VIDEO: 5 Batavia School Board Candidates Face Off at Tuesday Forum

The League of Women Voters of Central Kane County held a candidates forum Tuesday night at the Batavia Public Library. Seven candidates are vying for four School Board seats.

Two candidates were not able to attend. The five candidates present separated themselves by their professional experience and position on fiscal and education issues.

Batavia Patch will provide details about each candidate's positions in a followup article. In the meantime, please take a look at this video of the candidates' opening statements.

The candidates are:

• Jim Karner, 42, a stay-at-home dad and PTO treasurer-elect who emphasized his position as a fiscal conservative.
• Susan G. Locke, 47, PTO president at Alice Gustafson School, who worked with the School Board to solve class-size issues at the elementary school.
• Jason Stoops, 39, who runs a full-service staffing firm and is a majority partner in a real estate investment firm, who emphasized his "experience and background with fiscal responsibility." 
• Tina Bleakley, 44, the incumbent School Board member, certified social worker and chair of the Batavia Interschool Council, who emphasized her experience on the board.
• Jonathan E. Gaspar, 56, a teacher at Waldo Middle School in Aurora for the past 33 years who emphasized his experience as an educator.

Not present were:

• Mike Papka, 45, a reserach scientist for Argonne National Laboratory and associate professor of computer science at Northern Illinois University.
• Gary Grizaffi, 49, assistant superintendent of administrative services for Valley View Community Unit School District 365U. 

Read More

• Chicago Tribune: 7 seek school board seats in Batavia
• Kane County Chronicle: Batavia school board hopefuls talk finances

Download the movie