Deanna Darling: Candidate For District 26 School Board

CARY, IL — Four candidates are running for three open seats on the Cary District 26 school board this election.

Patch.com reached out to District 26 candidates to get their responses to candidate questionnaires. Here are the responses we got from Deanna "Dee" Darling:

Name: Deanna "Dee" Darling

Age (as of election day): 58

Town/city of residence: Cary

School district: Cary District 26

Family. Names, ages and any pertinent details you wish to share.

Husband

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're running for.

No

Education:

HEHS and William Rainey Harper College

Occupation.Please include years of experience.

Operations Manager - 20+ years

Campaign website

https://keepmovingforward.frie...

Previous or current elected or appointed office

Cary District 26 School Board 2019-2023
Precinct Committeeperson

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

*Teacher shortages & Attacks on Public Education*
In order to recruit & retain qualified teachers our District needed & needs to continue to look at what the other districts around us are offering in terms of not only salary, but benefits, class size, support staff, planning time, etc. We have to create an environment for our teachers that sets them & our students up to succeed.

Our students deserve stability, and retaining our staff plays a huge part in their success.

Attacks on public schools and educators have ramped up over the last few years. I feel it is important to do everything I can to fight these attacks on Public Education. It is time we highlight all the good things that are happening in our public schools every day. I am honored every day to have this awesome responsibility of improving the quality of public education for children of all ages, incomes and backgrounds in my community!

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

First, I'd like to focus on the positive: It is an honor to do the essential work of the School Board the past few years with my current fellow board members who are all deeply committed to our District and our community.

As for what the main differences are between myself and the non-incumbent candidates:
I fully support Public Education, our Teachers, and understand the importance of providing access to an equal educational opportunity for ALL students in my community.

I want our Public Schools, Students, and Staff to succeed and shine, and I know firsthand how a positive & consistent student/teacher dynamic contributes to a student's academic success.
I also have no personal vested interests in alternate places of learning, my complete focus is on the success of the Cary District 26 Public School District.

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

N/A

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

Being a Board member on the Policy committee & as board President, I have been part of the strategic planning team, of 2 successful labor contract negotiations, and along with my fellow board member held an extensive interview process for our new Superintendent with the involvement of all district stakeholders.

Every idea I bring forward, and every vote I cast as a board member is taking our students, staff, parents & taxpayers best interests into account, always.

I take the job of School Board member very seriously and have dedicated countless hours to research, analyze data, read feedback, etc. because of how important I feel it is that there is someone level headed and data driven in this position with the responsibility of oversight of programs & services in our District that affect our students, teachers, families and my community.

Why should voters trust you?

I truly have the safety & best interests of our students, our staff & our community in mind at all times and during all discussions I have at our board meetings.

I have a history of asking the questions that directly address the issues and consistently require the data to back up what is being proposed before me before I can cast a vote. I’d like to think that people can see that my heart is always in the right place, and that I have a deep commitment to making this District a place we can all be proud of.

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

I am not a single issue person, I believe that the needs of the District are ever changing and that data doesn't lie on where the needs and resources should be focused from year to year.
Addressing each and every area of concern & being supportive of the many accomplishments of our entire District including students & staff should be the goal of any person running for a Public School Board!

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

As a board member I have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure our District is living up to the level of expectations our entire community has for the quality of education, most current curriculum, and providing competitive wages to retain our staff.

I would welcome residents to attend a meet and greet to discuss how village TIF’s and State & Federal contributions to public education play the largest role in determining how much of the tax burden falls onto district homeowners.

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

The District understood the importance of students being in school where we know they learn best, as soon as possible. That was always the goal of the District from day one.
Going hand in hand with that need for in person instruction though, was being able to teach & learn in an environment that is safe for students and all staff members, because the feeling & reality of safety is also conducive to learning.

I personally couldn't be more proud of the fact that our District 26 schools remained fully open last year because the District mitigations set up were widely supported by our staff, students & families. It is because of all of our efforts that our District was able to stay fully in person without the constant interruptions to in person learning that outbreaks would have caused (unlike surrounding Districts).

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?

Board meetings need to be able to proceed in order to conduct the business of the board as there are bills and issues being discussed that need immediate attention and approval in order for the District to continue to properly function.

Meetings are currently run and will continue to be run in the format outlined adhering to OMA with designated public comment time at each meeting and any instances that come up would be handled as outlined in District policies in place and publicly posted.

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

Our board chose not to adopt NSES and instead to retain the current health curriculum. As always, parents are able to review and opt-out their own child from any curriculum they choose.

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

It is my personal understanding that critical race theory is specifically only part of a law student's curriculum in college. I personally have seen no evidence of CRT being taught in any K-8 grade in our public school district. I think there is a lot of confusion nationally about what CRT actually is, and what it's not.

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

I view equity as something that we can constantly improve upon. As human beings we should always strive to learn more and do better.

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?

I think that our District creating before/after school & summer school programs that focus on the students that need extra help most and that addresses the learning gap that pandemic created has been extremely effective in our District.

Smaller class sizes are also shown to be very effective in offering students an environment that is teaching them where they are individually and in getting more one on one time with their teachers. I think that's an important piece to the puzzle especially when over the past 10 years there has been an increasing level of behavior issues year over year present in our classrooms that our staff & students experience daily that takes away from precious instruction time.

For our EL students, it's essential that they are learning in an environment that provides them all the tools they need in order to succeed not only in academics and standardized testing scores, but in ensuring they are fluent in English which sets them up for success in their lives going forward.

I also believe that it's critical that our community is inclusive of our EL families in all of our communications and that these families are always represented and involved in decisions being made for our District & our overall community that they are as much a part of as everyone else who lives here.

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

No, I love being part of the amazing things happening in my District!

The best advice ever shared with me was ____________

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. – Benjamin Franklin