We asked each candidate to answer questions on topics important to the Senn High School community. Below are their answers.
Aubrie Tossmann
(pronouns: she / they)
Running for: Community Representative
About the Candidate
In just a few sentences, please tell us about yourself.
I’m the adult version of a Senn student: I'm the child of an immigrant, had access to rigorous arts and STEM curriculum, and am a product of a high school magnet program with a diverse student body. Over my nearly 20-year career, I'm an educator, coach, and facilitator who focuses on belonging, holistic support, and creative & collaborative decision-making. Most of all, I care deeply about school communities, inside and outside the building, and the success of young people.
What is your relationship to Senn?
I'm an Edgewater resident and have been a long-term community partner in CPS high schools. I've lived in the Edgewater/Andersonville area for over 15 years and am deeply committed to this community.
Why do you want to be on the Senn LSC?
After 15+ years in this neighborhood, I know that I'm here for the long haul and want to contribute meaningfully at the local-level. I feel called to support our community's school during these times of uncertainty, fear, and opportunity. My experience as an educator gives me tools to help maintain what's great at Senn and address what's needed for current and future students.
Do you have any previous experience on a Local School Council? If so, tell us about it.
No prior LSC service, but I've worked closely with principals on vision, budgets, and CIWP development. I've led school teams through budget management, CIWP priorities, and 5Essentials data review so the work of the LSC is familiar to me.
Where Your Candidate Stands
We asked each candidate a series of questions that important to the Senn High School community. Their answers are below.
Q1. What do you believe are the responsibilities of a Local School Council?
Candidate Answer:
The LSC has three core responsibilities: evaluating and, if necessary, hiring or removing the principal; approving the school budget; and supporting and approving the CIWP.
Q2. What core values do you hope to uphold as a member of the LSC?
Candidate Answer:
curiosity, fairness, integrity, and optimism
Q3. All Parent and Community LSC members are required to complete 9 mandatory training sessions within six months of taking office.
- If you are a current or former LSC member, have you completed all your training sessions?
- If you have not served on an LSC before, do you commit to competing all 9 training sessions within six months of taking office?
(Candidates were given a matrix of preselected answers. Below are the answers they selected)
Candidate Answer:
- I have never been an LSC member
- I commit to completing all required trainings within six months of taking office.
Q4. What does effective communication for a principal entail, in your eyes? In what moments does principal communication matter most?
Candidate Answer:
Effective principal communication is timely, honest, and includes both reporting and genuine dialogue. Effective communication includes celebration and affirming what’s good, but is very important during moments of uncertainty or change, when staff, students and families need to feel that leadership is present and there for them. A principal who communicates well builds the trust that makes everything else possible.
Q5. What is your understanding of CPS's policies regarding ICE and federal agents in school buildings?
Candidate Answer:
Federal agents may not enter CPS schools without a judicial warrant. CPS does not share immigration records with ICE and will not coordinate with federal agents targeting students or families.
Q6. What kind of leadership would you expect to see from the principal when federal agents target our neighborhood and families?
Candidate Answer:
I'd expect the principal to act quickly, follow CPS policy, ensure all staff understand procedures, and support impacted staff, students and families. I'd also expect active collaboration with Senn's Sanctuary Team and neighbors to implement and refine their recommendations.
Q7. LSC members are responsible for developing and monitoring the school's improvement plan (CIWP), which includes goals around academic success. Describe your understanding of Senn's academic programs. What academic priorities will you emphasize in your role on the LSC?
Candidate Answer:
Senn's IB and Arts magnet programs are real strengths and as a creative myself, the recent reduction in arts courses due to district requirements is a tough loss. I'm committed to advocating collaboratively to protect what makes Senn distinctive while continuing to innovate. Staff must have the resources to be effective. Every student is a priority: each deserves a reason to come to school, to feel safe and supported, and to have a vision for life after high school.
Q8. One of the key responsibilities of the LSC is aligning the school's budget to the CIWP.
- If you are or have been a Senn LSC representative, provide an example or two of what you have done to ensure both ongoing and annual budgetary transparency?
- For candidates who have not served on Senn's LSC: Describe your approach to budget accountability, transparency, and oversight.
Candidate Answer:
The LSC must build a trusting relationship with the principal so that when difficult budget conversations arise, everyone can take a solutions-oriented approach and rely on each other for input. I approach budget oversight through structure and consistency. The LSC and administration should expect regular reporting that connects outcomes to spending. I'll hold myself accountable to understanding the budget, and ensure discrepancies are addressed transparently and promptly.
Q9. What should the role of the LSC be if the principal attempts to quietly make changes without transparency or community input?
Candidate Answer:
In schools, some decisions must move faster than the speed of input and communication. The LSC's job is to stay informed and ensure community voices shape major decisions. If changes happen without transparency, I'll ask questions, understand the impact, and work to course-correct with the community's interests centered.
Q10. When families consistently learn important information from outside sources rather than school leadership, what should the LSC do?
Candidate Answer:
Good communication is a shared responsibility, as not one of us has access to immediate information from all sources. The LSC should help establish clear expectations and consistent protocols so that information flows between the school, community, and outside entities. When gaps exist, the LSC's role is to ensure that school leadership is meeting expectations and support partnership with all sources and constituents.
Q11. The 5Essentials Survey (link), developed by the University of Chicago in collaboration with CPS, identifies strengths and weaknesses across five areas:
- Effective Leaders (Score: 28, Weak)
- Collaborative Teachers (Score: 47, Neutral)
- Involved Families (Score: 40, Neutral)
- Supportive Environment (Score: 50, Neutral)
- Ambitions Instruction (Not scored due to data error)
What stands out to you and what action steps would you take as an LSC representative to address the challenge areas?
Candidate Answer:
I'd focus on three things: increasing student response rates for more comprehensive data; reviewing findings with LSC members, particularly teachers, staff and students, to ground the numbers in both positive and negative lived experience; and addressing the trust gap between staff and leadership which is related to the principal's evaluation.
Q12. Describe your approach to equity. How would you ensure that decisions made by the LSC support and do not proportionally harm Black, Latino, Indigenous, immigrant, or low-income students? What systems and practices would you support to make sure marginalized voices are not just heard, but actually shape outcomes?
Candidate Answer:
I use a data-driven equity lens: examining averages, identifying gaps with historically marginalized groups, and exploring root causes. I'll push for staff-led, targeted interventions and hold school leadership accountable for monitoring and reporting on their impact.
Q13. One of the key responsibilities of LSC members is to evaluate the school's principal. This LSC term will coincide with the contract renewal timeframe for Senn's principal. Describe how you will approach this responsibility.
What key performance indicators should be the primary focus factors when deciding whether to renew a principal's contract.
Candidate Answer:
I'll follow CPS's evaluation process using the School Leader Framework and Student Growth Indicators, informed by CIWP progress, budget reviews, and community feedback. Knowing that no single data point tells the whole story, I'll approach this holistically, fairly and transparently.
Additional Candidate Materials
Candidates were offered the opportunity to provide the public with additional materials to be displayed on their profile page. Those materials are provided here.