Natasha Grover: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Natasha Grover

City: Naperville

Office sought: District 204 School Board Member

Age: 46

Family: Married with three children

Occupation: Attorney

Education: BA, Psychology, George Washington University; JD, American University College of Law

Civic involvement: District 204 parent volunteer; volunteer attorney - Legal Assistance Foundation, AIDS Legal Council, Pro bono adoptions; mentor, Gavel Club for Children; volunteer, Hesed House

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Yes, Appointed by existing Board in October 2018

Website: www.natashagrover204.com

Facebook: NatashaGrover204

Twitter: @NatashaSGrover

Issue questions

* What are the most important issues facing your district and how do you intend to address them?

Mental health is becoming an increasingly urgent issue for our kids. There are various factors driving this - social media, peer pressure, parental pressure, among others. I will address this by creating awareness, destigmatizing mental health and providing children, parents and educators tools to help.

Secondly, we need to continue to improve the tradition of academic excellence of District 204 This means getting children ready for a complex 21st century world in their chosen path, whether it be college or a vocational career. I will work with the Administration to implement the learning from programs like "Portrait of a Graduate" to make our curriculum more relevant to today's world.

Finally, we need to ensure that we receive adequate funding and we use those funds judiciously. I will continue to monitor the situation in Springfield with regards to state funding and work with my fellow Board Members to ensure that we get our fair share from the state. At a local level, I will actively participate in items that impact our schools - for example, the proposed Route 59 corridor development plan. In addition, I will provide oversight on spending and act as a guardian of our community's resources.

* How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?

Our schools do a great job in preparing our children. By testing students at an early age, we can close the achievement gap early. For instance, over 60 percent of preschoolers that were deemed at risk are no longer at risk when they start kindergarten. 94.8 percent of our Freshmen are on track in high school and we have a graduation rate of 96 percent compared to a state average of 85 percent. All our schools have received either an "exemplary" or "commendable" rating under the ESSA standard. All three of our high schools are ranked in the top 25 in Illinois in the 2018 Best High Schools ranking. The college persistence for 204 students from Freshman to Sophomore year is at 95 percent compared to 77 percent nationally. We provide training in vocational careers such as automotive technicians.

Our biggest opportunity lies in getting our children better prepared for the soft skills required to be successful, as well as preparing them for the changing global and technological environment. Toward this end, the School District's "Portrait of a Graduate" study has identified some of the key competences required to succeed. The next step is to develop a curriculum that implements these competencies.

* What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases? Be specific.

Our school district is more reliant on state funding than neighboring districts. Although we have benefited from the new evidence-based funding model, the district is at 80 percent financial capacity to meet expectations. Despite this, we are conservative and run a balanced budget. We also run more efficiently than other Districts. We spend $11,847 per pupil compared to 203 which spends $15,326 and the state average of $13,336.

We have two areas of concern - first, a state level discussion considering shifting education pension liabilities to local districts. The second is the Route 59 corridor project proposal that includes a TIF. We need to follow these developments and ensure that IPSD's interests are not harmed. I attended the meeting about the Route 59 project and have spent my time creating awareness of what it means to us.

If cuts are necessary, I believe they should be done after a holistic review rather than targeting specific programs.

I am not in favor of tax increases. Rather, they should be a last resort once all other options have been exhausted. If there are material funding changes, we need to work with the relevant stakeholders to influence the outcome before considering additional taxes.

* Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?

No, I have never worked for a school district, and no one from my direct family is employed by District 204.

* As contract talks come up with various school employee groups - teachers, support staff, etc. - what posture should the school board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?

It is important that we pay our teachers and staff fairly and acknowledge their contributions to our children's future. By creating a supportive and collaborative environment among school employee groups, providing them with training and being transparent with them regarding the District's financial position, IPSD has built trust between the Administration and employee groups. This is critical for us to attract and retain the best educators and staff and remain competitive. The result has been that we have retained 98 percent of our teachers that are rated "excellent". The recent teachers and staff contracts were a fair mix that rewarded the teachers and staff, while allowing for an option of change if our funding environment changes. Going forward, I believe that we must continue to utilize the same philosophy of transparency and trust with the economic environment of the school district.

* If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?

We continue to compensate our educators and staff fairly. In today's environment, this is critical in order to attract and retain the best employees. This also ensures that we have a motivated group of educators that develop and deliver a rigorous curriculum and drive excellence among our students. Given this compensation philosophy, I do not see a need for us to support any substantial increases in compensation to boost pension benefits.