:quality(70):focal(372x389:382x399)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/4L35ZWQOEVDNXFC2GTMW2Y7MDI.jpg)
Name:
Sam Coffey
What office are you seeking?
Joliet Township High School 204
What is your political party?
N/A
What is your current age?
19
Occupation and employer:
Student, University of Illinois at Chicago
What offices, if any, have you previously held?
N/A
City:
Campaign Website:
facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565417697463
Education:
I am a 2024 graduate of Joliet West High School, and I currently attend the University of Illinois at Chicago on a full academic merit scholarship studying Economics. I have been accepted into the UIC School of Law pending college graduation.
Community Involvement:
I have been part of Joliet Township High School advisory groups including the Strategic Plan and the Parent-Teacher Advisory Committee. I was also involved with the Troy CCSD Strategic Plan. Additionally, I was a part of the Advisory Council to US Representative Lauren Underwood from 2023 through January 2025.
Marital status/Immediate family:
No
Questions:
How can the district improve reading and English proficiency and state test scores?
I believe proficiency and state test scores are very closely related to school culture. A big obstacle in regard to test scores is student attendance. If students were excited to walk through the door, they would attend more consistently and learn more, making them more prepared for the test. Additionally, if students enjoyed being at school, they would be more engaged during class time rather than checking out and playing games or just leaving all together. Writing policies to create a welcoming and community focused environment is one of my biggest goals as a board member, and I believe this will lead to improvement in all areas of our schools.
What is your stance on ICE agents accessing school grounds, and what policies would you advocate for regarding their presence on school property?
I am firmly against ICE agents accessing school grounds. This disrupts the learning environment, unfairly targets students of color and it’s inappropriate to subject the student body to this type of environment. I will advocate for policies where they aren’t allowed on school property under any condition.
What are the top three issues that the school district is facing right now?
I think the three biggest issues our schools are currently facing are a weak school culture, lack of community, and we’re not meeting our academic potential. Many students struggle with motivation and lack pride in our schools, leading to a disconnect between students, peers, and staff. There’s also a noticeable lack of respect among students, as well as between students and administration, creating tension and disengagement, with some students showing less and less interest in attending school. We need to build up the culture and community in our schools to ensure Joliet culture as a whole is not negatively impacted. Lastly, despite the hard work of our teachers, we’re not fully reaching our academic potential. To address this, we need to provide better support such as early career planning and regular check-ins with counselors so that students can set clear goals and be equipped to achieve the academic success required to reach them.
What is your position on allowing students to use cell phones during school hours?
I believe students should be allowed to have access to their phones during school hours. Phones are a part of our lives whether we like it or not, and students must learn how to self-regulate their usage. I think we need to be talking about appropriate usage and the effects on minds and bodies, social lives, class and grades, etc. in order to ensure students are using their technology responsibly. I do not like the idea of forcing students to learn on computers and tvs and then debating if they should have access to the one piece of technology they carry with them all the time. If students didn’t have access to phones, they would find other ways to entertain themselves with the school technology they are allowed to have. This is an opportunity to teach when and how to use this technology responsibly, and I would like to see a teaching moment rather than a controlling moment.
Do you think cell phone policies should allow exceptions for emergencies or specific educational purposes? If so, how would these exceptions be defined?
I think phones should be available to students at all times, especially in the event of an emergency. It gives peace of mind to both students and parents as everyone feels more comfortable in our buildings.
What steps would you take to address concerns about cyberbullying and inappropriate content access through student cell phones?
Schools have been trying to address cyberbullying and bullying in general for years and it has continued to exist throughout all of their effort. We should be attacking the reasons for bullying, building community, supporting mental health, etc. However, when bullying does occur, it should not be shrugged off or consequences avoided. Victims deserve all of the support that the school can offer and bullying cannot be allowed to continue. In regard to inappropriate content, most students have been sitting through assemblies about this since they were in elementary school, so if this content is disrupting learning then students should see consequences, rather than just the threat of consequences.
What is your plan for making district financial reports, including budgets and expenditures, publicly available and easy to understand?
All district reports are currently publicly available, including financial statements, budgets, and contracts over $25,000, on the district website. In addition, the Assistant Superintendent for Business Services and the district auditors give presentations to the board to fully explain the budgets and financial statements. These board meetings are open to the public, are recorded, and are available online for all to access. That being said, I will ensure that this continues to happen. Further, I support the community’s ability to reach out to board members or district administration with questions or concerns regarding the district’s finances and feel that all questions or concerns from the community should be addressed fully and in a timely manner.
How would you involve parents and community members in the decision-making process for curriculum or policy changes?
There are currently opportunities for parents and community to get involved, but we need to do better getting the information out and then convincing parents and community members that their input is important and matters. I think there are times when parents do get involved where they become discouraged and feel ignored, and this shouldn’t be the case. During board meetings, it should be easier to make public comments and these comments should be followed up on and considered in the future. During events or focus groups, the opinions of the community should be heard just as loud as those of the administration. I also think it can be intimidating for people to walk into the schools hoping to change something without having a good feel for what they are walking into, and to prevent this I think we need to work on bringing the community together when they aren’t already upset about something. If people got to know the school community a bit better during athletic events or theater performances, they would be better prepared to have the harder discussions and be taken seriously.
What is your position on banning books in school libraries or classrooms, and how do you define the criteria for such decisions?
Banning books in libraries has been against the law in Illinois since January of 2024. I don’t plan to challenge this law and I support students’ access to information.
How would you balance maintaining appropriate class sizes with the current teacher staffing levels?
This is negotiated and decided by the teachers union. I support hiring more teachers and especially more counselors, but in regard to class sizes it shouldn’t ever be inappropriate since there are contracts in place.
Do you believe the district is allocating enough resources toward hiring and supporting teachers, and if not, what changes would you make?
I understand that there are teacher shortages across the state, but I believe that Joliet Township has generally done well finding and retaining teachers. According to the Illinois Report Card, our teacher retention rate is above the state average, a greater percentage of our teachers hold masters degrees than the rest of the state, and our average teacher salaries are higher than the rest of the state. I support a continued commitment to finding great staff members for our schools and making sure we can support and keep them here.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
I have multiple social media accounts both personal and campaign related. My campaign email address is samcoffey4jths@gmail.com and it is online and on my campaign Instagram. If elected I will publish my JTHS email as well. I value openness and accessibility and will do what I can to make sure I am listening to the community and fairly representing the constituents of our district.