Crystal Lake CCSD 47 Board
My extensive background in education makes me an excellent candidate for the District 47 Board of Education. I was an elementary teacher for 14 years so I have first hand knowledge as to what happens in our school’s classrooms. I was an elementary school principal for 20 years. This enables me to understand the complex issues that are facing our schools everyday. I have also worked as a college professor teaching graduate level courses for teachers who are pursuing a master’s degree in the teaching of reading so I have extensive knowledge in the area of curriculum. I believe my background in the field of education will provide an additional viewpoint to the business leaders, accountants, and attorneys currently serving on the District 47 Board of Education.
2. My top priorities for the Board of Education for District 47 would be:
1) Demonstrating and insisting upon fiscal responsibility to all stakeholders including students, parents, staff, and the taxpayers in our community
2) Insisting and expecting that all students attending District 47 schools have a positive educational experience that results in educational excellence provided by the highest quality teachers and staff
3) Establishing policies that support academic excellence benefitting all students.
One of my major responsibilities as a board member is to maintain fiscal responsibility and manage the dollars the district receives from all sources. The question of whether or not to freeze tax levies is not independent of itself. While I understand the dynamics of falling housing prices and increased tax rates, a school board member must also weigh the impact of other resources that are coming into the district (i.e. state and federal funding). Variables such as the impact of pension reform on school districts, pending teacher contracts, and other factors play into this decision. While I understand this not a direct response to the question, in my mind it is a bigger picture issue. A tax levy that I will support will be based on the dollars needed to provide a quality education within District 47 and not simply based on the total amount of tax dollars available to us.
I support the decisions that have been made by the District 47 Board of Education during the past year. I do not have any significant disagreements with their actions.
The district continues to provide a quality education while maintaining the fiscal stability they have achieved while other districts have not been prepared to meet the financial challenges that are currently presented in our struggling economy.
I have a full understanding of what policies and procedures are needed at the elementary level within the school system to achieve academic excellence, a high level of academic achievement, and preparation for a student’s continuing education in high school based on my teaching, learning, and administrative experiences. It is my goal through my experience to complement the current knowledge and expertise of the other board members that are serving District 47
I have served on the D47 Board since 2009, the last two years as board president. In addition, I served on the D47 Board from 1996 until 2002.
1) Maintain the financial strength of the district with balanced budgets, which is difficult with the continuing economic downturn and the uncertainties of state funding and pension reform being allocated to school districts; 2) Continue to improve delivery of educational support and services to improve both student performance and the ability for educators to teach our children; 3) Expand the use of technology in our classrooms.
The question focuses too narrowly on housing values while ignoring other relevant factors, such as the current debate in Springfield regarding the pension crisis. If the legislature forces an allocation of the pension liability to school districts, that action could require drastic expense reductions and/or a levy increase. While no one – including me – likes a tax increase, I believe that preserving a financially and educationally strong school district maintains value for taxpayers better than if the district is in a mode of layoffs, school closings, and/or falling test scores. My commitment is that I will continue to drive value to the taxpayers by maintaining a financially strong school district, reducing costs wherever and whenever possible, and that I will examine the district’s revenue requirements each year with an eye towards minimizing the tax impact. As an elected official, I will always listen to input from taxpayers and be willing to discuss my position on each levy, whether at meetings, in phone calls or e-mails, or out on the street or in line at a store.
I don’t believe I disagree with any decisions that have been made, but since we’re in the education field, we can and should learn from past experiences to improve the board’s effectiveness in the future. As with any organization, there are always improvements which can be made, and after every meeting, I take the time to examine any learning points from the meeting that can be used in the future, and share those as appropriate.
Implementing full-day kindergarten in the 2013-2014 school year at all of our elementary schools. Now that we have the space to implement this program, it will better prepare our students from a younger age for the increasing common core standards being implemented at each grade level, and is responsive to parents who have been requesting full-day kindergarten for a long time.
My experience as a board member, my background in finance and contract administration, and my passion for education make me a good candidate to be re-elected.
I was a classroom teacher for 15 years. I was an administrator in Crystal Lake School District 47 for 18 years. Since that time I was Director of Children’s Ministries at Evangelical Free Church of Crystal Lake for 6 1/2 years and I have supervised student teachers for Trinity International University since 2002. During the time I worked for District 47 I negotiated with the board, made presentations to the board, and attended school board meetings for many years. My experiences with Trinity have given me opportunities to learn about other school districts in Lake, McHenry, and Cook counties. I taught learning disabled students and the whole continuum through gifted students. As an administrator and a university supervisor I have learned what makes successful educational experiences for students. I have also worked with many parents and understand their desires for quality and appropriate education for their children.
Listen to constituents
Use my background in curriculum development to make wise decisions regarding future curriculum adoptions
Maximize the resources of the school district to obtain the most value for students without further burden to taxpayers
I am certainly open to that possibility but I cannot say for certain until I see all the facts. The school district’s declining enrollment might lead one to believe that there should be a corresponding reduction in expenses but that generally does not prove to be the case because many of the expenses stay the same and there is less per pupil state aid. Deferred maintenance of buildings leads to higher costs for the future. I do believe that today’s economic climate means that all taxing bodies have to do everything they can to deliver the most value for the lowest cost to taxpayers.
The adoption of the Character Counts program is the decision I disagree with most. It is not crafted well for adoption into the classroom, it introduces topics best left for parents to discuss with their own children, and it places an undue burden on teachers by giving them another curriculum area to plan for and squeeze into an already very crowded school day--and one that is not reflected on the high stakes testing of other curriculum areas.
The biggest accomplishment of the board is the consideration of full-day kindergarten. My hope is that with more time, some of the creative activities that made children eager to come to school in kindergarten and set the stage for future educational successes may be returned to the kindergarten curriculum. Most of these learning activities were eliminated from the kindergarten curriculum when it became more academic. Children who were unprepared then were pushed unsuccessfully into pre-reading and reading before they were ready.
On the other hand, I have serious reservations about Kindergarten students possibly not attending their neighborhood schools. The number of times a student changes schools has a negative effect on high school graduation and places a burden on families.
I have knowledge and experience that I believe will have a positive influence on the future direction of Crystal Lake School District 47. I care about students and their families and the future direction of our community.
My work experience has included small business owner, sales, park district teacher, and healthy choices speaker. Each job has provided me with a variety of practical experiences and skills that would contribute to the position of School Board Member. Most important is my role as a wife and mother. My husband Brett and I have been married twenty-three years and we are long-time residents of Crystal Lake. We have three children who attend schools in the district; Elementary, Middle and High School. I love to volunteer in my children’s schools. For many years, I have served and continue serving, on the Arts Alive and WEB reading. I am a District 47 Parent Advisory Board Representative, in this role I am a liaison between the parents of Husmann School and the district administration. We meet regularly with the Superintendent, Dr. Mendoza and other Board Members to discuss current issues.
Serving on the School Board includes being accountable to the students, principals, teachers, taxpayers, administration and all who serve in the schools. Being a mother and homemaker allows me to be flexible in serving at the schools.
My first priority would be to visit all the schools in the district and talk with the students and staff, to find out their needs and help provide solutions. I would like to work with the social workers to see how to meet the practical needs as well as the social needs of the students. If requested, I would make myself available to the schools to be an extra hand to provide mentoring, creative skills or physical activity.
Secondly, students thrive in an environment that offers academics combined with extracurricular activities: maintaining a well-rounded curriculum would be a priority. I believe that art, music, and gym are very important for all grade level students. When balancing the school board budget, I would keep the extracurricular activities as a priority in our schools.
When formulating a solution to this important question, we need to look long term and not just for a temporary fix. I would support a tax freeze with the mindset that government spending must also be kept under control. The two objectives must work together in order for the outcome to be effective for the schools, taxpayers and teachers. Even the average family has to do more with less during these tough economic times; the school board is no different. As a taxpayer, we pay a certain percent more in taxes each year while our household income and real estate value decline. Thus, forcing us to make further cuts in our household expenses that we have already trimmed due to inflation and less income. In order to enable a tax levy freeze, just like us taxpayers have been forced to cut our household expenses, the school board cannot continue to deficit spend and needs to work on a balanced budget.
I do not fully agree with the passing of the Character Education Program. The state of Illinois does not require schools to implement a program, just a policy, which has been in place in our district. Main concerns included: cost of program, teachers time and training, time away from core subjects, unclear implementation, how to measure the success, substance in lessons and protection of parental rights. Respectfully we did address our concerns at a school board meeting. The program did pass, and in moving forward, I hope to help draw out the positive attributes and continue reaching out to the community.
In my opinion, the wonderful improvements and upgrades to our district schools. This past summer launched the start of close to fifty construction plans initiated by the board. This is part of a ten year facility vision, which includes renovations to aging school buildings. The majority of the work included new roofs, windows, doors, electrical and HVAC system upgrades. The projects varied according to the need at each school. West and Husmann, received the most improvement. I have noticed a big change in Husmann School, with the old 1970’s wing receiving a much needed updating. This included new lockers, new drinking fountains, fresh paint and larger looking classrooms. The district’s improvement plan for the three middle schools focused on flooring, concrete work and masonry improvements. These improvements were thoughtfully planned and budgeted by the board. Not only are these improvements necessary for safety, they also provide students and faculty with a sense of pride for their schools. Nice job!
I believe I fill a void on the current board. There is no one currently on the board, nor is there any other candidate, who is a mother of young children. This is an important viewpoint that must be represented on our school board. The best boards are diverse because they mirror the community they represent. Who better to do what is best for our kids than someone with children in our schools today. In addition, to being a wife, mom and a taxpayer, I am an active member in the community and in the schools. I serve in church leadership, in local community –based nonprofit organizations. I believe these experiences have provided me with the skills and attributes that will help me be an effective school board member.
I have served for the past four years on the CCSD 47 Board of Education, and I have served on several other boards over the years. Through these experiences, I have gained insight into the role of a board and importantly, how to be a good board member. The primary function of a Board is providing organizational oversight and transparency into decision making. Accomplishing that function involves creating good working relationships with other board members and with the administrators who answer to the board. That means a good board member listens, asks questions, and provides guidance while avoiding playing the role of a day-to-day administrator.
In addition to my public service, I have worked for 17 years in various roles at IBM. In my business experience, I have managed people, budgets, deadlines, and internal conflict. I know what it takes to motivate people and how to bring people along when making a group decision. In my opinion, this is essential experience for anyone serving on a board, whether in the public or private sector.
1)Maintain a balanced budget. We weathered the financial storm of the recession thanks to a combination of careful use of cash reserves, a strong working relationship with the teachers’ union, and sufficient enrollment declines that allowed us to reduce the number of paid staff through retirements, not lay-offs. Now that we are at a balanced budget, we need to stay there. That means any new spending needs to be offset with cuts elsewhere.
2)Increase the size of our bus fleet. This will cost money, so the timing will be dictated by the economy. We live in an amazing part of the country. Our children are less than 90 minutes from world class museums, music and theater. Currently, our transportation constraints eliminate the possibility of field trips to Chicago. Our children will benefit greatly when we can change that.
3)Reinvent the middle school day. Today, electives are pushed aside for large blocks of time on ISAT-driven core classes. Our children’s education is poorer for that. Also, kids need more personal attention and support at that age because they are starting to make decisions that will impact their future academic opportunities and even their lives.
I cannot support that sort of absolute position. Unlike our state and Federal Governments, local school boards are obliged to pay our bills. Some costs are completely out of our control, and rise regardless of property values: energy, insurance, commodity goods like paper, etc. Besides the costs, the state of Illinois has slashed our financial support by over 50% since I joined the Board. The state’s actions have shifted more of the financial burden onto local property owners. Illinois is one of the worst states in the country in terms of state support for K-12 education. If we want our children to have a solid education, we local taxpayers (and I am one!) are forced to foot more of the bill. We are fortunate to live in a community where that is possible. Other districts don’t have the resources we do, and their children suffer as a result.
That said, we must challenge every budget proposal to minimize, or eliminate any impact on our taxpayers. I personally asked the administration to look into a zero levy each of the past two years. In both cases, rising costs and declining state revenues compelled us to issue a levy.
In all honesty, I cannot say that I disagree with any decision over the past year. We carefully and actively deliberate and debate every important item that comes before us. Through the process of debate, we almost always arrive at a consensus. For example, I wanted a zero levy this past year; however, when confronted with the cold facts, I felt it necessary to join with the rest of the Board to approve the levy. I wish we could have zero levied, but that is not the same as “disagreeing.”
The decision to offer full day kindergarten beginning in the 2013/14 school year is the single greatest accomplishment not only of the past year, but of the past four years. When I joined the school board, full day kindergarten was one of my highest priorities. Ever greater learning expectations are being placed on our children, including children in kindergarten. We may have mixed feeling about that, but there is no denying the truth that the expectations exist. Besides that, something as seemingly unrelated to education as our climate has a huge impact on the quantity and quality of kindergarten education. My wife was a kindergarten teacher. In the winter months, 2.5 hours of educational time was reduced to almost 1.5 hours simply because of all the time spent taking winter outwear on and off! That has a real impact on what a teacher can accomplish. I have yet to meet a kindergarten teacher who is anything other than thrilled at the prospect of a full day with the children. This new offering will have a profound impact on the quality of our elementary education. Detractors may complain about costs, but this investment in our children is well worth the expense.
I bring the business and public service background necessary to continue being an effective member of the District 47 Board of Education. Taxpayers rightfully expect a high quality education for our children in exchange for their hard earned dollars. Balancing the programmatic requirements to deliver that high quality education against the costs of those requirements is the primary duty of the Board. I have a proven track record of careful investment where appropriate and aggressive cost cutting where necessary. I will continue to provide the leadership District 47 needs to align the community, the board, the administrators, the faculty and staff in the same direction: providing the education our children need for success in high school and beyond.
I have served 12 years on the Board of Education, which has provided me a great deal of experience with all facets of our district. I have served on the Board during times of exploding enrollment and declining enrollment, during better financial times and extremely difficult financial times. I’ve served on nearly every committee of the Board, and currently am serving on the Curriculum, Technology, Policy, and the Human Resources Committee. Being active on these committees has kept me well informed of the issues facing education today. When my children were attending District 47, I was heavily involved in various parent groups, serving as an officer in Coventry’s PTA, Beardsley’s PTO, and the Crystal Lake Friends of Gifted Education. I have one niece currently attending a D47 school. I understand the concerns of parents and the important role they play in decision making as stakeholders in our district. I am currently serving as President of the Service League, and know firsthand the increasing financial difficulty some residents are facing. My business experience has provided me with a background in finances, budgeting, and personnel issues. I’ve held many leadership positions, and have served as part of many collaborative teams.
Top priority has, is and always will be to provide our children, both current and future, the best education possible with the resources provided to us. Specifically, it has been the goal of the Board to achieve a balanced budget and maintain that budget going forward. We are currently projected to deficit spend in FY 13/14 by some $125,000, worsening to nearly $700,000 afterward largely due to State funding cuts. As it is our responsibility to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars while providing an excellent education to our students, we must get our fiscal house in order without doing damage to the educational program we have built and continue to improve on. While we find every savings possible, building on much that we have already done in cutting over $7 million from our actual and budget over the last 2 years, we must retain quality staff by successfully negotiating a new teacher and paraprofessional contract. Implementing the Common Core, raising the achievement of our lowest and neediest students, maintaining an aging physical infrastructure, providing 21st century learning tools so that our students can acquire 21st century learning skills, and supporting our teachers in their jobs are also top priorities.
Every district must consider their individual situation each year when setting the levy. District 47 has sustained substantial reductions in non-property tax revenue over the last 5 years, mainly from the State, totaling over $9.7 million. Based on reports from Springfield, it appears our District will be facing a cut in General State Aid again, a possible shift in pension costs, a proposed cut in the transportation reimbursement rate, and unfunded State mandates. Further complicating matters is the fact that we must pass our levy in December before we know the State’s plan. The current formula does not allow us to levy without impacting future years. Less levy one year means less levy in future years. A tax abatement might be possible if and when we can stem the cuts and mandates from the State. Future lost revenue could well result in teacher layoffs and higher class sizes. As a Board member I would consider freezing our levy only if District 47 could still ensure its students would continue to receive a quality education.
In the past year our Board has voted unanimously on all questions except for perhaps one or two, and on those votes I was with the majority. A year and a half ago I was the sole vote against extending the Superintendent’s contract 5 years. I felt at the time that as a relatively new superintendent, only having served three years, he had not yet demonstrated that he deserved an extension for that long of a period. However, once a vote is taken it is incumbent on each Board Member to set aside their differences and work toward the success of whatever course the majority has decided to take.
There were many important accomplishments in the areas of curriculum, technology, finance, special ed, operations, and teaching and learning, and it is difficult to pick just one. There are two that stand out as examples of what I believe we should be about as a Board. The first was starting a full day kindergarten program. Research shows that full-day kindergarten boosts student achievement, improves students’ social and emotional skills and provides a bridge between pre-K and the early elementary years. And over time it saves money. Economic analyses of quality early education programs show that they generate returns of $3 to every $1 spent by reducing grade retention and learning interventions in later years. The second accomplishment is that we approved a budget for 2012/13 that was balanced, which was difficult and demanded of us hard choices, including delaying the implementation of programs and improvements that would benefit children and reduce class sizes. However, we must protect the education of future students while we provide excellence to the current ones.
Good school board members are passionate about children and educational excellence. They understand that they work as a member of a team, not only with other board members but also with administration, teachers, staff, parents, and the community. They are problem solvers, critical thinkers, and good communicators. They are hard workers, attending many meetings and sifting through many pages of information. They possess an open mind, waiting to find out all the facts before they make a decision. They care about all facets of a public education system: from the finances to what students are being taught in the classroom; from the workload of staff to what children are eating in the cafeteria. They understand their role as setting the vision, direction and policy of the district, and not micromanaging the administration. I think I have demonstrated all of these qualities during my 12 years on the board. In addition, my business and accounting background have been useful in dealing with the financial and management issues we face, while my experience as a parent has given me a perspective on the hopes and concerns all parents have for the education of their children.
