How long were you a sales manager?

Thank you for the interest, I was an Account Manager/Sales Manager for the Freeman Companies Corporate Office for 10 years.

If you have any further questions please check out my profile at www/facebook.com/Elect.Cynthia.Kelly.113A

Thanks for the link. I was wondering a few things, Cynthia. Ten years is a long time to go without a job. Can you tell me why being a substitute teacher qualifies you for the board? And can you tell me if you see a conflict of interest by serving on a board that your children attend and a school that employs you part time?

Please don't misunderstand my question as hostile. I am impressed that you are putting yourself out there. But what do you bring to the table besides substitute teaching and volunteer work?

I don't think we need to get hostile with this lady. I think we need to have a kind and professional dialog.

Catherine, you ask good questions.

If elected to District 113A School Board my plan has always been to stop substitute teaching within the district, since I view it as a conflict of interest.

Temporarily leaving the work force was my choice based on my priorities at the time. However, stepping away from corporate life does not invalidate the experiences, skills, and work ethic that made me a successful Sales Manager. I simply wanted to be a part of my children's lives, but my occupation required much time away from home. Substitute teaching has allowed me to be on my children's schedule and has also allowed me to learn the inside workings of our district as well as volunteer to help our community in many ways.

I made a conscious and considered decision to leave the corporate world and pursue different challenges where I continued developing my skills and experience. I bring many qualifications to the Board member role, as a corporate worker, manager, parent, volunteer, leader, and community member.

Although I appreciate a blog's ability to quickly post content, I much prefer the opportunity to dialogue with voters and exchange information and ideas either in person or via e-mail. You may call or e-mail me. My contact information is above - I look forward to continuing the conversation! I'll be happy to dialogue with you or other voters through more personal channels anytime.

Thanks for trying to make a difference, Cynthia, in the community. Leaving the corporate world is something, I myself did, before becoming a faculty member for a local (not in Lemont) school. I can see that traveling would be taxing on any family.

I think you are doing the right thing by throwing your hat in the ring. I commend you for your wanting to make a difference in the lives of those around you.

As for Susan Antoff's opinion that being a substitute teacher can give powerful insight leave me with the following analogy. And this is only an analogy that we as mother's can understand. If you hire a babysitter for the day and they come in and babysit, watch your children, laugh with them, teach them and tuck them in at night - the babysitter clearly doesn't have powerful insight into parenting. So, no, Susan, I don't buy the powerful insight thing.

But yes, Cynthia - I do respect your wish to help. I would vote for you. Down deep, I wish your children weren't in the district - but that's just my own wish to avoid any conflict of interest.

I wish you the best of luck. I genuinely do

I spend enough time teaching to know that a substitute is clearly not there enough to earn powerful insight. Shame on you for suggesting a substitute teacher can.....

Then, I guess we disagree.

Catherine.....shame on you for your opinion on substitute teachers. Not sure where you are employed, but in our district, we consider our substitutes in high regard. They are used frequently, many receiving 3 days a week. Many are used for short and long term leaves. . They are trained in every aspect of the school day, from security to curriculum. I know this because I am a laid off School District 113a teacher, and I am now a substitute teacher. Before you start stating your opinions, I urge you to do a little research on THIS district. But Ms. Kelly goes beyond this........PTO, Educational Foundation, she has been at every board meeting since Adam was a boy, a classroom volunteer, a community volunteer.

Beth, I urge you to re-read what I wrote. I'm all for Ms. Kelly. No. I don't think subs have profound insight. I think you may have profound insight because you were a full time, educated teacher who worked in the district. You may have a grand scope of assessment, pedagogy, and rubrics amongst other professional insight. No. I don't believe a sub has that. You also threw into your comment long term subs. That is different. That is a teacher who replaces another teacher for a long term assignment. They are skilled professionals.

You can't possibly tell me that having a degree in anything, and being paid (what??) $90 a day, will give profound insight, can you? I mean, really?

Again, I suggest you read what I wrote, as I fully support Ms. Kelly. I think its commendable that she is attempting this.

And as for "shame on you" - OMG - are you kidding?

No, I am not kidding.....please re-read my post. As stated earlier, our substitutes go through training, and many of our substitutes are certified teachers, and understand our "grand scope of assessment, pedagogy, and rubrics".

I agree, $90/day for the first twenty days, and then $95/day from 21 on, is not a great pay, but without proper funding, we can't fix that, can we?

Again, your district is not our district, and we know our substitutes well, and have the opportunity to educate them, as we are educated. When our substitutes our parents that are from our district, they have a double dose of understanding because it is their child's classroom teacher that explains the "grand scope of assessment, pedagogy, and rubrics" during the important parent-teacher conferences.

For the record.........I don't "throw" anything into a comment.

Like I state earlier.........some districts might be different. Lemont is lucky, we truly have terrific substitutes that take their day in the classroom very seriously.

Cynthia,
I am asking the same questions of each of the candidates:
1. Should the residents of SD113a support the referendum with a yes vote?
2. If yes, please highlight your plan for using these funds effectively.
3. If no, please provide your ideas for meeting your priorities.
Thank you for your interest in serving the community.

Ms. Stukel, I appreciate your intense interest in the candidacy of Ms. Kelly. Perhaps you can direct some of that same scrutiny to the candidacy of either Ms. Reigle or Ms. Hughes.
It is great that you see the value of Ms. Kellys' presence on the Board. You seem to dismiss the fact that she spends a great deal at the school, either in a paid or volunteer position, as a fault. My goodness, I should think that is a huge plus. In order to understand what is wrong, as well as what is right and is working, it is good to be on the inside. Dont you think? I mean she can see first hand some of the frustrations of the teachers with policies , as well as some of the waste that occurs in every large administration (corporate or otherwise). Some one who just looks at the problems of this school district purely with an eye to the financials, is overlooking the most important part of this job.....the children. So I embrace Ms. Kellys experience with the school, as one of the strongest aspects of her candidacy and look forward to her sitting on the board in the near future.

Nancy:
I think at this stage in the game, there are no more questions to be asked. Shes a good candidate. She has professional experience, she volunteers at the school and she is a sub, as well. She is active in the pta, as well. Anyone who puts their hat in the ring is a-okay with me.

I think there are probably much better qualified people for the position; especially without the conflict of interest (her kids) BUT I would definately vote for her because she has courage. And she's the best we got.

My hats off to her.....

It's okay Nancy. A conflict of interest occurs in many situations. A Dr. doesn't operate on his/her own children, do they? Is that good form? Is it professional? Are they objective? Do they stand to benefit? Can they error when its too personal?

And as for why I asked her and not the other candidates? That's a good question. In truth, I asked those questions to her because she came across on my FB page, and I read her material. There is no malice here. That's all there is. I'm interested in Social Media and I asked her questions because our worlds collided on FB. No more. No less.

I am dumbfounded that Ms.Stukel thinks having children in the district is a conflict of interest for serving on the school board.

In researching the candidates for School District 113a Board of Education, one will find that seven out of the nine candidates have children in the district. One will also find that a doctor operating on his/her own child is much different that being a member of the school board. Now.......if you were a teacher having your own child in your classroom, now that may be difficult, both for teacher, and child. The job of a school board is to hire/terminate superintendents, and adopt policy. Curriculum, personal issues, and student disciline are in the hands of administration and teachers.

What amazes me about the comments here, is that no one can see how a conflict of interest arises. How any board member's children can be treated differently. How they can be favored. How they can be used in small-town politics in a negative way. Let's face it. People are mean and don't we see how children can suffer from this. And this applies to anyone's children.

Personally, I know a few school boards that are being restructured for this very reason.

What further amazes me, is that you guys are so hyper focused on this issue - that you seem to forget that I would vote Ms. Kelly. I don't mind paying more taxes. I don't use the public schools. And I do advocate for building a community through education. Education, is at the core, the most important thing we have in society.

So, on that, I bid you all peace and wish you well. Whatever happens will be for the good of the people.

Catherine, I take offense that you feel I would treat a board member's child differently than any other student in my class. I have had board member's children in my class in the past, as well as this year. They receive the same respect and discipline as any other student.

I know Cindy Kelly and she has the qualities, integrity and is completely aware of all the work that will be in front of her when she is elected. Cindy has demonstrated as a volunteer, a religious woman, a woman who doesn't shy away when a large task is presented to her, with such solid moral values that our community needs to have a woman such as Cindy, on our next school board. Keep up the hard Cindy, and we are in your debt for all you do for our children and Lemont.
Janet Schatz

Susan: Take the focus off of what YOU feel or how YOU behave and put the focus on the topic. Yes. It is possible that favoritism occurs. Yes. It is possible, if not probable, that the family will lose friends. Yes. It is possible that people will treat the children differently. Yes. This statement does apply to all of the people who are running with children n the school.

But perhaps the reason you make this about your action or your behavior in the classroom is because you are "too close" to the situation. Perhaps that is why you are making this about you?
Then again, isn't this the perfect example of a conflict of interest? hm.

Catherine, if you follow that logic, perhaps none of our village, state or federal representatives should be from our community, state or nation.

Local school boards are just that, local.

But, I digress Catherine, and I apologize. It's incredibly frustrating that once again have been able to guide this conversation (remember the McDonald's fundraiser thread on the Patch in January?) to something that has absolutely nothing to do with the subject matter. I am sorry to the readers for getting totally sucked in. This thread is about the qualifications of Mrs. Kelly. In my humble opinion, she is more than qualified to run and win a seat on our school board. In addition, Mrs. Kelly has the the drive, the initiative and the pluck and would be a stellar addition to our board.

Gosh, T to the K, hard to believe you're still falling back on those platitudes. You're not only repeating yourself but it's beginning to get boring. And I wold love to know how you have any inside track into the minds of the superintendent, the current school board or Mrs. Kelly. Or are you picking up information through your tin foil hat again?

condescension is very unattractive on you Tommy

Mrs. Kelly,
I am glad to see that a teacher is running for the board. There has been so much talk about finances, that it would be satisfying to see someone who could give equal time to curriculum and academics. Good luck on April 5th.