Debbie Schmidt: 2025 candidate for Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 board

Bio

Office sought: Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54 board (Vote for 4)

City: Schaumburg

Age: 53

Occupation: Health care IT director

Previous offices held: No previous elected offices held

Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?

We purchased our family home in Schaumburg to access District 54, attracted by the district’s fantastic resources, reputation and student learning outcomes. Professionally, my employer partnered with district leadership around multiple health and wellness initiatives, so I saw firsthand how effectively the district operated. I gained a new appreciation of the district’s strengths as my three children moved through their schools.

As I grew my personal volunteerism locally, it was clear that District 54 was an anchor institution, working collaboratively with so many local partners to meet student and family needs inside and outside the classroom. When I heard of a vacant board seat in 2021, I felt compelled to run, and work toward keeping the district on its successful trajectory. The demands of COVID restrictions on school leadership illustrated the difficulties that districts across the U.S. had to face, while district board and staff attacked the challenges head on, pivoted and bounced back.

This compelled me to step up and run for office, and I have never looked back. The issue I am most motivated to spend my time and talent on is long-term planning around enrollment, facilities, student needs, and external forces.

What is the role of the school board in setting and monitoring the curriculum?

Curriculum review, selection and monitoring is conducted by our team of superintendents, via a structured effort that continues to deliver strong results. Teachers from each of our 15 buildings volunteer to participate in a review and selection process that incorporates mandated learning standards and District 54 specific methods in place.

As a board, our role is to support the operational process, deferring to the expert educators of District 54 who hold experience around deploying curriculum. The board will monitor the baseline and growth trends to ensure we continue to perform in the top 10% of all schools in Illinois in reading and math proficiency, and can discuss opportunities around any dips in assessment levels, as we saw during and after COVID.

We are now back to pre-COVID results even with the additional supports necessary for the rising number of newcomers and special education students who find exceptional resources at District 54.

Are there curriculum issues within the district that you feel need particular attention from the board?

Not at this time. Our math, science and literacy curriculum have been recently reviewed (math in progress now) and feedback from selection task forces are typically of high consensus (90%-plus agree on the direction). Children’s scores continue to remain high even with the introduction of new curriculum, thanks to the multiple instructional guides, district coaches and building based professional learning communities available to classroom teachers.

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?

Our policy committee meets monthly review and update policy based on building feedback, recent legislation, student and family feedback. During my term, I saw some policies challenged by parents, in which case board and district leaders determined how best to address parent or teacher concerns. Communication always continues until all parties feel completely heard.

If necessary, strategies such as adding parent representation on a review committee can be adopted. The board encourages the use of public comment at board meetings and contacting the board directly via email. There is no inquiry or concern that goes unanswered — it’s just the District 54 culture.

I will say that the open door policy provided by our superintendent and his team continues to create ways to build trust and create compromise. We do not simply defer our families to state authorities but rather take the time to educate our parents and ensure we are building two way trust.

Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach an agreement and manage school district policy? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions for your school board.

As stated above, I join two other board members and two associate superintendents in monthly policy review. New policy development can be initiated if we feel there is a significant gap in current policy, but I don’t recall that ever happening during my term.

Our committee provides the opportunity for our associate superintendents to introduce context, any new trends or laws, and make some general recommendations. Board members can ask questions to further understand needs for revisions. My goal is to ensure everyone is heard, and can request more information as necessary, even if that means delaying the first read of policy to the board.

I often say that our current seven members bring a wide diversity of perspective and personal and professional background, which makes internal board discussions strong, authentic and focused on improving the whole child.

To date, our team always walks out of tough conversations with one voice, thanks to the trust and mutual respect we have built over the years. I will continue to voice my thoughts from my seat and my lens, and expect the same from the rest of this excellent team.

What is your assessment of the school district's diversity and equity efforts? Do you support the continuation or enhancement of such programs, or would you rather see them diminished. Please explain your reasoning.

I am keenly aware that the terms diversity and equity are being defined in many different ways throughout our community, state and country, so I want to point the District 54 Equity and Inclusion Vision statement which focuses on promoting a culture of unconditional belonging for students, staff and community members.

We do not have a particular program in place, but rather a framework of professional development that ensures all students and staff enter and remain in a culture where everyone is safe welcome and cared for, heard, validated and supported, and represented in curriculum and staffing. Actions steps in place in our strategic plan which feed this commitment create a culture of belonging.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

My commitment to this community as seen in my 25-plus years of participation and engagement speaks for itself, and my brand as a community focused individual is strong. I am proud to join an army of public servants, individual volunteers, and corporate leaders to ensure District 54 continues its trajectory of raising the bar for education.

My business background and experience in health care strategy and consultation lends itself nicely to the education arena — safety, inclusion, wellness and mental health for our employees and the patients or students and families in our care.

And my daily dedication to values of belonging keeps my eye on a future vision of endurance and stability for District 54. I can’t wait to dig in to my next four years of service.

What’s one good idea you have to better your district that no one is talking about yet?

When a child enters District 54 in kindergarten stays in our care for nine years, we learn so much about their needs, their strengths, their potential: we have the history of both their academic and social emotional journey.

In health care, there is a dedication to transitions of care, and I believe this philosophy translates beautifully to education.

How can we provide a more comprehensive transition for our K-8 students to their local high schools? If we can stretch beyond the academic placements and find a ways to transition that child’s social and emotional well-being history and potential, how might that affect their high school years? Could we better equip our students as they enter such a formative time in their lives?

Their whole child success in high school is just as important so they can meet their potential and they enter their next chapters in life. Collaborative discussions with our high school districts could begin to shape this opportunity.