Kim Opsahl: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: LibertyvilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Oak Grove Elementary D68Age: 44Family: Married, two childrenOccupation: Stay at home mom, previously, a senior manager at a large consulting firmEducation: BA Economics, University of Chicago, 1989Civic involvement: Cub Scouts,Girl Scouts,St. James Lutheran ChurchElected offices held: Oak Grove PTO Secretary (2007-2008)Oak Grove PTO Vice-President (2008-2010)Oak Grove PTO Co-President (2010-current)Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The most important campaign issue is fiscal responsibility. The current economic environment is challenging. The Board of Education needs to continue to monitor the budget and challenge the administration to decrease expenses. Important decisions must be made during the next term regarding both revenue and expenses. I think the taxpayers are tired of seeing their taxes continue to rise in a challenging economic environment.Key Issue 2 Another important subject is to continue to achieve academic excellence while maintaining fiscal responsibility. The percentage of Oak Grove students who meet or exceed state standards on state tests has consistently been above the state average. I want Oak Grove to maintain a strong learning environment for our kids and community. The 2009-2013 strategic plan is one way to do this. Maintaining and monitoring the curriculum and common assessments given to students is another. Given the current economic challenges, we need to ensure that there is not a negative impact on the academic environment at Oak Grove.Key Issue 3 A third point is individual student achievement. I am excited about Oak Grove administration#146;s plan to meet individually with students to increase the percentage of students reaching goal targets. Administration and/or teachers will meet with each student to discuss his/her MAP results and work to improve scores and reach their individual goal. We should encourage more of these programs focused on individual achievementOver the past several summers, Oak Grove has implemented separate reading and math programs. These programs were intended to prevent the regression of learning that happens over the summer. These programs have been successful. I would like to see more programs like these which are geared to individualizing student learning to be implemented. Oak Grove has a great parent community who are very interested in the school and their student#146;s performance. These parents volunteer a considerable amount of time at the school #8211; from serving lunches to teaching art awareness programs. Using parents as a resource can also help with individualized learning.Questions Answers How satisfied are you that your district is preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?Oak Grove students, as a whole, are prepared for high school. After High School District 128 achieved an overall ACT composite score of 25.0 for the first time in district history, the high school superintendent wrote a letter to Oak Grove praising Oak Grove#146;s excellent preparation of students including the areas of curriculum, instruction and assessment for high school. In addition, earlier this school year, Chicago Magazine recognized Oak Grove as the #3 elementary school in Lake County. To continue this record of excellence, I think that Oak Grove should conduct post graduation surveys on a consistent basis to verify our students#146; preparedness for high school.What budget issues will the district have to confront? What measures do you support to address them? If cuts are needed, be specific about programs and expenses that should be reduced or eliminated. Do you support any tax increases for local schools?I believe Oak Grove#146;s Administration and Board has done an excellent job with Oak Grove finances. The district currently maintains a fund reserve balance of 40% of budget. However, the budget must be adjusted to reflect declining enrollment. In addition, the current economic environment shows that home values are declining in our area. This decline will impact revenues. Staffing may need to be reduced as the number of students is reduced. Ideally, staff reduction will occur through retirement and natural attrition. I expect the Superintendent and Administration to make staffing recommendations to the Board. The Board of Education was presented with a long term facilities plan at the meeting on January 24, 2011. The Board will need to make decisions about the implementation of this plan and its impact on the overall budget. I would not support a referendum for increased spending at this time. Currently, our district is financed 91.1% by local property taxes vs. 83.4% for District 70 schools (according to the Illinois Interactive Report Card). I do not think that we need to take this number any higher. Our expenditures should not be greater than our revenues and our fund reserve balance should be maintained.Is experience as a teacher or support from a union valuable because it suggests educational insights or detrimental because it creates pro-teacher bias? Please clarify whether you have such experience or would accept union support.I believe support from the union is valuable because teachers are a valuable part of the educational experience. They are the front line with our students. With all of the changes occurring in the 21st century, the teachers also need support and training to be able to teach best practices to our kids. I have been very active with the Oak Grove PTO including being on the PTO Executive Board for 4 years (currently, as Co-President). The PTO supports our teachers in a variety of ways including funds for the classroom and teacher appreciation dinners.As contract talks come up with various employee groups, what posture should the board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?In the current economic climate, the board would be remiss if they did not ask for concessions. I think we have a unique opportunity to be creative when working with various employee groups to meet the needs of both sides of the table. I believe that we cannot give employees the same increases in pay that they have received in the past. We should carefully consider increases in this economic environment.If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?No, I would not support a substantial increase in superintendent or administrator pay to help boost pension benefits. That is fiscally irresponsible for the district and our taxpayers.