A bittersweet moment came at the end of Monday’s Duneland School Board, marking a combined 26 years of service between At-Large member Janice Custer and Jackson Twp. representative Nick Jurasevich who are leaving their posts at the end of this year.

Custer first joined the board in 1996, a few years after having retired from 23 years of teaching at Chesterton High School. She said her leadership on the Duneland Teacher’s Association sparked her interest school board matters.

Board Vice-President Mike Trout presented Custer with a plaque for her 16 years of service and another for her years as president of the board, including the current year.

Reflecting on her tenure, Custer said with a laugh, “I’ve enjoyed it … for the most part.”

For his ten years on the board, Jurasevich was quick to say, “I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.” He said he has reminisced about the many over-the-phone conversations he has had and was a little bit surprised to realize that most of them were with Duneland students.

“I want to say thank you to the kids because they’re the reason we’re here,” he said.

Jurasevich, who works as a customer service manager for Reiter Automotive and a permanent deacon at St. Patrick’s Parish in Chesterton, was presented with a plaque from Trout thanking him for his service. He has been a board president twice.

Jurasevich lost a reelection bid this November to newcomer Kristin Kroeger.

Custer decided not to run for a new term. Her seat will be filled by John Marshall, a former school board member.

Duneland Schools Superintendent Dirk Baer said he has gotten to know both Custer and Jurasevich quite well referring to them as “good people of good character caring about our kids” and have had their share of disagreements and concurrences over the years.

“We’ve had our differences about some things, but never about what is best for the kids,” Baer said.

Posted 12/4/2012