4 Vie For 3 Seats On Plainfield D202 Board Of Education: Election 2023

PLAINFIELD, IL — Four candidates will compete for three open seats on the Plainfield School District 202 Board of Education in Tuesday's election.

The candidates are Savena Joiner, Elias Kalantzis, Margarita Morelos and Heather Roach. The only incumbent is Roach, who was first elected to the position in 2015 and reelected in 2019.

Kevin Kirberg, who currently serves as Board president, and Treasa Howard-Collins are not seeking reelection.

A resident of Joliet, Joiner has worked as an educator for 22 years, serving school districts including Indian Prairie School District 204 in Naperville and Woodridge School District 68. She has also served as a precinct committee person for Na-Au-Say Township in Kendall County.

Some of the most pressing issues facing the District 202 Board of Education are mental health issues, bullying, learning gaps and zoning challenges, Joiner wrote in a Patch candidate survey. Her platform focuses on creating a safe and inclusive environment for all students, providing educational support to children at a young age, and supporting students of all abilities in extracurricular activities.

Kalantzis, who grew up in Plainfield, currently owns a marketing consulting company. His campaign focuses on reducing violence in schools, increasing test scores, and protecting and serving teachers and administrators.

Kalantzis highlighted several goals he'd work to reach if elected on his campaign website. Issues most tangible to students would be a transition from seven- to eight-periods school days and a later start time at the high school level.

"I am very much looking forward to giving back to the community by serving as a Plainfield School Board Member," he said.

Morelos currently works as a real estate broker and is a certified volunteer with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Her children, who attend District 202 schools, are the motivating factors behind her candidacy for the Board of Education, according to reports from Shaw Local.

"I would like to work together with our district to provide the same opportunities to each student and bring available programs and resources of support to make sure all of our students reach their best potential," Morelos told Shaw Local. "I believe one of our priorities is to make sure we provide the best support at all levels; emotional and curriculum."

The current secretary on the Board, Roach has worked as a realtor since 2003 and as an operations supervisor at a distribution company since 2022.

In Plainfield, she has been involved in multiple District 202 organizations, including the Parent Teacher Organization at both Eagle Pointe Elementary School and Heritage Grove Middle School, superintendent search committees, the Curriculum Coordinating Council, and Coordination of Administration and Parent Groups for Educational Efficiency (CAPE).

Kalantzis, Morelos and Roach did not respond to Patch's candidate survey request.

Polls in Will County will open at 6 a.m. Tuesday and close at 7 p.m. Election results will remain unofficial until April 25 when the Will County Clerk's Office finishes counting vote-by-mail and provisional ballots.