Katy Ebbesen: 2025 candidate for Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 board

Bio

Office sought: Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 board (Vote for 4)

City: Warrenville

Age: 43

Occupation: Attorney

Previous offices held: Warrenville Plan Commission

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

I am a longtime Warrenville resident, attorney, mom of 4 kids, and champion for public education. I am running because I saw a need and want to use my background, experience, and skills to serve my community, without a personal agenda.

There is currently no board member from Warrenville, and there generally hasn’t been one. Warrenville makes up a large part of the district, and all of our kids attend District 200 schools. Representation matters, and Warrenville deserves to have a voice on the board. I am running to be that voice.

Professionally, I am a transactional attorney working in finance and fund management. I have an understanding of financial matters, budgetary concerns, tax and investment strategies, and I am especially interested in using my knowledge to maximize the efficiency of our tax dollars, look for investment opportunities or tax abatement opportunities, protect our property values, and provide oversight to the upcoming middle school improvement projects.

I am deeply committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders to effectively govern the school district and ensure that all students are given the foundation for future success.

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

As a board member, it would not be up to me personally to determine what specific curriculum materials are available to students.

When the board as a whole is tasked with approving materials, the role I would play would be in educating myself on the materials, talking to curriculum experts, talking to district stakeholders about the materials, listening to public comment, and ultimately relying on that research to guide me.

In order to monitor curriculum, the board sets metrics and goals, and is then instructed by testing and data to track student progress.

I want to make sure that our kids have the best curriculum available to them, as we are in the business, first and foremost, of educating our children.

Prior to making any decisions regarding curriculum, including the implementation of new materials, or the monitoring of current materials, I would make sure to fully educate myself, ask questions, listen to stakeholders, and ultimately vote based on the best interest of the students.

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

We have a team of excellent people who research and implement new curriculum materials in our schools. I am confident that those people will continue to make great updates to the curriculum in line with the latest science of learning. As a board member, I would be supportive of curriculum changes that are in line with the latest research, and I believe the school district should be focused on strong academics.

I am encouraged by the recent push in our district to implement a uniform curriculum across district schools. I believe that it is in best interest of all our kids to maintain a high standard across all schools, and it shouldn’t matter which part of the district a child lives in, the academic instruction should be exemplary and equitable everywhere. Curriculum equity across the district is important to me, and I feel it deserves particular attention from the board.

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?

As an elected official, my role would be to listen to all stakeholders, constituents and public comments around any policy or curriculum controversy. But ultimately, it’s important to put aside any personal bias and rely on educating myself, listening to all voices (even ones with whom my personal views may differ), rely on the experts, and make a sound decision that is in the best interests of the students in our district.

I would be instructed by state authorities, but not simply automatically defer to them. Where we area able to diverge from state authorities, we should, if it is in the best interest of our local community. It is important to keep the integrity of our local district and do what is best for us.

Surrounding any controversy, as a public facing board member, it is important to model the type of behavior we want to see from our students, staff, and community, which means acting with civility, respect, and authority. It is an honor to be elected to the board, and board members should conduct themselves accordingly.

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 am extremely collaborative. I believe that the best work gets done with input from everyone, across a wide spectrum of backgrounds and ideas.

I currently serve on the Warrenville plan commission where I have experience being one voice out of seven, receive input from the public, and make decisions that are in the best interests of the community as a whole, not just me. As a transactional attorney, I am able to work collaboratively with multiple parties and effectively communicate in order to get a deal done.

I would bring this experience to the board and rely on my communication skills to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to effectively govern the school district and implement policy that makes sense for our community.

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.

The district does place an importance on diversity, equity and inclusion, and I applaud that, but there will always be room for improvement. I greatly support the continuation and enhancement of these efforts.

We have a very diverse student body, and it’s important for kids to see people who look like them as teachers, staff, administrators, etc. I want our students to be confident that with a good education they can do whatever they want to do. A big part of that is making sure that there are adults who look like them and have similarly diverse backgrounds in the district workforce.

Similarly, it is important for the mental well-being of our students that they feel supported, loved, and included. Kids need to feel part of a community, and I would encourage any programs and initiatives that allow them to feel that way.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I am committed to doing the hard work that it takes to govern a school district and I have the professional background and skills necessary to be a successful board member.

I am the mom of four kids in the district, my oldest is in high school and my youngest just turned 2, so I have a vested interest in keeping the school district as good, if not better, than it is now.

If elected, I will have a high schooler, middle schooler, elementary schooler, and preschooler, all at the same time. This gives me a very unique perspective, and the ability to be “plugged in” to every level of education within the district.

I am from Warrenville, which has traditionally been unrepresented on the board, and my representation of Warrenville students is valuable.

My professional background is in finance, which gives me the experience to oversee budget items and big projects, such as the upcoming middle school renovations.

Most of all, I care deeply about our community and have a passion for public education. I am service minded and would be honored for the opportunity to do good works in the district, for the betterment of all students.

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

I am always looking for ways to improve things big and small; and I am committed to finding opportunities to do so.

I would love to see PTAs across the district help balance the equity among the elementary schools. Some schools have more funding than others, and It would be great to see higher-funded schools “adopt” underfunded schools and share some of their resources.

I would also support “B” sports in middle schools, and increase participation in noncompetitive high school sports, such as intramurals or rec league sports. My children have benefited greatly from being part of a team, and it’s a shame that sports get so competitive so early. Kids greatly benefit from playing sports for fun, activity, and character building, they don’t have to perform at such a high level of competition to benefit.

I would like to better highlight the work that our school safety committee does. We have an amazing group of police, firefighters, and other community members who meet monthly and attend state and nationwide trainings on how to better improve our student’s safety in school buildings. I would love to bring more awareness to the community of this group’s efforts.