Susan Gillespie: Candidate Profile

Back to West Chicago High School District 94 School Board

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: WinfieldWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: West Chicago High School District 94 School Board Age: 52Family: Married for almost 24 years to Brian J Gillespie. Four children: Hayley: age 23, graduate of ISU in nursing, works as a nurse for Northwestern downtown; Jacob: age 19, sophomore at Notre Dame studying architecture; Jack: age 16, junior at West Chicago Community High School, Annie: age 12, 7th grader at Winfield Central School.Occupation: Teacher for Linden Oaks Hospital at EdwardEducation: BS in Education, 1988, University of Arizona. Math major, physics minor.Some graduate coursework in reading at National Louis University.Civic involvement: Elected to the Winfield School District 34 Board in April 2005.Re-elected in April 2009.Became president April 2011.Achieved Master School Board Member Status by IASB 2012-2013.Served on wellness, response to intervention, and strategic planning committees; served as the SASED alternate for six years; served on the communication committee with WCCHS; and on preschool committee during the 2011-2012 school year.Presented at the Triple I Conference on Collaboration with feeder district presidents in November 2012.Participated in successful contract negotiations "â#128;œ January to April 2013 Winfield Education Foundation member August 2013-presentWinfield PTO - Fall 1997- Spring 2014Parent volunteerElected offices held: Elected Board Member of Winfield School District 34 School Board 2005, 2009President of Winfield School District 34 School Board for 2 years. (2011-2013)Member of Winfield Education Foundation 2013-presentQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?I am running for a seat on the District 94 school board because I strongly believe in giving back to the community through public service and I have multiple ties to the high school. My oldest two children graduated from the high school and had very good experiences there. My son Jack is a junior at West Chicago and my daughter Annie is a 7th grader at Winfield Central who will then also go to WeGo. I taught some overload math classes during the 2010-2011 school year and taught GED math in the adult education program for two years. I think the best way to invest in the future of a community is through its youth. To invest in youth, you need to invest in education. Therefore , to invest in the future of a community, you must invest in education. I've always believed this which is why I became a teacher. After spending many years volunteering through the PTO and as a board member for 8 years for a feeder district, I felt it was time to volunteer for the high school as well.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?The SAT is certainly better than the PARCC test. Students are not invested in a test they know has no personal consequences for them. It was the same with the Prairie State Exam that was given with the ACT. They are worried about getting into a 2 or 4 year college, not about what the state is going to use to measure the success of the school. It is amazing that the state is still paying for the exam considering the lack of a budget. What is important to remember is that student success cannot be measured only by a standardized test score. The same is true of measuring the success of a teacher or an entire school. Another advantage of the SAT over PARCC is that much fewer instructional days are lost to testing. We will have to wait and see what may be mandated by the new administration as far as testing goes in the near future.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?The board sets policy and that is determined in large part by school code and new legislation that is passed. Some of that legislation does set some curriculum. Other than in those situations, the curriculum should be left to the experts which would be the Superintendent of Curriculum and Principal in collaboration with the faculty. The Common Core is still in play. Rigor in all courses whether Advanced Placement or regular courses is a good thing. Bringing back some vocational classes would be great.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 district is pursuing a no-tax increase referendum this election in the amount of $37,500.000. This is for building improvements, repairs, and a second story addition on part of the current building. I support this referendum. The original school building dates from 1926. There are five inch gaps in the wooden floors. It still has pneumatic controls instead of digital. The pool was almost closed due to piping issues. Roofing needs alone are approximately $4,500,000. Classroom space is at 97% occupancy. In order to put some vocational education classes in the curriculum, additional space is needed. The library is very outdated. The list of maintenance needs is long. Initial indications were that community support was positive. However, if the referendum is not passed, a second try could be made depending on the outcome. Budget cuts are never easy, and the list of repairs would have to be prioritized. Fortunately, all life-safety issues have been remedied per the Superintendent. The issue of the state budget will also be an issue. Hopefully k-12 funding will come through again.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?District 94 is a one school school district; there aren't other high schools within the district. If Congress or the state "approves" a voucher system of some kind, I think the board owes it to the parents to at least look at those options and consider them. There are private schools in the area that are tuition based. I don't really see this as a realistic option for District 94 simply because it is it's own district.Note: When NCLB was in play, it was required to ask surrounding districts if they would take any of the students from District 94. The answer was always no.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Community involvement. Is the school doing enough to help meet the needs of such a diverse school body and the community? Can the community be more involved in helping the school?A mentoring program would be a great option!Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope FrancisWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Treat others as you would want to be treated.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Spend less time worrying and more time enjoying life!What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math - it became my career - teaching kids math!If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Never judge someone until you've walked in their shoes - from Atticus Finch in To Kill A MockingbirdFalse24483264Susan Gillespie, running for <a href="/news/politics/election/race/West-Chicago-High-School-District-94-School-Board/">West Chicago High School District 94 School Board</a> False