Melissa Owens: Candidate Profile

Back to Elgin-Area Unit 46 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: BartlettWebsite: www.melissaowens.orgTwitter: https://twitter.com/Melissa_OwensFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/owensU46schoolboard/Office sought: Elgin-Area Unit 46 School Board Age: 48Family: Married, one child.Occupation: Volunteer Program Coordinator for a local non-profit.Education: Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration, Augustana College, 1990Civic involvement: U-46 Citizens' Advisory Council (Special Education Committee Co-Chair 6 years, Vice-Chair 1 year, Council Chair 2 years, including current year), Elgin Alignment Collaborative for Education Operating Board, 1 year.Elected offices held: n/aQuestions Answers With ongoing state funding challenges, suggest ways the district can remain in the black without spending down its surplus, raising taxes or taking on additional debt. If cuts were needed, where would you look to tighten?State and local funding is indeed an ongoing concern for District U-46. It is encouraging that the district has been able to hold the line on raising the overall tax levy the past two years, while also bringing a major program enhancement to the community by adding full day kindergarten. However, the reality is that district operational spending is $1400 less than the state average, while pupil to teacher and pupil to administrator ratios are consistently higher than the state average. If cuts need to be made, they will come with some measure of pain across the entire community. I believe we do have opportunities to better maximize dollars spent. One way to do this is to identify and reduce spending on items that no longer support the district's objectives. A stated goal in the district's strategic plan, and one the Citizens' Advisory Council has advocated for, is to increase the number of programs analyzed for instructional cost-effectiveness. A greater examination of program instructional costs coupled with an examination of student outcomes could be used to better inform budget allocations. The end goal would be to allocate available funds to the programs that best help the district to reach the outcome targets set in the strategic plan, and to flush out spending on programs that no longer support district goals.Recent controversy over transgender access has prompted discussion about equal rights/protections for all students, as well as whether school board members should inject their personal religious/political views on the matter. To what extent should the board have a role in formulating such policy?District U-46 has an Equal Educational Opportunities policy in place, last amended by the school board in 2013, which details how students are protected from discrimination. Creating broad district policy is a fundamental role of the school board, as is holding district administration responsible for effectively carrying out that policy. I believe that it is reasonable to expect that individual board members will frame decisions partially on their own personal experiences. However, each board member represents all district constituents, and board policy decisions should represent the best interests of the district as a whole.Would you support U-46 having a charter school within its boundaries? Why or why not?There is a very narrow window in which I would support a charter school. First and foremost, I would only support a charter school run by a non-profit organization. A charter school should have the same financial and academic accountability as any other district school, and should not cause any financial burden to the school district. I would look for the charter school to have an elected, and not appointed, board. I would also look for the charter school to allow staff members to unionize if desired. Regarding enrollment, the process for admitting and serving students must be equitable across all categories of students, including English Language Learners and students requiring special education services, as well as students of various other subgroups. Pursuant to Illinois School Code, the charter school plan should have in place a special focus for at-risk students. In short, a charter school should not detract from the district in any way; rather, it must be an enhancement for our community at large.What are some innovative programs the district could undertake, such as special academies or career path programs, to set itself apart?Five high school academies already in place are a highlight of the district and are a very popular option for students as they prepare for post-secondary education. The district has recently begun an audit of CTE programs; I believe that moving to career pathways or clusters within our high schools would be highly beneficial for many of our students. A study by the Fordham institute showed that students enrolled in CTE classes benefit whether they move straight into careers or enroll in two or four year colleges upon high school graduation.Another program area I would like to see developed is extended (after school) learning time, especially in our highest need schools. Many schools in the district offer afterschool programs; however, offerings are inconsistent from school to school, and oftentimes schools in economically distressed neighborhoods cannot support programs to the same degree as other schools. Cities and school districts nationwide (Seattle is one such city) are having success partnering with universities and/or social service agencies in bringing academic enrichment programs to underserved schools. The programs show promising signs of increasing student academic achievement and social and emotional growth. I firmly believe in the benefits of strong community partnerships, especially in times of limited funding, and hope to see continued growth of these types of partnerships in District U-46.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?Academic programs play an important role in District U-46. In this regard, the district has many options for students to attend a school outside of traditional boundaries in pursuit of an academic program of their choosing. My son was enrolled in a school outside of our boundary from kindergarten through third grade as part of the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. Choices are available for high school academies, the dual language program, gifted education, and various specialized educational services programs. The key with this level of choice is that there is public accountability for the tax dollars spent on these programs.A voucher system that would send public tax dollars to private institutions outside of the district would be a substantial drain on the financial integrity of the district. In addition, because private institutions are free to discriminate against student populations that are harder to teach, public schools would be forced to use their dwindling revenue toward a greater percentage of students that require more resources, further destabilizing the budget. Tax money redirected by vouchers to private institutions would be spent with little to no public accountability or oversight. The board of education of a public school system has an obligation to provide the best possible education for all students while fulfilling its fiduciary responsibility to the public. A voucher system undermines that obligation and responsibility, and should be rejected by a public school board.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Funding reform at the state level is crucial to our district. Illinois continues to be one of the most regressive states in educational funding in the country. In 2013, the most recent year of available data, Illinois ranked 47th out of 50 in equitable funding distribution. School districts with high poverty levels in Illinois receive on average just 82% of the funding that districts with low poverty levels receive. The funding system in Illinois is set up to ensure that our most at-risk students are also the students facing high class sizes, inadequate access to specialized services, and inadequate access to enrichment programs.District U-46 is exactly the type of school district mentioned as a special consideration in the recent Illinois School Funding Reform Commission Report: a district with low EAV and high property taxes that still fall way short of providing adequate funding. While the state has not raised the foundation level of General State Aid since 2010, District U-46's reliance on property taxes as a percentage of revenue has been higher than the state average every single year save one. And the district has had much less to spend than the state average both instructionally and operationally. I am encouraged by the work of the Illinois School Funding Reform Commission, even though there is still a long road ahead in resolving funding inequities. I will continue to advocate for state funding reform legislation.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.United States Senator Tammy Duckworth, for her personal courage and perseverance, for her sense of humor, and for her unwavering commitment to human rights.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?When solving a problem, start with what you know, and work toward what you don't know. I have to thank my dad for that advice.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would take the opportunity to study abroad in Asia during college.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I always loved English and literature classes. I really enjoy how reading opens the doors to so many different experiences and viewpoints.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Again, when solving a problem, start with what you know, and work toward what you don't know. This is how we've survived math word problems!