Laurie Donahue: 2021 candidate for Indian Prairie District 204 board
Incumbent Laurie Donahue, one of 11 candidates running for four, 4-year terms in Indian Prairie Unit District 204, responds to the Daily Herald candidate questionnaire for the April 6, 2021, local election.
The candidates are: incumbents Laurie Donahue of Naperville and Susan Taylor-Demming of Naperville; and challengers Shannon Adcock of Naperville, Allison Fosdick of Naperville, Saba Haider of Aurora, Robert O. Harris of Naperville, Supna C. Jain of Naperville, Marina Kosak of Naperville, Yanmei May Liang of Naperville, Rajesh Narayan of Naperville, and Kader Sakkaria of Naperville.
In-person early voting with paper ballots is now available at DuPage County Fairgrounds Building 5, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. In-person early voting with touch-screen voting begins March 22 at locations throughout the county. Learn more at www.dupageco.org/earlyvoting/.
For more election coverage, visit dailyherald.com.
Bio
City: Naperville
Age: 63
Occupation: Elected in 2017, I am a current member of the Indian Prairie District 204 School Board and an active community volunteer. In 2019, the board members voted to select me as the board secretary.
Civic involvement: Besides my role as a school board member, I have an extensive history of volunteer activities in the community. For over 15 years, my therapy dogs have been visiting patients at Edward Hospital. Additionally, my dogs regularly provide support for reading and special needs students in our schools. I lead the Naperville League of Women Voters "Voter Girl" program which teaches students about the importance of voting. The Indian Prairie Educational Foundation (IPEF) provides a variety of important programs in District 204 supporting the arts, STEM, student health and welfare, and teacher innovation. I am an active, involved IPEF board member. Additionally, I am a local student recruiter and liaison for the University of Michigan. In the past, I chaired the Naperville Sister Cities commission. While I was the chair, we established an ongoing student exchange between Naperville's Sister City of Nitra, Slovakia and Neuqua Valley High School. I also was on the board of the Hawthorne Credit Union and served as the secretary.
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: Our board made important changes to focus on Social Emotional Learning and equity while continuing to achieve academic excellence. I want to see this work continue. School districts are complex. Over the past 4 years, I have been a diligent board member striving for knowledge and insight on district issues. Retiring in 2018 allows me to devote significant time to actions that will enable our students to achieve their greatest potential. There will be at least two new board members who will be on a steep learning curve to fulfill their role. Additionally, a cohesive board is a key attribute of a high performing school district. I bring a proven track record with my school board experience, career background, and extensive volunteer activities of integrity and the ability to work with others to create success.
Q: How would you grade the current school board on its response to the pandemic? Why?
A: Our school district made the safety of our students, staff, and community a priority. We relied on national and local health organizations, and legal advice to guide our actions. Unlike many districts, we had the foresight to provide technology to our students over the previous years. We were one of the first districts in the state to have a remote learning plan approved to eliminate the need for snow days - a year prior to the pandemic. In the fall, after the majority of families chose remote learning, we made a difficult decision to pivot plans and start in remote. Our actions to bring in struggling, special needs and pre-K students in October until our pause, due to escalating infection rates, in late November, were important steps to support our most vulnerable students.
We provided professional development, ran pilots, put in place safety measures, obtained PPE, practiced transportation, and lined up a large pool of substitutes to get ready for our hybrid start in January. There is no solution that works for everyone. Our plans were made after thorough consideration of the complex and constrained environment.
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: With 26,500+ students in the district and the full spectrum of opinions, decisions always leave some people unsatisfied. Unfortunately, there is no perfect answer in this difficult situation. Each district has unique constraints and needs to consider a wide set of ever-changing guidelines. As a trustee of the community, I seek input from all constituents to help guide my decision making. I am responsible for gaining insight and knowledge on topics impacting the district, as well as working with my fellow board members to accomplish results. A cohesive school board is a key attribute of successful school districts. Just a few short years ago, we witnessed the impact a dysfunctional board had on the College of DuPage. Members of our board have diverse opinions, but we have been able to work together to make decisions we believe are the best for the community given our limitations and guidance from the health departments.
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: District actions and plans are continually monitored and modified for improvement in this ever-changing situation. We strive to make sure *all* remote and in-person students have equitable learning opportunities. For families who lacked internet, we pursued and were awarded a grant allowing us to supply hot spots, giving them full, no cost, data connectivity. Despite the admirable efforts of our teachers and staff, we know that remote learning does not work for some students. Over the past 4 years, we made Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and equity district priorities. This prepared focus helps to support our struggling learners with interventions, including home visits, additional counseling and mental health resources. We know there is much more that needs to be done to help students thrive in this unprecedented time. With hybrid learning now in session, the district will continue to look for ways to safely bring students into the building more frequently without short changing the students who prefer to remain remote. As a mother who worked outside the home, I understand the difficulties the current schedules present for our families.
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: Safety has been and will continue to be a priority in the district. In January, we welcomed all students into our building who wanted in person learning. About half choose to remain remote. Due to constraints including, class sizes, room dimensions, budget and requirements for social distancing, most in-person students are in school 2 days a week. Now that we understand the population of students coming into the building we are analyzing the ability to move to 4 days a week in person and ways to offer increased synchronous instruction. The desire is to move to more in-person time while maintaining a robust remote offering. For our elementary students, we should minimize the amount of time teachers simultaneously interact with students in their classroom and those who are remote. With the roll out of vaccines and reduced infection rates, I hope to see guidelines relaxed, including social distancing, which will allow greater flexibility. I expect to continue to follow local and federal health expert guidance.
Q: What is your position on allowing high school sports to continue during the pandemic? Be specific.
A: Consistent with our handling of district plans during the pandemic, I support following the Illinois Department of Public Health guidance regarding sports. As a mother of children who played in four varsity sports, I understand the importance these activities bring to a student. I am glad to see, unlike earlier in the year, there is alignment between IDPH and the Illinois Association of School Boards on this subject. The district should follow the IDPH and IASB defined parameters related to infection rates and the described safety precautions.