Amy Wolter, candidate for Red Bud 132 School Board
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More on the election for Red Bud CUSD 132 School Board
Read questionnaires from candidates in the Red Bud CUSD 132 School Board race. Candidates are listed alphabetically.
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Name: Amy Wolter
Political party (if applicable): N/A
Age as of April 6, 2021: 41
Campaign website or social media page: facebook.com/Amy-Wolter-for-Red-Bud-CUSD-132-school-board-109902874485724
Office seeking: Red Bud CUSD #132 school board member
Are you an incumbent? No
Previous offices sought: None
Occupation: Registered nurse at St. Louis Children’s Hospital NICU
Education: Graduated from Red Bud High School in 1997, Bachelor of Science in nursing from SIUE in 2001
Please list the highlights of your civic involvement: Red Bud Waverunners Swim Team parent board president since 2012
Why are you running? I have three children; Abigail, 18, (a 2020 graduate of Red Bud High School), Alex, 14, and Max, 12, both currently at RBES. As a parent and life long community member I want to ensure that each student in the district receives the best education possible. As a parent with students in the district for the last 14 years I have seen the many great learning opportunities Red Bud provides for its students. I have also witnessed the areas that the district falls short. The ISBE school report card indicates a clear need to improve reading and math proficiency district-wide. As a parent of a dyslexic child I have learned some of the short falls first hand. My experiences navigating the school system would bring an important perspective to the board.
What is the top issue in your race, and how would you address it? I believe the most important thing we can give our children is literacy. One in five students are dyslexic and many more struggle to learn to read for other reasons. With early and structured intervention almost all children can become proficient readers. Signs of dyslexia can be identified as early as preschool. My main goal is to first implement a K-2 screening to identify students that may struggle. Second, provide appropriate structured literacy intervention to enable those students to read at grade level by third grade. Many state legislatures have passed laws mandating this, but why wait to be mandated by the state. Let’s be leaders instead.
Why should people vote for you? While what prompted me to run for school board is my passion to improve students reading proficiency, I believe in provide students a well rounded education. This includes continuing to provide students with art, music, and vocational classes as well as after school clubs, organizations and sports programs. I also believe it is important to provide honors level and college credit courses for those students that are planning to attend college.
This story was originally published March 2, 2021 at 10:44 AM.