4 Seats Up For Grabs On Glenview D34 School Board: Election 2023

GLENVIEW, IL — Election Day is here and voters in Glenview will decide on the future of the Glenview Community Consolidated School District 34 Board of Education, among other races.

Five candidates are vying for four seats on board Tuesday. Current Vice President John Heggie, Secretary Michael Korman and Natalie Jachtorowycz are not running for reelection. The candidates appearing on the ballot are:

With 32 of 33 precincts reporting:

• Scott Nelson, current president (term ends in 2023) 2,445 (23.47 percent)
• Julie Moon 2,425 (23.27 percent)
• Alex Kamilewicz 2,340 (22.46 percent)
• Vasilios Soupos 2,246 (21.56 percent)
• Jennifer Patel 963 (9.24 percent)

The Glenview District 34 Caucus is endorsing the campaigns of Nelson, Kamilewicz, Moon and Soupos, as are Glenview Education Association and Glenview Professional Association.

Schools in District 34 include Attea Middle School, Glen Grove School, Henking School, Hoffman School, Lyon School, Pleasant Ridge School, Springman Middle School, Westbrook School and District 34 preschool.

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

Nelson, 55, has been a member of the board of education since 2019. The Glenview resident has been a commodity trader on the Chicago Board of Trade for the past 34 years.

"We need to focus on completing our construction projects in a fiscally responsible manner. We need to meet all students on their education path so they can aspire to reach their highest potential," said Nelson in response to a question about the most pressing issue facing the board. "We should persist to address the many mental health issues children are facing. We must continue to retain and attract the best teachers, staff, and administrators."

Kamilewicz, 49, has been in project management for the past 23 years. He has a bachelor's degree from St. Olaf College and an M. Litt (Master of Letters) in medieval history from University of Oxford.

"My career has routinely involved getting large groups of people with different ideas and goals to work together to deliver on projects worth hundreds of millions to billions of dollars," Kamilewicz said when asked about what past accomplishments demonstrate he can handle the job. "As part of this work, I have been involved at the highest levels of corporate governance, often helping to chart a path that works for all stakeholders involved, despite many competing interests. This, plus an ability to understand all the details of large undertakings, will, I feel, serve me well on the District 34 Board of Education."

Moon, 52, has been in marketing and communications for the past 23 years and an educational foundation volunteer for the last seven. For the past seven years, she has volunteered with the Glenview Education Foundation.

"I believe in the importance of strong public schools and want to ensure the district continues to provide the best education for all our kids," Moon said. "I also want to make sure that we are meeting the needs of all the students in our diverse student population. I welcome the opportunity to help set policy when the strategic plan is updated in 2024 to keep District 34 on the cutting edge of education."

Soupos, 45, is the director of product compliance engineering for Instant Brands. He has an executive MBA (Northwestern Kellogg School of Management, 2021), master of chemical engineering (Illinois Institute of Technology, 2006), bachelor's in Chemical Engineering (Illinois Institute of Technology, 2000).

"My view is that the board has been a good steward of taxpayer money given the inflationary pressures and economic downturn," Soupos said regarding fiscal policy. "The district has also done a good job prioritizing or even postponing the various renovation projects to be mindful of spending during this uncertain economic period."