Kelly Jakymiw: Candidate For Deerfield School District 109

DEERFIELD, IL — Ahead of the April 6 consolidated municipal elections, Deerfield Patch provided questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot.

Eight candidates are vying for four seats on the Deerfield School District 109 Board of Education on Election Day. They include two incumbents (Andrew Morrison and Sari Montgomery) and six challengers (Dana Blumberg, James D’Angelo, Valarie Hays, Kelly Jakymiw, Jonathan Silver and Maureen G. Wener). Current trustees Kate Bittner and Scott Kluge are not running for reelection.

Deerfield Patch is publishing all responses submitted by candidates verbatim.

Kelly Jakymiw

Age (as of election day)

39

Town/city of residence

Deerfield

School district

DPS 109

Family

Michael (husband), Charlie (15), Callen (12), Camden (7), and Claire (7)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Cary Grove High School - 1999 (valedictorian), University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign - 2002 (Bronze Tablet and selected for commencement speech as top graduating scholar)

Occupation

Former special education teacher and consultant (eight years) with Northern Suburban Special Education District

Campaign website

https://www.kellyfor109.com/

Previous or current elected or appointed office

n/a

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing our district is trust and transparency with our stakeholders. I plan on advocating for an updated Board of Education webpage, continued access to virtual and recorded Board of Education meetings, and an introduction to using online crowdsourcing tools to get real time community input when making important board decisions. I would also like to see an improved external and internal chain of command/communication, community assessments of board members, and the use of teacher led panels with student input for district initiatives to build trust and ownership.

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

I believe that my professional background as a special education teacher, my extensive volunteerism in District 109 (PTO leadership for ten years), serving on multiple district subcommittees, and my personal experience having four children currently in elementary, middle, and high school allows me a broad perspective of the needs of this district and the ways to bring stakeholders together in a unified district vision.

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

I do not believe our current school board has failed our community, and I am proud of our district, schools, teachers, and reputation. I do believe, however, that every school board should strive for growth and progress. As an example of an area for progress, one of my objectives would be to encourage a viewpoint of district program improvement as a first initiative over program replacement. Additionally, I would encourage enhanced auditing of the district’s curricular programs, asking the right questions and collecting informative data, using teacher and expert knowledge to make changes, and ensuring that we have program evaluation dates in place to determine success of initiatives.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I believe in a respectful, informed, conscientious school board who impartially listens to their constituents and who represent independent viewpoints when collaborating. I am also advocating for staff representation from each developmental cohort (prek-2nd, 3rd-5th, and 6th-8th) during major board decisions, while focusing on the important transitions between the grade levels, buildings, and especially between eighth grade and the high school. Finally, I believe in setting the stage and providing the resources needed for our new superintendent, Mike Simeck, to be successful in achieving our new strategic plan. Specifically, this includes an innovative and focused plan for April-August 2021 to target the academic, social emotional, and executive functioning needs of our learners and staff after this past year of pandemic schooling.

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

As a special education teacher and consultant with Northern Suburban Special Education District for eight years, I developed strong insight into the day to day needs of staff and students. As a Walden PTO president, treasurer, and committee chair, I have spent a decade finding creative ways to engage parents, staff, and students in school activities. Specifically, I have organized and run the Walden Veterans Day Breakfast and Assembly for three years, bringing our community veterans and students' veteran family members into the building for a special assembly honoring their service and sacrifice. This speaks to my ability to organize, innovate, connect with staff and learners, and engage the community. Finally, as the treasurer/board member of Pegasus FC, a non-for-profit travel soccer club based in Deerfield, I have created yearly budgets, coaching contracts, communications with parents, and navigated challenging pandemic protocols to bring fun, safe soccer to our town's kids.

Why should voters trust you?

I have spent my whole life dedicated to service. From volunteering as a counselor at Easter Seals camps when I was a teenager, to being a Best Buddy to students with different abilities in college, to serving as a volunteer board member for Pegasus FC and Walden PTO as an adult, I have prioritized working hard to better the lives of those around me. I believe that drive and dedication to put others' needs before myself, and my constant desire to want the very best for our community's youth, shows that I can be trusted to make thoughtful decisions in the best interest of all stakeholders.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success

As I feel strongly that the Board of Education is a collection of seven independent, collaborative members making joint decisions, I wouldn't be able to claim any accomplishment as my own. As a full board, I believe the success and retention of our new superintendent Mike Simeck would be a key accomplishment during my tenure. We have experienced significant building and district administrative turnover in the past few years, and creating and keeping strong district leadership from the top down would be so impactful for our staff, learners, and community.

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

Our district has been in the position this spring to return to full day in person learning by using carefully grown reserves that could cover unpredicted needs such as PPE, plexiglass, additional staff, and SHIELD testing. In the future, we need to make sure our budgetary decisions align with the district strategic plan as well as ensure that we have the reserves necessary to be nimble enough to make district expenditures without needing to go to the taxpayers first.

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?

Yes, I support Black Lives Matter and support everyone who is working together to educate others and create change regarding systemic racial injustice . I support all peaceful protests, find them to be critical to our growth as a democracy, and stand in solidarity with those striving for equality. I believe we as a society have the responsibility to educate our children on diversity, inclusion, social justice, and cultures. I would strongly support a targeted diversity curriculum for our pre-k through eighth grade learners in DPS109.

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

The district has created a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee, though I would imagine the unexpected nature of this school year has delayed the timing of their committee goals. I would strongly support the reengagement of this committee, ensuring it includes staff, students, community members, and field experts, and set fresh timeline goals to plan for how our district can move forward in ensuring both diversity within the curriculum as well as equity within our instructional practices.

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?

It would be easy to use the benefit of hindsight to go back in time and analyze every decision the district has made in regards to handling COVID-19. I believe that hard choices were made and unprecedented hours were spent every week trying to navigate the best way to educate our students with ever shifting guidelines. I served as a parent representative on the e-learning subcommittee this past summer, and saw the work that went into planning a robust full day virtual learning option for the Fall of 2020. I do believe, however, that instead of presenting 100% e-learning or 100% in person options to the board over the summer, the district could have developed additional middle of the road (hybrid) options for the board to choose from to start school in August and pivot to as COVID-19 numbers changed. I am in favor of our students and staff being safely on campus to the greatest extent of their day possible, using every mitigation method in our tool belt, and I support the district's return to full day in person learning as of March 8th. I support a mask mandate for all individuals in or around the school buildings and support following IDPH, ISBE, and the CDC guidelines regarding mask wearing.

When the vaccine is available to them, do you support mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for students and staff?

I believe that question may be better answered once data trials have been completed for the children's vaccine. I would look to the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and specifically IDPH for guidance on state rules and regulations regarding vaccine requirements for public school learners.

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

I am fully committed to serving this district for the complete tenure of the position

The best advice ever shared with me was ____________

My mom spent my whole childhood telling me: "You can't change the way the wind blows, you can only redirect your sails". I live my life by this mantra. There are things in life we simply cannot change, but we DO have the power to change our own attitudes and responses to them.