Katherine M. Doremus: 2025 candidate for West Chicago High School District 94 board

Bio

Office sought: West Chicago High School District 94 board (Vote for 4)

City: Winfield

Age: 68

Occupation: Banker/residential lending

Previous offices held: District 94 board member since 2007

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

I first ran for the District 94 school board and am again running for the same reason — I am passionate about the importance of education for children. Schools and teachers can make such a tremendous difference in an individual child's life — and in the changing environment we live in now — ensuring that each student gets an opportunity to achieve their personal best through the support of the school is more critical than ever.

A knowledgeable and balanced board is a key part of the how a school is successful in educating our students, supporting our staff, and serving the community we live in — this has always been and continues to be my motivation.

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

The role of the school board is to understand the importance and meaning of the curriculum and to listen and question our administrators and teachers as they develop an appropriate curriculum for our students — a curriculum that provides every student the opportunity to learn and be challenged to think objectively and effectively solve difficult problems.

These are the tools that ultimately give them a lifelong love of learning and the ability to be successful in whatever direction they choose to go after their school years are ended. The board is there to provide oversight and govern but not to dictate what a curriculum should look like — we hire educational professionals with that skillset. If our hiring is effective, these professionals can set us on the right path and lead our district with a curriculum that is best for our students, leaving us to do our jobs of oversight and governance.

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

At this time, I am not aware of any — our administrators continue to monitor and adjust the curriculum to meet requirements and also provide opportunities for students to learn in the direction they are interested while encompassing innovative programs and options to serve all students.

We have an excellent new superintendent as of 2024 and a very well qualified and dedicated team of educators that are always exploring ways to do more and be better for our students. This has been the history of District 94 throughout my years of involvement and I fully support their efforts.

We have never remained complacent and have always looked to do better at challenging and enriching the learning environment for our students. I truly feel we have been in the forefront of creating a curriculum that strives to benefit all of our students in a very diverse community — and this has been something that had made me proud of District 94 from the time my own children were students throughout my tenure as a board member.

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?

I strongly believe the role of the board is to support what is right for our students and to trust that they, especially while in high school, have the ability to make wise and educated choices and learning should be about exploring new and diverse ideas.

Our role is to guide but not to dictate and we are there to stand behind what is best for all students and allow them to explore the world in a safe environment — the school.

I have utmost trust in our staff to create a curriculum that stimulates and energizes our students and helps them be prepared for the world when they leave school. I am not afraid to stand strong on the rights of students as they learn and question. And while I respect the voice of constituents and state authorities, I believe that learning is sacred and my role on the board is to advocate for the students as they learn to be independent thinkers.

I always respect the opinions of others, including those who disagree with me — and I feel honest and open dialogue is the best way to find mutual ground or to listen to the concerns of others but ultimately I am here for the students.

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.

Setting policy is one of the key functions of a board of education but is often determined at the state or federal level and sent to the individual school boards to approve in order to be in compliance with the law. In simple matters, this process if effective, but with more challenging issues, not so much. A case in point was the state laws implemented during COVID when many boards were challenged by parents and students who believed the laws were too extreme and schools should be open and masks not mandatory.

While I fully understood the frustration and respected the opinions of those who didn't agree with the state mandates, I also had to weigh the risks which were unknown for whole student body along with that of staff members and their families — and the additional layer of the costs to the school if we were not compliant.

In such situations, my style is to research as much factual data as I can, listen to the recommendations of the administration who have to be in the front lines of any challenges, be compassionate of parents and students, consider the risks and take ownership for holding the line for what I believe is the best decision for all parties.

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

Since 2007 when I was first seated on the board, we have worked to address and accommodate our diverse student population and equitably meet the needs of the families and communities. I have seen continuous attention focused in these areas and corresponding growth in how we support the varying cultural and language needs and strive for equity for all students.

District 94 has seen a significant change in the populations of our students due to both immigration and refugee efforts in the area and supporting each student can be a challenge, but it is a challenge we have always felt was critical and worth addressing — to meet the individual needs of each student.

Our staff and administration, with the support of the board, has always looked for innovative solutions to make this happen for every student and to reach out and support families in every way we can to ensure success and make certain no child falls through the cracks. Our diversity is something to celebrate and cherish and I will continue to make every effort to do what is best and most equitable for our student population — they are each worth the effort.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I have many years of history and experience with this board including knowledge of where we have come from and great hopes for where we can go and what we need to do to get there. I am passionate about education and giving every child the best opportunities to become their personal best.

I am dedicated to our staff and administration, and the people in the community. Through the past 18 years on the board, I have seen so many challenges and will take these lessons to continue to navigate a world that keeps changing and throwing new challenges to education.

I will strive to never lose focus on the reason we, the board, the administration and amazing staff — are there — the success of our students. I also have seen so much growth and improvement in what and how we do things through my tenure on the board. I will continue to work with the board and District 94 team to stay on course as we give our best to every student that walks in the door of District 94.

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

Constant change is our reality and the COVID pandemic reinforced our need to be able to pivot and adapt quickly and effectively. I believe that a board needs to always be looking forward and building plans for the future, ready to adapt to any circumstance without negatively impacting our foremost goal — giving a quality educational experience to every student of District 94.

We need to budget forward to protect our staff and resources for this purpose and stay responsible to our community. We also need to be creative in how we use resources to get maximum mileage from every dollar to make certain there is long term value and maximum impact for our student body.

The economic environment poses a lot of threats going forward for schools and I believe we need to have open conversations to make sure we are well situated to address whatever occurs and stay financially stable while continuing to give our students the excellent educational services they deserve and reward and compensate our staff for the tremendous commitment they make to our students every single day.