Debbie Chafee, North Palos Dist. 117 School Board Candidate

PALOS HILLS, IL — Debbie Chafe is running for a second term on the North Palos School Dist. 117 school board. There are seven candidates running for five open positions in this race.

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The consolidated election is April 4.

You can find Chafe's answers to the Patch candidate questionnaire below:

Your name:

Debbie Chafee

Age (as of election day):

49

Town/city of residence:

Hickory Hills

School district:

North Palos School District 117

Family:

My husband, Ian, and I have lived in Hickory Hills for 25 years and are proud of the education that our children have received from North Palos School District 117. Grace is a senior at the University of Missouri and Elliot is a junior at Stagg High School.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? If yes, please explain.

No.

Education:

I was a first-generation college graduate and believe that education can open the doors of opportunities for the kids in our community to pursue their dreams. Being a member of our school board allows me to volunteer my time to help ensure that every student who walks through our school's doors has that opportunity. This includes their choice of college, trade, small business owner, caregiver, or anything they want to do.

I am a graduate of Argo High School (1991) and North Central College (1995). My undergraduate degree is a double major in Accounting and Computer Science. I have continued my education at Elmhurst University receiving master degrees in Data Science and Analytics (2018) and an MBA (2022).

Occupation:

I have 25-years experience in the Financial Services Industry working in application development and data analytics. I am also a Certified Public Accountant.

www.linkedin.com/in/DebbieChafee

Campaign website or Facebook or other social media:

Support North Palos

Support North Palos Facebook

Previous or current elected or appointed office:

Current member of the North Palos District 117 Board of Education

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them.

Dr. Jeannie Stachowiak will be retiring after next school year. The school board that is elected this April will select the next superintendent to lead our schools. It is important to have school board members with the skills and experience to select a superintendent that will continue to provide our students a best-in-state education, be fiscally responsible and support our property tax relief efforts.

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

I have extensive experience in state education funding and school finance.

Prior to joining the school board, I was involved in helping rewrite the state school funding formula. The first proposal by the state incorrectly classified North Palos as “affluent” and would have eliminated almost all our state education funding. In response to that proposal, I formed a community group named EDGE Illinois (Everyone Deserves a Great Education) and worked with legislators, community members and other school districts throughout the state to stop that bill from being passed.

My advocacy efforts and financial/data analysis skills gave me a "seat at the table" in helping rewrite the state education funding formula. I worked with state legislators for 3 years on a more comprehensive school funding formula that includes regional cost differences, funding for academic interventions and funding for English Language Learner programs.

Instead of losing our state education funding, our annual state education funding has increased by 10 million dollars a year. We also advocated for a Property Tax Relief Grant that is part of the new Evidence Based school funding formula.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district?

I am a current school board member and do not believe that any of our current school board members have failed our community or school district.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

North Palos provides a best-in-state education to our students that we should be very proud of. However, we can't take it for granted. If elected, I will work hard to keep our community and schools successful while being fiscally responsible and a good steward of your tax dollars.

• Make decisions that are in the best interest of our students and families.
• Make decisions that reflect the values of our community.
• Provide the supports needed by our teachers, staff, and administrators.
• Continue to provide meaningful property tax relief to our community.
• Ensure that we spend within our means and have balanced budgets.
• Continue to work with state legislators to lower our dependency on property taxes.

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

North Palos School District has increased their state education funding by $10 million dollars a year with the new Evidence Based School Funding formula that I was involved in helping write. This additional state funding has allowed us to expand programs and renovate our school buildings without increasing taxes or incurring new debt. We will be starting a 30-million-dollar expansion of Conrady Jr. High this Spring that is fully funded from savings.

The additional state funding and our fiscal policies has allowed us to provide meaningful property tax relief. My first two years on the School Board, we provided $200,000 a year in property tax relief. We increased that amount to 1.2 million in my 3rd year and further increased it to $1.9 million in property tax relief last year.

Why should voters trust you?

[My husband] Ian and I have been involved with the North Palos School District and other community programs for 20+ years. We love this community and enjoy giving back to it. All of our work with the community has been on a volunteer basis. I do not have any alternative motives for serving on the school board and I will not use my position for political gains.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success?
Our top priority is to continue to provide a best-in-state education to all of our students and ensure that they are ready for high school. I also want to continue prioritizing providing meaningful property tax relief to our community.

An item that the School Board started discussing this year is offering full-day kindergarten to all of our students. Approximately 85% of the school districts in our state offer a full-day kindergarten option. North Palos currently has half-day kindergarten, with about 70% of our students staying all day for additional services. I think it is important to offer this option to all the families in our community. We can leverage additional state education funding to help pay for a full day kindergarten option.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

It is important to be good stewards of the money that our community entrusts us with. We need to continue having balanced budgets, providing best-in-state academic programs, and planning for school building maintenance.

Illinois relies heavily on local property taxes to fund public schools. We successfully advocated that middle class communities need more help from the state to pay for our schools. Specifically, the state should be providing financial assistance for our academic intervention programs and English Language Learner programs. With the new Evidence Based state school funding formula, North Palos is now in the highest priority category for new state funding. We have received an additional $10 million a year in state funding through the new Evidence Based Funding formula. In addition to expanding academic programs and renovating our school buildings, we have leveraged the additional State funding to provide meaningful property tax relief.

Our School Board has approved $3.5 million in property tax relief since I was elected in 2019 and our tax increases have been less than half the average school tax increase in Cook County during a period of record high inflation over the past two years.

The new Evidence Based Funding formula that I worked on also includes a grant for additional property tax relief. The property tax relief grant would allow us to lower property taxes by 8%, while being reimbursed from the State to keep our classes fully funded. I have a very good understanding of the prioritization formula that is used for the Property Tax Relief Grant. Last year we were #3 on the “waiting list” for this important Property Tax Relief Grant. I will continue to make recommendations that would put us in the best position to receive the grant in the future.

What are your thoughts on how the district has handled the COVID-19 pandemic?

North Palos Schools were open for in person learning during the entire 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school year. Remote learning was also provided as an option for parents during the 2021-2022 school year. The teachers, staff and administrators did an amazing job teaching during the pandemic and keeping our students safe. North Palos students are in the top 1% of our state in individual student growth for Math and English post pandemic. The school district did an amazing job during this difficult time, and we appreciate all the efforts of our teachers, staff, and administrators.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some school boards saw extremely heated disagreements during public meetings. If elected, what changes, if any, need to be made to ensure meetings are run efficiently while still allowing open discussions?
There were no issues with how community members spoke out during our school board meeting.

How do you feel about sex education being taught in school? Should an LGBTQ component be included, and why or why not?

The National Sex Education standards that Illinois recommends school districts follow are not appropriate for elementary schools. The North Palos School Board voted unanimously to opt out of teaching those standards. North Palos does not teach sex education. North Palos does not teach the LGBTQ standards that are part of the National Sex Education standards. North Palos does not discuss or get involved in gender-affirming care for a student.

It is important that schools respect and support LGBTQ students. They are a very vulnerable group that is currently subject to a lot of political backlash. These students should not be discriminated against or made to feel unsafe in school or in our community. It is important for the school board to respect and support all students that attend our schools.

What are your views on critical race theory and whether it should be taught in the district?

Critical Race Theory is not taught at North Palos and there are no plans to teach it. We respect and appreciate our diverse community and would never make any student feel bad out historical events.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

We are very proud of our diverse community and have created a positive culture within the schools.

When it comes to student achievement, what are schools within this district doing well and what needs to be improved? How can those improvements be made?

North Palos is recognized at both the State and National level for high academic achievement. North Palos schools are designated as Illinois Exemplary schools, have received the prestigious National Blue-Ribbon award 3 times, have received the National Distinguished award 2 times and are recognized as a Model Professional Learning Community. North Palos meets each student where they are today and provides them the academic supports needed to be successful.

North Palos is working on enhancing our Science curriculum. The Conrady Junior High expansion will include three new science classrooms with labs and two new hands-on STEM focused classrooms. It will be important to continue evolving and incorporating science and technology curriculum for our students.

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

No

The best advice ever shared with me was:

A person’s perspective is their reality. It is important to listen to everyone and understand that each person brings a unique perspective to things that is shaped by their personal experiences. It is also important to take into consideration all perspectives and make decisions that are in the best interest of our students, family, staff, and community.