Donna Wandke: 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: www.vote4wandke203.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vote4wandke203/Office sought: Naperville Unit District 203 School Board Age: 47Family: Our family has lived in Naperville for more than twenty-three years. My husband, Norm Wandke, and I have three boys. Our oldest, Kevin, is a sophomore at the University of Illinois. Ryan is a senior and Alan is a freshman at Naperville Central High School. We enjoy traveling and are always looking for an outdoor adventure. Our most interesting trip was to Russia, which included participating in an international chess tournament in Siberia. A favorite day adventure would be kayaking down the West Branch of the DuPage River, along the Riverwalk.Occupation: Junior High Ministry LeaderEducation: I have a Master of Education with Concentration in Administration and Supervision from National-Louis University (1997) and Bachelor of Science double major in Mathematics and Athletic Training from Elmhurst College (1991). I believe education consists of a lifelong passion for knowledge. As a school board member, I attend district and state level conferences for professional development.Civic involvement: For 25 years, I have been serving students in our community. I began as an educator at Naperville North High School where I also served as Assistant Athletic Trainer. My community involvement extended well beyond my employment as I chaired or participated on ten Home School committees, served in scouting in numerous roles including Committee Chair, led students on multiple mission trips, tutored students in mathematics, coached students in soccer, chess and cross country and was elected president of Hobson School Parent Board. I currently serve as an elected member of the District 203 School Board.Elected offices held: It has been an honor to represent our community and support education for all students since I was elected to the Naperville District 203 school board in 2013. Many people, like my family, move to Naperville because of the reputation of our excellent schools. Every decision I make on the school board is a balance between improving quality and being financially responsible to our taxpayers. My involvement extends beyond the board meetings to include work on eight committees, liaison for thirteen schools and board representative at community events for the past four years.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?Along with my fellow board members, I voted to approved new curriculum for social and emotional learning for grades K-12 that will be implemented beginning in the fall of 2017. The learning standards for this curriculum includes goals in three areas: self-awareness and self-management skills, social-awareness and relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Teaching these standards, in addition to current health curriculum, will equip students to understand what it means to be mentally healthy. The statistics are concerning when one in five students show signs or symptoms of a mental health disorder in a given year. We need to destigmatize the subject so that people feel free to talk about mental health disorders and the disease of addiction so they can seek the help they need. However, educating the students is only a piece of the puzzle. The district and other community groups have also provided Mental Health First Aid certification for teachers, staff and community members. I have taken this training and can attest to the value in both adults and students being aware of warning signs, learning how to listen non-judgmentally and encouraging appropriate self-help and professional help. Equipping adults with skills so they can discuss mental health in a positive way can make all the difference.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 support a later start time for junior high and high school students because research shows this can improve student health and academic performance. However, we have to weigh the research of benefits to students with instructional time, teacher collaboration and financial concerns. My top priority is maximizing student health and learning. I do not want to see instructional time lost at the high school level. I would like to see our district be creative with our current resources by perhaps flipping the bus schedule to make high school students last on the bus routes. I support professional collaboration, but am concerned about the proposed weekly late start schedule for high school students. This change may lead to more than six days of instructional time lost. We also need to carefully consider the impact on students at the end of their school day as many are involved in extra-curricular activities. I am confident that the administration is considering all of the options and developing a plan that will be student focused while allowing for educational collaboration.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 role of the Board of Education is to consider and approve the curriculum that is developed by highly qualified District 203 professionals. The Board will need to ask questions and understand all new curriculum to ensure that it correlates and corresponds to the District 203 Vision and Mission. Teachers and administrators in our district have been working diligently to study the standards, provide professional learning, develop new curriculum, and are currently implementing new standards in multiple core areas. As a former high school math teacher in the district, I was fortunate to be part of these curriculum teams and I understand the depth and research that goes into the development of new curriculum. The changes that I would like to see in curriculum include enhancing STEM education, optimizing online and blended learning, aligning K-12 science to Next Generation Science Standards and implementing social emotional learning standards. District 203 has goals to accomplish all of these as a result of feedback from the community, staff and the Board of Education in the Focus 2020 Strategic Blueprint (http://www.naperville203.org/cms/lib07/IL01904881/Centricity/Domain/4/PulloutBlueprintPRINT.pdf).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?Illinois State funding is in the midst of a number of changes that will affect every school district in the state. The largest changes may be new school funding reform and the consideration of a property tax freeze. District 203 has planned for the future and has policies in place to cover expenses in the event of delays in state funding. However, as our reserves have grown it is the responsibility of the school board to balance school funding with consideration of the tax burden on our community. I am committed to finding that balance and will support abating (returning) the debt service tax to our community to reduce taxes. I will continue to consider how we can find this balance in the years to come as well. Our district has been analyzing financial projections while considering expenses with and without the property tax freeze. The board should continue to be financially responsible by representing our community taxpayers and making the most of our education system. Programs and expenses should be continually reviewed by the school board and administration for relevance and cost effectiveness. In addition, we need to educate ourselves and speak to our legislators in Springfield to communicate the effects of some of the proposed changes. In February, I will be doing just that as I attend the Alliance Leadership Summit in Springfield.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?Public education is unique to all the other options for education in that it is all-inclusive and is provided for every student that lives within its boundaries. All other forms of education are selective and limit their enrollment to students that they choose. Although public education provides for all students, I appreciate that some parents decide an alternative is a better option for their student and this is their choice. My job as a school board member is to protect the high quality of education we provide students in District 203. In return for receiving local, state and federal tax dollars, public schools are held accountable by mandated educational standards and transparency in how they are run that is not required of private schools. I cannot support a voucher system for schools that do not have the same regulations, standards and levels of transparency as public schools. In addition, vouchers would take public funding away from a system that serves all students. The finances of public schools would be negatively affected. As I attend the Alliance Leadership Summit in Springfield this February, I am sure that the voucher system will be discussed and I will have the opportunity to speak with our state legislators about the affect it will have on public education.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Ensuring that all students have access to rigorous curriculum and are growing academically, socially and emotionally is what drives all of my decisions concerning students. I have already spoken about my diligence to our taxpayers in being fiscally responsible but the other half and equally important are the students in our community. As a district, we are able to access data and can now identify achievement gaps within each of our schools. Although we are a district, each school is unique in its culture, achievement gaps and needs for students. In order to serve all students we will need to consider these differences and address them with unique resources depending on need. Just as we ensure a student with special needs is provided for, all of our students should be considered as individuals and provided with what they need. Students who are struggling will need support to catch up while students who are excelling will need to be continually challenged so that there is growth in all students. It is my goal to ensure this as we set outcomes for the upcoming years. District 203 is a high achieving district but we must continue to look to the future and research ways to better serve and educate our students. Sitting back and resting in our achievements will only allow us to begin to fall behind. There is always room for improvement and as the school board makes decisions, this is the focus of my efforts.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Malala Yousafzai is an education activist who defied the Taliban and earned the Nobel Peace Prize. She inspires students to make a difference.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My father taught me that in order to understand the world and its people, you need to get out and travel into its far corners.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?As the first generation in my family to attend college, I would have challenged my parents' decision requiring me to live at home and commute.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Mathematics led me to teaching and helped me to develop critical problem-solving skills that I use on a daily basis.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Make choices that open doors to opportunities.