Katherine 'Casey' Rooney: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Katherine "Casey" Rooney

City: Libertyville

Office sought: D128 School Board Member

Age: 52

Family: Husband, John, Children: Brian, 26, Colleen, 22, Erin 19

Occupation: Client Services, RetireUp, Libertyville IL

Education: B.S. Marketing, Miami University, Oxford, OH 1988

Civic involvement: I have volunteered in a variety of roles for District 128 and Libertyville Elementary District 70, including as a board member for the Libertyville High Parent CATS booster club and as a representative on the District 128 calendar committee.

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? Yes. If yes, when were you first elected? Appointed to fill Mackenzie Thurman's seat for the remainder of his term. I have served on the board since August 2018.

Website: N/A

Facebook: N/A

Twitter: N/A

Issue questions

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

Rooney: Maintaining the high quality of education in our district while addressing the rapid population growth in Vernon Hills and aging infrastructure in Libertyville. We must accomplish these goals while keeping fiscal responsibility as a top priority.

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?

Rooney: As a current school board member and a parent of three recent graduates, I am highly impressed with how well our district prepares students for their next steps. The "proof is in the pudding," as they say! When you look at the schools our graduates go on to attend and excel at, as well as the success they have in their chosen careers, you can see that District 128 students are well prepared. As we evaluate different facility needs within our district, I believe we must focus on developing and supporting collaborative learning environments. Spaces where students can learn to function as a team, honing the skills they will need in the workplace.

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.

Rooney: Our district is evaluating expansions to Vernon Hills High School and repurposing the former pool space at LHS. Both are necessary capital expenditures which support the expected student population growth in Vernon Hills and the utilization of precious space at LHS. These projects will be paid for out of reserve funds without additional cost to our taxpayers; no referendum will be needed and no bonds will be issued. Budgeting for any monies received from the state of Illinois has been a challenge over the past few years. While there are signs that this might stabilize, we need to continue to plan for volatility in how the state distributes funds to school districts. All school districts in Illinois continue to face the uncertainty when it comes to state funding. We need to plan for volatility in how the state distributes funds to school districts. Lastly, I recognize there are significant concerns about taxes in Illinois and what we can do to keep them as reasonable as possible while supporting our excellent schools. The twin goals of maintaining the quality of education our district provides and being good stewards of taxpayer dollars should be our guiding principles.

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?

Rooney: No, I have never been employed by a school district nor has any member of my family.

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?

Rooney: This is an excellent question, considering that staff salaries are roughly 70% of District 128's budget. As a sitting board member, currently going through teacher contract talks, I can't discuss specifics of our negotiations but I can tell you my philosophy. All stakeholders - educators, taxpayers, administrators and the school board - are going to need to compromise. There can and should be shared sacrifice, and meeting the needs of our students must be our top priority.

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?

Rooney: No. We offer competitive compensation in accordance with the high quality of our district. The backs of our taxpayers cannot support any more inflationary pension actions.