Candidate Q&A: Kristin Hoffman-Peavler, Saline School Board

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Kristin Hoffman-Peavler. Courtesy of Kristin Hoffman-Peavler

Note to readers: The Sun Times News has made its media outlet available to candidates running for public office. Articles published do not reflect an endorsement by the STN. Submissions are from candidates who responded within our guidelines. In order to be as fair and equitable as possible, candidates can submit their responses to four basic questions.

  1. Who are you?
  2. Why are you running?
  3. What issues do you think are important?
  4. Why should we vote for you?

Candidate’s responses are printed as submitted.

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My name is Kristin Hoffman-Peavler; I am running for the Saline Area Schools Board of Education. My family and I have lived in Saline since 2009, where our children attend Saline schools. I earned my BSN from Loyola University Chicago, and spent the bulk of my career in pediatric oncology and bone marrow transplant as a bedside nurse and a nurse educator. I also have a BA in Vocal Performance from Gustavus Adolphus College, and am an active singer and pianist in the area. You might see me performing with various soloists and music groups in our schools.

I've been an active volunteer in Saline Schools since my kids entered SAS in 2012, from PTA to classroom to special projects. My favorite volunteer role was seven years as The Book Fair Lady at Woodland Meadows, helping support growing readers. I am currently in my second term as co-chair of the Sex Ed Advisory Board, where we research curricula and report findings to the BOE. The most important and meaningful part of volunteering in SAS are the relationships I have been able to build and nurture with students, teachers, staff, and community members.

Last year, I had the incredible opportunity to serve our schools as a substitute teacher. Being in the classroom as a guest teacher helped me see building operations and school culture from a different perspective, and confirmed for me what I already knew: our teachers and school-based staff are incredible educators who keep their students at the heart of every day.

School board membership is a high honor. The board is the voice of the community and champion of students. They support teachers in their art of education, and help pave the way for administrators to grow a district team built on mutual respect and care for one another. I am running for the board because I know that my skill set would be an asset to that team, and that my commitment to care-filled, people-centered forward thinking is unmatched.

I believe that students must be at the center of every conversation and every decision; they are our common goal. My parenting goal has always been to keep kids healthy, happy, and safe; this is the same philosophy I would apply to school board membership. Being student-centered also means being teacher-centered. By supporting our educators as teaching artists, we enhance their ability to make an even greater impact on our students, both as learners and as whole children.

In Saline, we are lucky to have an active parent community who wants to participate in the district’s commitment to its students; and like every community, Saline doesn’t always agree with every change that comes to our district. My previous board experience and leadership will be helpful in navigating and mediating those conversations. I believe that hard work is best done when people can know and trust each other to have meaningful conversations even when they are difficult.

I ask for your vote because I believe in forward thinking and forward motion toward better whole-child outcomes; because I have the knowledge, skill set, and relationships in our district to continue the success of our district into the future; and because I am committed to every student, every day. The school board can and should be a model of behavior and mission for our community and, most importantly, our students; that despite and because of our differences, we can advocate for those in our care, toward an equitable future of excellence in education.

For more information and to join the team, please visit votekristinhp.com. I look forward to meeting you!

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