Many hopefuls vie for District 158 seats

Editor’s note: Huntley School Board of Education candidates were contacted for responses by My Huntley News. The information that follows is from those who submitted responses by March 27.

HUNTLEY — A dozen individuals residing in Huntley School District 158 are seeking to be elected to four terms when votes are counted after the 2023 Consolidation Election April 4.

Early voting continues this week, through March 31,9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Saturday voting hours are 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. April 1 at Huntley Park District, 12015 Mill Street.

Nine of the candidates are seeking one of three four-year terms. Candidates are: Katherine Policheri of Huntley; Jonathan Dailey of Huntley; Melissa Maiorino of Huntley; Stephen Buchs of Huntley; William Geheren of Huntley; Laura Murray of Algonquin; Andy Bittman of Algonquin; Gina Galligar of Huntley and Paula Yensen of Lake in the Hills. Geheren, Dailey and Maiorino are incumbent board members.

Three hopefuls – Andrew Fekete of Algonquin; incumbent Kevin Gentry of Huntley and Michael Thompson of Huntley are seeking one two-year unexpired term.

Kevin Gentry, a McHenry County resident for the past 25 years and in Huntley for 21, was first elected to the District 158 Board of Education in 2007. His daughter is a 2015 alum of HHS. He has served as past school board president and is currently chairman of the Human Resources Committee. Prior to being elected to the school board, he was a founding member of the citizen led Financial Advisory Committee. He is currently senior vice president of Credit & Analytics for a national commercial insurance lender.

“I am running for re-election because I believe our district is at a critical juncture in its development,” Gentry said. “Coming out of the past pandemic, we will need to continue an intense focus on closing the COVID learning gap and restore our very positive academic trajectory of innovative programs and student achievement. Political divisiveness has created an environment where collaboration has been impacted. There is a need for greater community cohesiveness where we set the tone for an environment that is supportive and accountable to ourselves and those around us.”

Jonathan Dailey has lived in District 158 for six years in July. He and his wife, Jennie, have two school-age children in second and fifth grade. He is Chief Operating Officer for Flinn Scientific in Batavia. Dailey was appointed to the school board last December.

“We moved here because of the schools,” Dailey said. “I want to give back to the community and dedicate my time and talents to make sure the district has the resources to provide a high quality education. I believe firmly in the role of public education and believe a school district is an expression of who a community is. By investing in our schools we make Huntley more attractive for families considering communities to raise their kids in. I believe District 158 is a destination district. It is important to me that we create an environment that attracts, retains and develops high quality teachers, support staff and administration. District 158 is the third largest employer in McHenry County and I hope to continue to improve upon the district’s reputation as a quality employer where teachers and staff can make a difference.”

Buchs and his family lived in Huntley for five years. “My wife and I have three daughters that attend different Huntley schools,” Buchs said. “I am the Director of Curriculum for grades six through 12 at Central Unit District 301. My main reason for running for the school board is to bring the knowledge of an experienced teacher to the school board.”

Buchs has 20 years of teaching experience. He has a Master’s degree in Arts in Educational Tech from Aurora University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from American College of Education.

“Today’s world is ever-changing and Huntley District 158 needs to communicate changes and who is mandating changes,” Buchs said. “It is important for community members to begin to have a clear understanding of what is in local control and what is not. Schools need more support than ever but this includes a voice directed at the state level. It is going to take innovative ideas from teachers in the front line to engage students in education today. This means more risk-taking, out-of-the-box thinking and non-traditional practices need to be implemented. Value in a person’s education must be a focus that can be directly connected to real world jobs. Our students must become lifelong learners which is a requirement for success in today’s changing world.”

William Geheren has served on the school board for 12 years. He and his wife Mia have four children, Michael, a 2013 HHS grad; Tommy, 19 and Danny, a sophomore at HHS. Charlie Geheren passed away in 2018 and an award is named after him at Marlowe Middle School. Geheren is a sales and marketing director.

“In my 12 years on the school board we have accomplished many initiatives including: online learning, one-to-one devices for grades K-12; academies for medical, engineering, fine arts and global studies and  dual language programs. All the while being one of the most fiscally responsible districts in the State of Illinois.

“The main reason I am running for re-election is the district is in a vulnerable position coming off the worst pandemic we have ever seen,” Geheren said. “There are candidates who are running on the platform of lowering taxes which in turn will damage our district. There are so many negatives to lowering taxes including laying off teachers and increasing class sizes and creating chaos in the district that is currently very desirable for people to relocate. The volunteer job is a very difficult one having to focus on students, teachers, administration, parents and taxpayers all at the same time. Difficult decisions need to be made and my track record speaks for itself over the past 12 years.”

Paula Yensen has been a district resident for 28 years, is married with two children, Jamie and Jason. She is retired and she had previously been Executive Director of United Way of Central Kane County from 2003-2016 and adjunct faculty member at Harper College, 2006-2018. Yensen’s prior elected positions were: Lake in the Hills Village Board, 2001-2008; McHenry County Board, 2008-2022; McHenry County Mental Health Board, 2012 to present and Age Guide Executive Board, 2019 to present.

She explained the main reasons for seeking the school board term.

“I want to preserve the American tradition of strong public education. I am a fiscal conservative. I want to foster a safe and welcoming learning environment for all students. I have a PhD in Education.”

Katherine Policheri and her family have been Huntley residents for 20 years. Three sons attend Huntley District 158, two in high school and one in middle school. A part-time pharmacist for Walgreens and a company staffer for 25 years. She is a coach for Heat United Soccer Club; Huntley Youth Football and coaching basketball at Huntley Area Park District and is a Make-A-Wish Illinois wish granter. She is a member of the Special Education Advisory Committee and HHS Medical Academy.

“My first reason for running for the school board is that I have a strong connection to the community and schools,” Policheri said. “I have a strong belief in service and building relationships with members of the community. I feel there is a divide between the community and the school board. I hope to bridge that gap.”

She stated support of special education programs are a key issue and would back a Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position. Also, many have concerns about the LIGHT program at Marlowe Middle School.

“I am very passionate about special education,” Policheri stated.

Gina Galligar is seeking public office for the first time. She, her husband Patrick have lived in Huntley for three years and they have two grown sons, both married. She has been a speech language pathologist for 31 years.

“I am running for school board to be a positive voice for families, staff and the community. School achievement has dropped considerably over the last five years. I want to help get the focus back on reading, writing, math, science and social studies. I also want to help decrease undesirable student behavior including bullying, disrespect, as well as drug problems in the high school.”

Galligar said the focus should be more on teachers. “Teachers are the experts in their classrooms. The district has increased the number of high paid administrators who seem to make decisions without input from those who know the students best, the teachers.”

Communication is important to Galligar, who vowed to meet with stakeholders before board meetings and later for followup.

“I want to give parents and the community their voices back,” she said. Often-times, parents and community members present their concerns at board meetings with no follow-up. I will meet with staff,  parents and community members prior to board meetings to listen to concerns and bring them back to the board.”

Andrew Fekete is a 30-year resident of Huntley District 158 and is seeking a two-year term on the board of education in Tuesday’s election. Other candidates are incumbent Kevin Gentry and Michael Thompson.

“I know and understand our community and the focus our community places on public education,” Fekete said.

Fekete explained his reasons for seeking the term, one of three candidates along with Kevin Gentry and Michael Thompson.

“I am vested in achieving the highest possible education standards for our community’s children. As a teacher, I know the importance of having community support for our school system,” he said. “I am a non-partisan candidate and want to keep divisive politics from interfering with our school system’s ability to provide the highest quality education to every student who attends Huntley School District 158. The goal of a school district is to educate and put students on a path to lifelong learning. Students should choose their path and not be indoctrinated with a particular idea or belief. Schools should empower students with the resources to understand how to learn and acquire information about the world around them. And through developing critical thinking skills and the power to use their voice and choice to drive their learning. I want each student to graduate with a strong foundation of the fundamentals that mark a well-educated person in our society. The focus has been and should always be on the students who make up our community.

Watching the contention between the Board of Education and the community over the last several years removes the focus of the purpose of the Board of Education and the school district and inserts personal ideologies into our schools. As a board member, I want to return the conversation and dialogue to what is best for our schools, classrooms, and students. I want to work collaboratively with the administrators, educators, and community for the betterment of all. We need to work to reach a level of understanding and then move forward together with a keen focus on our stated mission “to collectively, as a learning community, inspire, challenge and empower all students always.”

“My wife and I grew up in the Algonquin/Huntley area and decided to make this our home with our two children.  My wife is a fellow educator.  We have two children who attend Huntley 158 schools. Our son is an 8th grader at Heineman and our daughter is a 3rd grader at Conley. We need the voice of active parents of current students with representation on the board of education.

I am an educator with Indian Prairie School District #204.  With 19 years in education, I (will) bring the educator’s voice to the Huntley 158 school board. Through my work in education, I needed to demonstrate proficiency in leadership and vision, strategic planning, ethics and policies, communication, and business management, which are directly aligned with the roles and responsibilities of a successful board of education member.  In my role, I must regularly collaborate with groups of stakeholders from various positions, viewpoints, and perspectives across the district. I work to find common ground that focuses on our shared beliefs about what is best for the students in our schools, and as a member of the board, I will do no less.”

Professionally he is on the Governing Board Member for Illinois Digital Educators Alliance and is Chairman of the Chicagoland Chapter Google Educator Group.

This story has been updated.