Contested race for spots on Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 board – Chicago Tribune

After the April 4 municipal election, a new district board at Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 will be responsible for carrying out and guiding a mutli-million dollar expansion project at the Buffalo Grove-based school district to completion.

District officials have said they plan to spend as much as $25 million on building additions to keep pace with anticipated enrollment increases coming from areas around Buffalo Grove and Lincolnshire, but they don't plan to ask for a tax increase to cover the work.

The project, along with other issues facing a district that serves 2,225 students in kindergarten through the eighth grade, has attracted four candidates, including three incumbents, who are running for three seats on the District 102 board during the upcoming local election.

The District 102 portion of the ballot also will include Laura Golden. But district officials said Golden recently dropped out of the race after filling an election petition in December.

She never returned requests for comment.

All three incumbents on the board also are seeking new terms in this election. Jeremy Galfield, who was first elected in 2013, Scott Lin, who also won a seat in 2013, and Pelleg Graupe, who has served two consecutive terms, all are running for re-election this year.

The four candidates each gave different answers when asked why they wanted to be part of the District 102 board.

A native of southeast Kansas, Suzann Audi, a Prairie View resident who is the only non-incumbent vying for a seat on the District 102 board, has three children who attend Pritchett Elementary in the district

If elected to the District 102 board, she said, she would work on finding a balance between students' use of electronic devices and the more traditional ways of learning in the classroom.

"I want kids to learn how to use it effectively and how to survive without it," Audi said. "I'm not looking to join because I see a problem. I just want to work with them and help in any way I can."

Graupe said he has focused his attention lately on proposed building additions to Aptakisic Junior High along with the other list of proposed renovation projects at other school buildings in District 102.

If the plans for a large subdivision on the nearby Didier Farms property comes to fruition, each grade level in District 102 likely will see an influx of new students, he said.

If re-elected to the board, he would work to balance the expense on taxpayers for the upcoming building additions at the district with need to develop additional space for students, he said.

"It's a huge project that the district hasn't been through in a while," he said. "Every student needs to see a tangible benefit."

Calling public education a key building block for children, Lin said he wants another term simply because he wants more time to make contributions to a district not only undergoing building changes, but also changes to its demographics.

District officials have seen increases in recent years to the number of Asian and Hispanic students enrolled at District 102.

The district includes an Asian population that totals 37 percent of the student body and a Hispanic population that totals 7 percent, according to district figures.

"The district has been embracing this diversity change quite advantageously, and I want to make sure the district continues to do that," Lin said. "I want to make sure the board continues to meet its challenges."

Galfield said he wanted a second term because of the past accomplishments he and other board members achieved during his initial term.

The work included a new contract with the teachers' union, a transition to full-day kindergarten and the addition of new Superintendent Lori Wilcox, he said.

Going forward, he said, a major priority for him would be ensuring that the curriculum at District 102 adequately prepares students for life at Stevenson High School, the highly regarded high school in Lincolnshire known for its academic rigor.

"What we're doing right now is the important work," he said. "What we're teaching right now is Stevenson-ready."

rwachter@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @RonnieAtPioneer

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Contested race for spots on Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102 board - Chicago Tribune