Mark Kelly, Candidate For CHSD 230 Board of Education: Election 2025

PALOS PARK, IL — Mark Kelly is running with the 230 United party for the Consolidated High School Dist. 230 Board of Education in the April 1 election. Early voting starts March 17 through March 31.

Your Name

Mark Kelly

Campaign website

230united

Campaign social media (include links for Facebook, Instagram, etc.)

230United Facebook, 230United Instagram

Town/city of residence

Palos Park, IL

School district

CHSD 230

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

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

2011 - Master of Arts, Political and Justice Studies, Governors State University, University Park, Illinois

2007 - Master of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, Governors State University, University Park, Illinois

1997 - Bachelor of Education, Teaching of Social Studies, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana

1993 - High School Diploma, Marist High School, Chicago, Illinois

Occupation. Please include years of experience.

Educator – 27 years teaching experience

• 2014-current - Teaching Sociology, US History, and Civics in Bloom Township District 206 in Chicago Heights, and served as a PLC leader in the Social Studies department.
• 2005-2006 - Taught Economics and US History during summer school at Deerfield High School.
• 2001-2013 - Taught Civics, Economics Honors, Sociology and US History at Beecher High School.
• 2013 - Nominated for the Golden Apple Award by Principal Nathan Schilling.
• 2012-2013 - Selected for Department Chair Position and Instructional Team Leader for the Social Studies Department.
• 2011 - Created a research project with Dr. Chelsea Haring at Governors State University to update Massey and Lundy’s (2001) famous study describing the relationship between race and apartment rental opportunities. Results featured in full-page Kankakee Daily Journal article (October 8, 2011).
• 2000-2001 - Taught Special Education at ECHO School in South Holland, Illinois.
• 1998-2000 - Taught English in Japan with the AEON Corporation. Promoted to Head Teacher of Foreign Teachers in February 2000

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Previous or current elected or appointed office

• Elected Palos 118 School Board member in 2021; stepping down April 2025.
• Appointed District 230 Finance Committee member in 2024.

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

District 230 will always have to work hard to maintain the reputation and achievements of a successful school district. District 230 has some socioeconomic benefits and resources that many other districts could only dream of. With that said, it remains imperative that the administration, staff, and school board work to avoid complacency and strive to narrow the gap between District 230 and the truly elite high school districts in Illinois.

District 230 is a diverse school district; while this is a core strength of the district, navigating diversity can be complex. Facing future challenges through an equity lens can help more of our students and parents feel included, seen and heard in our neighborhood high schools.

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

If elected, I will bring an interesting mix of talents and experience to this position. I am the only full-time teacher seeking a spot on the board. I have four years of school board experience at Palos 118 and over one year of experience on the District 230 Finance Committee. However, as a new school board member, I would be looking at District 230 with fresh eyes. I will be asking many questions as I get to know the district better, and through those questions I hope to uncover paths to school improvement.

My two children attend Sandburg High School (a freshman and a sophomore), so every day I will see the connection between the work of the School Board and students’ lives.

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

“Failed the community” is a bold statement! I would counter that statement, as Carl Sagan would, with the phrase "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

I strongly disagree that the current board has failed the community. With that said, no school board member should ever think that their school district is perfect, as there is always room for growth and improvement. I also believe that school board members should embrace
engagement from district stakeholders. As a board member, I would encourage feedback from taxpayers, parents, students, teachers, and other school staff as we work to make improvements. There are and should always be multiple mechanisms for providing feedback to the school board. All voters should know that they can, at any time, contact board members, principals, and Dr. Nolting. Many tax dollars go through our schools; any stakeholder should be welcomed to voice their concerns.

In addition, it’s important to embrace innovation but avoid the blind trappings of current trends. For example, I know that the concept of “data-driven schools” is en vogue these days, but I believe we are better served by making data-informed decisions. Oftentimes data will reveal a problem but doesn’t map out a solution. Data is important, but a core set of best practices should be used in concert with data to guide action.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

I embrace transparency, as do my fellow slate members on 230 United. For example, as a 118 board member, I supported streaming public meetings. Similarly, my running mates were successful in advocating for the streaming of 230 board meetings, which I also fully support.
In the District 230 Finance Committee meetings, upwards of 30 people are in the room listening and learning. I have heard questions from every corner of the room: school board members, committee members, and visiting members of the public.

The members of our 230 United slate are all proud of being fiscally responsible; one of our main directives is to stretch every tax dollar that this community gives our schools.
District 230 exists within a thriving and diverse community. I love that my children go to school with children of different races, ethnicities, religions, and levels of ability. I truly believe this aspect of 230 should be celebrated and leveraged as we continue creating a successful school district for all students.

On a personal note, I cannot be proud of what District 230 has done for my children, if others do not feel the same. If all students are not getting what they need from our local schools, how can any of us feel satisfied? Our board needs to work hard to meet the needs of all our students across our district.

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

Several 118 board successes prove I'm ready to serve District 230 on day one. The wins experienced during my time as a Palos 118 board member were numerous:

• Recognized by the Illinois Association of School Board in 2022 and 2024 with two Board Governance Awards for our efforts to sustain a highly effective school board. For more information, check out this statement from the 118 Superintendent, Dr. Anthony Scarsella.
• Passed a referendum to avoid expensive short-term bond issues. I was honored to serve as Chair of the Finance Committee during this time.
• Paid off all outstanding debt in a difficult economic environment for Illinois schools (Since 1982, there have been 699 unfunded mandates for Illinois schools from Springfield; only 4 were fully funded.)
• Continued to thrive as a district, including by achieving increases in reading scores, while at the same time controlling costs, as only 3 school districts in Illinois spend less per student than 118.
• Instituted full-day kindergarten to ensure we were meeting the needs of students and families in our district.
• Earned a Blue Ribbon award and national recognition as quality schools for the two Palos 118 elementary schools in 2022 and 2024.

Why should voters trust you?

I am a high school teacher, have two students in the district, am active in my community as a volunteer, and have a positive track record of four years of successful service on the Palos 118 school board. My fellow 230 United slate members and I are all committed to transparency and have demonstrated that we can adapt to our students’ needs while keeping costs as low as possible. We feel we are the most qualified and will be the most effective school board members, and look forward to your vote on April 1.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success?
My term would be a success if I could tell voters that we completed another four years showing balanced budgets while not only maintaining, but improving, the quality of our district schools.

In addition, parents, students and teachers take a yearly survey called the 5 Essentials survey; this survey provides real feedback on how people interacting with 230 schools feel about District 230. If parents, students and teachers report high scores on the survey, that would certainly because for celebration. If the scores call for action and reform, we must get to the work of improving our schools.

What guidance should staff be given for dealing with potential ICE enforcement at schools?

School should be a safe place for all kids to learn and be themselves. With that said, school administrators and personnel should follow the current district policy and comply with all local, state, and federal laws. In addition, building and district level administrators should be easily accessible to all staff and students to handle any issues that may emerge.

Is the high school teaching critical race theory, Marxism or any other ideologies, and what should be done about it?

Our schools are focused on core competencies to prepare students for college, technical schools, and/or the workplace.

Will students bring up these topics in the classroom? Yes, they will. Should students be encouraged to ask questions and think critically about controversial current event issues? Yes, they should. Should teachers be ready to provide the known facts and help students understand why adults in America may disagree on these topics? Yes, teachers must. Schools must be a place where students encounter new ideas that may be challenging; students will be encountering new, controversial ideas the rest of their lives. District 230 must prepare them for the important work of being informed citizens.

Should cell phones be banned during school? Why or why not?

We should continue D230’s recently implemented strategy to use the cell phone cubbies that are currently available to teachers in all classrooms. Under this new strategy, students are not allowed to have phones during instructional time, but they are allowed to have them during passing and lunch periods.

Also, trust and support teachers and administration as they navigate this huge new challenge to education. Teachers and administration will be implementing the rules, so both should have a voice in this policy. If teachers feel supported when giving a student a consequence surrounding inappropriate cell phone use, teachers will enforce the policy. If teachers do not feel supported, that policy may not get uniformly enforced.

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

It’s important for students to learn how their bodies work so they can make informed, safe, and responsible decisions. Teens should learn how to care for themselves, stay healthy, and prevent unwanted outcomes.

As I mentioned before about Marxism and critical race theory, students are going to ask questions and should be encouraged to do so. There are LGBTQ students in our district; they should find health class as informative and supportive as any other group of students.

Do you think property taxes are too high, too low, or just about right?

While I and every other taxpayer in D230 would like to pay less in taxes, lowered property taxes would directly result in program cuts, declining schools, and lower property values. The current board has done everything it can to run a lean operation and still provide a wide variety of curricular options to students, and has fostered some of the best student outcomes in our area.

District 230 spends less per student each year than all but 2 of the 7 high school districts that border us, while performing better than 5 of them. District 230 schools are high value, spending less and getting more than nearly all our neighbors.

How do you feel about TIF districts? Do they hurt or benefit schools? Explain. Speaking generally about TIF districts is not really helpful.

The details matter. The details of a particular TIF deal show a voter or school board member whether a TIF is hurting or benefiting schools. Because TIF agreements initially last 23 years and can be renewed for up to 12 years, any school board should enter into an agreement of this kind carefully. A school board in 2025 making decisions must look forward to a time when they will not be on the board. Their children will be out of the school, but they’ll likely still be taxpayers in the school district. No school board member in 2025 should act in a way that hampers the finances of the district for 10, 20, or 30 years in the future. TIFs should be agreed to only after sufficient review.

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?

(After reading Chris Kasmer’s answer to this question, I’m decided not to reword this answer unnecessarily. Mr. Kasmer nailed the answer. I’m giving him credit and getting out to meet more voters.)

District 230 has seen major growth in the number of students taking Advanced Placement classes. In addition, when 230 students take Advanced Placement exams, they pass at a rate 12% higher than the national average. That’s impressive and a testament to high student achievement across all 3 of our schools.

We have also seen incredible growth in dual credit courses, where a student earns credit in high school and at a college or university at the same time. These dual enrollment courses can include non-traditional college work like culinary arts. Every candidate in this race would like to see the ELA and Math scores on the Illinois Report Card improve, but even with that, we need to be cautious. Other districts achieve this but do not have robust Career and Technical Education, Culinary, or Fine Arts programs. If we narrowly focus on the only 2 metrics of student performance that the state makes readily available, we may undermine the learning of students who are not narrowly focused on a career path where those 2 metrics dominate.

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

No