Name: Melissa Owens
Position for which you are a candidate: School District U-46 Board
Why are you seeking this position?
Four years ago, I sought election to the Board of Education because of my belief that public schools are the foundation of our community. I wanted to play a role in making sure School District U-46 serves our students and families well. I still believe in the importance of a robust public school system. I am proud of our accomplishments over the past four years, including increasing the number of social workers, counselors, and mental health supports in our buildings; bringing one-to-one technology to all students – a process that was in place even before the pandemic; strengthening our career-readiness programs; and protecting local tax-payers by abating tax dollars toward our long-term debt. Looking forward to the next four years, the school board has numerous challenges to address. We have aging facilities and an imbalance in capacity utilization across the district; we have service gaps resulting from the pandemic, and we are most likely facing renewed funding constraints at the state level. On top of that, the school board needs to re-align the goals in our strategic plan to best set up our students for future success. I welcome the chance to get started on those issues and respectfully ask for the opportunity to continue serving our community’s residents.
What experience and background do you have which qualifies you for this position?
As a parent volunteer in School District U-46, I have held leadership roles since 2011, beginning with serving as a Community Advisory Council committee co-chair for five years, Council Vice-Chair for one year, and two years as Council Chairperson. I was a member of the Operating Board for the Alignment Collaborative for Education for one year and currently serve on the U-46 Educational Foundation board. During my first term on the school board, I took advantage of as many training opportunities as possible, earning recognition from the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) as a Master Board Member Level 2. I served as the U-46 delegate for the IASB’s Legislative Assembly for two years; I co-chair the U-46 Finance and Legislative committees, and I have taken an active role in advocating for U-46 interests at the local and state level. Professionally, I co-owned a successful business for 23 years; as the Administrative Officer, my responsibilities in the company included overseeing our financial, budgetary, and human resources processes. Currently, I enjoy working in a more hands-on role in our community as the Coordinator of the Volunteer Program for an Elgin non-profit organization.
What will be your highest priorities if elected?
As mentioned above, we have several pressing issues in the district, including the state of our facilities across the district, regaining our progress as a district from the pandemic, and maintaining services under continued local and state funding constraints. While U-46 has undoubtedly benefitted from the 2017 change in the Illinois school funding model, the reality is that U-46 is still funded at less than 60% of our adequacy target. We continue to have less money per student to invest in their education than many neighboring districts. And yet, we are incredibly fortunate to have so many parents, staff members, local businesses, human service agencies, and grass-roots organizations that are willing to take very active roles in improving the in and out-of-school experiences for our students. For many school districts, but especially in District U-46, educational service delivery has always been a balancing act between the aspirations and needs of a widely diverse community and the resources that are available. As a re-elected board member, my highest priority will continue to be to conduct the necessary research, listen with intention to the community, consider differing viewpoints, carefully weigh and consider our options, and work toward decisions that reflect the best interest of the community as a whole.
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