Ed Cronin
Ed Cronin has been a Shorewood resident over 25 years and all of his children attended Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 schools. Ed is finishing up a two-year term as a board member and is on the ballot for a four-year term.
He enjoys being a member of and the current members of the board, listening to the many ways students in the district succeed whether it be in academics, sports or music. He likes to hear how Minooka District 201 always has current ideas on how to improve the curriculum for the students.
In his own words, the district has grown and thus needs a new school to alleviate the overcrowding, but Cronin also wants to identify and address issues such as bullying and safety within the walls of the seven district schools.
John Clucas
John Clucas of Shorewood has been on the Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 board of education for six years and is on the ballot for a four-year term. He has lived in the district over 20 years, his three children attended district schools and his daughter has made her career as a Minooka District 201 teacher.
Clucas said he wants to run again in order to be the representative with an unbiased objective opinion, to improve the infrastructure, watch out for tax payer money and serve the children.
Clucas said he brings knowledge to the board in a myriad of ways and understands how schools districts run and the needs of the communities which the district serves.
He wants to see the students in the district succeed and with enrollment expansion, feels the new school needs to be built, while keeping a tight watch on the taxpayer funds to save money where possible.
Al Skwarczynski
For the past nine years, 29-year Minooka resident Al Skwarczynski has held a position on the Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 board of education.
Skwarczynski has a background in education and worked in the Joliet school system as a teacher and principal for 33 years. He also worked for the State of Illinois as a mentor for principals.
Skwarczynski said its not that he wants to run again for the board member position, he wants to give back to an excellent school district, one his grandchildren attend.
He said he can offer the board his financial and instructional consciousness and has a concern for the type of instruction going on in the classroom because he has been where all of the teachers and principals are now and understands the job.
The overcrowded schools and future complications have Skwarczynski wanting to find a permanent solution to the problem, which he feels is another building space for the students. He said the district does an outstanding job and he wants to see it continue in on that path.
Kim Schieberl-Fisher
Kim Schieberl-Fisher moved to Minooka when she herself was in elementary school and her five children went through the Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 as well. She has volunteered and worked in the schools, has accounting experience, was a former office manager and runs her own business.
She said her desire to run stemmed from her realization that she herself had put too much trust in the decision making of the school board. She said she always kept quiet and stuck up for the administration, but now she sees what people have complained about and after she has taken in the information and dissected it all she realizes there needs to be a change.
Number one goal on her list is to make sure to take care of the teachers, staff and bus drivers. She wants principals to buckle down and have the district stop asking tax payers for more money. She does not believe a new building is needed to combat the school numbers and feels that other possibilities are available to make the district run better.
Emily Conquest
In 2009, Emily Conquest moved to Shorewood and now has young children who attend the Minooka Community Consolidated School District 201 schools. She decided to run for the board of education in order to bridge the gap between the board and community in order to bring awareness of district action.
During the 2017 and 2018 referendum, Conquest co-chaired the committee in favor of the referendum. Through this, she said she has learned the inner workings of the district, how to work with others through conflict and different points of view and issues while maintaining a factual and professional demeanor.
Conquest said she will maintain her openness and approachability and looks forward to the opportunity to serve her community.