Laurie Donahue: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: NapervilleWebsite: www.lauriedonahuefor204.infoTwitter: laurieedonahueFacebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Indian Prairie Unit District 204 School Board Age: 58Family: Naperville has been my home for over 35 years. Married 32 years to Chris Donahue. Two Children: Hillary and Ryan who attended (K-12th grade) schools in District 204.Occupation: Senior Director Global Quality at NokiaEducation: BS Computer Engineering University of MichiganMBA Benedictine UniversityCivic involvement: - Co-Chair Naperville Sister Cities Commission- Secretary Hawthorne Credit Union Board of Directors- Student Recruiter for the University of Michigan, Naperville area- Edward Hospital Animal Assisted Therapy program- Naperville Humane Society volunteer- Special OlympicsElected offices held: - Chair/Co-Chair Naperville Sister Cities commission- Secretary, Hawthorne Credit Union Board of DirectorsQuestions Answers With growing concern around mental health and addiction, what should the district do to build mentally healthy students, support the mental health of students who have mental illnesses and help students avoid addiction?This is an important issue to address in our schools and requires partnership with expert resources skilled at addressing mental health and addiction. Our teachers should have training to recognize and support intervention for many reasons: mental health, drugs, bullying, stress. District counselors with knowledge of best practices, and ties to community resources, need to be available to work with students and their families. Programming and speakers should be offered to the students to provide awareness, coping skills, and sensitivity to mental health and addiction issues. Parent/community groups focused on addressing mental health and addiction should be encouraged with active participation from district resources. Recent statistics show that our district has an average ratio of counselors to students significantly below the national average. This is concerning given the rising rates of drug and mental health issues. We need to make sure there are adequate resources in the district, in partnership with the community, to address this growing issue.As teachers use more and more technology in the classroom, how much should the district continue to support the eLo online learning consortium and the STEM Partnership school at Aurora University? How should spending on these technology-related learning experiences be balanced with other educational and financial priorities?Online learning is an option that needs to be offered in our school district, but should not eliminate the experience of classroom learning. In this ever-increasing digital/virtual world, the value of in-person interaction with teachers and peers needs to be nurtured by our schools. Despite our digital environment, future career success will continue to require social and communication skills that are best developed by face to face interaction. With respect to the STEM curriculum, I believe we need to inspire more student interest in science, technology, engineering, and math, both for college and vocational career paths. Future employment will require more technology knowledge. Our district should be looking for innovative ways to expose students to these areas and to encourage careers in these disciplines "â#8364;#339; especially for girls.How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?District curriculum experts are in place to research, assess, and recommend curriculum changes and improvements to the school board. Critical to student and district success, our curriculum needs to be regularly assessed to ensure we are providing superior preparation for the world outside of attending schools in district 204. Our students are consistently top ranked in academic performance. To continue improving achievements, the board needs to support the evolution of our curriculum while balancing fiscal responsibilities. An increasingly connected and global market demands skills that need to be developed in our students. Our schools need to provide a well-rounded educational experience preparing all our students for their chosen career path, college or vocational, with the skill set to succeed in the 21st century. I am interested in growing interest in the STEM curriculum, especially to encourage girls. Technical skills are fundamental to most careers and are base requirements for today's jobs. I would like to see all students receive meaningful exposure to technical tools and skills. To compete in the future global market, the district needs to continuously evolve our curriculum to teach students with innovative techniques to foster entrepreneurial skills, problem solving, teamwork, leadership, and citizenship. Addressing the achievement gap with underperforming groups is also an area that needs continued attention.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax or fee increases?The continued budget stalemate in Springfield provides significant budget issues in district 204. In the best of times, the state contribution to our budget was variable. With the lack of a state budget, we are facing uncertainty of this key budget component. The current school board has done an admirable job defining plans and a budget to adjust for this continued uncertainty. Our district needs to be vigilant in monitoring and pursuing our district's interests in Springfield. I am not in favor of a tax increase as the first move to address budget shortfalls. I have significant experience dealing with constantly decreasing budgets with continuing performance expectations in my career. I managed a $250M budget and a $1B purchasing program at ATT/Nokia that were continuously squeezed for higher performance. Before any tax increase is considered, we need to look for ways to save on existing expenditures and minimize any classroom impact. Eliminating programs in the arts and physical education should not be the default target for cuts. A balanced educational experience is essential. Efforts to seek additional grants should be pursued to provide potential new sources of funding. Collaboration with the community and businesses should be investigated to supplement shortfalls. We must be focused on obtaining the maximum benefits from the school district's financial resources, as well as, monitoring and auditing spending programs to keep them efficient and effective.What role can and should school choice play in your district? If Congress or the state approves a voucher system or other means giving students broader choices among public and private schools, how will that affect your district? What is the appropriate response for the board of education of a public school system?Providing a high-quality education for all students should be the objective of our schools. We are fortunate to have a strong tax base in Naperville that allows for quality funding of our schools resulting in superior performance educational opportunities available to all. Naperville's public schools and their excellent reputation make this a desirable community and provides support for property values. Moving to a school privatization strategy brings many concerns about the ability to provide a quality experience to all students. If Congress or the state approves moving to a voucher system, students will be able to pursue attending schools of their choice. High performing schools will attract the most student interest and will be able to be selective about who is admitted. Our public schools will need to compete at the highest level to provide superior opportunities for learning and excellence in student academic performance to attract students.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?A cohesive school board is an essential element for the success of a school district. To gain a variety of perspectives, I believe in having a diverse school board with a strong skill set provided by the members. We need people who have different perspectives, but who can work together as a team to make the right decisions for our students and community. We have all seen the recent disaster with a very dysfunctional board at the College of DuPage. I bring a proven track record, through my career accomplishments and volunteer activities, of integrity and success working with others to achieve superior resultsPlease name one current leader who most inspires you.Elon Musk. He is an exciting visionary.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You need to pursue what you want in life.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would become a doctor.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I always liked math and science. I became an engineer which opened the door to many different, interesting, experiences.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Kindness will always make you successful.