Comment on Four District 158 parents make case for seat on board

Four candidates vying for an open seat on the Huntley Community School District 158 Board are expected to be narrowed down to one by Tuesday. Five candidates submitted the necessary paperwork, but one dropped out before interviews began during a special board meeting Monday. The remaining candidates included Ra'Shawn Walker, a Lake in the Hills resident and contract oversight specialist with the Department of Justice; Chris Carter, a Huntley resident and information security senior manager with Zurich Insurance; Kim Skaja, a Union resident and former D-158 board member for 22 years; and Jamie Wombacher, a Huntley resident and attorney with Wand Lee Wombacher LLC. Applicants were given the same series of questions, such as what problems the district is facing, how they would handle the role of community liaison and whether there is sufficient time in their schedule to fulfill the role of board member. Walker, who did her interview via video call, said a short-term goal of hers is to make the school district and community more diverse and inclusive while one of her long-term goals is to become a community resource that would ensure all children would receive the same education her children are getting in the district. Carter said as a Jamaican immigrant who married a woman of German descent and is raising two children who are multiethnic and multilingual, he feels his family embodies the dynamic spirit of the school district. “In many ways, I think that’s what Huntley is all about,” Carter said. Although she has the most experience as a board member, Skaja was the only of the four candidates who said she would not be interested in running for an open board seat in April. Skaja said one thing the board should be mindful of is the threat of the state's contributions to Teachers’ Retirement System of the State of Illinois shifting to the local level. Wombacher said that a good, effective board of any type needs to consist of people unafraid to both share opinions and hear differing opinions. After the board met with all four candidates, it adjourned to closed session to discuss the candidates.