Cathy Piehl​ For IPSD 204 School Board: Patch Candidate Profile

Name: Cathy Piehl

Age: 58

Position Sought: Indian Prairie School District 204 Board Member

Family: Spouse: Mike Piehl, Three sons: Kevin (29) & spouse: Krisin Cash (27), Dennis (26), James (17).

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

Education:

Masters of Social Work - Emphasis in Community Organization and Public Policy - Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois, Chicago

Licensure for School Social Work - Aurora University, Aurora, Illinois

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology - Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinoi

Occupation: School Social Worker East Aurora School District 131

Why are you running?

Our children are the future. It is our collective responsibility to protect, educate and nurture all of them. As an educator, a parent, a social worker, a homeowner, and citizen, I value being a part of an educated caring community. With the current fiscal challenges, and the ever-changing landscape of education, I believe my experience, knowledge and willingness to listen, learn, and communicate honestly, will be more valuable than ever on the board.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office:

Indian Prairie School Board member since August 2008. Appointed in 2008, Elected in 2009, 2013.

Campaign Website: www.cathypiehl.com

What do you hope to accomplish in office?

Four major issues we face are the budget, building maintenance, possible boundary adjustments, and student achievement. All these issues are intertwined with how well we communicate with the community. We have a great deal at stake, and it will be our collective responsibility to ensure our community will embrace the need to ensure excellence in our students’ education.Measuring our goal for academic achievement has been difficult with the many moving parts of curriculum and testing changes over the years. These discussions have caused us to consider an approach that will look at the “whole” child. We want to adopt alternative ways that consider ‘authentic learning’ when we measure college and career readiness. A final issue I intend to continue to pursue is legislation that will eliminate the presence of students in our schools that are utilized as polling locations. It is an unnecessary risk we should not have to make.

How would you hold local government employees accountable?

Our board has developed a process for evaluating our superintendent. The process is reflective of that given to all our staff, which is mandated by law. In addition, our board participates in yearly self-evaluations with the Illinois Association of School Boards.

Explain your attitudes toward fiscal policy, government spending and how taxpayer dollars should be handled by your office (or board)?

When it comes to financial decisions, we need to have a balanced approach. If our focus appears lavish, we risk losing the support of the community. If our focus is only on the numbers, and we cut programs and staff our educational system will decline in value, and we risk losing the support of the community. Our focus is our mission statement, to inspire all students to reach their greatest potential. This drives our goals. Ultimately, we need to ensure the education provided continues to attract homeowners, and students can reach their greatest potential.

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

As a board member for 8 plus years I am ever mindful of the role I play in maintaining the excellence of a public education, therefore I have purposely focused on several areas where I have good background knowledge to bring to the table in order to improve at the board, district, local community, county, and state levels.
Through a tremendous amount of hard work, with fellow Board Member Mike Raczak, the four district goals are reflected in the Superintendent's Contract and her evaluation process. The primary job of a school board is to ensure the right person is leading the district. Mike and I have dedicated a great deal of time to creating an evaluation process that includes a mid-year formative and end of year summative evaluation. Collaboratively with the entire board, a process has been crafted over the past four years. It is still a work in progress, but it is a stand out for School Districts across the country.
The push for equity has been a unified voice from the current board. Therefore, I am still active in my role on the Parent Diversity Advisory Council, serving in an advisory capacity. I have always advocated for change in embracing the diversity in our district by allowing room for dialogue and opening lines of communication. As the council evolves, they have worked to continue their focus of ensuring welcoming schools, and inclusive teaching practices and curriculum.
Last year, I also decided to become “active” in the Indian Prairie Education Foundation, by running the half marathon. I raised nearly $1500 with the generous support of friends, family and fellow board members.
At the local community level, I blend my knowledge as a Social worker and Board Member in my work on the Community Alliance for Prevention. Their mission is to prevent substance use in youths 6th through 12th grade within the boundaries of Districts 204 and 203. This past fall, I served on the sub-committee to hire our first director.
Together with City Councilwoman Judith Brodhead, we continued a tradition of inviting the elected women of Naperville to an annual dinner, a tradition first initiated by Judith and the late Marylou Cowlishaw. The Dinners continue, conversations are vibrant and lovely, and they facilitate a collaborative approach to leadership.
Because Indian Prairie School District 204 is considered a leader in the state, I felt it important to ensure we have a place at the table at the county level. I served as a director of the DuPage Division of the Illinois Association of School Boards for six years, and I currently serve as the Vice Chair. In this role, I have advocated for meetings that will add value to the work of board members.
At the state level, I have been successful in gaining the support of the Illinois Association of School Boards' support to include Cyber-bullying in the “Bullying Prevention” statute. I have also been a leading voice for ensuring safer schools on polling days, by advocating for legislation to ensure students are not present. Although I did not get the entire support of the Association, there is discussion of the topic in the legislature.

What else would you like voters to know about you and your positions?

This is both a challenging and exciting time for public education. I implore our community to continue to support our public schools. Indian Prairie School District #204 is achieving excellence because our community values children. There are many voices working to devalue the institution of public schools. Denying the reasons we need to unify, and building angst between community members. Blaming teachers for a pension they were promised, expecting the school experience to be the same as 50 years ago, when our economy and society is moving exponentially into the future (self –driving cars!), promises of lowering taxes as campaign slogans, when instead we should be talking about how we can best serve the community within our means. We need to understand what “within our means” means. It has to be fair. The impact of proration on General State Aid has resulted in our district not receiving $10,640,000 for the last five years. That has been difficult for our district. It has devastated poor districts. We have the resources in this community to support an excellent pre-k through 12 education. Our district is constantly evolving to ensure our students are more engaged and have opportunities to grow and learn. At the same time, we have been a fiscally responsible with our resources. I do not take lightly the trust the community has given to me to deliberate and make decisions that affect their children, their homes, and their lives. We have a great team right now. Ensuring the community is served well, means ensuring we continue to have trustworthy and dedicated folks on the board. I implore our community members to vote, but vote thoughtfully. Get to know the candidates. This is not the time for “change”; it is a time for dedicated thoughtful leaders. I will be honored to serve again.

Photo provided by Cathy Piehl