Jessica Hinkle for D211 Board of Education - Endorsed by the Daily Herald

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Jessica Hinkle
for
D211 Board of Education

Jessica Hinkle for D211 Board of EducationJessica Hinkle for D211 Board of EducationJessica Hinkle for D211 Board of Education

Advocating for the Best Student Experience While Reducing the Tax Burden

Advocating for the Best Student Experience While Reducing the Tax BurdenAdvocating for the Best Student Experience While Reducing the Tax BurdenAdvocating for the Best Student Experience While Reducing the Tax Burden

Why I Am Seeking To Serve our Community

We need more focus on the current student experience

Covid-19 has changed our lives forever, but  that doesn't mean our kids have to suffer. We need to work harder, faster and more creatively at to get back to true/full in-person learning, activities and sports while maintaining a safe environment.  

Our current educational experience is lacking focus on mental and emotional health, social development and interaction.  Further, it is stifling the ability to deliver quality education.

The Community deserves better transparency and communication

There are often many topics of interest that impact our students and community that we are not aware of or that have not been communicated to us.   I think we need more directed and focused interaction with our students and parents.  How can a board make decisions on behalf of our students when they have not had adequate interactions with them to understand their needs?  

I'd like to change the current BOE committees’ structure to incorporate more student, parent and teacher voices.  We should set up a committee made up of students from all five schools that the board has direct interaction with.  I'd like to do the same with our parents.  Also, as hot topics come up, I'd like to see ad hoc committees set up quickly to focus on those specific topics.  Lastly, I'd like to see the board to have more interactions with the teachers.  By setting up departmental committees including teachers from all 5 schools, we can focus on resolving disparities and insuring continuity of the student experience district wide.

We owe it to our community to be fiscally responsible

District 211 currently has a surplus of money, but continues to burden the tax payers.  

While reserves are important, there is no better time than the present to apply the excess funds to improve improve and enhance conditions in this Covid-19 impacted environment.  We are experiences extenuating circumstances in this is exactly the type of scenario that we provided reserves for.

Invariably, when the topic of tax levies comes up, the board's response it to impulsively vote in favor of increasing the levy.  A more thorough investigation of proposed levy increases is needed and our goal should be to:

  • Scrutinize proposed increases and approve only the most appropriate and essential.
  • Reduce the funding in other budget areas that are non-essential or seemingly frivolous inclusions.
  • Insure budget is cleansed on a regular basis of funding allocated to potentially obsolescent items.
  • Review and refine reserve funding requirements. Establish funding caps where none exist and/or adjust fund life expectation. 

I am confident that we can  provide the best experience for our students, while being respectful and accountable to the members of our community.

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