Orland D135 Board Candidate Alan Kastengren: Election '23

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Name: Alan Kastengren

Age as of Election Day: 43

Town/city of residence: Orland Park

School district: 135/230

Family: My wife, Jennifer, and two children, a fifth grader and an eighth grader, both District 135 students.

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

Education: Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Bachelor’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Iowa State University.

Occupation: I have worked for 17 years as an engineer and scientist at Argonne National Laboratory. Note: my opinions are my own and not those of Argonne.

Campaign website: Dedicated Dads For District 135

Previous or current elected or appointed office: None

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them. My service on the Finance and Operations committee has given me an appreciation for the complexities of school finance. I think the most critical task for the school board for the next four years will be managing the district’s finances. Every other important issue the district faces (curriculum, staffing, programming) depends on stable finances. District 135 habitually ran deficits prior to 2019. This led to the enrichment and library cuts passed by the board in 2019 and subsequently overturned due to overwhelming public opposition. COVID relief funds have helped the district’s finances for the past few years. Starting next year, that support will be gone, and the district will have to make difficult decisions to keep the budget in balance.

The district also faces a backlog of approximately $26 million dollars in capital spending and deferred maintenance. While the bonds the school board recently voted to issue would include some of these repairs as well as the planned building additions, another $18-19 million will remain that future school boards must address. While many of the proposed repairs and upgrades are recommendations from the district’s architectural firm and seem to be truly needed, several were added by the district administration. These items in particular require close scrutiny to ensure they are truly necessary and planned well.

There are several ways in which I will address these issues as a board member. First, I would encourage the district administration to more aggressively pursue state and federal grants. We should look to neighboring districts to see if they have practices that we can adopt to garner more grant funding. Second, the board needs to closely scrutinize spending by the district administration to ensure that funds are spent wisely. For example, I would not support adding additional administrative staff unless there is a clear, urgent need. Third, I would insist that the district administration do better financial planning. We should never have had a $26 million bill for maintenance come due all at once; the board should demand better planning to avoid such oversights in the future.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? District 135 needs board members who are informed, engaged, and invested in Orland Park’s schools. These are qualities I possess and several of my opponents do not. I have done my homework to be informed about the district. This includes nearly four years of service on District 135 school board advisory committees, as well as countless hours talking with past and present school board members, teachers, parents, and administrators. I understand how the board works, the issues it faces, and the constraints under which it operates.

My investment in education and Orland Park is clear. My wife and I have been engaged volunteers for the school district for many years, including work with the Parents for Education and Music Parents Association, as well as many smaller opportunities. My wife and in-laws are long-time Orland residents. Just like many of you, my wife and I chose Orland Park to raise our family to make sure our children had quality schools. I care about how District 135 is run not just because I value education, but because these are my children's schools as well.

Because of our personal commitment, when the school board or district administration have made decisions that would hurt our children, we have been there. We were there to oppose the library and enrichment cuts in 2019. We were there to oppose cuts to performance music programs in 2021. We were there last year, both in the advisory committee and behind the scenes, when the district planned to move the Early Childhood (EC) programs to Century Junior High. My actions speak for themselves.

The people in this community who know education best support my campaign because of these qualities. I have been endorsed by the Orland Council of Educators, the people who work with our children every day. I have also been endorsed by Mike Maratea and Sandra Kulak, both former teachers and former District 135 school board members, as well as Tara Hardek, current District 135 school board member.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district? The school board has made a number of bad decisions over the past several years: the implementation of standards-based grading, the enrichment and library cuts in 2019, and nearly moving forward with the proposed move of the early childhood program to Century Junior High in 2022. To their credit, the board reversed some of these due to public pressure. I think these decisions stem from a larger issue: the district administration and some school board members do not take enough time to listen to other stakeholders in District 135, whether they be parents, teachers, or other community members. Having board members who will take the time to listen and to understand the issues from different sides is one of the key skills District 135 needs its school board.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform. Aside from finances, I think the two other major issues facing District 135 are student achievement and communication. District 135 has a history of high student achievement. Maintaining this reputation for high student achievement requires hard work. We need a school board more focused on how students are doing both across grades and across buildings. We also need school board members who take seriously their responsibility to gather viewpoints not just from district administration, but from the principals, teachers, parents, and taxpayers. By having better information, the school board can avoid some of the unforced errors that have plagued the district over the past several years.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? I have talked with a number of past and present school board members about what it takes to be a good board member. All of them say that it is a role that requires a great deal of learning and is a major time commitment. Lifelong learning is a major part of my life; my career as a scientist demands it. I have also shown in my service on the school board advisory committees that I can give this role the time and attention it needs. I have done my homework, spending time between meetings to talk with community members and do my own research so I can be a better committee member. This service has not only given me a head start in understanding the district’s needs, but has also helped me polish the skills I will use as a school board member.

Why should voters trust you? Voters can look at my actions, not just my campaign. I have already demonstrated my judgment on the school board advisory committees. When the district administration planned to move the early childhood program to Century Junior High, I vocally opposed it in the Finance and Operations committee. When the district administration made plans to fire the school custodians in a bid to privatize the custodians, I vigorously argued against it. Even before the advisory committees were formed, when the school board voted to cut enrichment programs and libraries in 2019, my wife and I helped to organize the opposition to those cuts. In all of these cases, I was unafraid to voice my opinion for what was right. I will bring that courage in my convictions to the District 135 board.

I also have no plans to run for any other political office. My only purpose in running for the District 135 board is to maintain and strengthen the quality schools Orland Park is known for.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success? I would consider a term on the District 135 board a success if the district has stable finances, clear plans to maintain financial stability, and rising student achievement. As a strong supporter of music and enrichment programs, seeing those programs flourish would be another major goal of my term as a school board member.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking? As I have learned on the Finance and Operations board advisory committee, school finances can be complex. Our district relies heavily on local property taxes, which are subject to the tax cap law (PTELL). As such, the school district must manage its spending carefully to avoid deficits; I strongly oppose habitual deficit spending. As a school board member, I would insist that the district administration work harder to gain funding from state and federal sources. I would hold the line on increases in spending unless a compelling case can be made that such spending will directly improve student achievement. Finally, I would demand that the district administration do better long-term planning to ensure that we are sustainably operating our schools.

What are your thoughts on how the district has handled the COVID-19 pandemic? The District 135 board made missteps in their handling of the COVID pandemic. Their communications before the 2020-21 school year are a particular example. Despite that, I believe some of the criticism directed at the board has been unfair. In many cases, their hands were tied. They had to balance widely diverging opinions within the community, restrictive guidance from the state and from local public health officials, and even input from the district’s insurance carrier. Though their actions were not perfect, I think they did their best to do what was right for the community given the information they had at the time and the constraints under which they operated.

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 that such heated disagreements often come from poor communication between boards and their communities. School boards need to take the time to explain not just what is happening in the schools but why. School boards are subject to numerous rules and constraints that are not always obvious to the public. However, this communication must be two-way. The school board also needs to listen. Having spoken at public comment periods at school board meetings in the past, I understand the frustration of speaking and getting only silence from the board. I believe that if people feel the school board has truly listened to their concerns and done their best to address them, such heated confrontations are less likely.

How do you feel about sex education being taught in school? Should an LGBTQ component be included, and why or why not? The focus of sex education should be to teach all students how to make healthy choices as they become adults. The sex education curriculum should be written based on what is best for all of the students, not as a tool for political controversy.

What are your views on critical race theory and whether it should be taught in the district? I do not think critical race theory is an appropriate method to teach history for elementary students. As the parent of an eighth grader, I have seen the social studies curriculum for the district through all grade levels. It does not use critical race theory, nor am I aware of any constituency in the district advocating to use critical race theory. As such, critical race theory is a non-issue in District 135.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so? Achievement gaps between white and racial minority students are narrower in District 135 than for the state as a whole, though still substantial. The school board should examine the district’s curriculum carefully to ensure we have the best practices to teach our children. We should ensure that all students understand that bigotry has no place in our schools. The school board must also listen to the community to ensure that inequities are quickly and effectively identified and addressed.

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? Student achievement in District 135 is significantly better than the state average. This is due to the skilled teachers and principals in District 135. Parents have voiced significant concerns, especially regarding the reading curriculum, that I think deserve careful attention. As a scientist, I think our children need a more rigorous science curriculum, especially given how important science is now and will be in the future. I also have serious concerns about whether our extensive use of technology, even in very young grades, is best for our children. We need to ensure that curriculum, including technology use, is developed in partnership with teachers using the best methods we have. We should also look to neighboring and peer school districts to adopt their best practices.

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

The best advice ever shared with me was ____________: When I was a kid, my dad used to tell me that he had never met a man he couldn't learn something from. As I have gotten older, I have realized the wisdom of that advice. Being humble enough to try to learn from anyone has helped me be a better scientist, a better husband, and a better father. I will bring that humility and willingness to learn to my work as a school board member.