It was a most unusual candidate forum for a most unusual Morton School Board race.
Five candidates who are competing for four open seats on the board in the April 1 election talked about themselves and answered questions they'd received before the forum Wednesday in front of a crowd of about 150 in the 450-seat Bertha Frank Performing Center on the Morton High School campus.
Four of the candidates -- incumbents Diane Krall and Jerry Rudd, Wesley Ohnesorge and Krystiana Purdy -- are running as a slate in opposition to candidate Ashley Fischer.
The slate in the non-partisan election is backed financially by the Citizens for Morton Schools political action committee.
Krall will be re-elected. She lives in the unincorporated portion of the Morton School District, and at least one person from that area must be elected in this election cycle.
Because of heated debate on social media between supporters of Fischer and the slate, precautions were taken to ensure the Meet the Candidates forum, hosted for several years by the Morton Chamber of Commerce, did not get out of hand.
The chamber did not allow the usual meet and greet with candidates in the Bertha Frank foyer after the forum, and it asked candidates and supporters to refrain from distributing information or campaign materials in the foyer before or after the event.
Two Morton police cars could be seen in the parking lot before the forum.
Moderator Kevin Miller told the audience that the forum wasn't a debate or town hall, and the candidates and attendees were expected to act with civility, respect and decorum.
They did.
If there was a disruption, Miller said, the forum would be halted and those causing the problems would be removed from the auditorium by police officers.
That didn't happen.
After candidates for the Morton Park District Board, Morton Public Library Board and Morton Village Board took their turn on the Bertha Frank stage, it was time for the main event ... the School Board candidates, who were seated in the order in which they appear on the ballot.
That left Fischer on the far left facing the audience, with Purdy, Ohnesorge, Rudd and Krall rounding out the table.
Fischer teed up the most discussed issue at the School Board forum -- bullying in Morton schools -- in one of her opening statements.
The pediatrician said she attended School Board meetings for six months after hearing bullying stories from Morton parents and offered to work with the district to alleviate the problem, but the board and administration were not responsive.
Rudd, the board's vice president, and Krall sternly refuted Fischer's accusations, defending the district's bullying policies.
Rudd added, "contrary to what you may have read on social media, I do not support hate."
When Fischer said she wanted to end the culture of retaliation in Morton schools, Krall said there isn't a culture of retaliation in the district.
"That's a lie," she said. "We have a culture of trust."
Krall went on to say the district has recently doubled the number of counselors at Morton Junior High and Morton High School and done more training for teachers so they can deal with students' mental health issues, which has resulted in a substantial drop in the number of students who need hospitalization because of those issues.
Ohnesorge said he was bullied as a youngster, so he understands the impact of it, and he will stand up for all students.
Ohnesorge, who has five children, brought some levity to the forum when he said his family has been embraced by the Morton community "even though I don't have a Morton last name. There are seven Ohnesorges in Morton ... all reside in my house."
He went on to recite verses of "Lean on Me," a 1972 song by Bill Withers, that elementary school students had sung at a recent concert at Bertha Frank as an example of how Morton residents help each other.
At the end of the forum, Purdy accused Fischer of being someone who "blurs the line between males and females" and advocates for biological males competing in women's sports and using women's bathrooms.
"It's unfortunate that after a night of peaceful and cordial deliberations among all the candidates, Ms. Purdy resorted to baseless attacks on my character," Fischer said after the forum.
"It's disappointing that she chose to target me personally instead of addressing the issues facing the district, like the School Board's waste of $1.6 million in taxpayer money, its poor response to bullying issues, or its lack of support for teachers. Our children deserve a better role model."
Fischer was referring to the $1.6 million loss the district took on the 2013 purchase and sale 10 years later of nearly 124 acres of farmland off South Fourth Avenue for a possible new high school, and the need for a federal mediator to be called in last summer when contract talks broke down between the district and the Morton Education Association.
According the Illinois State Board of Elections website, Citizens for Morton Schools has received a $2,500 donation from the Tazewell County Republican Central Committee and State Rep. Bill Hauter (R), who lives in Morton, has donated $1,000.
There also are two in-kind donations totaling $2,000 for consulting services from the Hauter campaign.
School Board members Tom Neeley and Tim Braker are not running for re-election. Neeley has been on the board since 1989. Braker was first elected in 2019. Each served as board president during his tenure.
