Ann SOMERS: 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: Trout ValleyWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Crystal Lake High School District 155 School Board Age: 64Family: Husband, Todd Somers, six grown children, Jim (Emily) Mary (Will), Paul, Jack, Peggy Beth, all college graduates; 6 granchildrenOccupation: College CounselorEducation: Northwestern University BAUCLA - Certificate in College CounselingCivic involvement: Board of Education CHSD 155 for 12 yearsElected offices held: Committee Member - Curriculum, Staff Development Student Services, Operations, Boundary and Enrollment, Strategic PlanningQuestions 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?The college and career readiness has been an issue that has motivated me for the last 12 years. We have made great progress in providing College Career Readiness Centers in each of our four schools. I am also very concerned about the reduction in our student population that will have a trickle-down effect across all levels of our operations.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?We have benchmarked our teaching standards to ACT and will revise our benchmarks to the College Board SAT standards, and the entire suite of tests (PSAT 8/9/10). Those results along with the current GPA of our students give us a good college readiness view. District assessments and regular meetings among teachers keep students tracked on a weekly basis.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?As a 12-year member of the Curriculum Committee, I do think the board should approve the curriculum based on the recommendations of the Curriculum Director who works directly with the Leadership Teams at each school. We try to find a balance of very rigorous academic courses, mostly AP, along with various trade, industrial, consumer education, business and introductory engineering courses.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?Our budget issues will mirror the reduction in our student population, which is also directly tied to the number of teachers we employ. As I said, it trickles down to nearly every aspect of our district's operation. Cuts will be necessary, but not those that adversely affect students directly. Non-essential purchases would be deferred and the focus would be primarily on delivering the best quality classroom instruction.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?School choice should be provided in areas where quality education is lacking. I don't see that happening in our district as it continues to improve in performance every year and continues to be recognized in Illinois and in the US.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am interested in our continued relationship with our feeder schools to share resources as we look at our students from kindergarten through high school. Most school districts have felt the pinch of the economy, reduced enrollments and spending cuts. There is so much duplication of resources, services and equipment. We are trying to find areas of redundancy while also sharing educational expectations for our students coming into the high school district. The more we work together, financially and academically, the more students can seamlessly transition directly from junior high to high school.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.I am inspired by people, such as CHSD 155 Superintendent Johnnie Thomas, who can lead with composure, knowledge, honesty, compassion and respect.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?One lesson I learned was that education, whether formal or for personal pursuits, is a lifelong endeavor.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Without anticipating the economic downturn, I would have spent more time looking at more affordable colleges for our kids and borrowing less.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite class was Derivatives, which was Latin and Greek derivation of words. It continues to help unlock English words easily.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Do the right thing even when no one is watching.