Melissa Grant: 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: LisleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: RaisingExpectations202Office sought: Lisle Unit District 202 School Board Age: 41Family: I have been married for 11 years and we have three school-aged children that attend Lisle 202 schools. My youngest son has Down Syndrome and requires additional District services.Occupation: Front desk attendant and volunteer extraordinaireEducation: University of Louisville, Speed Scientific Engineering School, Louisville, KY - Civil Engineering and Business AdministrationCivic involvement: I am currently the President of the Pine Hill Homeowner Association. As a family, we have been parishioners at St. Joan of Arc and volunteer for religious formation program for our children's spiritual development. In the past, I have served as the Assistant Director for the Sunday School program. For the past four years, I have been a Girl Scout Troop leader. I have been regularly involved with the Lisle 202 parent/school organization (LEHSO). I actively volunteer for various organizations involving Down Syndrome.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?One of my central beliefs is that getting involved in your local community is a constructive way to help shape it's future. The role of Lisle 202 school board and its members is to represent the entire community, not just a certain segment and to advocate for the best possible public education within our district while understanding the burden on its taxpayers. Lisle 202 is moving forward with the construction of the new school building on the Meadows site and will require numerous hard decisions that will require cost/benefit analysis and fiscal constraint. As a civil engineer, my background in construction and land development will provide useful as the district embarks in this estimated $39 million investment and future uses for the Schiesher and Tate Woods Elementary school buildings.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?Lisle 202 should continually strive to prepare students for the next phase in their lives and encourage the student to raise his or her personal expectations. (Un)fortunately, this is quantified as "test scores". Lisle 202 test scores are good but now is the time for GREATNESS! A very important component of success is an intrinsic motivation. The board must motivate Lisle 202 administration, educators, professional staff and its students to desire GREATNESS, the ongoing process of improvement. By making an action plan in August and regularly monitoring the data, Lisle 202 will build tangible evidence that their plans were working and would delivered the desired outcomes. When the district lacks accountability, they fail to achieve creditability and authenticity. Ultimately, all of the district players want to contribute to action items that are producing real results and will be motivated towards being a part of something that works.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?A school board should have a clear vision for the district and they should work with Administration and education professionals to define goals and measure the success of the district and superintendent against the goals. It should focus on student achievement and implementing policies that will ensure success for all students. Lisle 202 has highly qualified personnel should continue to do what they have always done and that is to prepare our children to be lifelong learners, good problem solvers, and to be prepared for any and all challenges that may come their way in the future. Also, they should not teach to a test, but rather prepare our students to succeed. With that being said, the board must be knowledgeable in the choice of curriculum and plans for curriculum implementation. The board must require regular auditing of these plans to ensure that they are producing the desired outcomes and timely modify these plans when desired outcomes are not obtained.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?As any taxpayer knows the school district levy is the largest portion of our tax bills and we all must make sure that pragmatic decisions are made on the any financial challenges that lie ahead for Lisle 202. These challenges include the construction of the new building at the Meadows, maintenance and usage of district facilities, employment, debt service, and unfunded state mandates. These issues cannot be dealt with by simply increasing the tax burden on our citizens. We must strike a balance between securing educational excellence and expense control. As a resident within the school district, you have a right to know how your hard-earned tax dollars are being spent and the Board should be transparent and communicate regularly with its constituents. With regard to tax increases, I do not believe it will be necessary for a tax increase anytime in the next four years to meet our current needs. As a fiscal conservative, I would actively investigate any opportunity for tax rebates. When Lisle 202 considers new programs, program and facility expansion, technology acquisition, and other expenditures we must evaluate them in light of the short and long term goals and priorities that are most important to achieving our core mission. As a board member, I will make my decisions based upon my convictions and would be especially careful about every expenditure and how it affects our children education.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?Without a detailed policy or piece of legislature on school choice, this question is too vague for a comprehensive answer. I believe that if the district focuses on their four identified goals: improving academic achievement of all students, ensuring a healthy, safe, and empowered learning community as measured by climate indicators, increasing communication, and effective managing of resources that promote fiscal stability and financially accountability; then it will remain a desirable and effective school district. The district must keep abreast on all Federal, State and/or local interest in school choice and perform non-partisan analysis of impacts. More importantly, the district must be transparent and communicate honestly with its constituents about potential impacts and benefits.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am very proud to live in Lisle 202 and have three elementary children receiving a great education in this charmingly small district. Lisle 202 meets or exceeds Illinois' standardized testing benchmarks and boasts higher than state average ACT scores of its high school students. However, I believe the community expects more. Often compared to neighboring districts, Lisle 202 sometimes falls flat. Lisle 202 has numerous strengths; qualified and concerned administration and staff, small close-knit education community, and a strong financial rating. The Lisle 202 board should have a culture of raising expectations for all team players; students, parents, educators, administration, professional staff. Each year college standards become more rigorous and the number of job opportunities shrinks, we as a community must push for greater excellence and raise our expectations of our students, so that they are able to successfully emerge from their time with in Lisle 202.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis and his message of mercy.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Characterize people by their actions and you will never be fooled by their words.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have purchased Apple stock in the late 90s.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Geometry was my favorite subject due to my teacher. She knew how to blend analytical and conceptual concepts and it motivated me to study engineering.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Dream Big, Work Hard and Be Kind