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Name: Twangie Smith
What office are you seeking? D428 School Board Member
What is your political party?
What is your current age? 52
Occupation and employer: Part-time student monitor/volunteer position D428
What offices, if any, have you previously held? I have previously held no other positions.
City: Dekalb
Campaign Website: I have not campaign websites.
Education: I have a Bachelors of Science inj Communications with a focus on Journalism.
Community Involvement: I have decades of experience in volunteerism throughout my life. And I currently am the founder and lead volunteer of a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based here, in our community, that is called HATS FOR HUMANITY. Starting in November of last year, the organization has serviced over 100 families by suppying them with warm, new hats, gloves, scarves, socks, blankets and more. Everything was free of charge. The organization plans on providing free, non-perishable snacks to children of our district on the weekends in an effort to help combat childhood hunger. Please consider donating.
Marital status/Immediate family: I am a wonderful wife with two wonderful children.
Questions:
Illinois, like many districts across the nation, is facing significant teacher shortages. What is your idea to recruit and retain educators, including special education, dual-language teachers, etc.
Finding out what is expected, in a school district, from both current teachers and potential teachers is key. Surveying current teaching staff to find out what issues might influence whether or not they stay is an idea. And surveying potential teachers from our neighboring university to find out what expectations they have will also be helpful.
If you have children, do they or did they attend public school and was that for all of their K-12 school years?
Yes, my children attended public school for their entire K-12 educational years.
What do you see as the school district’s role in deciding what materials should be available in the library and in curricula?
The state standard for accessible materials is the base of available library materials. Then, considering suggestions from parents, teachers, students and other administrators can be examined, debated and/or voted upon.
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?
Although our district, of course, needs the funds from property taxes, Dekalb does have a very high property tax rate compared to others in the nation. Keeping taxpayers informed about factors influencing the growth of the tax rate is where I would start. The relationship between the school district and the processes involved in how property taxes are increased or decreased is both delicate and intricate.
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?
Unfortunately, cutbacks are always unpleasant. Now that the extra funding from COVID is coming to an end, the district needs to scrutinize the budget to find expenditures that can be minimized at much as possible with the least negative effect as possible. Some hypothetical examples could be utilizing even more digital communication over hard copy communication, limiting field trips that involve district funding, etc.
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?
My understanding is that Title IX does cover sexual orientation and gender identity because they both encompass the sex of a student. Also, neither have any relation as to the quality of education a student should receive. There should never be any question on whether or not a student should be denied a quality and equitable education as any other student. If there is an issue regarding the use of locker rooms and bathrooms, maybe consider the use of transgender facilities. As long as there are no advantages/disadvantages, I have no problems with sport participation.
What is your stance on ICE agents accessing school grounds, and what policies would you advocate for regarding their presence on school property?
ICE should never post any kind of physical or emotional threat to the students of our district. Our students should definitely feel safe when on school property and our district should definitely provide a sanctuary of learning for our students when on school grounds. The district (administrators, staff and parents) and ICE should have a meeting of the minds concerning rules and policies about school property.
What are the top three issues that the school district is facing right now?
The top three issues have already been mentioned. They are, Financing: the need for proper funding in needed areas of the budget; Staffing: the need for and retention of Teaching staff on all levels; and Providing for the school district while protecting the interests of property taxpayers.
What is your position on allowing students to use cell phones during school hours?
With the exception of the supervised lunch hour and as a means for contacting a student’s parents or guardians, I feel that cell phones are for school sanctioned emergencies only and should not be used during normal school hours.
Do you think cell phone policies should allow exceptions for emergencies or specific educational purposes? If so, how would these exceptions be defined?
As i previously stated, the policy should include school sanctioned emergency use (i.e. intruder alert and other warranted 911 calls.)
What steps would you take to address concerns about cyberbullying and inappropriate content access through student cell phones?
This is an issue that involves both the district and parents/guardians. If there are strict limitations of the use of cell phones during school hours and while on school property, then there is little room for cyberbullying on cell phones to take place at school. Here is where we as parents must play an active role in monitoring what our students/children are doing on their cell phones to help ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students.
Should students be able to use AI in schoolwork?
Our students are expected to complete their required school assignments using the skill and knowledge they are gaining. Those skills and their competence must be shown/proven. Unless the class is in computer technology of sorts, no AI should not be used to guess/predict the proper answers for any assignments.
What is your plan for making district financial reports, including budgets and expenditures, publicly available and easy to understand?
All of the above should already be made available to the public online and ready for pick up at the district office should it be requested with a guide on how to read and understand such information.
How would you involve parents and community members in the decision-making process for curriculum or policy changes?
I would use surveys that are accessible in the parent portal, emails and links in cell phone text messages to welcome input and suggestions. I would also include a link on the district website that welcomes community involvement.
What is your position on banning books in school libraries or classrooms, and how do you define the criteria for such decisions?
Districts are allowed to have policies concerning materials that are detrimental to the learning environment. If clear standards are set, and all stakeholders are aware, less conflict is likely to occure.
How would you balance maintaining appropriate class sizes with the current teacher staffing levels?
If there is a finite number of teachers available, there is only so much that can be done if all of the students in the district are legitimate. Grades with the least amount of students require the least amount of teachers and assistants needed. Maybe having dual grade classes would be of assistance.
Do you believe the district is allocating enough resources toward hiring and supporting teachers, and if not, what changes would you make?
I cannot say yes or no. I would need to know the hiring processes of the district’s human resources department. But I assume that the district does its best to support its teachers an staff.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
My district email will be available to constituents on the district website, and I will do my best to reqpond to every inquiry. Also, I’m very approachable, and anyone meeting me in the community is welcome to chat with me.