Aaron Kelly: 2025 candidate for Community Unit District 300 board

Bio

Office sought: Community Unit District 300 board (Hampshire Township)

City: Hampshire

Age: 46

Occupation: Senior director product marketing

Previous offices held: Hampshire Township Park District Trustee and Hampshire Village Trustee

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

I’m honored to run for the CUSD 300 Board of Education. My candidacy is based on a deep belief in the importance of education and its lasting impact on students, just as my own school experience shaped who I am today. So why run?

First, Hampshire needs representation on the board. With rapid growth in Hampshire and the surrounding area, our community deserves a voice. I'm committed to being a fair voice for Hampshire and the entire District 300 community.

Second, my service as trustee for the Hampshire Township Park District and the Village of Hampshire has allowed me to work with District 300 on various projects.

From successful collaborations like the Big Timber Elementary project to advocating for students' rights to produce The Prom at Hampshire High School, I understand the importance of governance and collaboration that prioritizes students’ growth and well-being.

Third, our district’s $343M+ budget must be managed to provide essential resources. Teachers, staff and school admins should not have to rely on fundraisers from PTO’s to cover essential costs. We must ensure equitable funding, competitive salaries, and quality facilities for all students.

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

The role of the educators, administration and staff is to work together so that a curriculum proposal can be brought before the board of education whose responsibility it is to approve the curriculum. The board also should provide feedback that represents the interests of their communities and works to better the education of all students in the district.

From time to time, it may be necessary for the board to request that staff reevaluate the curriculum if it is felt that the needs of the students are not being met and that results are not being achieved. That progress can be evaluated with the Illinois Report Card, graduation rates, educator feedback, student feedback as well as direct observation.

Per the District 300 board policy manual, the board is also responsible for approving textbooks and educational services. Both of these are tools used to achieve the goals of the curriculum and therefore should be in strong alignment.

Ultimately, the board is responsible for the curriculum of the district and providing educators, administrators and staff the tools and resources they need to deliver that curriculum.

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

While the board has worked to develop a curriculum that benefits the development of the whole child, there is work to be done.

District 300's English Language Arts (ELA) scores on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness have improved from 2021 to 2024 but remain below state averages and pre-pandemic levels. Math scores are slightly above the state average but below 2019 levels.

Proficiency rates are 35.9% for ELA, 27.3% for math, and 51.3% for science. This should not be considered acceptable. Continual evaluation of the curriculum and adjustments are needed in order to ensure the continuation of positive progress and a path to having a majority of students proficient.

Another area that needs to be addressed is that the current requirements for elementary STEM programs are inadequate and not resourced at the appropriate level.

Students receive instruction only once every two weeks and educators are covering multiple schools which sometimes results in having over 1000 students. Given the rapid pace of technological advancement, STEM education must be prioritized and expanded in elementary curriculum.

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?

Leadership is about making informed decisions after considering various points of view. It’s not about making the easy decision. It’s about doing the right thing even when that may be unpopular.

In a recent Gallup poll, 73% of Americans said they are not satisfied with the quality of education. There are a lot of frustrated constituents and it is vital that their voices be heard and taken into consideration when making policy decisions.

With so many dissatisfied right now, it’s a time that as a leader you must listen, seek understanding, and work to address the concerns of your constituents. That means the community, your educators, your staff, and your students. You need to take into consideration all view points when considering policies and curriculums.

I have always approached board service in a nonpartisan manner. I may not always agree with others’ perspectives but I do always listen and seek understanding.

I also do not believe in deferring any matters to other governing bodies that should be decided at the local level. Deferment can often be used as a way to avoid difficult decisions which is not what leadership is about.

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 have always approached board service in a collaborative and open manner. My style, while sometimes frustrating to staff, is that I ask questions to gain a deep understanding of the discussion at hand. My goal is to always make as informed a decision as possible and that sometimes requires that I ask for clarification, for them to help me understand the topic at hand.

I also believe that it is sometimes necessary to professionally challenge recommendations as it is in the defense of those recommendations that a productive discussion can be had.

It is during these discussions where diverse perspectives can lead to new understandings, that we can ensure our constituents have a voice, and where we can build confidence in our community that we have done our due diligence in making policy decisions.

Finally, there should always be discussion by the board in open session when evaluating policy. All board members should be encouraged to share perspectives so that the board can find common ground. Participation leads to collaboration. My hope is that my style encourages the board to have collaborative discussions, to ask the hard questions, and to build community trust.

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.

District 300 has leaned into incorporating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into their policies and procedures. Examples are the hiring of a director of DEI Initiatives to the creation of an Equity Work Timeline and doing an Equity Audit. There have been staff DEI trainings, student belonging surveys, formation of parent organizations, and more.

However, these policies have not worked. When you look at student performance from when the director of DEI was hired in 2020 through 2024, you’ll see that the achievement gap in ELA as measured by the state of Illinois has grown. From 2021 to 2024, the gap in achievement between white and Hispanic students has grown by 6%, between white and black students has grown by 3%, between low income and non-low income by 6%, and between those with IEP’s and no IEP’s by 12%. While not at the same level, the same trend is true in mathematics.

I believe that a non-biased evaluation of the current policies is needed to determine which policies have not worked and should be eliminated, where adjustments need to be made, and which policies are achieving their goals and should remain. The current approach is not achieving the results one would expect.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

With 15 years of experience serving as an elected board member, I have been involved in state and federal grant applications and awards, evaluating and hiring candidates for the organizations most senior positions, and leading budget committees at the municipal level among many other responsibilities. I work collaboratively and value varied perspectives as they help find solutions that will benefit our community the most. I believe that local officials should be nonpartisan and my approach to governing aligns to that.

My education in psychology and business administration will be valuable when working to address the matters before the board.

Whether during an executive session discussing student/staff matters or in meetings when developing strategic plans, my education and experience provide me with a strong foundation for these discussions.

Finally, my professional background in business and the technology industry give me a level of expertise regarding the latest technology trends and innovations. This will be needed as topics like AI in education come before the board and how to use technology to drive efficiency.

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

One idea I have is for the district to create a 20-year rotation where each year an elementary school’s playground is fully updated and replaced.

There currently are elementary schools with rundown playground equipment that do not meet the needs of that school’s student body.

Only after a recent news article was playground equipment added to the agenda to be replaced. This should be part of the standard operations and facility management plan for the district.

With an average life expectancy of 15-20 years for playground equipment this would ensure that every elementary school has the facilities needed.

This will also remove the burden that many PTO’s feel as they are forced to raise funds to replace equipment on their own. I further believe that this would truly represent and equitable approach to resource distribution as those schools in lower income areas would not be expected to fundraise for their own equipment.