Kristine Gericke: Candidate Profile

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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: NapervilleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Kristine M. GerickeOffice sought: Naperville Unit District 203 School Board Age: 44Family: Married-Jeff GerickeTwo childrenTwo catsOccupation: Substitute TeacherEducation: B.A. History w/Secondary Ed.North Central College, 1994Civic involvement: CASA of DuPage-advocateBoy Scout Troop 555-Committee ChairCub Scout Pack 503-various positionsDaisy/Brownie Troop 106-LeaderVFW, Ladies AuxiliaryDuPage Pads Volunteer, annually in summer through Our Saviour's Lutheran ChurchDistrict 203:-General Home School President-General Home School Vice Pres.-General Home School Treasurer-Prairie Elem. Home School Pres.-Prairie Elem. Home School V.P.-Prairie Elem. Home School SFCP-Washington Home School Secretary-Naperville North Orchestra Parents Assoc. Vice President-Committee member for the Enrollment Capacity StudyElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers With growing concern around mental health and addiction, what should the district do to build mentally healthy students, support the mental health of students who have mental illnesses and help students avoid addiction?The district cannot work alone in regards to the mental health of its students. This challenge has to be addressed together by families, schools, and the broader community. No one entity can prevent, treat or solve mental health illness or addictions.The district can continue to work pro-actively to make the school environment safe and welcoming for all of our students. It can also make sure that all staff is provided with training or refresher courses to help identify a student that may need help. Stress is a contributing factor to addiction. The district can work to ensure that undue stress is not being placed on students. Prioritizing needs and wants for academic success on the individual level is extremely important. I want our kids to strive for their personal bests. The focus should not be on who is #1 or who is the "best". The focus should be on an individual reaching his/her next level or personal best. I don't want students to be comparing themselves to each other. Does a student have what he/she needs to be successful? Is he/she in the right place academically?For students that are actively managing mental health issues, the district should make sure that appropriate personnel are available in each building. Some students may want to talk with a teacher or counselor. Some may prefer quiet areas in order to decompress. Collaboration between students, parents and schools should be able to identify what will help a student navigate their personal challenges.Research and a local opinion survey have shown there could be benefits to starting the school day later for junior high and high school students. What changes, if any, do you think should be made to the school schedule and why? How should the district adjust class periods, teacher preparation time, busing, student activities or other factors to account for any schedule changes?I am in favor of a later start time for the school day for grades 6-12. The research surrounding this topic has come back consistently for several years that early starts are not optimal for kids in this age group. The science does not appear to be changing and we have to defer to those who are experts in this matter. I would support the high school day starting at 8:30 and ending at 3:30. In order to balance a later start time for older students, I would also support shortening each class period at the high school by 1-2 minutes if this helps with bussing considerations throughout the district. We may be able to look at a combination of changes to achieve a later start time without creating a great deal of upheaval. I am also in favor of additional late arrivals in order to provide collaboration time for all staff. The recent survey asked a great deal of questions and provided a lot of feedback and information. The district and the Board have a chance to look at a variety of combinations and find a fit that will benefit student and staff growth and development.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?The Board should be looking at the big picture in regards to curriculum. I don't believe a Board should be getting into the small details of subject matter. The Board should understand how the curriculum flows and its relevance. A Board should be sure that the district is in compliance with federal and state mandates.It is also important to look at what credible research is saying about different matters relating to curriculum. Is the subject matter age-appropriate? Are students at an appropriate cognitive level to understand what is being taught? Is the curriculum building in a logical fashion? Are students being "stretched" in a positive manner? Is the curriculum meaningful and relevant?Finally, a Board also needs to make sure that the investments and expenditures it approves are appropriate. The Board needs to strive to provide the right environment and tools and resources in order to help our students succeed.I would like to see a greater emphasis on foreign language learning in our district and to make sure that the languages offered are going to prepare our students for a global society. I want to give more students the opportunity to begin learning a language at an earlier age, too.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?The state budget, once passed, may prove to be a challenge. If the funding formulas in the state change, that may present challenges to our district budget. It may become necessary to re-think our short- and long-term goals in District 203. I will work with the Board, administration and legislators to fully understand how any given change would directly affect our district and community.A combination of tax and fee increases would be my preferred approach if we needed to solve budget shortfalls. The fee increases are the additional investments from those families that currently have students in the district. Tax increases are the additional investments from the wider community. A community's support for its schools is very evident when it is willing to pay more towards the education of its children. However, tax increase requests are not to be taken lightly and should be asked for when other options seem to be exhausted. The Board needs to be upfront at the time of the request on how additional tax revenue would be spent. It is only fair for taxpayers to understand how any money is going to be used. Programs and expenses need to be looked at as a whole. No one program should be cut. Sacrifices should be shared across all entities within the district.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 am concerned about school voucher programs. I am not convinced that school choice has a role in our district. District 203 is a high-performing district and private schools are truly a personal choice for families in this area. I have not seen any reliable research that shows the voucher system to be beneficial to student development. I am not in favor of public funds being transferred into private schools, especially if the standards that govern private schools are not as rigorous as those that apply to public schools.I believe that taxpayers are all stakeholders in their home school districts. At a minimum, any Board of Education needs to work with its administration to fully understand and communicate what positive or negative effects a voucher system (under any name) would have on our public schools and how that would also effect our wider community in the short- and long-term.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?It is important to me to make sure we are actively trying to reach all families regardless of socio-economic status or cultural background.I want families to be engaged partners in their students' education. We need to continue to strive to welcome parents and caregivers into our community. I don't want anyone to feel isolated or disconnected from our schools.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Elizabeth WarrenWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Do not be afraid to stand for what you believe in.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would live outside of the U.S. for at least one year.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject has always been History. It taught me to be a critical thinker and how to research various topics as thoroughly as possible.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Listen to "Humble and Kind" by Tim McGraw once a day.