Karen Stuefen: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Karen Stuefen

City: Elmhurst

Office sought: Elmhurst CUSD205 Board Member

Age: 56

Family: Husband-Tom, Son-Andrew and Daughter-Emma attended D205 schools Jackson, Bryan and York

Occupation: Technology Application & Business Transformation and Volunteer

Education: B.S. Computer Science, concentration: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Computer Vision

Civic involvement: Elmhurst CUSD205 Board Member

Previous elected offices held: Elmhurst CUSD205 Board Member

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? 2011

Website: www.electkarenstuefen.com

Facebook: Karen Stuefen for D205 Board of Education

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Issue questoins

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

Successful implementation of the multiple elements included in the community's favorable vote of the Referendum within the budget and timeframe established. This is a significant commitment on behalf of the community and key reason for me running again is to follow through on behalf of the community, and to provide consistency in leadership during this critical next phase for our district. The community and staff consistently share that they want to move the district into the future as a national leader in education and be the district others come to see best practices in action. We have begun this journey together and with the passing of the referendum we've already started the next steps. Thus, it's vital tocontinue the partnerships we've established throughout the district to work together as a team in providing a quality education experience for all of our students given the expectations outlined in the referendum. Community, staff, and legislative engagement, listening to all perspectives, and demonstrating responsibility and accountability throughout the organization remain at the forefront of success.

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?

We are an engaged community that has established a great school district.

Elmhurst is a destination for people and we consistently hear they choose Elmhurst due to our school district. At the same time, we have expectations to improve. We have focused on the benefit of being a unit school district and working to smoothly transition our students from each level within the district and beyond. A concerted focus has been established on development of the whole child. We are providing great opportunities for a variety of academics including advanced coursework and executive functioning skills development such as; critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration, etc. These are all important skills colleges, companies, and organizations have stated are critical. Our employees are engaged in professional development locally and nationally working hard to bring innovation and best practices to D205 for all of our students. We need to continue to support their efforts.

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.

Managing the budget is a key focus with potential shifts in costs that may occur basically at a moments notice without our decision. We receive a low percentage of state revenue in comparison to other districts. We may receive less in future years without time to plan for any decline, so we must remain engaged, aware, and anticipate shifts. The state has discussed shifting pension obligations to the local districts. Therefore a healthy budget is vital. We have refinanced existing debt to pay it off early saving the taxpayers over $13M. These are all responsible actions that help us invest in our education now and in the future to ensure taxpayer investment is managed wisely. D205 residents fund the majority of our education currently and it is our responsibility to invest wisely and ensure a quality education for our students.

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?

I am not currently employed by or retired from a school district nor is any member of my direct family employed by D205.

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?

The school board represents the community and we strive to provide a quality

education environment for all our students. We engage and listen to our

community and staff and use the information received to help us make the best

decisions to achieve the expectations of our community's financial investment in

education. We have worked hard together with our key stakeholders to establish,

communicate, and work toward common priorities, which are the leading

conversations and focus of our discussions. It helps build the foundation for how

we move forward together as a team delivering the expectations of our

community within the financial platform sustainable by our D205 community. The

role of the board is to balance the needs, concerns, and priorities while providing

the best educational return on the community's investment. We are a destination

school district for residents and staff. It's important to engage and listen in order to maintain this desirability.

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?

The work to be accomplished and the leadership required of an administrator requires a performance based contract, which means goals are established based on the expectations and objectives required of the position, performance achieved against those goals are reviewed annually, and compensation is commensurate to performance. It is important to understand the community's priorities and deliver the quality education expected with the best qualified people who are willing to work in D205 within our compensation structure. Performance is key and actively managed throughout the year. Regarding pension benefits, there is legislation that impacts the education system and we follow the new laws while representing the community's values for delivering a high-quality education system.