Meet CHSD 218 School Board Candidate Carol Kats

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL -- Carol Kats is running for her second term on the CHSD 218 Board of Education, in Subdistrict 5, which covers all or parts of Worth, Palos Heights, Chicago Ridge and Alsip. Kats is a special education teacher for Chicago Ridge School Dist. 127.5. She grew up in Burbank and graduated from Reavis High School. Kats is married to a Shepard alumnus and lives in Worth.

Dist. 218 oversees Richards (Oak Lawn), Shepard (Palos Heights) and Eisenhower (Blue Island). A new school board will be chosen in the April 2 municipal elections. Following are Kats' answers to the Patch candidate questionnaire.

Name: Carol A. Kats
Age: 52
Education: Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, Minor in Special Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago; Master of Arts in Special Education from Governors State University; 30+ additional graduate hours in early childhood/special education from Governors State and Olivet Nazarene
Occupation: Special Education Teacher, District 127.5 Chicago Ridge Building Level Special Education Facilitator, 25 years in Chicago Ridge School District 127.5, with 4 years prior teaching experience
Activities/civic involvement: I attend Moraine Valley Church with my family.
Current Board Member (13 years). Volunteered for many years at Southwest Ball Hockey and Worth Athletic Association when my sons played in those leagues.
Family background: Grew up in Burbank and attended Reavis High School;
Husband is a lifelong Worth resident and Shepard grad along with his siblings and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Son Jake is a 2018 Shepard grad, Illinois State Scholar, and is in the U of I Engineering Pathways program at MVCC.

Why are you running for the Dist. 218 school board? What skills, qualifications and experience do you bring to the office?

I have served as a Board Member for 218 for the last 4 years, the last 2 as secretary. Prior to this term, I served as a board member for 9 years on the 127 Worth Elementary School District Board, 8 years as the secretary. I understand a board member’s role and the rules of board governance. I have always been an independent voice, making my own decisions. I have been an educator for 29 years as well.

I have been teaching in a feeder school for the last 25 years, so I understand our community very well.

I want to continue to represent the interests of our students first, as well as the community, while having a positive rapport with our staff.

What do you see as the board’s role and responsibilities?

The board is responsible for educating the students and ensuring that the districts is running effectively.
The board is responsible to listen and respond to the needs of the school community.
The board employs and evaluates the superintendent and delegates its authority to the superintendent and his/her staff to run the daily operations of the district.
The board is responsible to monitor/assess the progress of the district using data.
The board makes decisions as a whole body, not as individuals, respects others’ opinions, and members must abide by the board majority’s decisions.

What role does policy play/have in the functioning of the board?

Many policies are written based on legal requirements and are implemented to assure we (the board/district) are following the law and school code. Other policies are written to address core values/beliefs and the vision and goals of the district. Our mission statement and strategic plan are aligned to these goals and policies. This should drive how we monitor our district’s performance and decisions moving forward.

Do think board members/the board should have a role in the day-to-day operation of the district?

It is not the board’s nor an individual board member’s role to run/micro-manage the school district. It is the job of the Superintendent to run the district under the governing body of the school board. The board has one employee, the Superintendent. It is the board’s responsibility to hire a strong leader that is a good fit for our school community. It is the job of the Superintendent to provide thorough information and data to the school board so that the members can make sound decisions that are in the best interest of the students and school community. It is also the Superintendent’s role to oversee all aspects of the district on behalf of the board.

Can you/should you support a board decision that you were not in favor of?

Majority rules on the school board and a member is 1 of 7. Sometimes a vote does not go your way. As a professional, you need to accept the decision of the board and continue to work with the other members to make the best decisions for the district and its stakeholders.

What is your vision for education in the D218 community?

I want to see the district continue its commitment to the whole child approach. In these times, our students are faced with many challenges outside of academics. I would like to see the social/emotional, as well as academic support for our students grow and evolve as students’ needs and challenges grow and evolve.

I want our district to continue to provide the professional development for our staff, so they feel equipped to meet the ever-changing needs of students, that they feel supported as professionals and that 218 is a place that they want to work.

I also want the board to continue to be fiscally responsible, assuring that the taxpayers’ money is being utilized to provide high quality programs, staff and facilities for our students.

Do you think Dist. 218 is on the right track? Why or why not?

I think the district is always looking at ways to improve our students achievement, implement the best programs to prepare our students for post-secondary education, vocational education or to enter the workforce and provide support for struggling as well as high achieving students. Our staff and board work hard to provide a safe, inclusive environment for all of our students. I am very proud that in the last 4 years, we have taken a hard look at the unique needs of the students at each school, then found creative ways to meet those needs. The fair does not always mean equal philosophy… Staff, administrators and board members are open and willing to make changes necessary to meet the diverse needs of all students. No one takes the ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it” approach.

As a district, we also recognize that there are always areas that need improvement; discussions take place, problem solving through PLCs (Professional Learning Communities) that involve staff are ongoing, and data driven action plans are developed and implemented.

We are working closely with our feeder schools, through the leadership of our Director of Articulation. This has lead one of our feeder schools to start the work of aligning their curriculum to our district, which is a huge advantage to their students. Teachers from 218 and our feeder schools have opportunities to observe each other and articulate, helping ensure that our incoming freshmen are better prepared for the demands of high school.

If elected, what three steps would you take to put the school district on firmer financial footing?

District 218 has had the highest financial rating that can be achieved for the last 14 years. Our staff has been working very hard the last several years, through the Financial Review Panel, to continually prioritize spending and look at ways to save money while providing high quality programs and services to our students. I want to see this process continue and for adjustments to be made as needed on an ongoing basis. The district is continually monitoring and implementing energy saving measures, which saves money.

What would you do to make the school district more accessible to parents, students, faculty and community members? How would you involve stakeholders in the district’s decision-making process?

I feel parent and student input is highly valued in our district. The District Wide Educational Advisory Committee (DWEAC) is comprised of staff and parents from all of our schools. Parent representatives give valuable input about many topics that affect our students and community and I feel the administration and board are listening and acting on that input. Parent groups also meet with the principals at the individual buildings to give their input on school specific and district topics and concerns.

Student Voices are groups that meet at each school with administrators to allow students to give feedback about classes, programs, activities and needs of students at each school.

All the schools share out information through social media, which I feel reaches our students and parents. I have gotten lots of positive feedback about information being shared through Facebook pages.

The parent liaisons do a great job of getting information to current parents through email on a weekly basis.

Each school puts out a quarterly newsletter so our stakeholders can see what is happening in each school. I feel we could advertise this so people know where to go to see it. For our community members who may not utilize technology, or don’t have students enrolled in our schools, I would like to see something mailed out several times throughout the school year.

The district employs a Public Information Specialist to ensure information is effectively communicated to our stakeholders.

How would you handle teacher-contract or other union negotiations as a school board member?

As a board, we direct the administration to negotiate on our behalf. As stewards of taxpayer money, we must negotiate within the financial means of our district, while providing our staff with a fair wage and working conditions. I want our staff to feel appreciated for the hard work they do and again, for 218 to be a place that they want to work. As a teacher and board member, I understand both sides of these negotiations. I feel we need to listen to union members and be open to problem-solving together.

Currently, the board has very good working relationships with all the groups within the district.

What do you consider to be Dist. 218’s greatest assets?

We have a strong administrative team and teachers who are committed to educating the whole child. Our staff goes far beyond just academics when working with our students.