Highland Park School Board Elections To Be Uncontested In April

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — Seven candidates are running for seven open seats on the school boards of public school districts in Highland Park.

In North Shore School District 112, four incumbents whose first terms expire in 2021 have all filed to run for re-election.

Board President Bennett Lasko, Vice President Alexander Brunk, Secretary Art Kessler and member Dan Jenks are all seeking second terms on the board.

Since their elections in April 2017, the board members presided over the closure of Lincoln Elementary School and Elm Place Middle School — the district's biggest reorganization since it was formed in 1993 out of the merger of Districts 107, 108 and 111 — and hired Superintendent Mike Lubelfeld. A long-range planning process Lubelfeld convened in 2018 resulted in a $75 million project to upgrade the district's remaining two middle schools, the first of which is set to be complete early next year.

In Township High School District 113, which includes Highland Park and Deerfield high schools, three candidates are running for three open seats.

Only one, Board President Jodi Shapira, is an incumbent. Neither Secretary Stacey Meyer nor former President Lizzy Garlovsky are seeking another term on the board.

Shapira, a former board member in Deerfield School District 109, is running for her first full term on the board after completing a two-year term she won over incumbent Michelle Culver in last year's local elections.

Meyer and Garlovsky are set to be replaced by Jaime Barraza and Rick Heineman after they secured the endorsement of local caucus members.

Barraza, of Highwood, is a former district level dual language administrator in District 112, a founding board member of the Illinois Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents and a current board member at the Highland Park Community Nursery School and Day Care Center, according to a biography on the caucus website.

Heineman, of Highland Park, has served on district committees and civic commissions for more than three decades. According to the caucus, he has extensive expertise in school financing, tax legislation and inter-governmental activities.

During the past four years, District 113 arranged to pay a $300,000 severance payment as part of the negotiated exit of former Superintendent Chris Dignam. His departure was followed by a year under the leadership of retired co-interim superintendents Linda Yonke and Ben Martindale before the district last year hired Superintendent Bruce Law.

The deadline for candidates to file nominating petitions to appear on the April 6 ballot was Monday for school board races.

In the race for the Highland Park City Council, only one of the three incumbents whose terms expire next year is seeking re-election — Kim Stone. Six candidates initially filed paperwork to run for their seats, but one later withdrew following a signature challenge. Another candidate survived a challenge over their statement of economic interest.

Candidates Jami Bay, Annette Lidawer, Yumi Ross, Andres Tapia and Lori Weisskopf are competing with Stone for three four-year terms on the City Council.