2 Incumbents, 3 Others Vie For Seats On SD 214 Board: 2023 Election

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL — Election Day is nearly here and voters in Arlington Heights and Buffalo Grove will decide on the future of the Township High School District 214 Board of Education, among other races.

Five candidates are vying for four seats on the Township High School District 214 Board of Education on Election Day. The seat carries a four-year term. The candidates are:

• William Dussling, current president (term ends in 2023)
• Alva Kreutzer, current member (term ends in 2023)
• Elizabeth Bauer
• Misa Edwardsen
• Frank Fiarito

Dussling, Kreutzer and Fiarito are supported by the Friends of District 214 caucus.

District 214, headquartered in Arlington Heights, is the state's second-largest high school district by enrollment. The district serves most of Wheeling Township Elk Grove Township, as well as a small part of Palatine Township. Schools include: Prospect High School, Buffalo Grove High School, Elk Grove High School, John Hersey High School, Rolling Meadows High School and Wheeling High School.

In February, Patch sent out election questionnaires to the candidates on a variety of topics including Black Lives Matter, sex education, COVID-19 and fiscal policy. Fiarito did not participate. Patch published all responses submitted by candidates verbatim. Here are some answers to the various topics. Click on the links above to see each candidate's full questionnaire.

Longtime District 214 superintendent David Schuler stepped down in February to serve as executive director of the National School Superintendents Association. Retired superintendent Kenneth Arndt and Lazaro Lopez are currently serving as co-interim superintendents, making the search for a new superintendent a priority.

"As president of the board, I am the contact between the search firm and the board to be sure that the search process is operating smoothly and efficiently," said Dussling, 80, who has been a member of the board of education for 22 years.

Dussling, who is retired, was a manager in a large national corporation in a variety of manufacturing, engineering, human resource and labor relations positions.

RELATED: District 214 Names Co-Interim Superintendents

Kreutzer, 70, has been a member of the board of education since 1999. The Elk Grove Village resident is a retired from public schools, where she served in support staff 13 years.

"I am an experienced board member. School board members are volunteers who work very hard to improve the opportunities for all students," Kreutzer said about her experience on the board. "There are no perks to the job; only satisfaction by ensuring all of our students receive the best education and have real life (work) experiences, before leaving D214."

Bauer, 53, is an actuary with more than 20 years of experience in pension actuarial work. The Arlington Heights resident has a bachelor's degree in history from Michigan State University; a master's in history from University of Notre Dame; and a master's in Applied Economics from University of Illinois at Chicago

"The district is changing dramatically and quickly in ways that the school board has not yet responded to. Almost a third of students are low-income, compared to less than 10 percent 15 years ago," Bauer said in response to the most pressing issues facing the board. "The number of English Language Learner students is projected to double in four years’ time. There are substantial gaps in academic achievement across demographic groups, which predate COVID."

Edwardsen, 49, has been an educator for the past 27 years. The Mount Prospect resident has a bachelor's in elementary education and psychology and a master's in curriculum and instruction.

"My accomplishment from my term would be seeing the community come together to support the next generation of students with a successful academic foundation to further their education," Edwardsen said in regard to what a successful term would look like for her.