Karen Shannon, District 86 Candidate

HINSDALE, IL — Karen Shannon is one of 10 candidates for four seats on the Hinsdale High School District 86 board. Here are her responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Name: Karen Shannon

Campaign contact email: ShannonForD86@gmail.com

Age (as of election day): 54

Town of residence: Hinsdale

Family: 2 daughters – one recent grad and another junior at HCHS

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Education:

BS, Chemistry, Houghton College, Houghton NY

PhD, Chemistry, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA

JD, Georgetown Law Center, Washington DC

Occupation: Vice President, Intellectual Property, Beckman Coulter Diagnostics

Campaign website: ShannonForD86.com

Previous or current elected or appointed office: none

The single most pressing issue facing the school board is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing the school board is ensuring that the curriculum we offer prepares our students for the future. The Physics First and Integrate Math program do not. When Physics First was presented to the community in 2019, I looked for data supporting its impact on student achievement. I found that in the 20 years since Physics First was introduced, it has gained little support, either nationally or locally, in our peer districts. Instead of improving student achievement, communities who had adopted this program quickly reversed course citing declining achievement. For example, San Diego Unified School District implemented Physics First as the only science sequence in its 27 high schools in 2000. By 2006, only one of those high schools still offered Physics First as the sole science sequence. I am not advocating for full elimination of the Physics First program. Instead, I would advocate for offering Physics First as one of multiple sequences, as is done at New Trier.

Similarly, I am concerned by the integrated math proposal. It is unclear to me what problem this proposal seeks to fix. Both high schools are in the top 10% of Illinois schools. Instead of explaining the need for this switch to the community, the current administration has instead focused on justifying integrated math’s success in other school communities such as IMSA. I question why selective-enrollment schools are used as examples of success when our school isn’t comparable because our student body has a wider range of abilities. But more importantly, whether it is or isn’t successful elsewhere begs the question of why we need this now. I am disheartened that the board unanimously approved the new math and science sequences without first responding to the concerns raised by community members during the months preceding both decisions.

My plan: While I do not support the current physics first and integrated math pathways as standalone curriculums, I believe standardizing the curriculum options between both schools is important. I support giving students more options rather than less, which could mean multiple pathways and/or multiple ability tracks (AP, Honors, Regular, G-Level, etc.). However, I believe curriculum change needs to take a backseat as we first focus on learning loss caused by the pandemic. Right now, our teachers need to be prioritizing plans to catch kids up. Once this is achieved, teachers can again refocus their efforts on curriculum alignment. My votes on future curriculum change proposals will be based on all relevant data and will take into consideration concerns raised by the community. I will work to ensure there are curriculum choices for students.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

3 incumbents – These 3 have approved Integrated Math and Physics First without first addressing community concerns. The current board has repeatedly ignored community and teacher concerns – bulldozing over all with misleading representations about the programs “needing an overhaul.” What evidence exists that this overhaul was needed? Our schools are currently some of the strongest in the state. The proposed overhaul appears poised create a problem – not fix one.

Of the remaining 7, I have served 11 years on the board of the Legal Aid Foundation of Chicago, a not-for-profit whose mission is to provide equal access to justice for all. In that capacity, I helped draft a strategic plan to free our organization on its reliance on government funding, participated in a nationwide search for a director with a vision aligned to our strategic plan, led our fundraising committee for 5 years to help achieve that vision, set performance objectives with our director and reviewed them monthly, negotiated with the labor union, addressed client complaints, and conducted performance evaluations. I know how to be an effective board member. In my current job, I am responsible for a global team that services our entire R&D organization. I ensure my team meets the expectations of our clients by tracking multiple key performance indicators (KPIs) monthly, including a satisfaction survey, that we publish and review. I would bring that same rigor into this board; using our strategic plan to establish meaningful KPIs that I would recommend reviewing monthly at board meetings. When the KPIs are trending off plan, then we can delve into what problem exists and what solutions are available. This will help our district use a problem/solution approach that is currently lacking. I would describe my approach as common sense, rigorously applied and as one that enables public accountability.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board failed the community or district? (see above)

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I discuss 3 other areas on my campaign website:

• Restore Board Transparency

•Return to School & Mind the Gap

•Empower Student Achievement Across the District

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I earned a PhD in Chemistry in an era where few women entered graduate school and even fewer graduated (and here I should pause and express my eternal thanks to family, friends, and colleagues). I have learned how to persevere.

I attended law school at night while holding a full time job at a law firm as a patent agent. Later, I was a partner in a law firm, headed their life sciences program and service on the board of non-profit. I know how to juggle multiple responsibilities.

Presently, I am the Vice President of a diagnostic company that is part of a large conglomerate. I am responsible for my own company and for coordinating activity of all 4 companies on the Diagnostic platform of the conglomerate. I know how to work to gain consensus amongst parties.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

Black Lives Matter. The US has struggled with civil rights since its inception. Our first Civil Rights Act was passed in 1866 and our most recent one in 1964 – and yet our African American brothers and sisters clearly do not yet live in the same reality as those of us with lighter skin. Back in 1964 and again today, protests and marches capture the nation’s attention – they make us pause and listen. The only way we will truly understand the problems are to listen to the marginalized – and to listen without being defensive or offended. In order to have Justice as set forth in our Constitution, we need to understand the problems and find solutions. So yes, Black Lives Matter – and now is the time for us to stop and listen and try to help so that demonstrations are no longer needed.

As a side note, I am perplexed by the Diversity training deck that was allegedly shown to our faculty (as suggested on various Facebook pages run by D86 parents). The deck suggest that whiteness is an affliction. No skin color is an affliction. There should be no shame attached to any skin color.

What are your thoughts on the district’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic? Are you in favor of remote learning, in-person learning or a hybrid of the two? Do you support a mask mandate for students and school staff, or mandatory coronavirus testing for both students and staff?

I support the hybrid model until we can get our students back in person. Until then, we need to fix the Zoom in Room problem that has developed. Our teachers are not trained to simultaneously teach to students in class and online. Currently, even if you are in the classroom, you are still required to log into the zoom meeting to participate in class. In some instances (particularly at Central, less at South), the teacher is not in the classroom and is instead remote. The student is left questioning, “why am I here?” At the last board meeting, the administration presented data showing that students who had chosen in person learning were increasingly staying home. Despite a parent eloquently commenting on how Zoom in Room was adversely effecting students, not one board member brought this issue up during discussion. Teachers should be in the classroom. Our administration should consider options to consolidate our remote learners and in class learners such that teachers can focus on one or the other – versus both at once.

Do you believe there is equity between Central and South high schools? Why or why not?

There is an honest attempt to provide equity of achievement for all students. I believe in continuous improvement – such that we should always be striving to do better.

What was your position on the $140 million referendum that voters passed in April 2019?

I believe in spending money on schools. I questioned why the school board needed to threaten to cancel sports, extracurricular activities and some classes in order to pass the 2019 referendum. However, this is 2021 and the referendum has passed. What is important now is to manage our finances wisely and bring the construction projections in on time and in budget.

How should school board members handle emails from the public?

Without knowing the volume of email, I don’t know how to answer this question. The board should be responsive to community concerns. If the concerns address a single member, than a return email would be appropriate. If the concern addresses a broader group, than responding in a newsletter may be more effective.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

None at present time