Age: 38.
Residence: Naperville.
Family: Husband, Kevin Kochman; children, Jack, 7, Maggie, 5.
Education: St. Charles High School, class of 1984; University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, bachelor's and master's; master of social work, National-Louis University.
Employer: Sales/administrative assistant, Kochman Consultants, Aurora, Morton Grove.
Political experience: None.
Community involvement: Volunteer at Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church, religious-education teacher; board member, Project Arrow Parent Organization; volunteer, McCarty Elementary School.
Q: Do you support the current $130.5 million April referendum measure? Why or why not?
A: I do support the referendum. I agree that the current and future population of our district supports the need for a third high school as well as more space for the middle schools. I do not want the process delayed but do want the actual spending of the dollars closely scrutinized.
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: I do feel a third high school is necessary. Between now and the time that the third building is built, I support exploring creative solutions to relieve the entering crowding. Some ideas are creative scheduling of high school seniors and greater use of community facilities.
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: The district can explore impact fees, grant writing and business partnerships. Rallying for reinstatements of state funding is also an option. Funding for gifted education was eliminated from the state. The Project Arrow Parent Organization is making efforts to notify parents to communicate the necessity of that funding. For example, in addition, we must prioritize spending so that basic needs of classrooms are met first.
03/23/05 From: http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/sunpub/naper/election/kochman.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
Citizens for Classrooms support the following District 204 School Board Candidates: Jim Box, Jeanette A. Clark, Bruce W. Glawe, Eve Kochman, Mark Mileusnic, Naaman H. Moorman, John K. Stephens