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Susan Demming
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Susan Demming is an at-large representative on the Indian Prairie School District 204 school board in Illinois. Demming won a first term in the at-large general election on April 4, 2017.
Demming participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 school board candidate survey. Click here to read her responses.
Elections
2017
Four seats on the Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education were up for at-large general election on April 4, 2017. Incumbents Michael Raczak and Cathy Piehl were re-elected. Newcomers Laurie Donahue and Susan Taylor-Demming also won seats on the board. Candidates Vasavi Chakka, Renata Sliva, Marland Brazier, and J. Randy Sidio were defeated in the race.[1]
Results
| Indian Prairie School District 204, At-Large General Election, 4-year terms, 2017 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Cathy Piehl Incumbent |
17.39% | 5,291 |
| Michael Raczak Incumbent |
17.09% | 5,199 |
| Susan Taylor-Demming |
16.85% | 5,126 |
| Laurie Donahue |
16.40% | 4,990 |
| Vasavi Chakka | 10.27% | 3,123 |
| J. Randy Sidio | 8.92% | 2,714 |
| Renata Sliva | 8.84% | 2,690 |
| Marland Brazier | 4.24% | 1,290 |
| Total Votes | 30,423 | |
| Source: DuPage County, Illinois, "Election Summary Report," accessed May 1, 2017Will County, Illinois, Clerk, "April 4, 2017 Consolidated Election," accessed May 1, 2017 | ||
Funding
School board candidates in Illinois were required to file campaign finance reports if they did one or both of the following:[2]
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year
- Accepted contributions or made disbursements in an aggregate amount of more than $5,000 during the calendar year for communication via television, radio, or internet in support of or in opposition to a candidate, political party, or public policy
The first campaign finance deadline was February 27, 2017, and the second campaign finance deadline was April 3, 2017.[3]
Taylor-Demming reported no contributions or expenditures to the Illinois State Board of Elections in the election.[4]
Endorsements
Taylor-Demming was endorsed by the Daily Herald.[5]
Campaign themes
2017
Ballotpedia survey responses
Susan Taylor-Demming participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of school board candidates.[6] In response to the question "What do you hope to achieve if elected to the school board?" the candidate stated on March 27, 2017:
| “ | My father was a Deputy Base Commander and in support of his responsibility, my mother spent a great deal of time serving military families, most often women and children. Her commitment and her passion were infectious, and she instilled in my brothers and me the responsibility of service. Earning my BA-Rice University and MBA-Columbia University, often involved extensive urban youth mentoring. An Illinois resident of 21 years, I’m a proud member of St. John, AME serving as a Church school teacher. I’ve served 8 years as a Girl Scout Leader and past Girl Scout Board Member. A 15 year PTA member, I’ve served as past committee chairs and board officer. In 2007, as our district grappled with tenuous d boundary decisions, I ensured school board communications were transparent, constant and immediate, as IPSD Citizens Communications Advisory Committee member. Professionally, I have a strong corporate background and significant Not for Profit experience. As a Viacom Marketing/Sales Director, I had responsibility for a $33 million budget negotiating contracts for network distribution (MTV, VH1/Nickelodeon) and understanding the importance of arts in schools, provided financial donations to large urban school systems via VH1’s – Music In School’s /Save The Music initiative. More recently, as a consultant, I have gained an astute understanding of state budgeting and grant implementation, as I have developed and directed initiatives for Youth Education and Workforce Development. My desire to serve as an IPSD 204 School Board member is a direct result of many of the areas I’ve shared from my background and I am confident position me to serve in an exemplary manner. My service commitment has often surrounded children in the community, so I understand the needs of upper middle class children and am especially attuned to the needs of economically disadvantaged students in our district.[7][8] | ” |
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues based on how they should be prioritized by the school board, with 1 being the most important and 7 being the least important. Each ranking could only be used once.
| Education policy |
|---|
 |
Click here to learn more about education policy in Illinois. |
| Education on the ballot |
| Issue importance ranking | |
|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking | Issue |
| Expanding school choice options | |
| Expanding arts education | |
| Improving post-secondary readiness | |
| Balancing or maintaining the district's budget | |
| Blank | |
| Blank | |
| Blank | |
| “ | Relations with out teachers are strong now; We have a very strong arts focus in our district;[8] | ” |
| —Susan Taylor-Demming (March 27, 2017) | ||
Positions on the issues
The candidate was asked to answer eight questions from Ballotpedia regarding significant issues in education and the school district. The questions are highlighted in blue and followed by the candidate's responses. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions. The candidate was also provided space to elaborate on their answers to the multiple choice questions.
| Should new charter schools be approved in your district? (Not all school boards are empowered to approve charter schools. In those cases, the candidate was directed to answer the question as if the school board were able to do so.) |
|---|
| No. |
| Which statement best describes the ideal relationship between the state government and the school board? The state should always defer to school board decisions, defer to school board decisions in most cases, be involved in the district routinely or only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| The state should only intervene in severe cases of misconduct or mismanagement. |
| Are standardized tests an accurate metric of student achievement? |
| No. Standardized tests are but 1 component of a student's acheivement, but a very important component. Some students do not test well, yet are very strong in the classroom. Often standardized test acheivement is based upon familiarity and comfort in testing situations. |
| How should the district handle underperforming teachers? Terminate their contract before any damage is done to students, offer additional training options, put them on a probationary period while they seek to improve or set up a mentorship program for the underperforming teacher with a more experienced teacher in the district? |
| Offer additional training options. Offer additional training options. |
| Should teachers receive merit pay? |
| No. Our district cannot afford it currently, but it would be an idea worthy for our district to consider. |
| Should the state give money to private schools through a voucher system or scholarship program? |
| No. |
| How should expulsion be used in the district? |
| Policies and procedures for expulsion should be set by the board, in conjunction with the administration. The board should ensure they are used equitably across the district. |
| What's the most important factor for success in the classroom: student-teacher ratio, the curriculum, teachers, parent involvement or school administration? |
| Teachers |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ DuPage County, Illinois, "Election Summary Report," accessed April 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "A Guide to Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Election and Campaign Finance Calendar 2017," accessed January 5, 2017
- ↑ Illinois State Board of Elections, "Candidate Disclosure Search," accessed April 4, 2017
- ↑ Daily Herald, "Endorsements: Donahue, Piehl, Raczak, Taylor-Demming for Indian Prairie Unit District 204 Board of Education," March 19, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ Ballotpedia School Board Candidate Survey, 2017, "Susan Taylor-Demming's responses," March 27, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
| Indian Prairie School District 204 elections in 2017 | |
| DuPage County, Illinois and Will County, Illinois | |
| Election date: | April 4, 2017 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Cathy Piehl • Incumbent, Michael Raczak • Marland Brazier • Vasavi Chakka • Laurie Donahue • J. Randy Sidio • Renata Sliva • Susan Taylor-Demming |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Additional elections on the ballot • Key deadlines |
