Crystal Lake School District 47 Board candidates speak on staff reductions, cellphone bans at forum

Three of the eight candidates running for a seat on the Crystal Lake School District 47 Board answered questions at a forum Thursday about their views, including current budget concerns and possible cellphone bans.

Candidates Lea Grover, Alena Hansen and Maria Krause participated in the forum Thursday hosted by the League of Women Voters of McHenry County at McHenry County College.

Candidates Debra Barton, Devon Hubbard Tessmer, Andrew Buckler, Mike Mueller and James Nelson did not appear at the forum. There are four seats up for election April 1. Barton is an incumbent.

League of Women Voters of McHenry County member Mary Finch moderated, asking prepared questions and questions from the audience. One that was asked: “Is there a decision made by the current school board that you would have approached differently?”

Hansen said the monthslong and contentious contract negotiations with the teachers union should have been handled differently. In her questionnaire for the Northwest Herald, she said this was one of the main reasons she decided to run for a spot on the board.

“I think everybody here wishes the negotiations with the teachers had gone differently,” she said.

Hansen would have liked to see more attention focused on what teachers need and also opposes using staffing agencies to fill vacant positions.

Both Grover and Krause said they would have handled the recent announcement of possible staff reductions due to budget constraints differently.

“This information was released in a way that was a conscious decision, but was a conscious decision that created a lot of chaos, frankly,” Grover said. “Creating that environment of panic is such an easily avoided decision.”

Krause said communication on any changes that affect staff should be “upfront and clear.”

“In order to retain staff, we all have to work better at communication on all sides,” she said.

The candidates who appeared at the forum were supportive of each other during the forum and agreed on many topics, such as supporting diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and increasing transparency in district communication.

This newly elected board would take on the role of hiring a new superintendent when Kathy Hinz retires in 2028.

The candidates have mixed feelings on the possible statewide ban of cellphones in schools, realizing the nuances that phones can be a positive tool or a negative distraction.

In a Northwest Herald questionnaire, Barton said phones can be “useful or abused,” and educators should teach students how to responsibly use them rather than outright ban them. Hansen echoed similar opinions at the forum.

“Prevention is better than a cure, so it’s better that we educate them on how to use the phones responsibly,” Hansen said.

Krause supports the idea of banning access to phones during class time.

“I feel like kids today are on their phones way too much,” she said. “I feel like we’re losing, as a society, our ability to interact with people face to face.”

Phones can be a negative contributor to mental health, but they are needed for safety reasons in school, Grover said.

“I think that the idea of a screen ban is fundamentally healthy, but the way it’s implemented has to be done cautiously,” she said.

Hubbard Tessmer, Mueller and Buckler all agree that phones should be put away in backpacks and not used during class, according to their questionnaires. Nelson has not submitted a questionnaire.

Another forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of McHenry County is planned for 10:30 a.m. March 15 at the Ridgefield Presbyterian Church, located at 8505 Church St., Crystal Lake.

Early voting starts March 17, and election day is April 1. For more information on where and how to vote, visit mchenrycountyil.gov/departments/county-clerk/elections.