Tina Johnson: Candidate Profile

Back to Central Unit District 301 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: ElginWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Central Unit District 301 School Board Age: 47Family: Husband, daughterOccupation: Senior Director of Regional Marketing, Scholastic EducationEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.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?Running for a school board seat was a decision I made because I want to be to be actively involved in our district and most importantly, the education of Central 301children. All of us play an important role in their future. I look forward to the opportunity of improving the following areas for the future growth and progress of our school district: Greater transparency from the board and administration-- including regular, meaningful communication on district happenings (successes, challenges and general news of what's occurring in our buildings) -- improving top-down changes to include input from teachers and parents, before, during and after implementationA 21st century curriculum and instructional methods -- including more innovation and teacher empowerment/creativity-- providing the tools and strategies to ensure success for each student in the world todayTo build stronger relationships and collaboration between the school board and district stakeholders (administrators, teachers, support staff, parents and the community)Equity within all buildings (staffing, instructional resources, etc.)More engaging academic and extra-curricular opportunities for our students to compete with what is offered at other neighboring school districtsWhat do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?I do not believe the assessments currently used give a complete snap shot of students' achievement, especially PARCC and MAP. Formative is the most powerful as it's immediate. I do not have a full understanding of assessment in our district other than the annual report that gets sent home with the test scores. This is definitely an area I would like to learn more about.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 BOE needs to make sure the curriculum and instruction allow for students to meet standards, but most importantly so our kids are prepared for college and career. I believe our curriculum needs to be more innovative and not focused on #8220;teaching to the test#8221;. I am currently only familiar with the elementary and middle school curriculum within our district, which has room for improvement.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?At this time, I cannot answer this. If elected, I will need to get in and review the district's budget to better understand spending and incoming funds. I know there are challenges with timely payment from the state that require creative measures. As a district, we also have challenges as there isn't much industry to provide revenues and impact fees were recently reduced from the City of Elgin. We are responsible to make the best learning environment for 301 students. With that goal in mind, we have to be fiscally responsible, but we have to invest in what directly affects the students.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 absolutely believe parents should have a right to decide how/where their child is educated. We all can control where we live and send our children to school. That being said, as a district, we need to provide what all students need to achieve in all of our buildings. If we do, they choose to stay. If we don't, we risk losing students, should a voucher system be approved.Currently there are voucher programs in 14 states. The evidence supporting whether or not school vouchers work is unclear. What will happen with our new Secretary of Education is also unclear, as it always is with new administration. As for an appropriate BOE response, I can't speak to what could happen. What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Teachers are leaving the profession across the country. What is 301 doing to retain quality teachers? I'd like to learn more about the professional learning opportunities available to them.What are we doing in 301 to prepare our kids to compete globally? To compete against technology? We have to reimagine what our students and teachers are capable of doing to improve learning. What are we doing to prepare these kids for jobs that don't even exist yet? Please name one current leader who most inspires you.There isn't just one#8230; people who do what is right, who chase what they believe in regardless of other opinions; people who work to make something better for othersWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To work hard; to do something that you're passionate about; to be kind and do what's right.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?To become a teacher.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?It's difficult to pick a favorite. I learned so much more in my jobs since school. Text books and studying to what would be on the test didn't teach me the life skills needed to survive in the work place. Those were learned later and are so important #8211; collaboration, creativity, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, etc.I was in school a while ago - - sadly, some things are still the same.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?To follow your dreams #8211; doing something you are passionate about; to be happy with and proud of your choices.