BOARD OF EDUCATION MEMBERS

GARY PECCOLA PRESIDENT	Gary Peccola was appointed to the school board in 2005 following the death of Ronald Ganschinietz. He successfully ran for election to a two-year term in 2007. In 2009 he was re-elected to a four-year term and was then elected President of the board. Gary also served on the budget committee for four years and has achieved Master School Board Member status through the Illinois Association of School Boards. Gary and his wife, Debbie, both graduated from CHS in 1974. Gary earned a bachelor of science degree from SIU-E in 1978. He is a former U.S. Air Force Captain and served four years on active duty. After leaving the service, he started his own construction company and has worked in residential construction and development for over 25 years. Serving on the board has been a very positive experience for him and he believes that the Unit 10 staff is the district's greatest strength. He visits all of the schools in the district and has seen first-hand the dedication, experience and professionalism that is demonstrated on a daily basis at all levels in the district. One of Gary's primary goals for the next four years is to increase public awareness of the many positive opportunities offered by Unit 10 as well as the unique challenges the district faces. He is looking forward to continuing to serve on the board and is committed to helping make the district the best it can be.
THERESA BILLY VICE PRESIDENT	Theresa Billy, a retired teacher, is the only board member with direct ties to education. While all of the other board members are also college educated, their career paths went in different directions. Billy admits that serving on the board has been an eye opener. Although she taught for 37 years, she said she wasn't fully aware of what it takes to run a school district, especially one the size of Unit 10. The board and administration must deal with finances, budgets, personnel and federal and state regulations, just to name a few areas. It takes a lot of time, she said, to be a good board member, and added that every day offers new and rewarding challenges. BILLY, who graduated from Gillespie High School, attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale two years. After receiving a teaching certificate, she first taught kindergarten at Webster School. She later earned bachelor's and master's degrees in elementary education from SIUE, and has 32 hours beyond her master's degree. During her teaching career, her years were spent at Webster School where she taught K-3. Billy and her husband have one daughter who will be in her 20th year of teaching this fall at Kreitner School. The daughter also is an assistant coach for the girls' basketball team at Collinsville High School.
RON THROM TREASURER	Ron Throm was appointed to the school board in September, 2010 to fill the remaining term of Tony Albertina. Ron's focus as a member of the school board is to provide an environment in which students can reach their full potential, while being a good steward for the taxpayers by paying close attention to the districts financial health. He is looking forward to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Unit 10. Ron and his wife, Connie, are both graduates of Collinsville High School, Ron in 1974 and Connie in 1978. Ron has two sons, Jeff and Mike also Collinsville graduates. Ron has worked in the forest products industry for over 30 years. He is employed as a sales manager by Madison County Wood Products, based in Fredericktown, MO.
WAYNE WHITE SECRETARY	Wayne White, a sergeant for the Village of Glen Carbon Police Department, and prior corrections officer, was elected to the board of education in 2007. White firmly believes the foundation of every community is built upon a solid school district. Using his experience as a juvenile and school liaison officer for the Glen Carbon Police Department, his main goal is to help create a healthier and safer learning environment for all students. White is a life-long resident of Unit 10, graduating from Collinsville High School in 1990. White received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1994 from Illinois State University. As a proud Kahok graduate, his mission as a board member is to help make Unit 10 the finest school district in the metro east area. White and his wife of fifteen years Renee are the proud parents of three children (twin sons and a daughter) who attend Unit 10 schools.
GARY KUSMIERCZAK	Gary Kusmierczak's goals as a school board member focus on providing as good an education as possible for students served by Unit 10 in Collinsville, Maryville and Caseyville. He is also interested in fiscal responsibility and providing the best library, media and classroom materials as possible. He said he takes pride in the fact that he and his wife's two daughters graduated from Collinsville High School and were given the opportunity to participate in the gifted program offered at the school. Now in his second term on the board, Kusmierczak first served from 1997-01 and later was elected to the 2003-07 term. AFTER graduating in 1970 from CHS, he earned a bachelor's degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois. His master's degree in finance was earned in 1983 at Webster University in St. Louis. He worked in public accounting from 1978-80, and since that time has worked in corporate accounting.
JANE SOEHLKE	Jane Soehlke ran for the Collinsville Unit 10 School Board and was elected in the April, 2011, election. Her first meeting was May 16, 2011. Jane graduated in 1962 from the Academy of Notre Dame in Belleville, IL. She attended college at Southern Illinois University obtaining her Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Elementary Education. She continued her education at SIUE and retired from teaching with 32 hours beyond her Masters. She taught three years in the parochial schools and 34 years in Fairview Heights for District 110. Upon retiring she served as a substitute teacher for the Unit 10 schools for five years. Jane is married to Jerry Soehlke (CHS 1964). They have two daughters. Their oldest daughter, Stacey Lauenstein (CHS 1991) is a first grade teacher at Renfro School. Their youngest daughter is Sara Doherty (CHS 1994). Sara is a third grade teacher at Caseyville elementary. Jane and Jerry have 3 grandchildren. In addition to the classroom teaching experience Jane bring to the board a background of working on curriculum, teacher's negotiations, writing teacher evaluations, implementing student assistance programs, and knowledge of the standards and goals of the State of Illinois. She wants the public to know about the good things happening in the Collinsville Schools and to focus on making the Unit 10 Schools a great place to obtain an education.
GARY CLARK	Gary Clark, a former teacher at Collinsville High School, was elected to the Board of Education in 2011. Gary graduated from Eldorado High School (Eldorado, IL) in 1969 and obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from McKendree College. Gary furthered his education by obtaining a Master of Science degree at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. Following a 34-year career in the Collinsville School District, Gary retired in 2009. In addition to serving as the Education Liaison for the City of Collinsville, Gary is also the Executive Director for the Illinois Association of Student Councils and President of the National Association of Student Councils. Gary also serves on the Board of Directors of the Collinsville Education Scholarship Foundation. Gary and his wife, Shirley, have three children and five grandsons. He is a member of the United Methodist Church. For many years, Mr. Clark has been involved in serving the Collinsville community. He was the Founder and Founding President of The Friends of the Collinsville Memorial Library; is Past President of the Illinois Directors of Student Activities; Co-hosted the 2005 National Student Council Convention in Collinsville, Illinois; managed the Collinsville Blum House for several years; and has served on the Collinsville Italian Fest Committee. In 2005, Gary received the Key to the City of Collinsville and was named Collinsville Teacher of the Year. Mr. Clark wants the public to know about the many exciting things that are happening in the Collinsville schools and to focus on the many positive attributes of the Collinsville Unit #10 School District.