Kathleen Quilty
March 29, 2011 6:46PM
Updated: March 29, 2011 6:46PM
Office sought: School board member, Consolidated High School District 230
Name: Kathleen “Kathy” Quilty
Address: 8561 Walnut, Orland Park
Date of birth: August 20, 1962
Contact information
Email: KathyQy@comcast.net
Web site: Top3for230.com
Facebook: Top3for230
Twitter handle: Top3for230
Education:
Immaculate Heart of Mary High School, Robert Morris College
Occupation, employer: Corporate Trainer/HR Assistant, Smith Senior Living
Please list all sources of income:
Employment from Smith Senior Living
Spouse, spouse’s employer:
Michael, self-employed consultant for federal government
Children, age of children, children’s employer (if applicable):
John, 21, Class of 2007 from Carl Sandburg High School - Student at University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana – employed by Best Buy as a Geek Squad agent
Stephanie, 19, Class of 2010 from Carl Sandburg High School, Student at Moraine Valley Community College
Michael, 16, Currently a junior at Carl Sandburg High School (Class of 2012)
Sean, 15, currently a freshman at Carl Sandburg High School (Class of 2014)
Please list any relatives, including in-laws, who are employed by a government agency at the federal, state or local levels. What are their job titles and with what agency are they employed?
My husband has been a consultant for the federal government since approximately 2003.
What other elected offices have you sought? What year?
I ran for school board in 2003 and 2007 in CHSD 230.
Have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime? No
Do you have any criminal convictions on your record? No
Political (elected or significant appointment) experience:
I have been a school board member since 2003
I was the treasurer for District 135’s successful referendum in 2005
In your view, what are the two most important issues facing your constituents? How would you address those issues?
School Finance. I would like to see the state pay the school districts what is owed to them in a timely manner. Unfortunately, the state doesn’t seem to care. Now they would like to consolidate all of Cook County. We cannot let this happen. The state cannot do what we have done in District 230 – manage our finances. The taxpayers in our district have to realize that our property tax dollars must stay within our district. The past shows that the state and/or county cannot handle that.
ACT Scores & Measuring Student Growth. We need to look at the scores of each student when they take the placement test during 8th grade. This is where our starting point begins (Explore test). Each student then takes the Plan test in their freshman and sophomore year. They will then take the ACT/PSAE test in their junior year. We need to look at the Plan test scores and make sure that each child is progressing adequately. If a student scores a 10 on the Explore test, chances are they will not achieve a 23 on their ACT test. If they score an 18 or above, then we are achieving our goals to meet each student’s needs. We need to show progress. Unfortunately, we cannot control what a child has been taught in K-8th grade.
Please explain something significant you would like to accomplish within the next two years if you are elected:
I would like to continue to see a balanced budget. We have approximately 45 percent of our budget in reserves. The state would like each district to have 50 percent in reserves. Very few districts can achieve close to that. Fortunately we are one of those districts.
Please explain how you believe the office you’re seeking can help in creating local jobs.
Unfortunately, school districts are there to educate students and not create jobs.
Do you believe the current way Illinois pays for education is working? If so, why? If not, why not? What would you change?
The way the state pays for education is not working. They do not have enough money to pay their full share of what the state constitution states it should pay. Now the burden falls on the taxpayers. I am not in favor of having one large school district in Cook Count as Rep. Robert Rita has suggested. If the burden of paying for the schools falls to the taxpayers, then we need to keep our tax dollar local.
Would you make any changes to the budget of the governing unit to which you are seeking elected office? If so, what?
I don’t believe that we need to make any changes, but we need to make sure we are fiscally responsible to the taxpayers of District 230.
Are there any other issues you want to bring to the public’s attention? If so, what?
I have four children who have either graduated or currently attend school in our district. I am very proud to say where my children go to school and what a great district we are. I would like to see that all children in our district get the same excellent education my two older children have received.
Every decision I have made was made with the students’ best interest in mind. I have no political agenda. I am just someone who wants to give back to a district that has given so much to my family. I think that this is a way that I am able to give back to my community.
The past eight years on the school board have been great and I don’t regret it. I feel that the dynamics of our current members who are not up for re-election and Rick, Pat, and I would be very beneficial to the district. Between the three of us, we have 20 years of board experience.
