Meet Summit Hill School Board Candidate Katie Campbell

FRANKFORT, IL — The upcoming election is less than two weeks away, and early voting has already started. In Frankfort and Tinley Park, one of the contested local races is the race for the Summit Hill Board of Education. There are three open positions on the District 161 school board in the upcoming April 2 election. Katie Campbell is one of five candidates running for a position.

Campbell lives in Tinley Park with her husband Chris and her two children. She has a degree in education from Northern Illinois University and a Masters in education administration from Eastern Illinois University, as well as a Masters in physical education from Chicago State University. She has worked as a physical education teacher and as a department supervisor, as well as coaching various sports in high school.

Campbell believes the most pressing issue facing the district is the "steady and rapid decline in student achievement."

"This is extremely alarming that Summit Hill students are among the lowest in the Lincoln-Way area," she said. "Summit Hill children, in 2018, scored 33 percent and 39 percent below Frankfort 157C students in English and Math, respectively."

She said her goal would be to "encourage a more rigorous curriculum with an abundance of support and resources for our teachers and all of our students."

Campbell believes her background as an educator is unmatched among the other candidates.

"I am an independent thinker who will put the best interests of the students, families and community members of the Summit Hill Community first," she said.

Campbell said if she is elected, she would work to improve student achievement.

"Success, for me, as an elected member of the board would include Increased accountability, total transparency, data-driven decisions all leading to overall improvement of our district," she said.

For more information, you can visit her Facebook campaign page.

There are three open positions on the Summit Hill District 161 Board of Education in the April 2 election. The other candidates are Stacey Borgens, George Leonard, Trudy Sturino and Debbie Staples.

If you are a candidate in the upcoming April 2 election, you can email andrea.earnest@patch.com for a candidate questionnaire.