34
Getting to know your IASA Board Members
Michael Sutton,
Southwestern
School district:
Highland
CUSD 5
One thing you would like
people to know about your
school district:
We feel and
believe that we have a little
piece of heaven with dedicated teachers, great
support staff, and a supportive community.
Years as educator:
17
High school:
Mt. Carmel High School
Colleges or Universities: B
.S. from SIU at
Carbondale, M.S. and Ed.S. from Eastern Illinois
University.
Family
: Wife, Theresa and 2 kids, Leah (14) and
Evan (11)
Favorite hobby:
Fishing
Favorite movie:
Caddyshack
Favorite book:
Good to Great
by Jim Collins
Favorite musical artist:
Def Leopard
One thing people probably would be surprised
to know about you:
I collect baseball/basketball/
football cards with my son.
Biggest concern about public education:
The
loss of talented teachers because of the negative
portrayal of public education.
Most encouraging thing about public
education:
I am encouraged when I walk through
a school building and see engagement between
teachers and students. I can feel the passion for
teaching and the desire for learning.
Victoria Tabbert, DuPage
School district:
Queen Bee School District 16
One thing you would like people to know about
your school district:
Over the past few years my
leadership team has worked diligently to end a
long-time problem of borrowing early taxes. As a
result of our efforts, QB has moved from the
financial warning/watch categories to recognition
for three years in a row! This has made a
significant change in how we do business and this
summer we were able to complete $5 million
dollars of renovations to our buildings. All while
experiencing diminishing revenues and limitations
in levying funds due to the tax cap!
Years as educator:
33
High school:
Marian Catholic High School
Colleges or Universities:
Illinois State University,
Normal; National-Louis University, Evanston;
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb
Family
: Married to Matt for 25 years. I have two
beautiful daughters, Jaclyn (24) and Mallory (19).
Favorite hobby:
Reading
Favorite movie:
It is a toss-up between
The
Godfather
and
The Wizard of Oz
Favorite book:
The Kite Runner
Favorite musical artist:
Bruce Springsteen
One thing people probably
would be surprised to know
about you:
People might be
surprised to know that I studied
piano for 10 years and
absolutely love music and am a
big concert fan.
Biggest concern about public
education:
For me it is the
focus on negativity that we receive from the media,
which becomes “truth” to the general public. It
seems that daily we are criticized for “failing” our
students when I believe that we are in no way
failing! I believe that public school systems are
committed to excellence, are working under a great
deal of social pressure and expected to respond to
issues without the proper funding or resources in
which to do so. We need to be a national priority,
as we provide the greatest service of educating
ALL students – that doesn’t happen in most places
in this world. We need to stop being a political
“slogan” and become a political priority!
Most encouraging thing about public
education:
My fellow educators. Despite constant
criticism and public scrutiny we continue to be
dedicated to serving the children in our public
schools and providing the best educational
programs we can afford. I am always impressed by
my colleagues and their commitment to their job.
