Age: 47.

Residence: Naperville.

Family: Wife, Martha; sons, Brian, 16, and Robert, 14.

Education: Kankakee Westview; University of Illinois, bachelor's degree, education.

Employer: Self-employed, manufacturers representative.

Political experience: Precinct committees; chairman, Wheatland Township Youth Commission; candidate, District 204 school board, 2003.

Community involvement: District 204 Citizens Advisory Committee, 2004 to 2005; past president, High Meadow Homeowners Association; coach, Naperville Baseball Association.

Q: Do you support the current $130.5 million April referendum measure? Why or why not?

A: I served on the referendum committee and have favored a third high school solution for a number of years. But I will vote no on this ballot proposal.

The board imposed the location and cost of the building on the committee. In addition it put pressure on the committee to approve tens of millions in extra spending which was tacked on to this referendum. This money is primarily for routine maintenance on existing buildings and for technology upgrades. These expenses should be handled in the annual operating budget.

The board is asking for more than enough money to build another Neuqua. That will cause even more division in our community. Future construction projects should be more modest and utilitarian in nature.

Q: Do you think a third high school is necessary to house incoming students, and if not, how do you propose the district house the incoming students?

A: A third high school is the preferred solution. However, we have immense political problems to work through regarding boundaries, location and cost. It may take another year of study to do it right. Also it may be prudent to purchase land to hold for a future school.

If the referendum fails, the board will need to put another question to the voters in March 2006. We need to add more capacity at the secondary level. I would also bring in a demographer to consult with any future committee. The public needs more confidence that the enrollment projections are sound.

Q: With the state budget crisis and the future level of education funding up in the air, how should the district help make up the gap with less funds from the state and more students?

A: This is why we need to elect board members that can deal with this new reality. I think it is unlikely the voters will approve a tax hike for operations in the near future. Therefore the only choice is running a more efficient operation. If an expense is not essential to the classroom it needs to be examined. All of the excess and luxuries in the budget need to go.

We are still growing and need to hire more teachers. We have no choice but to examine the expense side of the budget closely, which has not been done to date.

03/23/05 From: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/election/kern.htm

AURORA � A little less than half of the candidates running for seats on the Indian Prairie School Board are going to walk away happy Tuesday night.

Nine candidates are vying for four seats on the board, including three incumbents. Current board President Kathi Baldwin is not seeking another term.

Much of the discussion among candidates has centered on the $130.5 million referendum measure voters also will find on the ballot Tuesday.

“I believe we have done the best we could do with the numbers we were faced with every year,” said incumbent Jeannette Clark, who has served three terms on the board.

“We have always had seats for students and kept the bond and interest rate as stable as we could in an effort to make it as affordable for taxpayers as possible.”

Jim Box and Bruce Glawe are the other two incumbent candidates. Glawe was appointed to the board in December to fill a vacancy, and Box is serving his first term on the board.

Challenger Eve Kochman worked in the Indian Prairie and West Aurora districts as a school social worker.

“I think the district did really well for the most part of handling the growth with the blip of the freshman centers not being the best planning,” Kochman said. “Our schools are well utilized, every classroom is always being used at the middle school level.”

Voters approved the freshman centers as part of a 2001 referendum to help ease crowding at Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley high schools. Now, the district is asking voters to approve a referendum to build a third high school.

Chuck Kern is the only board candidate not supporting the referendum.

“I wanted a third high school in 2001 and I think the freshman centers were a big mistake,” said Kern, who was part of a Citizens Advisory Committee which recommended the current referendum measure. However, he now thinks the decision about the third high school was made too quickly.

Mark Mileusnic, who attended all the Citizens Advisory Committee meetings, said the need for the high school is evident.

“The kids are here,” Mileusnic said. “We need to have the seats, and we need to have adequate facilities and services for those kids.”

Naaman Moorman and John Stephens, both members of the Citizens Advisory Committee, also support the referendum measure.

“I don't know what part of Neuqua Valley or Waubonsie Valley we would put 1,000 more students in,” Stephens said. ” . . . We need room somewhere.”

Candidate Christine Vickers has not made her position on the referendum known.

04/03/05 From: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/city/a03ipcand.htm