Michael L. Karner, the Lake County Regional Superintendent of Schools, is running as a Democrat for Illinois Regional School Superintendent for Region 34 in the Nov. 3 general election. Region 34 covers Lake County.
Karner has held the regional superintendent post since 2021, according to BallotReady. In that role, he oversees 45 public schools, 27 private schools, three special education cooperatives and two charter school districts in Lake County, according to the Lake County Juvenile Justice Council. He is certified for the ballot.
Candidate information
- Party: Democratic
- Office sought: Illinois Regional School Superintendent, Region 34
- Election date: Nov. 3
- Education: Bachelor's degree in mathematics and Spanish, Lake Forest College (2007); certificate in secondary education and teaching, North Park University (2008); master's degree in educational leadership and administration, Aurora University (2011); doctorate in curriculum and instruction, Aurora University (2016)
Experience and public service
Karner began his career as a high school mathematics teacher at Zion-Benton Township High School, where he taught from 2007 to 2016. He also taught Spanish, English language learners courses, credit recovery, night school and summer school there, according to the Lake County Juvenile Justice Council.
He served as assistant principal at Zion Central Middle School from 2016 to 2020, then as principal at the Regional Safe School from 2020 to 2021. He has also served as varsity football defensive coach at Antioch Community High School since 2012, according to BallotReady.
Karner was elected Lake County Regional Superintendent of Schools in 2021. After the Illinois Virtual Schools and Academy shut down in 2021 because of funding constraints, Karner secured grant funding to relaunch a reimagined version of the program, according to Government Technology magazine. The relaunched program offers asynchronous courses, credit recovery, full-time virtual learning and solutions for teacher shortages. Since 2022, the program has served a quarter of Illinois school districts and has been financially self-sustaining, according to the magazine.
Government Technology named Karner to its Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers list in spring 2025 for expanding access to virtual learning across Illinois.
Karner said he was selected as an executive fellow at the Erikson Institute in 2025, according to a post on X.
Endorsements
Karner has been endorsed by IUOE Local 150, according to BallotReady.
Candidate information in this profile comes from BallotReady, the Lake County Juvenile Justice Council, Government Technology magazine and the candidate's public statements. The Lake Forest Journal did not interview the candidate for this profile.
