From mental health to teacher retention, Sterling School Board candidates detail plans in run up to election

STERLING — Candidates for the Sterling Public School’s Board of Education race that will be decided April 1 met Wednesday for a forum to share their views on education.

Jon Mandrell, Sauk Valley Community College vice president of Academics and Student Services, moderated the 2025 candidate forum at Sterling City Hall, where candidates Julie Aitken, Pamela Capes, Tyler Holesinger and Savannah Mussington answered questions, some of which were submitted by the public. Candidate David Miller was not present for the event.

Each candidate introduced themselves, was asked the same seven questions and had two minutes to respond.

Capes has been on the board for eight years and is its current president. She is a teacher at the Sauk Valley Christian Academy and is also a member of the New Life Leadership Council.

“It’s been good to see that there is community sharing of information of what we’re doing in the district,” Capes said. “My background is first hospital administration and then educational administration. I’m married, I have two kids, and I’ve lived in Sterling through high school. I went to Sterling schools and then came back 20 years ago because I wanted to raise my kids here.”

Aitken is the board’s current treasurer and is running to retain her seat on the board.

“We moved to the area about 20 years ago,” Aitken said. “I’m excited to seek reelection to continue the momentum that our board has put forth. We have a lot of exciting things going on, and I’m looking to keep pushing that forward.”

Mussington has been on the board for six years and is also chair of SPS’s Community Relations Committee.

“Throughout my tenure, I have been committed to ensure that our schools provide opportunities, safe learning environments and the resources necessary for our students to thrive,” Mussington said. “I believe that the success of our district is a shared responsibility, one that requires transparency, collaboration, and the vision that truly reflects the needs of our students, educators and families.”

Holesinger, a father of four young children and a non-native of Sterling, believes his outsider status could provide a “fresh perspective” if elected.

“I work at the NAPA auto parts store,” Holesinger said. “That’s a family business I’m running with my father-in-law and brother-in-law. I’m looking forward to contributing and building our schools.”

What personal or professional experiences do you have that will benefit the board?

Capes highlighted her passion for education, background in high school administration, her experience as a board member and contributions to the district’s financial stability.

“We’ve made great strides in making sure that our physical facilities are what they need to be to educate our kids, as well as bringing in the learning specialists that we needed in our math and reading areas as well as our social emotional learning areas, we brought in social workers and deans of students,” Capes said. “I think being part of those decision-making processes over the years, I want to continue with the momentum that we have, and continue to make the district even better than it is today.”

Aitken serves alongside Capes on SPS’s Facilities, Transportation and Finance Committee. She plans to use her experience in business, especially financial management, to continue supporting the district’s growth and efficiency.

“Pam and I worked hard to keep all of our fiscal responsibilities in check, but yet maintaining teachers and buildings,” Aitken said. “It’s awe inspiring all the things that go into making a school run efficiently and effectively. So, I bring that financial piece from my business world to my volunteer world to the school board.”

Mussington said she has dedicated her life to being an educator, a passion that pushed her to achieve her doctorate in education. She said she believes in the power of education and the role it plays in a person’s upward mobility.

“I grew up professionally within higher education and I’ve had the opportunity to work with programs that serve underserved students and just ensuring that they have inclusive- and belonging-rich environments that they can belong to,” Mussington said. “That’s important to me, and I appreciate the opportunity to continue to ensure that those pathways remain open for our students.”

Holesinger referred to his perspective as a parent with children entering Sterling’s public education system.

“I grew up in Indiana and moved here in 2015,” Holesinger said. “I think having a little bit of an outside perspective would be a difference on the board, and I think that would be welcome.”

What is the best thing about Sterling public schools and what is one thing you would like to see changed during your term?

Aitken said the best thing about SPS is the staff, and said she would like to continue working to provide opportunities to students who are not on the “collegiate track.”

“We have exceptional teachers, exceptional principals, exceptional district office staff that truly make the difference every day in the lives of our kiddos and in our buildings,” Aitken said. “We’re doing amazing things now with different internships within the community. I think giving kids those hands-on experiences makes a huge difference in their lives and their decisions moving forward, and it’s something we really dipped our toes in.”

Mussington said she is particularly proud of Sterling Schools' SPS University, an in-house initiative designed to recruit and retain teachers for the district.

“That is an intentional and dedicated pipeline that’s supported by Sterling Public Schools, the Board of Education, and that’s designed and geared towards helping to increase our teacher pipeline,” Mussington said. “Nationally, we’re facing not only a teacher shortage, but also an administration shortage. So, when I often think about the best thing, I think about how we have tackled the issue in an innovative manner.”

Holesinger also credited SPS staff as one of the district’s strong suits, and said he would also like to see more opportunities for students not pursuing college.

“I did not attend college,” Holesinger said. “I took a few courses, but ultimately decided it wasn’t for me, and just letting them know that’s OK. There’s all kinds of opportunities out there. You just have to figure out what your passions are.”

Capes said she appreciates the district’s efforts to foster a climate of creativity, communication and transparency at all levels.

“Everybody’s working to have good conversations about how we tackle some of the issues that they’re facing on a day to day basis, and what that model would be,” Capes said. “We’re like the city. We’re multitasking with the things that we have on our docket. We are continuing to refocus our efforts on looking at our Illinois state report card and trying to figure out why we still are falling short of where we would like to be. We would like to be beyond the national average in our performance for our students.”

What is the most important role of the board of education?

Mussington cited financial oversight, helping shape impactful policies and being a voice for the community in her response.

“A strong foundation of the Community Relations Committee is to ensure that we are incorporating the community’s voice into our day to day decisions, and that we have an understanding of what needs the community wants, and what their aspirations and their desires are,” Mussington said.

Holesinger said there are three key segments to the board.

“One, would be students and parents,” Holesinger said. “Another would be faculty, teachers, the staff, and then there’s the rest of the community. So, if any decisions, projects, policies, is to consider all three of those groups and try to find common ground and the best solutions to fill those different points of view.”

Capes said the board has 12 ideals it reviews on a monthly basis.

“We highlight one each month, so that we are reviewing what our responsibilities are as a board, to make sure that we are fiscally solvent, to make sure that the needs of the staff and employees as well as our families and our students are met, and to be the voice of the community,” Capes said. “I also believe that we have and should always have transparency. We have availability on our website for direct contact via email and phone numbers for all of our board members.”

Aitken said the board’s job is to establish policy.

“Sometimes those are very, you know, small things that can be easily discussed and moved forward upon,” Aitken said. “In other cases, it’s something we might discuss in board meetings for three, four, five months so that any parent that wants to have involvement or comment or any community member can come forward.”

How would you ensure Sterling public schools can recruit to retain high quality teachers and staff?

Holesinger looked at the issue from his experience running a business.

“We always look to promote from people you have and go from there,” Holesinger said. “It makes so much sense. It’s way more effective cost wise and for productivity. I think the big focus should be on continuing to build up our current teachers.”

Capes agreed with Holesinger, going on to say that she would continue to utilize initiatives such as SPS University and relationships with SVCC and other institutions to draw potential candidates.

“Continuing to balance additional recruiting outside of our community while making sure that we’re taking care of the employees that we do have is an ongoing process,” Capes said.

Aitken also applauded SPS University and credited its creator, SPS Assistant Superintendent Sara Dail, with speaking about the program nationally to help address the nationwide teacher shortage.

“So, if you had zero college and need to get a teaching certificate, or you’ve had two years, it can get you to a teaching certificate one way or another, depending on where you are, and the school helps fund that,” Aitken said. “We’re helping our staff get certified and come back to our classrooms to teach.”

Mussington said a key component of retention is creating a culture where staff and their contributions feel valued and supported.

“When you look across Sterling public schools, and you look at the retention rates of our community, you could see that our culture must be doing something positive in the sense that we are able to retain the majority of our educators,” Mussington said.

What do you believe the district should do to improve teacher morale and address concerns about workload and compensation?

Capes said she would start by having a discussion with Superintendent Tad Everett, who would then have discussions with the district office, principals and teaching staff.

“I think there is a culture of open communication that really does help us,” Capes said. “When we got the response back, that they needed additional support at the administrative level, that’s why we proactively hired deans.”

Aitken also applauded Sterling schools' culture of open communication.

“Truly, it’s a collaborative environment,” Aitken said. “Anything that a principal feels that their building needs, from a teacher perspective, or equipment or whatever within their building, they take that to Dr. Everett, and then Dr. Everett brings that to us. Our whole goal is to make it a continuous learning environment for all in the best way possible.”

Mussington said fostering a community of collaboration and support for its teachers is a responsibility of the board.

“Within my time on the board, we are very attentive to the needs of our communities, our educators, our principals, our students across the whole,” Mussington said. “We spend considerable time talking about how do we ensure we educate the whole student, and how do we ensure that our teachers and support staff have the tools and the resources. And that we are setting up the conditions for students to be successful and for people to feel as though they’re coming to a workplace where they feel that.”

Holesinger said open communication is also key in business, something he has learned on the job.

“That’s how you head off and have that insight and that foresight to know what’s going on and see what’s happening before there’s issues,” Holesinger said. “That’s the best way, to be proactive.”

How should the district address student mental health concerns and provide necessary resources?

Aitken said the district has implemented various strategies to support students' mental health, including counselors and social workers in all schools, and introduced a dean of students to address the hands-on needs of students struggling with basic social skills post-pandemic.

“We have teams in all of our elementary ed buildings that helps with the social, emotional, intelligence needs of our kiddos,” Aitken said. “One other thing that we’ve done as a district is we have therapy dogs in all of our buildings.”

Mussington highlighted the district’s efforts to support its students, including the use of full-time social workers, discussions about reducing class sizes to support students' social and emotional needs, and the importance of intentionally creating supportive communities.

“I encourage any of you to come to a board meeting, because we have the opportunity to highlight how each of the schools create intentional communities for students,” Mussington said. “What that does is it helps students feel a sense of belonging, and they feel like they’re not isolated and on their own.”

Holesinger said the issue of student mental health is multifaceted.

“It’s got to start with what the teachers are seeing,” Holesinger said. “Maybe not just class size will play a big role in that, but maybe not just addressing it with the teachers and students, but maybe there’s education with the parents too, things they can do and work on at home.”

Capes said that a few years ago, the district implemented a program at Challand Middle School where an “eighth hour” was added, similar to a high school period, giving students time to decompress and engage in activities outside of academics as an incentive to perform well academically.

“There are so many opportunities for our kids to grow outside of academics within our district,” Capes said. “I truly believe that is one of the biggest components of helping ward off some of the issues that our nation is facing with our children’s mental health post-pandemic.”

What differentiates you from other candidates or board members?

Mussington drew from her broad range of experiences as a mother of Sterling public school graduates, an educator with a long history in the community, a current board member and as a former senior leader for a national nonprofit supporting high schools.

“That shaped how I sit, in the way I respond, and what I value and what I promote, and the listening ear that I have when I’m engaging with our community constituents,” Mussington said. “All of those things allow me to have a heart of purity to care for everyone.”

Holesinger once again referred to his outsider perspective.

“Being a young father of four very young kids that are not in the school system yet, but will be, that’s different,” Holesinger said. “And then not going to Sterling public schools, having that outside view of not growing up here. I think that would bring a good perspective.”

Capes highlighted her extensive experience in education, having been a teacher, principal, and board member, giving her a well-rounded understanding of the education system.

“It is the ultimate symbol of hope for me to know that a child can go into a classroom and become whatever it is that they want to become within the scope of their capabilities,” Capes said.

Aitken pointed to her unique background and global perspective, having graduated from high school in Athens, Greece, and the valuable experience she brings from the business world.

“I can’t say enough about our board,” Aitken said. “I think we’re a great cohesive group of people. Everybody has a slightly different perspective, and I think we all work well together. People will bring up ideas that we would not have had on our own, and at the end of the day, we come up with a much better idea, because all of our differences add to it.”