:quality(70):focal(841x1319:851x1329)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/CKT7VEUZUFGFPEHEDYPXOFHTHY.JPG)
Name: Leslie LaMarca
What office are you seeking? Community Unit School District 300 Board of Education
What is your political party? N/A
What is your current age? 55
Occupation and employer: Non-Profit Consultant (Self-Employed)
What offices, if any, have you previously held? CUSD 300 BOE 2019-2023
City: Pingree Grove, IL
Campaign Website: N/A
Education: B.A. Communications & Economics
Community Involvement: From 2016-2023, I was deeply involved with the D300 Food Pantry. I served “pro-bono” as the Executive Director 2019-2023. Currently, I am the Director (volunteer) for a non-profit I started with my family in 2017, Sandy’s Stocking. Amongst other projects, we provide thousands of filled stocking bags to kids in need throughout the local area. I am also a founding member and still currently involved with Pingree Grove Cares, a community group that assists families in need during the holidays. I have served on various boards and committees including the Pingree Grove Events Committee and the Northern Kane Education Corporation Board (2012-2018).
Marital status/Immediate family: My husband Ray LaMarca and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this May. We have two children, Livia and Landon. Livia is a Senior at University of PIttsburgh. She is graduating in May with a degree in Political Science and continuing on to Law School this fall. My son Landon is a sophomore at GeorgiaTech. He is studying Chemical Engineering and also has plans to continue his education through the doctorate level.
Questions:
How can the district improve reading and English proficiency and state test scores?
Firstly, a district that has a singular focus revolving around improving test scores is likely underserving and ignoring other aspects of a student’s education. While I understand the need for standardized testing and quantifiable metrics, I also know that there is more to educating the whole child than these items.
Increased proficiency in any area of academics is achievable through rigorous curriculum and instruction evaluation. Additionally, the ways in which students respond most positively to curriculum and instruction are also integral in the process.
If you have children, do they or did they attend public school and was that for all of their K-12 school years?
My two children attended public schools K-12 within CUSD 300.
What do you see as the school district’s role in deciding what materials should be available in the library and in curricula?
As I am sure many other districts do, we rely on the expertise of our employees, including administration, specifically involved within that area. Additionally, I am sure there are national resources from which we can receive recommendations. In our district, we are fortunate to have educators solely dedicated to researching, identifying, and vetting curricula resources. We also have an approval process recommendations go through before they are ultimately voted on by the board. This process includes ample time for the public to review materials and provide feedback.
Most of local residents' property taxes go to their school districts. Are taxes paid to your school district too high? What would you do to protect the interests of taxpayers?
Unfortunately, the state of Illinois leaves little choice but for local property taxes to cover the majority of the school district’s budget. Until the state rectifies that situation, our district must continue to find the optimum balance of operating with financial prudence while still serving our students at an acceptable level with adequate resources available to them (teachers, buildings, materials, etc.). I believe that CUSD 300 has done this respectably and admirably for years now. The best way we can protect our taxpayers is by staying committed to these goals.
Most of the COVID relief money from the federal government is coming to an end. What spending adjustments does your school district need to make to address that?
The re-occurring expenses that the funds we received went toward (staff) will be budgeted for in perpetuity. This was considered before they were added.
Should Title IX cover sexual orientation or gender identity? What are your views on the use of locker rooms and bathrooms by transgender students and their participating in sports?
Title IX is in place to protect students from discrimination of any kind. And so, if a child needs protection based upon their sexual orientation or gender identity, then the answer to the first question is unequivocally “yes.”
State law allows students to use the restroom and locker room that is in accordance with their gender identification. State law also allows transgender students to participate in sports.
What is your stance on ICE agents accessing school grounds, and what policies would you advocate for regarding their presence on school property?
CUSD 300 has a very specific and detailed process for how we address any person attempting to gain access to one of our buildings, and additionally, anyone who is attempting to gain access to a student in one of our buildings.
What are the top three issues that the school district is facing right now?
1) Navigating and protecting our students from the abhorrently harmful ramifications of the ill-conceived and recklessly enacted “proclamations” by the new national administration.
2) Making sure that we meet the needs of all our students, assuring that each academic trajectory is one that includes challenge, reward, and inclusion.
3) The finalization, including funding plans, for our Master Facility Plan. This will guide our course through the next 5-10 years.
What is your position on allowing students to use cell phones during school hours?
I understand, as a parent myself, that cell phones provide a sense of safety and security for both parents and their students. However, many studies show that cell phones can also impede the educational environment of students and create numerous challenges for educators. Optimistically, I believe there is a “happy medium” we can arrive at that will be amenable to all.
Do you think cell phone policies should allow exceptions for emergencies or specific educational purposes? If so, how would these exceptions be defined?
Any cell phone policy change, like any other policy change impacting students, families, staff, etc., would be clearly and specifically communicated. Creating exceptions for these currently hypothetical cell phone policy changes would, I am confident, be part of the over process in creating the changes themselves.
What steps would you take to address concerns about cyberbullying and inappropriate content access through student cell phones?
Again, these items would be addressed, and possibly alleviated, through possible over-arching cell phone policy changes. Clearly these are things that should not be any part of a student’s academic day, let alone something they should have to contend with in general.
Should students be able to use AI in schoolwork?
I believe that there are some undeniably positive aspects to AI and how it can enhance education. That said, as with most things in a constant state of flux, AI and its use academically will need to be closely monitored and very strategically leveraged if it is to be of value within education.
What is your plan for making district financial reports, including budgets and expenditures, publicly available and easy to understand?
These items are already publicly available through meeting minutes and recordings. As far as making them “easy to understand,” I would say that 1) These documents are not intentionally made difficult so understanding them is really up to the individual and 2) Our administrators are incredibly giving of their time and their knowledge to not only the board, but also to the public. Emailed questions are not ignored but answered expediently and courteously.
How would you involve parents and community members in the decision-making process for curriculum or policy changes?
Aside from our regularly scheduled public board meetings and committee meetings, CUSD 300 has multiple groups and various community meetings that are a part of our re-occurring schedule. These additional gatherings offer ample opportunities for stakeholders to engage with both administrators and board members. For example, as a part of our development of the new Master Facility Plan, we have held multiple public meetings throughout the district to engage stakeholders in person. Additionally, we conducted an electronic survey that was also a way for stakeholders to engage in the process.
What is your position on banning books in school libraries or classrooms, and how do you define the criteria for such decisions?
I think we have to take a close look at the rationale behind why a book is being suggested for banning. Likely, that rationale is unfounded and/or based on false assumptions being championed by those misconstruing public education for a political stage meant to push their own radical agendas.
How would you balance maintaining appropriate class sizes with the current teacher staffing levels?
We work closely with LEAD (our educator union) on this particular metric and how it can continue to be an item that both addresses the needs of the students and the staff.
Do you believe the district is allocating enough resources toward hiring and supporting teachers, and if not, what changes would you make?
While there is always room for more resources to be provided for this area, I believe CUSD 300 is doing a sufficient job of this currently. If funding were endlessly available, of course, there are always ways staff, both current and future, can be made to feel more valued and wholly supported.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
I am accessible through social media including LinkedIn. On Facebook specifically, I am a member of several forum pages. I welcome receiving messages from any stakeholder and will happily share my cell phone number if that is the preferred way they would like to communicate. From my experience, individual stakeholders rarely reach out. Voting constituents typically seek engagement elsewhere to gain informative “access” to the candidates.