Election 2013: Carla Owen for D-207 Board

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Name: Carla R. Owen

Position sought: Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education, four-year term.

Campaign contact information. Please include any or all of the following: website, email address, phone number, Facebook page, Twitter account, mailing address, etc.

Website: www.carlaowen.com

Email: carlarowen@aol.com

Age: 50

Family Include as much info as you like (names, ages, number of children, etc.): Married to Terry, Two children - one a graduate of Maine South High School, who is currently in college; one currently a student at Maine South High School.

Education Include degree(s) and school(s):

B.S., Industrial/Organizational Psychology, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana

J.D., Loyola University of Chicago

Occupation: Most recently, I worked as a volunteer attorney for Catholic Charities, providing legal advice to those who could not otherwise afford legal representation. My earlier legal career was as a labor and employee benefits attorney at a large Chicago law firm.

Political Party: N/A

Official name of your campaign committee (if you have one):

N/A

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices:

Currently serving on the District 207 School Board after being appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board in December 2012.

Is there any additional experience you believe qualifies you for the position?

Over the past 12 years, I have served on a variety of committees for District 64 and its PTOs, and most recently on the District 207 Community Advisory Council. This service has given me an excellent opportunity to learn about and understand the challenges our school systems face as they educate our students to succeed in a rapidly changing world. 

I also have deep roots in the community and believe I understand the perspectives of a broad group of taxpayers — from parents of current students, to senior citizens, to parochial school parents who pay taxes but don’t have students attending our public schools.  I think I will bring a very representative view of taxpayers and parents to bear in addressing the business of the District 207 Board. 

What would your priorities be if elected to this office?

My most basic priority would be to represent the community by critically evaluating each issue presented to the Board, and to make sound decisions based on all the information presented after full inquiry.  

I also would make it a priority to ensure that District 207 continues on a path of innovation to improve learning for all the students in the District.

I would like there to be more parity within the District with respect to some of the more standardized evaluations that are done (ACT scores, AP results, merit scholars, etc.).

What are the most important issues facing Maine Township High School District 207 and what would you do as a member of the board of education to address them?

The most important issue facing any school district is of course how well it prepares its students for the future. This task has been made more complicated by the changing world we all live in, where competition is more global than ever before, and technology changes almost faster than we can keep up. District 207 has administrators who are doing a very good job keeping pace with these challenges, but the Board has to support new initiatives and innovations to keep the District on track.

All of this progress has to be balanced against what it costs to make technological changes and provide teacher training that is needed to adjust to new science about how students learn and the best methods to improve learning. District 207 can proudly state that it is in good condition financially at this time because of good planning and cuts made in the past to put itself in that condition. The pension liability issues we face in Illinois, along with our aging facilities, will present financial challenges in the future and we have to plan for those now, even though there is uncertainty about the full costs we will face. 

This is the most important issue we face as a District: continuing to provide excellence in education, while living within our means and adjusting to new costs that are almost certain to come our way. 

Why did you choose to run for D-207’s board of education?

I take my service on the Board very seriously, and my decision to run to continue on the Board was not made lightly. I know it is a big commitment, but I am passionate about education and I want to serve to help create opportunities for the students of District 207.

D-207 and Maine West High School are involved in litigation and investigations into bullying and hazing, and the district has begun implementing new policies and systems to address this issue. What would you do, if elected, as a member of D-207’s board of education to address bullying and hazing at the high schools?

As a current member of the board, I have already been involved in a number of decisions that are specifically designed to prevent hazing and bullying in the future throughout our District. This includes training of teachers, coaches, parents and students to be vigilant about the issue. A hotline has also been established to make the reporting of any instances of hazing or bullying (or other situations) easier for students. If elected, one of the things that I would seek to do is to make sure that we continue to educate about hazing and bullying; we can’t address the issue once, and then forget about it.  The conversation has to be an ongoing one.

D-207 recently voted to approve a $1-million tax abatement for taxpayers in the district. If elected to D-207’s board, what would your position be on similar tax abatements, the tax levy and expenditures on staffing?

I voted for the abatement because it was the right thing to do under the current circumstances. I would vote for abatements in the future as well, under similar circumstances, all other things being equal. I also voted for the maximum tax levy this year because of the uncertainty about the pension liabilities that could be shifted to school districts. I believe we need to prepare for that shift, which is likely to come. As far as expenditures on staffing, the Board’s approach has been to live within its revenue stream, while maintaining to the greatest extent possible experienced staff and administration to provide the best educational opportunities for our students.

Why would you do a better job representing D-207 than your opponents?

I believe my viewpoint on the Board represents many parents and taxpayers, and I have a passion about education. I am hardworking and thoughtful, and I keep an open ear and mind to the views and opinions of others. These are very important characteristics for a school board member to have.  

I do not have an agenda about what I would like to achieve on the Board, other than a desire to make District 207 even better than it is now. We have excellent administrators and teachers, but without the leadership of a progressive school board that supports innovation and change, the efforts of those people is diminished.  I believe I am that kind of leader, and that I would serve our community well as a member of the Maine Township High School District 207 Board of Education.