New Dist. 204 board member stresses communication, trust

Cathy Piehl realizes taking a seat on the Indian Prairie Unit District 204 school board is a big job.

That's why she wanted it.

Piehl, a stay-at-home mom from Naperville, was appointed to the district's vacant seat late Monday after a series of interviews and board discussions. She replaces Bruce Glawe, who resigned.

A leader on the district's Parent Diversity Advisory Council and the group's Dialogue Circles program, Piehl said she has developed relationships that can help the board improve communication with parents and regain trust with the community.

"I'm excited and hope to have the opportunity to help the board work on those issues," she said. "Parent involvement is so important to the success of our students. I really do believe that communication and trust are important pieces of the puzzle in the education process."

In a written statement Tuesday, board President Mark Metzger agreed.

"Cathy has developed relationships throughout the district, including in some areas the board has not reached," Metzger said. "Her talent and relationships are valuable additions to the board."

A trained school social worker, Piehl also has served as a member of the May Watts and Waubonsie Valley PTAs and the Indian Prairie Parents Council, in addition to her advisory council work.

"I want to take all of those relationships and use them to get a firmer grip on the partnership with our parents and formalize it," she said. "It's one thing to talk about it but it needs to be formalized a little bit better."

Early in her tenure, Piehl said she will work to be both a voice and an ear for her constituents.

"I'm sure I will be quiet early on but I'm listening," she said. "I know how important it is to not judge an idea until you've heard several viewpoints."

She's not looking forward to April, however, when she will campaign to keep the seat for four more years in the district that covers portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook.

"I never would have run initially because it seems so daunting, but this was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," she said. "At least now in April I won't be coming in cold. I'll have established a reputation and background for voters to judge me on."

When she's not volunteering, Piehl said she enjoys getting together with her family, which includes her three sons - a 2005 graduate of Waubonsie Valley High School, a senior at Waubonsie and a fourth-grader at May Watts Elementary.

"We get together with family. That's what we've always liked to do," she said.