Grace Cao: 2023 candidate for Stevenson District 125 School Board
Bio
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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?
A: First, I am a dedicated community member who has served School Districts 96 and 125 through hundreds of hours of volunteering at school events, activities, and a couple of different committees. I started my very first volunteer job when my son attended Ivy Hall Elementary School in 2009. Since then, I began my non-stop volunteering work at school and district. I have learned new knowledge and skills from volunteering in the classroom to arranging holiday celebrations for students. My experiences have not only been with helping children, but I have also donated food to support PPA sales, helped football senior night, and served on committees at GCI, ERD, and Stevenson Foundation. During these 10+ years, I have met so many inspirational people, and have had sustainable growth with the school and district. My passion for helping district 125 grew during my son's years at Stevenson and will continue to grow as my daughter continues her high school experience as well.
Second, I strongly believe in district 125's vision of "Success for Every Student" and I trust the current Board's dedication to supporting the vision through the five statements below: Curriculum, Equity, and Access for All Students, Building a Professional Learning Community, A Culture for Learning and Community Engagement. I am ecstatic that I filled a position on the district 125 board in June 2022. Currently serving as a board member at the district, I strongly believe that the current school board has done an excellent job of adopting local and state policies, empowering the superintendent to manage day-to-day district operations, supporting the district's vision of "Success for Every Student", and engaging with the community clearly and consistently. I am looking forward to continuing to serve the board in the future, hence why I am running for reelection.
Third, I have a strong interest in preserving and improving the quality of the district 125 system. Based on my work experience, I have had a strong background in finance, marketing, and the pricing field for over 14 years. I believe I can contribute my professional knowledge to help influence the district budget and the district's financial health.
Finally, Stevenson high school district is a very diverse learning community, with a student body that comes from all different kind of races, ethnicity, gender, and culture. I believe school board members should serve as the representatives of their local district and advocates for their community. As an Asian American, I will continue to provide a different point of view to the board and contribute to the entire Stevenson learning community. With a rapidly growing Asian student population at Stevenson, I believe my unique background would add value and be a great addition to the board governing body. Ultimately, the goal is to advocate for all students, represent the interests of the entire community on education issues, oversight the operation of the school system, and make the system accountable.
Q: What is the role of the school board in setting and monitoring curriculum?
A: School board members have the critical responsibility of ensuring students are provided with the best education possible. At Stevenson high school district 125, the school board has set a clear mission that to ensure "Success for Every Student". The district dedicates itself to a comprehensive and articulated curriculum comprised of what should be learned, how it will be taught, and how learning will be assessed. The school board's core responsibilities include adopting and approving curriculum materials, reviewing and evaluating curriculum development plans, hiring, and holding accountable the superintendent of the school district, creating a responsible budget, and providing parents and community members transparency on what is occurring in the school district. Ultimately, student achievement is the primary agenda for our school board. As district governing authority, the school board sets the vision, establishes goals, develops policy, allocates resources, and assures accountability. The school board works at the policy level and district and school administrators work at the operational level. Together, the school board and administrators work as a governance-management team to ensure continuous improvement.
Q: Are there curriculum issues within the district that you feel need particular attention from the board?
A: Stevenson school district has a huge student body. We have 4,315 registered students in the school year 2022-2023. In the next several years, the estimated total number of students will increase to nearly 5,000. With that predicted data, providing every student an equal opportunity to learn has become a big challenge in Stevenson public education. Resources allocation consists of more than assigning dollar amounts to certain programs at Stevenson, it is the examination of how those dollars are translated into actions that address expressed educational goals at various educational needs. We are so glad we have a very effective leadership team at Stevenson. Our entire administrator team members always planned, foresaw challenges, and provided the best solutions to ensure all students have equal access to the entire learning environment which includes academic programs, extracurricular activities, physical buildings, and much more.
Q: How do you view your role in confronting policy or curriculum controversies: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents - even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state authorities?
A: It is common for people to have disagreements on different topics. At Stevenson board, we always welcome questions and opinions and seek better solutions to policy development. As a board member at Stevenson, I am obligated to express my honest opinions on issues, and so are each of the other board members. Remember, at Stevenson, district and school administrators are responsible for providing instructional leadership and developing, implementing, and evaluating district and school systems and policies. The current board works very closely with the trustworthy Stevenson leadership to resolve the conflicts. We adopt the board policy manual and follow procedures when we propose new policies or change existing ones. The primary focus of all board decisions must reflect the best interests of every student.
Q: Concerns are growing regarding a new resurgence of the pandemic. If another massive outbreak of infectious disease occurs, what have we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic that will guide your decision making?
A: The COVID-19 pandemic had a great impact on the public-school education system locally and nationally. At Stevenson high school district, we are glad that the board and the administration team worked closely and put tremendous effort to minimize the damage from the outbreak. The superintendent and his team were responsible to manage the district and making the most operational decisions during the pandemic. For example, they prioritized student and staff health and safety by adopting the state and CDC's COVID-19 Prevention guidance. They enhanced technology to support students' online learning. They provided regular communications with the community and shared positive messages about the district.
Q: Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach agreement and manage school district policy? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions of your school board.
A: I have been working at several Fortune 500 companies over the last two decades and I have been leading many different types of projects that all required great teamwork. As a project leader, I believe good communication is a must. There are always unseen issues or unpredictable situations along with the project from start to finish. To finish the project strong, all team members should understand the situation, put in a team effort, support each other, respect different opinions, everyone takes ownership, and make themselves accountable. I would apply my corporate work philosophy to the school board's policymaking and school governance. As a current board member at Stevenson school district, I am very happy to become a part of the professional board team. The board has built a positive relationship with the district administration team to trust the leadership team to handle day-to-day school operations. I am confident that the board and the district will continue to work together and keep things on a steady path. We will continue to focus on student achievement and represent the best interests of all students.
Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?
A: Before jumping on the board at Stevenson, I was a long-term community member of Districts 96 and 125. I have lived in Buffalo Grove for over 16 years. I was one of the founding committee members of District 96's Guiding Coalition of Interculturalism created in 2016. In this role, I illustrated the district's values of diversity and inclusion and connected parents, educators, and students through cultural and educational experiences while engaging with a wide audience. I brought my work to Stevenson and joined the school's Steering Committee on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity in 2018. I also became the Stevenson Community Foundation board member and Finance Committee member in April 2021. In 2020, I received an Award of Excellence from the Illinois State Board of Education, which honored my outstanding contributions as a dedicated community volunteer.
Stevenson high school district is a very diverse learning community, with a student body that comes from all different kind of races, ethnicity, gender, and culture. I believe school board members should serve as the representatives of their local district and advocates for their community. As an Asian American, I will continue to provide a different point of view to the board and contribute to the entire Stevenson learning community. With a rapidly growing Asian student population at Stevenson, I believe my unique background would add value and be a great addition to the board governing body.
Q: What's one good idea you have to better your district that no one is talking about yet?
A: I believe the current Stevenson board adopts and enforces all policies necessary for the management and governance of the Stevenson high school district. Through its written policies, the board directs and empowers the superintendent to function as chief executive officer in managing day-to-day district operations. The board studies the needs of students and the community and bases its decisions on those needs. The superintendent carries out those decisions. With such strong confidence, the board and the district leadership team will continue to work as an effective team, prioritize student achievement, and foster the district vision of "Success for every student".