Wesley Ann Polen: Candidate Profile

Back to Hawthorn District 73 School Board

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:BioQA Bio City: Vernon HillsWebsite: https://www.facebook.com/VotePolen/Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Hawthorn District 73 School Board Age: 37Family: My husband, Scott, and I have two daughters. Our oldest daughter is in 1st grade and our youngest will start Kindergarten in the fall.Occupation: COOEducation: M.B.A., Keller Graduate School of Management, 2007B.A., Social Sciences, University of Southern California, 2002Civic involvement: I am volunteer at my daughters' schools, PTO, Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, as well as, several other local charities.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?I have a six-year-old daughter in the Hawthorn District 73 schools and my four-year-old daughter enters the school district in August. Both my husband Scott and I believe a sound public education is critical to a child's success. I care about ensuring all Hawthorn students have access to (and receive) a high-quality education from top-notch educators. Education is critical to the survival of our democracy.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?The District's process for measuring student success is based heavily on standardized tests results. I believe these tests do provide important, useful information. However, I feel that measuring student success should focus more on the student's growth over the course of the school year and less on the actual scores. I feel that focusing success solely on the scores is unfair to the student and the teacher. All students test differently. There are many external factors that may hinder test performance. A balanced assessment program is the best solution, that tests students a few times a year, measures growth and helps the teacher make lesson plans.How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?I believe curriculum planning should be a collaborative process. The actual planning and writing of the curriculum should be left to the experts "â#8364;#339; curriculum director, principals, and teachers. It is the responsibility of the Board to make sure the curriculum design meets all federal and state regulations and mandates, as well as the District's mission, vision and goals set by the Board. The Board must also monitor student achievement results to ensure that the current curriculum design is meeting the needs of all students in the District.I would like to see the following changes/additions to the District's current curriculum: separate curriculum for spelling and phonics, a stronger writing program (especially for middle school), S.T.E.M. (science, technology, engineering, math), and the Dual Language curriculum expanded through 8th grade.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax or fee increases?Currently, the District is facing serious overcrowding issues. Most of the facilities are at, or over, capacity. This impacts everything from student achievement to staff morale. The Board adopted the Master Facilities Plan to address the overcrowding issue. The plan is estimated to cost the District $42 million. On April 4th, the voters will decide whether or not they support the plan to renovate and create state-of-art learning facilities for the students of Hawthorn District 73.The Hawthorn teachers' contracts will be coming up for renewal. In order to maintain the high-quality education District 73 offers, it is imperative the teachers are supported and appreciated. The District must continue to strive to attract and retain the best teachers, as constant teacher turnover is not beneficial to student achievement.I do not support cuts in any educational program unless the program has been proven to be outdated and is being replaced by something better. The Board recently approved a fee increase. I do not think any additional fee increases would be appropriate at this time.What role can and should school choice play in your district? If Congress or the state approves a voucher system or other means giving students broader choices among public and private schools, how will that affect your district? What is the appropriate response for the board of education of a public school system?I believe in choice in education. Many good charter schools have been successful in Chicago and the suburbs. When it comes to vouchers, it depends on what kind of a voucher system is devised. While I support parents' picking the right public school for their children, the system in our area would have to be devised to make sure that all parents did not want their children to go to the better schools, with the lesser performing schools left with very few students. If Congress or the state approve a voucher system, I would work closely to make sure parents had a choice and school quality was maintained.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I believe strongly in expanding the Dual Language program through 8th grade. The current Dual Language program ends in 5th grade. Accountability, trust, and respect are paramount to any school district's success. The District has faced (and will face) many changes. There needs to be a greater effort made to connect and actually listen to the community. I believe the Board and Administration must work to restore the Hawthorn community's trust and respect. The Board can only make decisions based upon the information provided to it by the Administration. The Board must hold the Administration accountable for ensuring the Board receives accurate, complete, and unbiased information. This is critical for the Board to make decisions that are in the best interest of the District.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Sheryl Sandberg. She is truly an advocate for women's rights. Her nonprofit organization supports women in the workplace and funds women's empowerment groups.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?There is NO excuse to ever stop learning, and giving up in NEVER an option.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I've learned important life lessons by making mistakes and taking risks. I do not want a do-over; the lessons have made me a better person.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math. Math helped shape and strengthen my logic, critical thinking, and problem solving skills.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be kind. Always.