I am delighted to know that Jude is a candidate for the Board of Education.  She will not be surprised by the time required for this volunteer position and she will bring skill and knowledge to the position which are important considerations.  But she also brings the experience of many years of committed, demonstrated and passionate advocacy that has served, and I’m sure will continue to serve, the children, the taxpayers and the entire community of Rockford well.

Sincerely,
Ellen Bueschel, Former Rockford Public School Superintendent

You can’t win if you’re a member of a school board. No matter what you do, you’re probably going to displease someone. The job requires long hours, dedication and a thick skin. School board members are scrutinized as much as, if not more than, any elected position, and they do it without compensation.

Nancy Kalchbrenner and Mike Williams decided not to run for re-election to the Rockford School Board. You may not have agreed with what they did in the years they were on the board, but you should appreciate the effort they and the other members of the board have put in.

Many family folks have, which is even more reason to thank school board members for the work they’ve done.

We thank all those who are willing to do the job, but we think some are more worthy of your vote April 7.

Subdistrict A
Dyanna Chandler has a variety of experience on planning, crime prevention and school committees. We think her dedication will make her a good board member.

We know Chandler from her involvement with the Rockford Register Star’s Voters Panel. She asks the right questions and is not afraid to make her opinion known, qualities that are essential for a School Board member.

Her opponent, Lisa Jackson, is a solid candidate but does not have the breadth of experience Chandler does.

Subdistrict D
Jude Makulec has been active in Rockford public schools for more than a decade. She’s served on a number of committees in District 205 and been active in PTO and the Parents for Gifted Education group.

We think her involvement, experience and the passion she has for education make her an ideal candidate for the Rockford School Board.

Makulec has the right priorities with her support of neighborhood schools, fiscal responsibility and truancy initiatives, but we think what will set her apart from other board members will be her unquestioned advocacy for the return of seventh hour for middle and high school students. Makulec, who served on an advisory committee for seventh hour, knows that high schoolers in particular have been shortchanged since the elimination of the class period for budget reasons in the early ’90s.

Makulec also has a sophisticated Web site. If she wins the election, we hope she keeps the site updated as a tool for better communication with the public.

She’s endorsed over Frank Hood.

Hood has an impressive resume as an administrator, teacher and hall-of-fame coach, but we agree with Makulec that becoming a member of the School Board is a natural progression of her volunteerism.

Subdistrict F
Jaime Salgado’s financial background, involvement with the Upward Bound program at Rock Valley College and experience as a student liaison at Northern Illinois University have prepared him for the School Board.

It’s hard to beat Harmon Mitchell’s overall experience from elected office to volunteer boards, but we have to wonder whether he really wants the job. Mitchell was appointed to the School Board in 2007.

He wasn’t going to run and then he changed his mind. He said at a Chamber of Commerce candidates forum that the time commitment was unfair to his wife as they look forward to retirement. He wondered aloud how anyone with a family and children could have time for the job. He also lamented the length of the term — four years. It seems he’s running out of a sense of duty rather than a true desire to stay on the board.

We have no reservations about Salgado’s commitment. He wants the job, and we think he can do it well.

March 31, 2009 @ 9:17 AM
RRSTAR.COM
GateHouse Media, Inc.

high school level, the other at the elementary level. Together we have more than 30 years of teaching experience in the Rockford Public Schools; we have known Jude and her family for over 25 years. Through the years Jude has passionately served the school district in many capacities. She has boundless energy, remarkable insight, and relentless optimism. Jude possesses a willingness to examine situations from many angles coupled with a desire to seek solutions that will improve our school system for all students. She is assertive in her approach to solving problems, does not waver from asking questions to increase her knowledge, and will remain true to her convictions. Our community will benefit from Jude’s service on the Rockford School Board. Please vote for Jude on April 7.

On the seven-member board, seats held by Mike Williams in Subdistrict A, Nancy Kalchbrenner in Subdistrict D and Harmon Mitchell in Subdistrict F have terms that expire this year.

Mitchell is running for election; he was appointed to the seat in December 2007. Residents elected will serve full four-year terms.

Dyanna Chandler and Lisa Jackson are running for Subdistrict A. Frank Hood and Jude Makulec are running for Subdistrict D, and Jaime Salgado and Mitchell are running for Subdistrict F.

Hood is a retired teacher, and his teaching experience gives him the perspective to serve on the School Board, he said. His six children went through public schools.

“I know what should be there; I know what should be done,” he said. “These are qualifications I think a board member needs.”

Hood said he’s running because students deserve a better opportunity to succeed, he said.

“I think the school system needs to be improved,” he said. “Accountability and responsibility should be better.”

Hood has a back-to-basics mentality, and he said students and parents need encouragement to read.

“I think the basics of our education need to be better,” he said. “As we build up the basics, the other parts will be easy.”

Makulec is a physical therapist. She has been active in the Rockford School District since 1992, and her three children attended schools in the district.

“My passion is for education and how important I think it is for everyone,” she said.

One of the most important issues right now is safety, Makulec said.

“And to get safety you need discipline,” she said.

She wants to know why school officials didn’t replicate the Montessori program before approving charter schools. She’s encouraging the idea of opening a second Montessori campus and evaluating the district’s alternative programs that are currently offered while considering the future of charter schools. If elected, she plans to provide needed support to the schools.

“Roosevelt is working,” Makulec said of Roosevelt Community Education Center. “I think we need an alternative middle school as well.”

Makulec and Hood favor elementary school zones and also like charter schools for the educational choice they offer.

Having elementary school zones would help preserve Rockford, Hood said, by establishing community support and identity.

Charter schools would offer another option if the district moves toward neighborhood choice, Makulec said.

She favors school zones because they bring predictability. She also served on the task force that developed the previous elementary zone plan.

Her goals and objectives include forming a strategic plan and agreeing on a vision for the district.

Because she owns her own business, her schedule is flexible, she said, so she can adapt to the demanding schedule of a School Board representative.

She’s excited about recruiting other strong administrators.

“You have to have somebody really strong to stand next to somebody really strong,” she said.

Staff writer Cathy Bayer can be reached at cbayer@rrstar.com or 815-987-1395.

Jude Makulec thinks,feels, and does education naturally. She is inquisitive, perceptive and a tenacious advocate for “education for all”.  She does her homework

, studies, talks to others in order to get their perspective and then decides on her course of action. Yes, she follows through on any assignment given to her. Jude is the classic example of the life long learner. She realizes that education is both a gift and responsibility for all of us. She will not only represent her district but will advocate a strong education for every sector of our community. For she realizes that we all gain when we all strive together to achieve, and we all lose when segments of our community are unable to do their best work.What better person for the school board than Jude Makulec, an individual who is both a life long learner and a person who understands the power and potential education provides for all of our school age youth, preK through high school.

This is Jude with her husband Jeff and their three children Amanda, Ross, and Troy celebrating Jude’s decision to run for Rockford School Board.

This is Jude with her husband Jeff and their three children Amanda, Ross, and Troy.