Breakdown of the D128 school board candidates
This year’s local elections will take place on Tuesday, April 6. Among other races, four seats on the D128 Board of Education are up for election, determining the majority of the makeup of the school board for the next two years. This election features two incumbent board members and eight first-time candidates. Voters can vote for up to four candidates. The group of 10 candidates running for the school board is the largest number in recent memory.
Drops of Ink interviewed nine of the 10 board candidates in order to learn more about each of their values, goals and qualifications.
*Note: Dr. Julie A. Brua initially filed to run for the Board of Education but since has withdrawn from the race. Her name will not appear on the ballot.
Voting Information
Information on how to register to vote is linked here. Request a mail-in ballot, find your polling place, or preview your ballot here. Don't forget to vote in the April 6 election.
Kevin B. Huber
Kevin Huber is running for reelection as a D128 board member, having first been elected in 2017. He decided to run for reelection after finding out that current Board of Education President Pat Groody and Secretary Karin Lunstedt, with 16 and 12 years on the board respectively, would not run again. If reelected, Huber will be the second-most senior member of the board, and he feels the board could us...
Kathryn “Katy” Talerico
Katy Talerico is a first-time candidate for the D128 school board. Talerico has been working as a pediatrician for the past 16 years, and is currently working at the Erie Health Center in Waukegan. Having worked with children her whole life, “they are always at the forefront of [her] mind,” said Dr. Talerio. Talerico feels that D128 should have moved to the hybrid model in August. As a p...
Cara Benjamin
Cara Benjamin is a first-time candidate for D128 School Board. Benjamin is an LHS alumna and has lived in Vernon Hills since 2012. A former high school English teacher, Benjamin worked in both urban and suburban school districts. She now works as an SAT/ACT tutor and has worked with D128 students. Benjamin mentioned that she does not have a current high school student in the district. “I’m con...
Sean Gay
Sean Gay is a first-time candidate for D128 school board. Gay declined to be interviewed or photographed by Drops of Ink. He also declined to participate in a Facebook group entitled D128 School Board Candidate Forum, which every other candidate participated in. As a result, Gay’s profile will be shorter, as less is known about his candidacy. He has consistently called for students to return to...
Don Carmichael
Don Carmichael is running for reelection to the D128 board, having been first elected to a two-year term in 2019. Carmichael is a lifetime educator, retiring from teaching earth science at Stevenson High School shortly before running for the board in 2019. A swimming and diving coach, Carmichael emphasized his former leadership role within the Teachers Association and his time spent developing ...
Kara Drumke
Kara Drumke is a first-time candidate for the D128 school board. Drumke is a resident of the choice zone, a region where residents can choose which district high school to attend. Her children attended Hawthorn Middle School and Libertyville High School. Drumke has worked for 30 years as an elementary school teacher in various public districts and is also a practicing attorney, working with lo...
Chris Coughlin
Chris Coughlin is a first-time candidate for the D128 school board. He is currently serving on the D70 school board, which covers elementary schools in Libertyville. Coughlin works as a mobility specialist at the CDW Corporation outside of his time as a board member. Within his community, he has served as the Indian Nation Chief for the Indian Guides group in Libertyville. Coughlin believes th...
Sonal Kulkarni
Sonal Kulkarni is running for the D128 Board of Education for the first time. When deciding to run, Kulkarni reached out to friends on other school boards, who reported needing to be effective listeners, collaborators, decision makers and fast learners. This reminded Kulkarni of her work as an IT director at a pharmaceutical company. Kulkarni emphasized the need to “prepare for tomorrow;” ...
Jim Connell
Jim Connell is a first-time candidate for the D128 Board of Education. In an interview, Connell touted his passion for education. He mentioned working his own way through college, attending night school while working full-time. Now, Connell teaches a Social Media & Business class at College of Lake County. The owner of a small marketing company, Craftsman Media, Connell emphasized the uniq...
Dale Sherman
Dale Sherman is a first-time candidate for the D128 school board. Sherman is a lawyer of 26 years who has three children, including a Libertyville High School senior and two middle schoolers at Highland Middle School. In Libertyville, Sherman previously served as the secretary of the Libertyville Boys Club Executive Board for three years. Sherman’s campaign slogan is “Demand Excellence,” a ref...
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