After election, Crystal Lake School Districts 47, 155 will see many new faces

Crystal Lake-based school districts 47 and 155 will each see a number of new faces on their boards next month, with only one incumbent running in each district and three new members chosen by voters Tuesday.

Elementary District 47

Debra Barton was the sole incumbent in the race and while she appears to have retained her seat, in unofficial vote totals, the highest vote total, at nearly 17%, was from one of the non-incumbents, Maria Krause.

With all precincts reporting Tuesday night but some remaining mail-in ballots to be counted, a process that could take two weeks, Lea Grover and Alena Hansen so far are in the lead to fill the remaining two seats on the board. Not far behind are James Nelson, Devon Hubbard Tessmer, Mike Mueller and Andrew Buckler.

Sitting board members Courtney Hand, Jonathan Powell and Tim Mahaffy did not run for reelection.

This newly elected board will take on the role of hiring a new superintendent when Kathy Hinz retires in 2028.

The new board members will take over months after the district went through a tough teacher contact negotiation period last year, and the union took some initial steps toward a strike before settling on a new contract after the school year began. Tensions grew after it was announced in February that the district could be facing possible staff reductions due to budget constraints.

Krause, the top vote-getter, was endorsed by the Crystal Lake Elementary Teachers’ Association, the union that represents teachers, and the Democratic Party of McHenry County. But the union’s other recommended candidates – Tessmer, Buckler and Nelson – are all trailing.

High School District 155

The high school district that District 47 feeds into also had just one incumbent on the ballot, Nicole Pavoris. She led the pack with more than 19% of the vote, while the other three who appear to be on their way to victory – Elizabeth Lund, David Jenkins and Ryan Olson – were clustered, with less than 300 votes separating them.

Mark Pils and Dawn Bivona had about 15% and 13% of the vote, respectively, while the seventh candidate, Walter Moist IV, trailed farther behind with about 4% of the vote. Moist has had past legal entanglements that include a guilty plea to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in 2016 and battery in 2001, according to McHenry County court records.

Sitting board members Jason Blake, Ron Ludwig and Dave Secrest did not run for reelection.

This story has been updated to correct that Courtney Hand did not seek reelection. Emily Smith’s term ends 2027.