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Name:
Kristin Gehrels
What office are you seeking?
Batavia District 101 Board of Education
What is your political party?
Candidate did not respond.
What is your current age?
50
Occupation and employer:
Full-time parent
What offices, if any, have you previously held?
None
City:
Campaign Website:
Education:
BA degrees in Art and Anthropology from Luther College.
Community Involvement:
I have been a member of Batavia Mothers’ Club Foundation for over 10 years. While a member I have held a variety of committee positions and executive board positions including board president. Batavia Mothers’ Club Foundation supports local children, families, and teachers with grants for education, enrichment, and basic needs and volunteers at family-friendly community events.
Marital status/Immediate family:
I am married and have three children that attend Batavia public schools.
Questions:
How can the district improve reading and English proficiency and state test scores?
The district, with input from teachers, needs to adopt an early reading curriculum that is used consistently at all elementary schools and focuses on phonics, comprehension, grammar, and writing. I would also encourage our Batavia teachers and support staff to continue providing a variety of reading materials. For example: fiction with diverse characters, books that challenge comprehension skills and critical thinking for advanced readers, and a variety of nonfiction sources.
As diversity, equity and inclusion programs are being rolled back in organizations around the country, what role does the school district have to play in ensuring a diverse community of learners has equal opportunities for success?
A school board’s top priority should be to ensure that all students feel safe, welcome, included and supported so that they can find their passions and thrive. Thankfully, the State of Illinois has provided the Equity Journey Continuum which is a tool for districts to track data and their progress towards closing gaps in student achievement and opportunities. Data indicates that many schools are struggling to achieve equity goals among students from marginalized groups. A school district should embrace initiatives that work to shrink those gaps including providing a curriculum that works for a diverse group of students, ensuring that marginalized groups aren’t over-selected for discipline, and encouraging opportunities for advanced classes to all that qualify.
Do you think the district is doing enough to ensure that schools are drug-free environments? Why or why not? And if not, what more can be done?
We can always do more to ensure that schools are drug free environments. Schools should incorporate substance abuse education into the curriculum and share a clearly stated plan to students and parents regarding what won’t be tolerated. I am thankful that BPS101 provides on their website an extensive list of drug and alcohol counseling options and has detailed information regarding consequences for drug-related offenses in the student handbook.
What steps can districts take to ensure students are physically safe while in the building? Is the district doing enough or would you like to see more?
The district has adopted a plan for building improvements that focuses on making them warm, safe, and dry. This includes plans for schools to be updated to provide entrance vestibules so that visitors are forced to check in before being admitted.
The district also needs to ensure that students are safe with other students though too. Unfortunately bullying and harassment continues in our schools and efforts must be made to stop it. We need to keep data on incidents, ensure that bullying and harassment is taken seriously at every school, and make sure that any efforts taken to improve the situation are regularly evaluated by reviewing data and following up directly with the students involved.
If you have children, do they or did they attend public school and was that for all of their K-12 school years?
All three of my children attend Batavia Public Schools. I have two 5th graders and an 8th grader.
What do you see as the school district’s role in deciding what materials should be available in the library and in curricula?
School districts should rely on the expertise of the LRC directors (school librarians) to provide library materials that reflect the diversity of the students and staff. Books used for curricula should challenge students, spark discussion, and be reflective of the academic level of the class.
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?
As a resident that also pays taxes I understand how difficult it has been recently to see taxes increase due to the increases in property values. According to the Illinois Report Card the district spending per student is in line with surrounding districts. I think that the district has done a good job in recent years of keeping the budget balanced and if elected I would ask questions to ensure we remain on track.
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?
My understanding is that the COVID relief money has already come to an end for BPS101 and they have adjusted the budget accordingly.
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 should cover sexual orientation and gender identity. All students should be able to attend public schools that protect against discrimination. Additionally, the Illinois Human Rights Act protects transgender students from discrimination and allows them to use the bathroom of their choice. We should ensure that all students have access to single stall restrooms if that is what they are comfortable with. The Illinois Human Rights Act also protects transgender students and their right to participate in sports. My hope is that the Illinois State High School Association continues to allow students to participate consistent with their gender identity.
What is your stance on ICE agents accessing school grounds, and what policies would you advocate for regarding their presence on school property?
According to the Illinois State Board of Education all children in the United States are entitled to equal access to public education. Additionally, according to the U.S. Department of Justice: “A school district may not ask about your or your child’s citizenship or immigration status to establish residency.” Schools have no legal right or obligation to enforce immigration laws. Reporting students’ immigration status to immigration authorities can be a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and the Illinois School Student Records Act. My goal as a board member would be to ensure all of our students feel safe and supported. Having ICE agents enter our school would be disruptive and potentially traumatizing to ALL of our students.
What are the top three issues that the school district is facing right now?
I started attending or viewing recorded videos of BPS101 school board meetings several years ago and heard students speak about the bullying and harassment they had experienced as students in Batavia public schools. While I think efforts have been made to curb the bullying it seems to be an ongoing issue. While there are limits to what the Board of Education can do regarding procedures, I appreciate the recent efforts being made by the board to discuss ways in which the school district policies might ensure that schools are addressing incidents of bullying and harassment and that the administration is keeping records and periodically reviewing the success or failure of these efforts. The board needs to continue holding the administration accountable for their commitment towards improvement.
With the referendum on new school facilities failing to pass I think our school board will continue to have difficult decisions to make regarding the maintenance and improvement to our buildings. I attended several of the Building Our Future Together plan groups so I am aware of the many building issues that need to be addressed. A goal of focusing on making our buildings safe places to learn and ensuring that is done within budget would drive questions I would ask and decisions I would make as a school board member.
The district also needs to work on creating an environment that is welcoming to all students, that appreciates our teachers and staff and includes them in decision making regarding curriculum and classroom policies, and communicates effectively with parents and community members. We should all be working together respectfully towards a common goal of helping every student reach their full potential.
What is your position on allowing students to use cell phones during school hours?
Rotolo Middle School has started an “off and away” cell phone policy during the school day for the current 6th and 7th grade classes and upcoming classes. I fully support this and would like to see this policy following those classes into high school. As a parent myself I know that sometimes we need to communicate with our kids regarding transportation and scheduling. Students can still have cell phones to communicate with parents before and after school but they should remain off and away during the school day. It will be interesting to see if this policy has an effect on other issues like bullying and learning.
Do you think cell phone policies should allow exceptions for emergencies or specific educational purposes? If so, how would these exceptions be defined?
Cell phone policies could allow for emergencies but that should be left up to the teacher. During lunch periods there could be exceptions if a student checks in with staff and gets permission.
What steps would you take to address concerns about cyberbullying and inappropriate content access through student cell phones?
It can be very difficult for schools to monitor cyberbullying but it should be taken seriously. If a student is determined to be a source of cyberbullying and the incident is determined to disrupt the learning environment that should be considered an offense that qualifies for consequences laid out by the school.
Should students be able to use AI in schoolwork?
Generally, no, however I think that assignments where students are allowed to use AI and then must review and edit the work to identify errors or clarifications that are needed can be a valuable tool to learn about AI, its limitations, and how to identify writings that have used AI. AI is a new technology that is constantly changing and as a school I think we have to stay on top of what’s happening in our world currently.
What is your plan for making district financial reports, including budgets and expenditures, publicly available and easy to understand?
The BPS101 website has a very detailed budget summary as well as contact information for the Chief Financial Officer. I would make sure that the district continues to provide that information.
How would you involve parents and community members in the decision-making process for curriculum or policy changes?
BPS101 has recently done a better job of getting input from parents and community members. Prior to the referendum there were several community sessions that I attended where feedback was gathered regarding building needs. I have also seen surveys used for a variety of topics to get feedback from parents. I would encourage people to use the “contact the board” form to share concerns, come to a board meeting, or if you are a parent reach out directly to your child’s teacher and/or principal.
What is your position on banning books in school libraries or classrooms, and how do you define the criteria for such decisions?
I trust our very capable Learning Resource Center directors to make decisions about appropriate books for our school libraries. Our libraries should be full of diverse materials that reflect the diversity of our student body. If a parent has an issue with a book that is assigned for a class they can reach out to the teacher and often the teacher is able to provide an alternative for that student.
How would you balance maintaining appropriate class sizes with the current teacher staffing levels?
Our Batavia Public Schools enrollment had been declining but now appears to be stable. Assuming that we don’t have any major enrollment changes the school has always been able to handle a variety of grade size situations by switching from 2 classes per grade to 3 classes or vice versa and moving teachers to other grades as needed. Unfortunately many teachers across the country are considering leaving the profession. It is essential we that work to provide an environment where teachers feel supported, appreciated, and heard so we can maintain the excellent staff that we currently have.
Do you believe the district is allocating enough resources toward hiring and supporting teachers, and if not, what changes would you make?
I think this is a struggle that many districts are having which makes hiring even more difficult as all compete to entice a limited number of teachers to their districts. I think BPS could do more to ensure that the diversity of our students is reflected in the diversity of our staff. I think BPS could also do more to make sure that the teachers we have feel like they are working in a school system that listens to them, encourages feedback and input, and supports their efforts. Teachers should be more involved in decisions that affect curriculum, classroom materials, and learning opportunities for staff.
How will you make sure you are accessible to your constituents?
The BPS101 website has a “Contact the Board” form to reach out to board members and I appreciate when parents and students appear before the board with respectful and constructive feedback as well. Because of my experience in a local nonprofit I have gotten to know many community members: business owners, directors of organizations that work to help local students and families, parents, and other elected officials. I will use their input and feedback to guide my decisions. All stakeholders should work together to make sure that all of our students are thriving.