Katherine Doremus: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Katherine M. Doremus

City: Winfield

Office sought: School Board, Community High School West Chicago District 94

Age:

Family: Married with three adult children, one with a disability living with family. Have lived in District 94 for almost 26 years and all three children graduated from the high school.

Occupation: Banker, Mortgage Branch Manager with MB Financial Bank

Education: BA, University of Colorado Boulder

Civic involvement: Actively involved within the community for many years in multiple capacities/functions - Rotary, Chamber of Commerce, WeGo Together For Kids, prior board member with DuPage Home Ownership Center, Illinois Mortgage Bankers Association

Previous elected offices held: Member of District 94 School Board since 2007, prior President, currently serving as Vice President.

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Yes, first elected 2007

Website: No

Facebook:

Twitter:

Issue questions

What are the most important issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?

The most important issues facing our district have been, and continue to be, providing the best and safest possible educational and emotional supports to our students to allow them to be successful in their post-secondary world, whether it is choosing a career or going on to higher education. Children face a very so many challenges in today's world and the school must provide an environment that supports every single one of those students walking through our doors. We have and will continue to address the financial aspects of meeting the needs of students, respecting and fairly compensating staff while being cognizant of the challenges our taxpayers face, re effectively. Through the passage of our referendum, we are undergoing a major construction project to improve and upgrade our facilities, but through this process, we must continue to always be cognizant of the human piece in achieving our ultimate goal and work together collaboratively - staff, Board, parents, community - for the benefit of our children. To do this, we must build and sustain trust internally and externally and maintain communication that allows all stakeholders to be involved and committed to our goal.

How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?

District 94 has always, and continues to strive to prepare our students for success through high school and into their post high school years. We have actively been working on multiple ways to meet the needs of our students by raising the bar for them academically and through opportunities to learn skill sets that prepare them for careers, whether they choose college of other opportunities. We are also continually working to address the unique emotional challenges facing students today and providing them tools and resources, support, and a safe environment to better prepare them for a world outside of the school walls.

What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases? Be specific.

Through my almost 12 years on the Board of D94, I have learned never to rest comfortably that there will not be budgetary issues - especially considering the financial condition of Illinois. With that being said, our Board has been fiscally sound and responsible and maintained the highest financial rating available throughout my tenure on this Board without any significant reduction in staff or programming, and despite many years of very tenuous State funding. We will continue to the practice of making wise financial decisions while maintaining the quality of our teaching staff and programs and keeping the best interest of our students as our focal point. I am also, always cognizant of the strain that our rising taxes put on the residents of the community and will work relentlessly to support our residents through fiscal responsibility at D94.

Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?

No, I am not employed by or retired from a school district and no one from my family is employed by District 94.

As contract talks come up with various school employee groups - teachers, support staff, etc. - what posture should the school board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?

I have utmost respect for our teaching and support staff and have seen how difficult negotiations can be for everyone in these past years. Our staff has worked hard to assist us in maintaining financial stability and I believe we will all have to continue working together to achieve contractual agreements that work for everyone. The issues of pay increases and benefit costs are facing everyone now - not just these groups - and while we have to be cognizant of these financial strains for our community, we also must work together respectfully and honestly to find solutions that work for our staff within the confines of our budget. While salaries and benefits are the biggest costs to a school district, these are also the people educating our children and we cannot lose sight of the value these groups bring to the table.

If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?

I have never been a proponent of providing substantial increases to anyone to help boost pension benefits, especially in light of the pension crisis currently looming in the State of Illinois. I appreciate the need to adequately prepare for retirement but do not believe this is fair to the taxpayers that are funding unsustainable pension balances. There are other ways to accomplish preparing financially for retirement and while I do not feel that the weight of it should fall entirely on the individual, some of the substantial boosts I have read about for administrators are truly unjustified and a disservice to those who are ultimately paying the price - the taxpayers and the students who suffer funds that could be better used for education, are misspent on any one individual to support them when they no longer are providing a service to the school.