Carla Owen: Candidate Profile

Back to Maine Township High School District 207 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: Park RidgeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Carla Owen for District 207 School BoardOffice sought: Maine Township High School District 207 School Board Age: 54Family: Terry - HusbandChristian - Son, age 22Marisa - Daughter, age 19Occupation: AttorneyEducation: B.S. Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign-UrbanaJ.D. Loyola University of ChicagoCivic involvement: Former Board Member, Park Ridge Senior Services, Inc.Elected offices held: District 207 School Board President -May 2016 to presentDistrict 207 School Board Vice-President- May, 2014 to May 2016Questions 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 reelection to the Maine Township High School District 207 School Board because I want to continue to support the progress and innovation that define District 207. The District has been recognized as a leader in teacher coaching, instructional technology, and college and career counseling.Ã#130;circ;#160; The District has posted the highest nine average ACT scores over the last nine consecutive years. And, for the first time in the District's history, all three schools have been simultaneously recognized nationally for their excellence.These successes have come about because District 207 has an outstanding administrative team and top-notch, caring teachers who work together to teach students and prepare them for the world after high school.Ã#130;circ;#160; Serving on the Board is an important way to ensure that the goals of the district are met while representing the entire community"â#128;ť students, parents, and taxpayers.Ã#130;circ;#160; I want to continue to serve in that way, and that is why I am seeking reelection.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?Standardized test scores are the most common measure for student success in most school districts.Ã#130;circ;#160; However,Ã#130;circ;#160; District 207 has begun to shift away from standardized test scores as the only measure of how well our students are learning and preparing for college or a career.Ã#130;circ;#160; In fact, data shows that a better predictor of a student's success in college is actually his or her high school grade point average.Ã#130;circ;#160; In addition, more students than ever are taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes in our schools, and we are offering more dual-credit college courses than ever before. Ã#130;circ;#160; College graduation rates for our graduates are another indicator of how successful our students are, and those rates have been steadily climbing and are at an all-time high.While the District continues to measure student achievement results on traditional measures like ACT scores and grade point averages, it also looks at other indicators for success as well. I think this is the right direction to be heading in. Our students cannot and should not be defined by a single number.Do you support the district's proposed "Hybrid 4" schedule that would increase classroom time for most classes by 17 minutes each week, though it would cut times for science classes?The administration is still researching and gathering input on the proposed "hybrid block" schedule and I have been following this closely.Ã#130;circ;#160; From all that I have heard and learned so far, I think that a Hybrid schedule would benefit our students overall. The proposed schedule would increase class time in the vast majority of classes, and would also provide longer blocks of time for learning than is available under the current schedule in all classes.Ã#130;circ;#160; It would offer more opportunities for students to have college/career and other counseling, and give students additional opportunities to meet with their teachers or tutors for extra help.Ã#130;circ;#160; The schedule would still allow students to take the elective courses they are interested in. The proposed schedule is projected to reduce District expenses because there would be less need to hire substitute teachers.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?There are two main budget issues facing the District.Ã#130;circ;#160; First, all of our school buildings are older buildings that require the kind of upkeep that older buildings need. Roofs, boilers, and air conditioning, for example, must be fixed or replaced as the need arises. Ã#130;circ;#160; Even less costly maintenance issues arise and add up.Ã#130;circ;#160; These costs can be hard to predict, but need to be paid. Ã#130;circ;#160; Second, there is a lot of uncertainty aboutÃ#130;circ;#160;possible state and federal school funding cuts, property tax freezes, and also about whether pension costs might be shifted to school districts.Ã#130;circ;#160; What the District's future income will be simply is not yet known, and hard to predict. Ã#130;circ;#160;The District has been careful financially, keeping in mind possible maintenance costs for itsÃ#130;circ;#160; aging buildings and the possible loss of revenue it might have to absorb in the future.Ã#130;circ;#160; I think the District has done a very good job remaining economically healthy while keeping our per pupil spending the lowest in our conference.Ã#130;circ;#160; The District recently received a AAA bond rating which reflects this excellent financial management.Ã#130;circ;#160; As a Board member, I have always and would continue to make decisions about cuts, taxes and fees based on the facts and options presented under the circumstances, considering the impact of any cuts or taxes from the taxpayer and student perspective.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?"School choice" and "voucher" systems have normally been proposed where lower-income students or those attending failing schools are given a choice to attend a different school, hoping to get a better education.Ã#130;circ;#160; I do not think school choice is an issue in District 207 because our schools are not failing.Ã#130;circ;#160; In fact, it's quite the contrary"â#128;ť our schools offer an excellent educational opportunity to our entire diverse student body.Ã#130;circ;#160; Ã#130;circ;#160;If the federal or Illinois legislature decided to approve a voucher system, I think this would have a negative impact on District 207 and its students. Ã#130;circ;#160; Under a voucher system, tax dollars that would normally go to public school districts are used instead to pay student tuition at private schools. Voucher systems often take money away from programs that help the neediest, most at-risk students academically, and divert that money to schools that are not accountable to taxpayers and do not have to admit all comers. Importantly, voucher systems set up in other states have not been clearly shown to improve student achievement.Ã#130;circ;#160; This puts the entire premise of vouchers into question for me.I think that a strong public school system is very important to our society as a whole.Ã#130;circ;#160; That is one of the main reasons I ran for the Board in the first place. Ã#130;circ;#160; I think vouchers would weaken our public schools, so as a member of the Board I would feel a duty to speak in opposition to them for our District.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I think Ã#130;circ;#160;it is important that our schools encourage students to aim high academically and to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that our schools offer them. However, I am also very aware of the many stresses that teenagers face in and out of school in an increasingly complex world.Ã#130;circ;#160; Those stresses have led to an increase in mental health issues for students across the country.Ã#130;circ;#160; As a Board member, I think it is important to keep the push and pull of student achievement and student well-being in mind when I deliberate about issues that impact our students.Ã#130;circ;#160; It is also important to me that District 207 offers an enriched, innovative and student-centered educational experience to all our students. At the same time, I am mindful of the costs of such an education to the taxpayers. My retired parents still live in the District and pay taxes here. My children may someday choose to raise and educate their own children here. I think it's important to thoughtfully represent all the beneficiaries of our excellent schools.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope Francis.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?That things would almost always work out pretty well if you worked hard and had a generous heart.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have travelled abroad during college.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Studying group dynamics and social psychology has helped me to be a better leader and collaborator. Algebra has also come in handy.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be very nice to your parents, always. (I have too many pieces of advice to pick just one!)