Seven candidates are vying for three seats on the Parkland College Board of Trustees. We endore Donna Giertz, Dana Trimble and Sam McGrew.

Voters in the 12-county Parkland College district have a wide variety of impressive candidates from whom to choose in the April 5 election.

Incumbents Donna Giertz of Champaign and Dana Trimble of Newman are seeking re-election to a six-year term on the seven-member board. Longtime incumbent Paul Quinlan opted not to seek another term, so there will be at least one newcomer elected.

In addition to the two incumbents, five others are seeking election, and they offer voters a wealth of experience in life, education and politics. They are former Champaign County Board member Greg Knott of St. Joseph, retired school superintendent and former state legislator Sam McGrew of Champaign, teacher and consultant David Thomas of Urbana, retired educator and temporary Tuscola superintendent James Voyles and veterinary technician Jonathon Sherrill of rural Urbana.

Each has either an association with Parkland, has personally benefitted as students in Parkland programs or offers a long career in education.

Whatever the connection, they are running out of a strong belief that Parkland has an important role to play in preparing students to transfer to a four-year school or teaching them vocational skills that will help them land good jobs.

Because the school is well-run both from an academic and administrative standpoint, The News-Gazette urges incumbents Giertz and Trimble be retained. They both have played effective roles as trustees in a successful enterprise, and there is no good reason to replace either of them.

Of the remaining five candidates, The News-Gazette is most impressed by McGrew and Voyles because of their long careers in education and their administrative experience as superintendents.

We give a slight edge to McGrew because, in addition to being a former superintendent, he also is a former state legislator. Given that experience, he would be well equipped to play a liaison role with the General Assembly in Springfield.

It is, of course, always much better for voters to have a large number of good candidates to support. But that makes the choosing a challenge, and that's what The News-Gazette confronted in making our selections.

That burden, however, was eased by the knowledge that the unendorsed candidates also are credible, and the college will continue in good hands no matter the outcome on Election Day.