Kermit Eby III: 2025 candidate for Glenbard High School District 87 board

Bio

Office Sought: Glenbard High School District 87 board (Vote for 4)

City: Lombard

Age: 68

Occupation: Professor, Retired Social Studies Teacher

Previous offices held: District 87 School Board member

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

I am a fourth generation educator. My oldest daughter is a fifth generation professor. We believe strongly in public education! Our need for communities to be responsible for all of our citizens. It is also important that we maintain standards of equity, accessibility, fairness, opportunity, and diversity. Our schools reflect, not only our community, but our nation, and the world.

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

Our school board is a democratically elected group of citizens who oversee not only the administration of curriculum development, but also our schools alignment with state and national standards.

The guidelines that are given to schools by state and national legislatures are critical to our students and teachers success , but also to the traditions of American progress, equity, and fairness. Since I have sat on our student performance and assessment committee for three years, I have learned how our districts solid commitment to student achievement and well balanced curriculum is inclusive of all developments in the sciences, humanities, arts, history and physical education. Our district has maintained quality in all of our schools, and is quite honestly, the envy of many other school districts.

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

This is an ongoing concern of course because our administrators and teachers all seek to balance the needs of a wide variety of students; from special needs students to overachievers, from advanced placement and honors, to the kids who have been left out . Our schools have sought to maintain a balance, an integrity that lifts up the disadvantaged and maintains the highest expectations of the most talented and privileged of students.

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?

This is a critical question! How can we maintain and pursue an idealistic commitment for all of our students? As a history professor and teacher, I’ve always looked at our shared history for the answers to these questions. And we have overcome a great deal of adversity, despite the differences. Our progress as both a community and a nation has depended on both compromise and recognition that injustice must be overcome. Eventually, reconciliation with the these ideals comes from expanding opportunity and growth.

Let me be very specific that our continued expansion of the trades, opportunities for college credit courses, the innovative techniques of a creative block scheduling. All of this will continue to show district 87’s leadership !

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.

I believe that my style of collaboration and communication, balanced with a genuine humility when working with people with greater expertise is critical to our success. There is no reason to think that I would be able to contribute more to a discussion on math curriculum , or the skills required in biology, etc., can compete with the experts we already employ. In regards to my understanding of the growth we have experienced in curriculum development, teacher training, and community participation, I hope that I can continue to be aware of the needs of our students and parents.

Dave Larson has provided an incredible legacy in improving our schools to compete locally, statewide, and nationally! In athletics, academic, and social awareness. Our continued growth has been enormous under his leadership.

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.

Absolutely! I think it is essential that both are administration and faculty reflect our community. We have maintained the highest standards and expectations for our teachers, regardless of faith, ethnicity, and cultural background, because our standards are so great. You should continue to maintain these ideas!

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I think I’d like to answer this question with a little bit of humility. I’ve learned over the last four years that we have some of the most exceptional administrators and teachers, in the state of Illinois in the nation. It’s also why so many neighboring districts look to us as a destination for their students and in their careers. Considering my colleagues, I’m a good candidate, and I hope to preserve both my responsibility as an educator, and as a taxpayer, the greatest public schools with an ideal to provide each student with their greatest opportunity to be the best that they can be.

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

Lightening the load on our counselors and social workers, while making our classroom enrollment size smaller … actually, if you want to hear my most revolutionary idea, it would be to have every administrator teach at least one class a year. We are all teachers, after all, and we have much to share!

As one best-selling and popular book is titled … i think everyone should read it btw … “this age of anxiety” needs more than just a phone to connect us again So let’s go for it. Let’s have all our students put their phones away for an entire school day.! How healthy would that be?