Kuschert to fill seat on St. Charles School Board

Matthew Kuschert will be seated Thursday to fill the vacancy on the St. Charles School Board following the resignation of Carolyn Waibel in October.

He will be seated at a special School Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. School Board members on Monday interviewed Kuschert along with two other finalists for the vacancy in closed session. The other two finalists were Jennifer Schuh and Saurab Sood.

Kuschert is the owner and manager of UFC Gym Naperville and is a former assistant director of admission at Elmhurst University. Kuschert and his wife have two children who attend St. Charles School District 303 schools.

“The School Board is grateful to the 13 members of the community who interviewed to fill this important role,” School Board President Jillian Barker said in a news release. “The varied backgrounds and experiences the candidates brought to the process were impressive. We are excited to have Mr. Kuschert join the Community Unit School District 303 School Board and believe that his professional experience and personal qualities will be a welcome addition.”

In the application process, candidates were asked several questions about a variety of topics. Candidates were asked about one or two issues that the District 303 educational organization need to address.

In answering the question, Kuschert said the board “has done a great job of keeping discussion and meetings civil and respectful throughout very challenging and unprecedented times.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had some major polarizing effects on the community and society as a whole,” he said. “I tip my cap to the existing members for the commitment and dedication to a safe, friendly and healthy board meeting environment. I understand that discussion and communication has been volatile, at times, and I believe that it is of upmost importance to all of our desired outcomes to continue to foster a welcoming and gracious environment. If we deal with topics respectfully, we will ultimately be able to navigate any and all challenges that the board and community face.”

Waibel cited “unrelenting harassment” by community members in announcing her resignation. She believes the harassment began because of her stance on COVID-19 mitigation measures.

“I was vocal about following the mandate because it’s the right thing to do to follow policy,” Waibel had said. “But it’s certainly gone past following the mask and quarantine policy at this point. It’s very personal. So I really have no idea any more.”

She was first elected to the School Board in April 2017 and was reelected this spring. During a St. Charles School Board meeting in October prior to her resignation, she described some of that harassment to her fellow school board members.

“Someone has harassed me in my face walking into meetings when I was on a walker, I’ve had dead animals thrown into my driveway, my house has been vandalized, I’ve been followed and videotaped in a grocery store shopping with my son, my home was broken into, my car was vandalized and these people continue to libel me,” Waibel said during the pubic comment period of the meeting.