Trust, communication key issues in Dist. 200 board race

Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 candidate Gary Tonn's campaign is focused on three “Ts”: Transparency, truth and trust.

“I think that needs to be augmented,” he said. “When people know certain information and they see the way that we're presenting it, sometimes, to the public, it doesn't take too many instances like that before people start questioning and saying, ‘Hey, I'm going to have to check everything myself.'”

Tonn, a District 200 special education teaching assistant, has cited several events in recent years that have weakened the level of trust among the district, board and community, including changes with Hubble Middle School, the contracts and early leave of former superintendents, and the failed referendum on the Jefferson Early Childhood Center.

Better communication and increased trust is a goal of all five board candidates running in the April 7 election.

The field also includes incumbents Jim Gambaiani and Jim Vroman and newcomers Chris Crabtree and Judith Zapf. The candidates are vying for three open seats.

Tonn said he thinks one of the reasons voters said no to funding for a new Jefferson was because they didn't trust some of the information provided by the district.

He said he also isn't pleased with the district's focus on “publicizing what's great, and we're holding back on some other things” that may show room for improvement, such as test scores.

Crabtree, president of the District 200 Parent Teacher Association, said she thought the district's Engage200 community engagement process was “a great start” to improving communication, but she feels the district needs to reach out to more community organizations to “get information out there.”

For example, she suggested the district share its successes or need for support at senior homes, park district programs or local churches.

“I feel like in order for the community to stand behind us and trust us, they need to feel that they are engaged,” she said.

As for being more transparent, Crabtree said she believes the district is doing better than it was 10 to 15 years ago.

An example, she said, was the district's willingness to show Engage200 attendees where it stands in comparison to benchmark districts in regard to student achievement and spending.

“I think that's the kind of thing that helps to build trust,” she said. “We're showing we may not be at the top of student achievement, and these other people might be a little higher than we are right now, but we're letting you know this is what we're doing to maintain where we're at, this is what we'd like to do for the future.”

Zapf, a Realtor, said she was surprised to learn how little residents knew about the school district during the Engage200 process.

“I was involved in the Jefferson referendum. I shared the story of my child's experience at Jefferson, and to hear that message wasn't received by a large portion of our population was truly disheartening,” she said.

Even though most of the Engage200 sessions had 300 people or less in attendance, Zapf thinks it is critical that those people become “true ambassadors of the messages of District 200.”

“We're going to need these 300 people to reach out to their friends and family and get the word out,” she said. “I know that there's a lot of power in that small group.”

Anyone who does have a concern, she said, should make an effort on their own to get their questions answered.

“If I have a question, I am able and willing to ask it, and I haven't been told, ‘No, we won't tell you that.' I feel like it's on the members of our community, who are wanting information that they feel they do not have, to take it upon themselves and get that information,” she said. “In my experience in doing that, I have gotten the information I have requested.”

Gambaiani, a software company CEO, said he thinks community trust in the district has improved since he joined the board in 2011, but there is still “a long way to go.”

“One hundred percent transparency begets trust,” he said. “It's no more complicated than that. And for me, it's very important that there's no element at all of any misrepresentation of facts.”

Gambaiani agreed with Tonn that a lot of the actions from past years by the district have been “very difficult to shake.”

“We have to be consistent, and we have to make sure we are giving (information) as perfectly out there as we can so that there is no indication or hesitation to accept that information as factual and trustworthy,” he said.

Vroman said he also thinks the level of trust is higher than it was when he was first elected to the board in 2011, but the district “always can do more” to improve it.

“To enhance transparency not only means getting information out to the community, but also finding avenues for the community to get their concerns and suggestions and recommendations back to us,” he said.

Vroman felt former superintendent Brian Harris' involvement in several community organizations, such as the Lions Club and Rotary, was helpful too, as he was able to answer questions members had about the school district during luncheons and other gatherings.

Vroman said he believes the failure of the Jefferson Early Childhood Center referendum was partly because of economic conditions, but also because residents were concerned about what other facility requests the district might make in the future.

At the time, Vroman said, there was only a basic facilities plan so not much information was available, but now the district is working on a detailed master plan.

“If it turns out the recommendation from the facilities committee is for a Jefferson referendum — and I don't know whether that will be the case — and the board should follow that recommendation, at least when we go to the community we'll have that behind us,” he said.