Mokena School Board Candidate: Amanda Montgomery

Candidate Name: Amanda Montgomery

Age (as of election day): 41

Town/city of residence: Mokena

School district: Mokena School District 159

Family: I live in Mokena with my husband and two young children. Our oldest child will be entering kindergarten in the fall.

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

Education: Bachelor of Science in Mathematics Education from Purdue University, Masters of Accountancy from University of Mississippi

Occupation: Currently I am a stay-at-home parent but prior to this I was an auditor/public accountant for 9 years.

Campaign website: Facebook - Amanda Montgomery for Mokena District 159 School Board

Previous or current elected or appointed office: None

What are the most pressing issues facing the district and what do you intend to do about them? I believe we can always strive to improve our district. I think retaining excellent teachers/staff and obtaining excellent teachers/staff is extremely important. As such, I think open communication with staff, the school board, and the community is key to determining the best way(s) to accomplish/improve in this area.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? I am very transparent, especially with respect to me being an open and affirming ally to the LGBTQ+ community. I believe representation and inclusion matter, especially for neurodivergent students, students of color, and those of the LGBTQ+ community.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district? I do not currently have any critiques for the school board. My oldest child will be entering kindergarten this fall so my interaction with the board has been in support of my friends with children currently enrolled. I have attended school board meetings in support of the community and have usually had positive experiences.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform: I believe all students should have a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment. I believe in open communication with the school board, staff, teachers, parents, and community to work towards the goals of the district.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? I am a prior auditor for a Big Four accounting firm. Oftentimes, I was explaining to clients how to improve their processes/systems and letting them know where their controls had failed. I excel at difficult conversations. Sometimes I realize difficult conversations will happen within our district and I would like to assist in working toward positive solutions.

Why should voters trust you? I am honest and open about who I am. I support a safe and respectful learning environment for all students.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success? I believe working with the parents/students, teachers/staff, community, and other board members towards positive goals will be a success.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending, and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking? I believe in looking at the past couple of years of expenditures our board has been pretty conservative in spending. The past audits have been clean. I think a better question would be going forward what should budgets be focused on, what ways can we support our students, what ways can we support our staff/teachers, etc?

What are your thoughts on how the district has handled the COVID-19 pandemic? The COVID-19 pandemic created a lot of distrust and turmoil. I think the district did the best it could with the science, government support, community and staff interests, etc. at the time.

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? I believe following the current laws, board policies/protocols, etc during public meetings is key. Bullying, attacking, etc. should not be allowed. Respectful discussion is the key to productivity.

How do you feel about sex education being taught in school? Should an LGBTQ component be included, and why or why not? I find this set of questions to be problematic. It appears this question is in regard to Senate Bill 818 (which many districts have the ability to opt-out, as School District 159 has). I would suggest anyone concerned about the bill actually read the bill that is available in full on www.ilga.gov (Illinois General Assembly website) as there is a lot of misinformation being spread by problematic groups. School board members do not have the ability to change, ignore, disregard, deny, etc. state laws.

What are your views on critical race theory and whether it should be taught in the district? Critical race theory is not a course that is currently offered at the elementary level in our district. And I do not believe critical race theory is being offered at the high school level for our districts. I do believe in accurate history being taught. I, also, believe representation matters. This is not critical race theory.

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 believe the current board is working to the best of its ability with respect to racial equality. I do believe we can always improve in listening to voices of color and giving them space to let us know where improvements should be made.

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 am open to hearing about improvements with respect to student achievement from parents and staff/teachers.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family? No.

What is the best advice ever shared with you? The best advice ever shared with me was, "We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist." — James Baldwin