hard work and dedication of educators and students. However, she is also aware of some of the challenges in educational leadership, she said.
“I will be an advocate for academic excellence, fiscal responsibility, parental rights and special education,” Gregar said.
Gregar is a paralegal and Realtor. She currently serves as a precinct committeeman. She said her background in law, finance and real estate will be an asset to the board.
“I have spent years volunteering and researching the inner workings of our school district. I’m experienced in contract negotiations and understand how levies, taxes and other incentives contribute to the funding of the district,” Gregar said.
She said one of her priorities would be to ensure students are “proficient if not excelling in their core academic subjects.”
“I understand that the decisions made during the pandemic at both the district level and state levels have impacted our students. I am ready to implement creative solutions to get our kids caught up and thriving,” Gregar said.
Schools are experiencing a variety of struggles ranging from student mental health issues and financial issues, Murillo said.
“Oswego schools are no different. I’m running for the board because I believe my wealth of experience and expertise can help solve those issues,” she said.
Murillo, a Continuous Improvement Coach with the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity, said she has more than 20 years experience in public education, including curriculum and assessment design, instruction, professional development and school leadership. She has not served in public office.
The hiring of a superintendent would be one of her priorities if elected, Murillo said.
The district’s next superintendent needs to be a “transformative and collaborative leader with a proven record of high student outcomes,” she said.
Another priority is in the area of recruitment and retention of staff. She suggests the district do research and implement recruitment initiatives to attract staff and strategically shore up the pay gap with surrounding school districts and investigate opportunities to improve incentives for staff to remain in the district.
Wenmouth said she has always been an advocate for kids and represents the “empty nesters” in the taxpaying community with no children in the public school system.
She has not served in an elected position. Wenmouth is a former financial planner with more than 35 years in the profession, she said. She currently is an investment relations specialist for a commercial real estate and investment company.
Her list of priorities if elected include hiring a new, forward-thinking superintendent, reviewing the budget after the levy to see what changes can be made to salaries and keeping the community informed of student progress.
“We are not funded at 100% as many other districts are. While we’ve done well with what we have, we need to get to the point where we are fully funded for the sake of our students and community,” Wenmouth said.
Boecker has one child who graduated from Oswego East High School, while two others are currently in high school.
“My children have been a part of many great programs within the district, which gives me a broad knowledge and experience of many facets of the district,” she said in her response.
She is running for a seat on the board because of what she describes as a “lack of leadership within some of the buildings that is negatively impacting our students.”
“Over the past few years, I have seen more dysfunction in the leadership and direction of the district, which motivated me to lean in and see what more is going on beyond the surface. I noticed the current board is not unified and shows a lot of public dysfunction that tends to upset the community, parents and district employees,” Boecker said.
Boecker is an account manager at Ascendis Pharma. Prior to her new role as an endocrine clinical specialist, she spent 22 years working with Behavioral Health specialists advocating for patients with mental illness, she said.
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“With my professional background in accounting and people management, I will work to lead our board to be more focused on quantifiable objectives,” she said.
Her priorities include hiring a new superintendent and providing support to administrators, teachers and staff to ensure they can achieve the targets the board has put before them, as well as making sure the community has more of a voice in the district.
Johnson is self-employed as an operational excellence consultant. She has not previously served in an elected position.
“Over the past 27 years, I have seen over a 50% decline in our academic proficiency with an added need for additional spending. As a professional, these two conditions caused me to ask why. Based on only high level research, I have identified several potential opportunities. I am certain that my skills will bring positive change to the district’s children and community,” Johnson said.
Her priorities include academic proficiency and fiscal responsibility, Johnson said.
She supports providing teachers with resources required for them to bring out the best in their students, she said.
“We need to increase resources to several programs to ensure that we are providing each child with the education they deserve. To do that without taxing a community that is struggling through the same recession our schools are, we must review our current spending and determine where funds may be reallocated,” Johnson said.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.