Beth Hosler, District 205 Board Candidate

ELMHURST, IL — Incumbent Beth Hosler is one of nine candidates for four seats on the Elmhurst School District 205 board. Here are her responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Name:

Beth Hosler

Town of Residence:

Elmhurst

Age:

52

Campaign contact:

hoslerfor205@gmail.com

Campaign website:

hoslerfor205.com

Family:

My husband and I have 3 children

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education:

Associate in Science from the College of Dupage

Occupation:

I currently don't work outside the home.

I am a member of the District 205 Board of Education and volunteer at a Wildlife Rehabilitation Center doing animal care, conservation & public education.

The single most pressing issue facing the school board is ________and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing challenge we face as a school board is to ensure that we are addressing the needs of each of our students to ensure growth for all of our students. This is a huge job, but it’s the most important job we do. Since the beginning of my term, we have been hyper-focused and fully committed to increasing growth and improving outcomes for all students. I am running for re-election to continue this work.

As a current Board member, I understand that it is not one single action that improves growth for all of our students. It takes many actions to address their needs. Hiring a Superintendent who is skilled at improving student outcomes, creating a strategic plan that establishes goals and measures progress for students and the district, having tools and systems in place that provide real-time responses to students who need help academically or socially, adopting additional curriculum resources to address gaps, auditing our math program K-12 to identify weaknesses, providing students with increased access for AP/ACP classes and SAT prep, and supporting additional professional development for staff are just some of the actions I have supported during my term to support our students’ growth and success.

This is just the tip of the iceberg in the work being done, and I know that our strategic plan and leadership under Dr. Campbell will lead us to even more improved outcomes for students, while enhancing the already stellar educational experience that our students are receiving by being a part of D205. I am running to ensure the impactful work for students continues and that the metrics we have set are both monitored and improved.

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

One of the critical differences between me and the other candidates is my long-standing connection and commitment to this community. I was raised in Elmhurst and attended D205 schools including Roosevelt, Emerson, Churchville, and York. My mother and my husband also grew up here and are York alumni. We have many family members who live in Elmhurst and we have three children, two of which are still attending D205 schools.

I take great pride in the Elmhurst community and as a school board member, I consider it a great honor and responsibility to be a representative for our entire community. I believe that my experiences and connections give me a broad perspective which means my decision making considers the many values and priorities of Elmhurst residents.

As a former D205 student, I understand the student perspective. As a product of D205 schools, I feel a connection to our students through our shared experience. I understand the importance of a well-rounded education and how students truly benefit from the opportunities offered in and out of the classroom.

As a D205 parent, having three children who have gone through all levels in our district, while simultaneously volunteering on the school board, PTA & other organizations, I can relate to parents and the journey they are on with their children. I understand that it can be both rewarding and at times stressful.

As a D205 volunteer for over 14 years, the work of our teachers, administrators, and staff is vital to implement our plans and achieve the outcomes we desire. In my volunteer work, I have worked closely with many of them and understand the challenges they face every day. I have used that understanding to drive positive change and enhance the school experience.

As a D205 community member, having a close network of friends, neighbors and family living here in Elmhurst, many of whom do not have students in D205 schools, helps me stay connected with varying viewpoints throughout the community. My work on the referendum committee allowed me to interact one on one with so many community members and I learned a lot about their viewpoints.

I believe these experiences and connections make me uniquely qualified as a school board member and have been an asset in my first term decision-making. Listening and truly understanding those who elect me is essential to the work I do for District 205.

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

Over the past 14 years that I have been volunteering in D205, I have proven that I can work together with many different entities to accomplish great things for our students.

My work as a member of the school board began 4 years ago and I was immediately committed to the role. During my first term, we established a good working relationship with the City of Elmhurst. We collaborated on a stormwater management project & turf field at York HS that benefits both our students and residents. Through a partnership with the Elmhurst Park District, we also opened the “Bridges” Transition Center. A much needed permanent facility for our 18-22 year old special education students. Strong relationships with other Elmhurst organizations is vital and helps us work together to meet challenges and create new possibilities for all of our residents.

My dedication as a member of the team to help pass the referendum in 2018 shows my willingness to show up and do hard work for our community in order to accomplish great things for our schools. As a result of the referendum, we have already built the new Lincoln Elementary School, and Field Elementary will be completed by the fall. All our buildings have state-of-the-art safe and secure entrances, All Day Kindergarten is available in all schools and many of our facilities are receiving substantial renovations to improve and expand learning spaces. All this has been done while being good stewards of our taxpayers’ money.

My commitment to strong leadership, the establishment of a strategic plan that both monitors and elevates the core areas of the district (academic achievement, learning environments, finances and collaboration with our community) and the hard work of collaboration to solve problems and achieve growth is setting the district up for continued success.

My willingness to attend more than just the regular Board meetings is exceptional. I sit on the policy committee and on the SASED board which is a co-op for special education, I am the IASB delegate to represent our board and I regularly attend events across our district and visit our schools to see the amazing work being done by our students, teachers, staff and parents. Additionally, I participated in learning opportunities that helped our D205 board be one of only 33 districts to earn the IASB School Board Governance Award in 2022. I have the knowledge, experience and commitment to do this job well.

What can the school do to counteract dropping standardized test scores?

Prior to the pandemic, the Board was digging into what additional actions should be taken to address the expanding needs of our students to improve growth measured by test scores. The work has continued and for the past year and a half, we have engaged in deeper dives into our data to both identify the gaps to be addressed and take additional actions to address those gaps. For example, after careful data analysis, gaps were identified in the K-5 English Language Arts curriculum, so additional materials and professional development were adopted to address these gaps. This recent action has resulted in notable growth in K-5. We will continue to address the varying student needs and any opportunities for curriculum enhancement that exist.

Do you generally support the work of the school district's administration? Why or why not?

The work of the administration should always reflect the community’s vision, mission and goals for their schools. Through the collaborative work the school board and administration have been doing over the past year and a half to create a strategic plan with priorities and initiatives we all agree on, I believe our vision is aligned and our team is dedicated to carrying out the work to achieve our goals. That being said, it is the role of the school board to hold our administration accountable and that is why I will always ask that carefully thought-out metrics and measurements are built into every initiative to be regularly reviewed.

Do you support the district's recent decision to raise the property tax levy by 5 percent, the maximum allowed under state law?

I supported the recommendation to request the maximum amount allowed for in the levy. Over the last ten years, the average of the CPI has been 1.95%

Due to our historic fiscal responsibility, District 205 has been able to absorb any additional costs that arose, however, as costs in labor, materials and services have significantly increased due to inflation it has become more and more challenging to absorb those increases without significantly reducing our offerings to students. For example, the cost of our busing contract increased by 13% alone, and health care claims are higher than they’ve ever been.

Despite many things being outside of our control, it is still our responsibility to continue to provide the best possible education we can for our students while simultaneously meeting and exceeding the expectations of our community.

D205 has the second lowest operating expenditures per pupil of all our comparator unit districts. We continually evaluate expenses to ensure we operate effectively and are getting the best possible return on investment.

I am sensitive to the tax burden on our community. Doing what we can to reduce the financial burden on the Elmhurst taxpayers is important. For instance, in my first term, by optimizing the timing of the bond sales, we were able to lower the amount residents will pay toward the referendum from approximately $150 per year on a $500K home to $4.

Additionally, in 2020, we abated a portion of the tax bill for our taxpayers and are currently discussing another abatement that I would support that would help to lower the debt service portion of the tax bill. While it is challenging to balance the needs of a large unit school district and be sensitive to the tax burden on our residents, I have been and will continue to be committed to doing both while continuing to offer our students the stellar educational experience our community expects.

What is your view of critical race theory? Is it being taught in the local schools? If so, what evidence do you have of that?

Reuters defines Critical Race Theory as “an approach to studying U.S. policies and institutions that is most often taught in law schools. Its foundations date back to the 1970’s, when law professors including Harvard Law School’s Derrick Bell began exploring how race and racism have shaped American law and society. ” By this definition and according to state guidelines, CRT is not a part of the D205 curriculum.

District 205 offers classes that provide an opportunity for robust discussion about world issues, historical events and sensitive topics. I support these classes and the professional development we provide to help teachers present topics in a balanced way providing multiple perspectives. It enables our teachers to create academic environments where students feel safe discussing and analyzing varying viewpoints with others in a respectful way. This teaches our students “how” to think, not “what” to think. These opportunities are so valuable, will prepare our students for the future and help them learn to be collaborative adults.

Understanding the sensitivity around what is being taught in our classrooms,
communication with parents has been enhanced pertaining to the topics and materials that will be covered in all courses. This includes a detailed overview by teachers on curriculum night and having the syllabus posted online for review. If there ever is a question or concern about a discussion or activity in class, parents are welcome to contact the teacher.

What is your view of sex education in local schools? Should an LGBT component be included? Why or why not?

I feel strongly that parents should make the ultimate decision on how and when to educate their children on topics that are more sensitive in nature, like sex education. The school’s role is to offer students a basic fundamental understanding of health and sex education topics. This is mandated by the state of Illinois.

Through the state, there are two options for school districts. One is a Comprehensive Health Education which is mandated and includes health topics with sex education offered at different grade levels. There is a second option for school districts who choose it. It is not mandated, and includes an expanded more comprehensive sex education curriculum covering a wider array of topics. The state of Illinois gives parents the right to opt out of any sex education if they so choose. D205 has a process in place to communicate with parents about all options.

In D205 we currently offer the mandated Comprehensive Health Education. We have a responsibility to be sensitive to all families, and because children mature differently, there are times when a student may be ready to learn more about a topic when another is not quite there. For this reason, I think it’s important that we teach sex education, but also allow families to decide for their individual child if and when they would like to expand on those topics.

Will you take questions from the media if elected?

District 205 has a policy for interacting with the media. Board Policy 8:10 Community Relations, states, the Board President and Superintendent or designees are the spokespersons for the district. Therefore, as a Board member, I would operate according to this policy.

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

No

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Before I ran for the school board in 2019, someone told me to always “fully understand the job, before you commit to it.” They encouraged me, before submitting my paperwork, to take a little more time to delve into the role of a school board member in Elmhurst D205 and what the time commitment would be if elected. This was great advice so I did more research. What I found is that there were many things that I already knew from being very involved in our schools, but I learned a lot too. Including the extensive time commitment required in this volunteer role. Being thoughtful in making the decision to run helped me to come onto the board understand the expectations and be prepared to work. I was not caught off guard by the time commitment and I understood that sometimes, you must devote more time when unexpected things come up that need to be addressed. It was advice I appreciated and that I have passed on to others running for office.

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

As a D205 School Board member, my focus is always, first and foremost, on kids.

It's vital that we give them every opportunity to thrive, both while they are part of D205, and after they graduate.
I believe the more opportunities we give students to explore different career paths, the easier it is for them to hone in on their passion. That's why I support ways for students to fit more exploratory electives into their schedule, earlier in their academic journey.

There are many ways we can promote this. One would be to add capacity to work/study programs so more kids have the opportunity to experience hands-on learning. This gives them exposure to different professions and helps them make connections in the community. We can also find more opportunities to bring professionals into our schools to connect with students which would allow our kids to ask questions about different careers and the paths they can take to get there. Finally, offering more of these types of experiences in middle school and younger gives us as a district more ways to offer them.

I strongly believe that giving students access to all their options to better prepare them for life after graduation is one way we can set them up for success.