Kathleen M. Lachowicz
March 29, 2011 12:30PM
Updated: March 29, 2011 12:30PM
Name: Kathleen M. Lachowicz
Address: 7040 Edgewood Rd, Palos Heights, IL 60463
Date of birth: August 23
Email: kathylachowicz@aol.com
Telephone numbers:
Home: 708-802-1818
Office sought: Seeking the office of School Board member of Palos Heights School District 128
Education: High School Diploma and various college credits
Occupation/Employer: Certified Teacher’s Assistant, Community High School District 218/Alan B. Shepard High School
This is my source of income
Spouse, spouse’s employer: Spouse is deceased.
Children, ages of children, children’s employer (if applicable): 1 daughter, Ashley, graduate of University of Nebraska/Bachelor degree
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?
I have no relatives that I know of employed by a government agency.
What other elected offices have you sought? What year?
I hold no other elected office
Have you ever been arrested or charged with a crime? If so, for what? What was the disposition?
I have never been arrested or charged with a crime, nor do I have any criminal convictions on my record.
Political (elected or significant appointment) experience:
I have no political experience.
In your view, what are the two most important issues facing your constituents? How would you address those issues?
The two most important issues facing our constituents: 1. Financial responsibility of school boards and the ability to use those financial means to educate our students for their future. 2. Sustain the educational services and specials we provide for the students today and tomorrow.
In this day of limited dollars from CPI, federal and state funding, our fiscal responsibility gets harder and harder to hold the line. We are not deficit spending and want to continue that way. Our superintendent has presented a balanced budget yearly from trimming any excess we have had and trying to get along with that, which has put us in a good fiscal position right now. An accomplishment not many districts can claim.
Please explain something significant you would like to accomplish within the next two years if you are elected to the office to which you aspire.
Something significant to accomplish in next two years: I would like to continue to keep our class sizes at the level we have right now and would also like to continue our early childhood/extended day for kindergarten with the most experienced staff for all children and using our facilities to their fullest.
Please explain how you believe the office you’re seeking can help in creating local jobs.
How can office help create local jobs: My office or position cannot create local jobs and I am only one of 7 in any vote. Our staff must be certified and go through the employment process. I do know that some of our maintenance staff have come from the community we serve, but I had nothing to do with their hiring.
Do you believe the current way Illinois pays for education is working? If so, why? If not, why not? What would you change?
I do believe that the way Illinois used to pay for education was working and then politics got in the way and power went to their heads. I would like to see all mandates fully funded or stopped. I would also like to see the federal No Child Left Behind Act repealed so that teachers can go back to teaching and students can go back to learning. Some parts of the Act were good, but I don’t think the people who drew it up ever taught in a school as diversified as most of our schools today are. I am not in favor of consolidating school districts of creating a “cook county” school board of education, they are not in the business of education and should keep their hands out. Too many of us have worked hard to be fiscally responsible to our community and that would just be a slap in the face to residents who pay their taxes to their community schools. One of the many reasons people move out of the City of Chicago, is because of the way school taxes are spent. Besides, there are no proven facts that consolidation would save money, when actually it would cost more in the long run.
Would you make any changes to the budget of the governing unit to which you are seeking elected office? If so, what?
Would I make any changes to the budget: I watch our budget very closely with the rest of the board of education and ask questions on expenses I don’t understand, I ask for copies of bills and have received them in a timely manner. I don’t think I would change anything at this time as we are being very conservative and cognitive of our taxpayers’ money.
Are there any other issues you want to bring to the public’s attention? If so, what?
Issues I want brought to the public’s attention: Our school district has a lot of parents who are very hands on, volunteer often and are actively involved in their student’s education. Our public is very welcome at any board meeting and I believe they are treated with the utmost respect keeping in mind this is a meeting held in the public eye and not a public meeting. I don’t believe there are any issues to be brought to public attention, this is a small district and if there was an issue it would be handled in a timely manner by the superintendent and board of education.
It has been my pleasure to have served on the Board of Education for so many years and although I don’t accomplish anything by myself, we as a board have accomplished many great things for our community of the years. I have lived in this community for 26 years, have educated my child in the public school system from grammar and high school to college. I am confidante we are doing the best we can with what we have and will be humbled if I were to be elected to another term as a board member. I love Palos Heights, my neighborhood, friends and my home and have no plans of leaving as long as I can pay my property taxes.
