Sally tomlinson
new trier high school Board
candidate video
responses to voter guide questions
Introduction:
Please tell us about yourself, your qualifications, and what prompted you to run for School Board?
(Please see my video statement). I believe a strong education is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. For 25 years, I have volunteered in the district where my two children thrived. And, I am still motivated to volunteer, in part, to show my gratitude for their experience.
I was born in Madison, Wisconsin and attended public high school there before attending college at UNC Chapel Hill. I returned to the Midwest to obtain an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School where I met my husband, Al. Together, we raised 2 children (Emma, 26 and Sam, 24), both of whom attended New Trier.
While my first job after college was in banking, I was drawn to marketing and communications and made a career shift after business school. I spent 10 years working for Leo Burnett Advertising developing the strategic foundations for brands such as Keebler, Proctor & Gamble, McDonald’s, and Maytag. After my children were born, I quit my job and started volunteering in the schools. From co-chairing the Winnetka Children’s Fair to leading book group discussions on adolescent development to working on New Trier’s 2030 Strategic Plan development committee, I have a long history of involvement in education.
These experiences along with my current positions as VP of New Trier’s School Board and as a member of the Wentcher Foundation Board have given me important skills to leverage.
Questions:
What do you see as the main priorities and challenges for the incoming school board?
Smooth Superintendent Transition
Improved Student Mental Health –
Monitor the impact of…
Financial Stewardship (see my answr to question 2)
Future Programming (question 3)
Community Outreach and Engagement (question 4)
What are your financial goals and concerns for D203 and how would you work to address them?
Overall, New Trier is in strong financial shape. Property taxes account for roughly 90% of our operating budget revenue. It has been over 20 years since the district has asked for an increase in property taxes to cover operating expenses (beyond the PTELL rules) and I am committed to future budgets that stay within those parameters.
That said, there are two areas of concern that I think the board will likely be addressing:
What, if any, specific educational goals do you have for D203 and how would you work to achieve them?
New Trier is currently working on a Future Programming initiative to create more opportunities for students to prepare for college and future careers. In 1906, the Carnegie Foundation developed a unit of instruction called “seat time” and receiving academic credit was based on how much time a student spent sitting in class (120 hours). New Trier’s initiative is exploring additional ways to obtain and measure competency. I served on the launch committee and will continue to monitor the work that a smaller strategic planning committee is charged with (as they present to the board).
Schools and colleges are very good at measuring hard skills, but I believe there are soft skills (resiliency, communication, creativity, problem solving, etc.) that New Trier graduates possess that differentiate them from students at other institutions. I will continue to support the administration’s efforts to develop, measure and promote these characteristics further.
Finally, I will continue to advocate for ways for students to take academic risks. I believe that high school is a place where students should be able to try new things and explore new topics without having to overcommit. More semester-long (versus year-long) “survey” type electives would enable this. Next year, there will be several new semester classes in Business Administration and Applied Arts, which is a good start.
How would you improve the board’s transparency and community engagement?
Face Time: All board members serve on committees engaged with administrators, staff and community members. Examples include NTFAA, Booster Club, NTPA, True North Cooperative, NT Educational Foundation). We also have community representatives who serve on the Finance and Environmental Committees. This allows for communication out to and back from constituents. In addition, all contract negotiation teams have at least one board member on them so that the board has a direct link to these constituents.
I currently serve on the Parent/Community Advisory committee which meets quarterly with about 50 community members and staff to solicit feedback on topics such as cell phone policies, future programming, and Culture, Climate, Equity and Belonging initiatives. While I do not have any students at New Trier, I do make it a point to attend athletic events, concerts and plays, and community events like Trev Fest. Finally, I am always willing to meet with community members to discuss their concerns.
Communications: The agenda for each monthly board meeting is published in advance. All are welcome to attend and speak during public comments. Meetings are recorded and posted on the website for those unable to attend. And a “Board Briefs” summary is emailed out after each meeting. As a board, our goal is to respond to all emails from the public in a timely manner. Material is also available on Board Docs and New Trier’s website.
Please tell us about yourself, your qualifications, and what prompted you to run for School Board?
(Please see my video statement). I believe a strong education is one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. For 25 years, I have volunteered in the district where my two children thrived. And, I am still motivated to volunteer, in part, to show my gratitude for their experience.
I was born in Madison, Wisconsin and attended public high school there before attending college at UNC Chapel Hill. I returned to the Midwest to obtain an MBA from Northwestern’s Kellogg School where I met my husband, Al. Together, we raised 2 children (Emma, 26 and Sam, 24), both of whom attended New Trier.
While my first job after college was in banking, I was drawn to marketing and communications and made a career shift after business school. I spent 10 years working for Leo Burnett Advertising developing the strategic foundations for brands such as Keebler, Proctor & Gamble, McDonald’s, and Maytag. After my children were born, I quit my job and started volunteering in the schools. From co-chairing the Winnetka Children’s Fair to leading book group discussions on adolescent development to working on New Trier’s 2030 Strategic Plan development committee, I have a long history of involvement in education.
These experiences along with my current positions as VP of New Trier’s School Board and as a member of the Wentcher Foundation Board have given me important skills to leverage.
- Financial Oversight – As head of New Trier’s finance committee, I provide oversight on a $135 million annual budget. The Wentcher Foundation has funded over $27 million in renewable scholarships (about 400 each year). And, I’ve managed $100+ million in advertising budgets
- Working Knowledge of 2030 Strategic Plan – Used as the blue print for developing the superintendent’s annual goals, the strategic plan is a critical tool for the board’s oversight. Having worked on the development committee in 2019, I am very familiar with its tenets.
- Stakeholder Management – I spent 6 months working with faculty and administrators on a Future Programming exploratory, helped successfully negotiate a 5-year contract with the 500-member teacher’s union during a high inflationary period, and currently serve on the Parent/Community Advisory committee.
- Familiarity with Student Mindset – For 5 years I facilitated parent book group discussions on social and emotion learning. I also substitute taught in Winnetka Public Schools. And, I chaired the Great Books program using the “Shared Inquiry” method to engage with students.
Questions:
What do you see as the main priorities and challenges for the incoming school board?
Smooth Superintendent Transition
- Recommit to the 2030 Strategic plan and establish annual goals for the new superintendent to deliver on going forward
- Ensure continuous progress for on-going initiatives such as Graduating Class Teams and Future Programming
- Layout stakeholder outreach plan (student, staff, community, feeder schools)
Improved Student Mental Health –
Monitor the impact of…
- Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) program
- Graduating Class Teams structure
- Affinity Group offerings
- Development and implementation of a Cell-Phone Policy
- New Culture, Climate, Equity and Belonging team and committees
Financial Stewardship (see my answr to question 2)
Future Programming (question 3)
Community Outreach and Engagement (question 4)
What are your financial goals and concerns for D203 and how would you work to address them?
Overall, New Trier is in strong financial shape. Property taxes account for roughly 90% of our operating budget revenue. It has been over 20 years since the district has asked for an increase in property taxes to cover operating expenses (beyond the PTELL rules) and I am committed to future budgets that stay within those parameters.
That said, there are two areas of concern that I think the board will likely be addressing:
- Capital Improvements. Since 2015, we have spent nearly $200 million in capital improvements that have resulted in new classrooms, cafeterias, theaters, libraries and athletic spaces. However, 50% of our buildings are still over 50 years old and in need of rehab. This will require financial oversight to make sure that future projects are scheduled in a way that we don’t overextend ourselves and jeopardize our favorable rates (we are Aaa rated) and that we can cover the carrying costs within our operating budget.
- Inflationary Pressures. The current economic environment has had an impact on some of the district’s costs (health care, transportation, outplacement tuition, maintenance, etc.). In some cases, those costs are rising faster than the CPI. I would continue to work with the Associate Superintendent to control costs across these areas while still providing the services our students need.
- Note: 85% of our expenses fall under salary and benefits. We are in the second year of a five year contract with the teachers’ association which greatly helps financial budgeting.
What, if any, specific educational goals do you have for D203 and how would you work to achieve them?
New Trier is currently working on a Future Programming initiative to create more opportunities for students to prepare for college and future careers. In 1906, the Carnegie Foundation developed a unit of instruction called “seat time” and receiving academic credit was based on how much time a student spent sitting in class (120 hours). New Trier’s initiative is exploring additional ways to obtain and measure competency. I served on the launch committee and will continue to monitor the work that a smaller strategic planning committee is charged with (as they present to the board).
Schools and colleges are very good at measuring hard skills, but I believe there are soft skills (resiliency, communication, creativity, problem solving, etc.) that New Trier graduates possess that differentiate them from students at other institutions. I will continue to support the administration’s efforts to develop, measure and promote these characteristics further.
Finally, I will continue to advocate for ways for students to take academic risks. I believe that high school is a place where students should be able to try new things and explore new topics without having to overcommit. More semester-long (versus year-long) “survey” type electives would enable this. Next year, there will be several new semester classes in Business Administration and Applied Arts, which is a good start.
How would you improve the board’s transparency and community engagement?
Face Time: All board members serve on committees engaged with administrators, staff and community members. Examples include NTFAA, Booster Club, NTPA, True North Cooperative, NT Educational Foundation). We also have community representatives who serve on the Finance and Environmental Committees. This allows for communication out to and back from constituents. In addition, all contract negotiation teams have at least one board member on them so that the board has a direct link to these constituents.
I currently serve on the Parent/Community Advisory committee which meets quarterly with about 50 community members and staff to solicit feedback on topics such as cell phone policies, future programming, and Culture, Climate, Equity and Belonging initiatives. While I do not have any students at New Trier, I do make it a point to attend athletic events, concerts and plays, and community events like Trev Fest. Finally, I am always willing to meet with community members to discuss their concerns.
Communications: The agenda for each monthly board meeting is published in advance. All are welcome to attend and speak during public comments. Meetings are recorded and posted on the website for those unable to attend. And a “Board Briefs” summary is emailed out after each meeting. As a board, our goal is to respond to all emails from the public in a timely manner. Material is also available on Board Docs and New Trier’s website.