It's getting to be that time again.
Prospective candidates, including those considering a run for local school boards, soon will begin circulating nominating petitions for the April 7 consolidated election.
Municipal races -- as well as township, regional board of school trustees, school, park, public library, community college, fire protection and forest preserve district positions -- are among those to be decided by voters in the spring.
Jim Russell, Illinois Association of School Boards director of communications, said there will be nearly 1,200 school board positions up for election. "This is probably the single best place to enact or fulfill local policy decisions in your community," he said.
Election hopefuls can begin circulating nominating papers Oct. 28.
Those seeking election to a local school board must have petitions signed by at least 50 qualified voters, or 10 percent of the voters, whichever is less, residing within the district.
The filing period for candidates to secure a spot on the election ballot runs from Jan. 19 through 26, according to information on the Illinois State Board of Elections Web site.
But because many school districts are closed Jan. 19 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, candidates vying for school boards are encouraged to check with their local filing office to verify the start of their filing period.
Ballot position for candidates is determined by the order in which nominating papers are filed. When more than one candidate files simultaneously, a lottery takes place to determine the order in which names will appear on the ballot.
The following is a sampling of some Calumet City and Lansing school board members who will be up for election or re-election in April:
Lincoln Elementary District 156 board members Donald Duncan, Rosalyn Hathorn, Gloria Jones and Valencia E. Ross
Hoover-Schrum Elementary District 157 board President Natalie Barnes, board Secretary Terri Morrison and members Charles Garcia, Eric Gibson and Kenneth Taylor
Lansing Elementary District 158 board President Suzanne Long, board Secretary Charles Taylor and members Carl Lancy, John Sufie and Robert Wood
Sunnybrook Elementary District 171 board President Kenneth Lynch and members Dirk Faber, David Lopez and Charlotte Reed Peebles
Thornton Fractional Township High School District 215 board President Debbie Waitekus, board Vice President Marcia Pavich and members Kathy Manno and Natalie Owen
