Rose Kelly: 2023 candidate for Community Consolidated School District 59 school board
Bio
Town: Elk Grove Village
Age on Election Day: 68
Occupation: Retired from CCSD59
Employer: None
Previous offices held: None
Q&A
Q: Why are you running for this office, whether for reelection or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?
A: Since retiring from D59, I want to focus on serving students and staff and want to preserve the quality that D59 is known for. I want to make sure students and staff feel safe and have a sense of belonging so learning can be the main focus. I also want to ensure that staff get a curriculum with strong foundational skills to support student needs. The school community needs to be informed and the BOE needs to be willing and open minded to hear their concerns.
Q: What is the role of the school board in setting and monitoring curriculum?
A: Constantly check on what is happening and ask questions not just of the SLT but of the staff to see how things are going.
Q: Are there curriculum issues within the district that you feel need particular attention from the board?
A: Most teachers are still working without a formal curriculum and are struggling, I believe we NEED to make sure they have resources to use.
Q: 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?
A: As a BOE member I would need to hear everyone's thoughts and ideas and then study how the policy/curriculum controversies would affect staff and students. See how the plan could be used to better what's already been there and see how we could. improve it.
Q: Did you support Superintendent Terri Bresnahan's equity plan that would have paired schools
up into grade level centers, redistricted some areas, and repurposed Ridge into a preschool?
A: I am not in favor of school paring nor am I in favor of repurposing Ridge. I do feel we need to redistrict schools and possibly programs within schools.
Q: Did you support Superintendent Terri Bresnahan's equity plan that would have paired schools up into grade level centers, redistricted some areas, and repurposed Ridge into a preschool? Why or why not? And now that the plan has been rejected, how should the district address some of the areas of improvement that were identified during this process?
A: As I said in the previous question I am not in favor of pairing or repurposing Ridge. I understand that there is staff that do not have anyone to collaborate with but if schools were redistricted that could be alleviated. Splitting siblings makes it difficult for parents and students in so many ways Busing has been an issue for the past 3 or so years, since the pandemic. No matter how may routes we make (or take away) we still do not have enough qualified drivers. Doubling up routes just makes for more mistakes and students getting to school late.
Q: Concerns are growing regarding a new resurgence of the pandemic. If another massive outbreak of infectious disease occurs, what have we learned from the COVID-19 pandemic that will guide your decision making?
A: Well, D59 was and is on top of safety and health measures, we have learned so much more about COVID-19 now than we did at the beginning so I think our measures would be much different. So much technology has been put into place since COVID-19 beginning as far as how teachers taught. Teachers had a very hard time teaching virtual & in person - we would have to really look at separating the two - parents would also need to understand that their student may or may not have their regular teacher in this situation, but I hope we never have to go through this again.
Q: Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach agreement and manage school district policy? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions of your school board.
A: I have negotiated several contracts in D59 and my approach has always been to educate myself to what we are looking at and I would do the same when determining a policy, either new or old. A school board member needs to remember they are representing the tax payers, who are also the parents of students, so my decision would have to take into consideration their views and the policy of the school board as well as how the decision(s) would affect students.
Q: What makes you the best candidate for the job?
A: My experience as a parent and a D59 employee/staff member helps me bring perspective to the BOE. I have first hand experience and knowing how things are working inside schools. I want to think I would be able to disseminate how changes will be met from staff. Also my knowledge of both the certified and classified contracts which can assist with decision making.
Q: What's one good idea you have to better your district that no one is talking about yet?
A: Listening to both sides.