Endorsements Galore!!

These are just a few of the many endorsements received by candidates for the Pleasantdale School Board.

We enthusastically support both Kim Barker and Kristin Violante for the Pleasantdale D107 school board.  My husband and I have been residents of Willow Springs for the past 4.5 years.  We have two young children, one who is currently in first grade at Pleasantdale Elementary, and one who will begin kindergarten in the fall.

We have known Kim Barker and her family since we moved to the area.  As a new family to District 107, Kim has gone out of her way to introduce us to other families in the area and make us feel part of the community.  She has made our transition into the District positive and enjoyable.  Kim's excitement for the school district and our community as a whole is both admirable and contagious. We admire her enthusiasm for the social and scholastic well-being for children of all ages.  We find her viewpoints and objectives very respectable, well-researched and accurate.  We fully support and respect Kim's principles for accountability, responsibility and transparancy on the school board.

We met Kristin Violante and her family a few years ago through school functions and community related activities.  Kristin's genuine dedication, passion and concern for our school district is inspiring.  Her desire to make our schools safer and promote fiscal accountability is something we support completely.  We feel that Kristin will bring a fresh prespective to the board, and she will work hard to set policies and promote/support programs that will make District 107 stronger for our children.

In closing, we couldn't pick two better occupants for the Pleasantdale School Board, District 107.

Sincerely,
Gary & Kristin Wojtulewicz

We have known Kim Barker since our boys started attending Pleasantdale Elementary School together six years ago. She and her family are deeply invested in and committed to this community. Kim has a passion for all the kids in our community; this passion manifests itself in her consistent attendance at school board meetings, as well as her pursuit of a greater depth of information (than our district regularly provides) to improve the school's services and standing. It manifests itself in her service as soccer coach and Little League board member.

I trust Kim's judgement because I see her willingness to serve. Pleasantdale School District 107 could benefit from Kim's service on the school board, as she can accurately assess and interpret information without losing sight of the big picture. I believe that Kim will follow through on her campaign's core commitments of accountability, responsibility, and transparency. I think that Kim is a rare individual who equally wants the best for all the kids in this district, not just her own. I believe she will speak for all taxpayers in the district, as well.

We endorse her candidacy for the Pleasantdale School Board, and hope that you will give her every consideration. Thank you,

Erik & Linda Thorell
Willow Springs

Kim Barker would serve the community well as a member of the school board for District 107. As an experienced professional in her field, a long time community volunteer and a parent of young teens Kim brings valuable quantitative skills, analytical abilities and valuable life experiences to the position. She is energetic, capable, and committed and will invest the time necessary to drill down, understand the issues and work through the data to arrive at the best possible decisions for both the children and the taxpayers of the district.

Rosaria Becker
Willow Springs

We have been residents of Willow Springs for over seventeen years. We have three children. Two have graduated from Pleasantdale Middle School and our youngest is in 5th grade at Pleasantdale Middle School.
We are writing this to offer our full support and endorsement for Kim Barker and Doug Gilman as school board members.

We believe that Doug and Kim have the right qualifications plus have a genuine concern for our school system. Both of these parents have childrent currently enrolled in our school system.
We believe these two parents would make a positive addition to the school board.

Best regards,
Jerry and Laura Heath
Willow Springs, IL

Kim Barker is not only the best candidate but the only candidate to fill one of the open spots on Pleasantdale School Board. We feel that she takes the time and effort to learn the issues that affect our children while attending Pleasantdale Elementary and Pleasantdale Middle School. I have known her to address and research many issues to make Pleasantdale a better school for all. She is a champion that has not only tried to make our community a better safer place for our children but a more educated one. I have seen her volunteer at our schools and at our park district year after year. Please do the best thing for our children and our community and place her on our school board. She will be an advocate for all of the family's in our school district. 

Sincerely,
The Kittle Family
Willow Springs

I endorse Kim Barker as a candidate for the Pleasantdale School Board. I moved into D107 10 years ago when my oldest (now 15) started kindergarten at Pleasantdale Elementary School. Although he now attends Lyons Township High School, I still have 3 other sons - 2 in Elementary School and 1 in Middle School. Kim Barker's passion for our schools and our children is unsurpassed. Her insight, her skills, her devotion and her outlook would be an incredible addition to our school district. With proud enthusiasm, I support her for this school board position.

Sincerely,
Renata Stankus
Burr Ridge

My relationship with Kim Barker started in 2006. Kim was my son's first soccer coach atPleasantdale Park District. My first impressions of Kim were just outstanding. She was dedicated, kind and extremely patient coaching Kindergarten soccer. Throughout the years, as a coach I witnessed first hand her enthusiasm for team sports and how she inspired the children to do their best no mater the results.

Throughout the years I have seen her continued dedication not only in coaching local sports, but being an active participate atPleasantdale Elementary and our local community. Kim and I both participated as parent volunteers in boards to help improve our kids educational experience and communication between the school and parents. I have been nothing but impressed with Kim Barker. She goes out of her way to become knowledgeable about topics related to the boards we represented and led the participates to fact based decisions/conclusions on our tasks. She is detailed oriented, organized and verypassionate about the best Pleasantdaleeducation system we could provide our children. I trust Kim and am extremelyconfident that she will represent our community, parents and children in District 107. I wholeheartedly recommend Kim Barker as a member of the Pleasantdale Board of Education.

Sincerely,
Jacqueline Mesec
LaGrange

I am writing in support of my friend and neighbor Kim Barker. Being neighbors, we have spent much time together since her family moved in about 13 years ago.

As a very active parent within the school and community myself, I have seen several friends come and go as School Board Members. In them, I have witnessed the passion and the stressors that come with such emotional viewpoints in dealing with the educational issues of children in our society. I see this same passion in Kim. Over the years, Kim has consistently shown interest in our school by making proactive contributions to facilitate the education of our children. Even before her children were old enough to be Pleasantdale students, Kim had always been curious regarding what and how my kids were learning at Pleasantdale.
Kim is a strong, confident, articulate, highly intelligent, trustworthy, and compassionate woman and professional. I truly believe Kim is the perfect person to support Pleasantdale’s Mission Statement in the development of young people who grow to make responsible choices and excel in life.

Please accept my endorsement that Kim Barker be elected to District 107 Board of Education. She is a unique person with unique life experiences and ideas that would prove an asset to the Board of Education.

Respectfully,
Dina L. Stone
Willow Springs

This note is to show my support for the endorsement of Kim Barker as a candidate for Pleasantdale District 107 School Board.

I believe Kim would be an excellent contributor to the Pleasantdale School Board. She is an advocate for children and education, she is not afraid to speak her mind, and she is clearly committed to volunteering and helping her community with her time. She has my full support as a candidate for the School Board.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Sheila Gremer
Willow Springs

The Focus 4 the Future candidates are the right combination of what Pleasantdale School District 107 needs!

The current board has rested on its laurels long enough. Achievement levels are down, expenses are up & they lag behind their competitive set of feeder schools while clinging to an outdated strategic plan.
With sagging property values, it's time to rise to the challenges of a changing demographic, economy & world by providing an outstanding & well-rounded education for our children.

Kim Barker will bring passion, energy & communication experience that our school district desperately needs. Doug Gilman will add business, financial & global expertise as well as a level of fairness & balance to the board. Greg Sengpiel comes with a background in technology, an open mind & a fresh perspective. Kristen Violante will bring knowledge of local government, policy making, public service & a level head to the board.

These candidates are active in the community not just at school, but in sports programs, clubs & neighborhood watch groups. They are cognizant of the tax burden placed upon district residents & will work toward reducing that burden by lowering operating expenses while maintaining high expectations and ensuring a remarkable educational for all children.

Please join me in supporting these candidates & their vision of accountability, responsibility & transparency in order to move our school district forward to focus on the future!

Gina Scaletta Nelson

I am so excited that Focus 4 the Future is running. I know that these 4 can bring some MUCH NEEDED change to our district. Kim Barker, Doug Gilman, Greg Sengpiel, and Kristin Violante defiantly have my vote.

Lori Veroeven

I strongly encourage people to support Kristin Violante, candidate for the Elementary School District 107 Board.

In my role as a trustee with the village of Willowbrook, I have worked closely with Violante and seen firsthand the strong work ethic and professionalism she brings to the job. Since day one in her position as the superintendent of Parks and Recreation, Violante has been extremely motivated to do the best job she can.

As a Willowbrook resident myself, I can say she has listened to the feedback from local citizens and provided excellent programs that suit all ages and ability levels. As a village trustee, I am thankful for her ability to be fiscally conservative and adhere to all village policies and procedures. She is confident, well spoken and a wonderful addition to Willowbrook. I know she will be a valuable asset to the community’s School Board and to the students who attend Pleasantdale schools.

Sue Berglund

Willowbrook

I am confidently writing to you today about Kristin Violante who is running for the District 107 School Board. I know Violante through her work as the superintendent of Parks and Recreation for Willowbrook. She understands the financial constraints municipalities such as Willowbrook face and has therefore worked diligently to provide excellent programs and safe, enjoyable park facilities with an ever tightening budget.

As a resident of Willowbrook, I am happy she is spearheading an effort to create a comprehensive master plan for the Parks and Recreation Department that will guide the entire department through the next five years. I understand the importance of having ethical, intelligent, hardworking, visionaries as part of local, governing boards. I can say without exception that Violante will serve the children and taxpayers well and uphold the highest level of standards the district has come to expect.

Robert Napoli

Willowbrook village president

I am a parent. I like Pleasantdale schools. The school district has earned The Red Apple and other awards which have lead me, and keep me here. The beacon of excellence shines from the committed teachers, administration, and parents. 

Kim Barker is a parent who invests in her community and wants it to continue to shine. I have been impressed mostly with Barker’s unwavering dedication to make things better, not to be satisfied with “ as good as last year” but to improve. Our community and schools need people invested like Barker. She has taken the lead on neighborhood streets/maintenance issues when the city budget was cut back. She also has taken the initiative to investigate concerns about testing and scores — in the vein of making things better. Barker leads through coaching soccer and being active on committees.

I support Barker for Pleasantdale School Board.

Meg Vorpahl

Willow Springs

I would like to endorse Kristin Violante and her Focus 4 the Future running mates Greg Sengpiel, Doug Gilman and Kim Barker. 

Violante realizes the difficult task of shifting staff, students and parents into the rigor of the Common Core. She also understands the importance of early education as each new standard will be an extension of previous learning. Their platform of offering a free full-day kindergarten curriculum and spending more time on each subject will help provide students a great starting point for a rich educational experience and a strong foundation with which to build on. 

I am confident Violnate and her running mates are the best choice for Pleasantdale as Illinois moves into a new set of learning standards.

Sharon Rak

Willow Springs

As the parent of three children in the Pleasantdale School District and a 24-year educator, I am honored to support Doug Gilman for School Board. My own experience as a parent, teacher, coach, and administrator in public schools has afforded the opportunity to witness firsthand the qualities necessary to run an effective school district. 

I have had the privilege of knowing Gilman for the past nine years as a friend, neighbor, coaching partner, and even fellow running mate for the board in 2011. Gilman is a highly organized, conscientious individual. He is very responsible, dependable and loyal. He is one who thinks rationally, questions thoughtfully, and listens attentively. These traits will serve and support our students. Most importantly to me, as a board member for District 107, Gilman will continue to go above and beyond the call of duty while serving our children and demonstrate genuine care for the community of the Pleasantdale. Our community. 

Steve Rockrohr

Willow Springs