Kevin Bull: 2021 candidate for Mount Prospect District 57 school board
Six candidates for four, four-year seats
Bio
City: Mount Prospect
Age: 38
Occupation: Patent attorney
Civic involvement: Did not respond
Q&A
Q: Why are you running for this office, whether for reelection or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?
A: I began to explore running after witnessing our current board struggle with reopening at their September meeting. At this meeting, the district presented their metrics for reopening that they would use to determine whether to allow our children to attend school in person, allegedly based on various scientific guidance. Afterward, I had a list of questions a mile long. Yet, I watched as the board spent more time thanking the district for their effort than asking tough questions. Following this, we saw delays as the administration missed their Oct. 19 deadline. Our students and taxpayers deserve better than this. I can do a better job holding the administration accountable and injecting some urgency into critical decisions, thereby ensuring the best for our students and taxpayers. The issue that motivates me is developing an actionable plan for repairing or replacing Lincoln Middle School. The current board and administration have been merely taking the pulse of the community without any clear picture of the options on the table. I would work with district administration to concretely determine the options that are available to address Lincoln's needs, and without increasing taxes.
Q: How would you grade the current school board on its response to the pandemic? Why?
A: F. Where to begin? Over the summer, The district sent a survey with two options: full in person or full remote, and was planning accordingly. All of a sudden, district administration presents a remote-only option and receives approval from the board, contrary to the wishes of the community. In the fall, we were slated to go back to a hybrid model on Oct. 19. Yet, district administration was unprepared for this event and the board allowed them to delay reopening for several more weeks under the guise that the district needed more time to prepare. When the delayed reopening date finally arrives, district administration convinces the board to not reopen, delaying the hybrid return even further. And we have had other issues caused by the board and a flat-footed administration, such as midyear teacher changes. There was zero consideration for the toll any of this would take on, especially, single-parent and two income households. Our administration and board failed the children, the parents, and the taxpayers.
Q: How do you view your role in confronting the pandemic: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents - even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state authorities?
A: Unlike other candidates and current board members, my goal is to protect the taxpayers and the students, not to attempt to bestow some fictitious superior level of wisdom on the community. Board of education members and school administrators cannot base decisions on their own subjective opinions in situations where superior government instructions are in effect. In Illinois, this is the Restore Illinois Mitigation Plan. Since the summer, the Restore Illinois Mitigation Plan has placed our region in a Phase 4. Phase 4 (including Tier 3 mitigation) specifies that schools should be "open with IDPH approved safety guidance." District 57 never had a local public health situation (e.g. insufficient PPE, outbreak in a school, etc.) that was notably different from other districts in our region. Accordingly, schools should have been open absent such a situation, so long as the governor does not move our region to a prior phase that would dictate schools be closed. If such a local public health situation arises, the IDPH instructions are to temporarily pause in-person education with a goal of returning to in-person as soon as local conditions allow.
Q: Did your district continue to adequately serve students during the disruptions caused by the pandemic? If so, please cite an example of how it successfully adjusted to continue providing services. If not, please cite a specific example of what could have been done better.
A: First off, I want to highlight the contributions of the Lions Park and Westbrook teachers and staff for making the most out of a bad situation. They have been just what my kids needed in this difficult year and my family is very grateful for their passion and commitment to their students. I'm sure we have numerous other examples of teachers shining through a difficult year in D57. However, our board and administration did not make it easy on them to do so. A few examples where the board and administration failed to adequately serve students: 1.) Missing the Oct. 19 hybrid reopening deadline and the board not holding the administration to its stated date; 2.) poor planning on sectioning of children, causing midyear teacher changes; 3.) failure to fully prioritize our special education students, forcing numerous children to attend over Zoom while there were as few as two children present in a normally full classroom and with other facilities being unutilized (e.g. gyms). The district failed our most vulnerable students.
Q: Do you have a plan on how to safely and effectively conduct classes in the spring? What have you learned from the fall semester that you would change in the spring?
A: One of the benefits our district has with reopening is that eighth grade is our highest level. We have known since the summer that the seasonal flu was far more dangerous to the children in our district than COVID-19. As numerous parochial schools and other neighboring districts have shown us, we could have safely reopened last fall so long as students wear masks in school, distance to the extent possible, stay home if they are feeling sick, and the teacher cracks a window.
Q: What is your position on allowing high school sports to continue during the pandemic? Be specific.
A: Not applicable. District 57 is a K-eight district.