Activist Toolkit

1. What motivates you to seek this office? What makes you qualified to serve? What metrics of success do you plan on holding yourself accountable to?

D200 has not had a healthy, respectful relationship with our communities for a while and I’d like to be a voice for changing this. It’s not right to tax millions more than you need to run the school, or intentionally bypass voters to do questionably popular things or almost never communicate with stakeholders outside the building. When you haven’t built up a good relationship with the community, it makes change take longer and more contentious – such as equity efforts, facility efforts, school safety efforts.

 That said, there are some important things started at the school I’d like to see continue, if not accelerate, such as equity and vocational training opportunities.

 In terms of qualifications, I’m a marketing communications professional who has worked with companies and non-profits large and small, I’ve been following school policy for more than a decade and have two kids in the school now. I’ve also helped lead and grow one of the largest Boy Scout Troops in town, helping young kids move to adulthood.

2. How do you make decisions?

Based on listening to various perspectives, looking at data and research and being empathetic to stakeholders. And all of this within a values framework of honesty and transparency. 

3. How will you work to ensure that D200 provides an excellent educational experience for all its students? What metrics of success do you plan on holding yourself accountable to?

We can’t manage what we can’t measure, so I’d like us to have some metrics in place to see how we’re doing in most areas, if programs are working for all. These don’t have to be test scores – they can just be quick anonymous surveys of student and parent attitudes. Do you feel valued at school? Do you feel you’re treated fairly? Do you feel like you are supported at school? Do you feel you have the resources you need to succeed?

 We need to continue to communicate with all stakeholders in the building that an excellent educational experience for all is our top priority and provide training to our teachers and staff so they can fully support this goal.

 And we need 21st century learning spaces for all kids and teachers — beyond just athletics and PE.

4. How would you approach the budgeting process?

I’d work to ensure that the priorities of the community are represented in our spending, especially areas that directly impact student success, equity, and well-being.

I'll work to generously fund our school while respecting taxpayers, ensuring we only take what we need, not the maximum we can.

5. Please discuss your thinking about D200’s Imagine project. Should the next phase go through the referendum process?

The Imagine Project did yeoman’s work in determining and prioritizing student needs. Where it wasn’t helpful was in prescribing very detailed solutions with no consideration for costs and what our communities can afford. The original 2018 cost estimate was $220 million, and we now find the actual costs much, much more. At the same time, OPRF is limited by state law to only borrowing $170 million at one time. This means that in the Imagine plan, updates in Phases 3, 4 and 5 such as academic, arts, special ed and vocational ed might not be addressed for decades. The Imagine co-chair admitted as much in a March 17 Wednesday Journal article. This is unacceptable.

 We need a clear-eyed and practical new approach. Regardless of what happens with the Project 2 pool-gym, we need to move on from the Imagine plan. Use its insights into facility needs, do honest racial equity work, set a budget, and mandate a can-do architecture firm to create some buildable solutions in a reasonable time frame.

 I am unequivocal that Project 2 pool-gym needs to go to referendum. 

• It’s best practice;

• It costs virtually the same as non-voting financing;

• It demonstrates that OPRF respects its community;

• In a 2020 advisory referendum, 77% of Oak Park voters said capital projects must go to referendum (more than 23,000 people);

• Two current board members promised to never bypass voters again, at least two others have said capital projects need to go to referendum, two of my three opponents have said the same; and

• Bypassing voters would be a massive breach of trust and norms.

6. Special education is mandated by federal law. How can D200 better work to provide an excellent education for students in need of special education?

D200 should provide adequate resources, professional development, and tailored support for special education students. Collaboration with families and experts is essential to address their unique needs effectively.

7. What is D200 doing well with respect to providing all students with an equitable education and what could it do better?

OPRF is doing pretty well academically, but there's a lot of room for improvement in equity. We need to listen more to Black and brown families and students regarding what they need. We should also connect with schools in our area that have proven track records of successfully educating minority students for insights and best practices.

I’d also like to move from raw achievement metrics, like SAT scores, to growth metrics to evaluate effectiveness. Every student starts at a different place and ultimately, OPRF should be measured on how each student advances, not where they ultimately end up. At a minimum, every student should advance four grade levels in their four years at OPRF.

8. What is your impression of D200’s Access for All detracking curriculum redesign program and of detracking efforts generally?

I think it’s a good element of an overall equity effort. It will take a bit of time for both students and teachers to learn how to best operate in the new paradigm and for attitudes and culture to evolve.

 And I bet there are benefits for all Honors for All students. There’s often a disconnect between the middle schools and OPRF in key subjects and by having all these kids start at the same level, they all can benefit from better data, experiences and recommendations for their next class levels.

9. What lessons learned from the pandemic’s early years do you believe will continue to be applicable to the ways that schools operate?

It certainly reminded us that schools provide much more to our kids than academics — structure, support, purpose and socialization. And that closing schools must be a last resort.

Other key lessons are flexibility in learning methods, the importance of mental health support and leveraging technology to enhance education.

10. District 200 has taken some steps to move away from policing and surveillance in schools toward restorative justice, mental health supports, and other services in schools. Do you feel these moves have been successful? Why or why not? What work do you believe remains to be done in this area?

While progress has been made, there's still work to be done. We must continue to prioritize mental health support and invest in restorative practices (especially training) to foster a safe, inclusive environment.

Again, this is where I’d like to the feelings of students, teachers and staff guide our efforts. We should ask them “Do you feel safe at OPRF?” and judge our efforts by trends in this metric.

That said, I see a crisis of confidence brewing in our towns, as parents and community members question if kids and staff are safe at OPRF and there is zero proactive communication from the administration and board. They need to address school safety frankly, explain the Restorative Justice process, communicate progress and reassure us. Concerns about school safety might be “just some social media hype,” but that has not been countered by any communications from the school.

11. What approach should D200 take towards intergovernmental cooperation initiatives such as the Collaboration for Early Childhood Development? Are there other specific initiatives that you would like to implement or expand upon?

The Collaboration is an incredible idea and program. Investments in early childhood pay big dividends to all of the local taxing bodies — villages, elementary schools, townships, park districts — so it’s reasonable for all of us to tithe some of our revenues to the Collaboration. 

I’m a strong advocate of intergovernmental cooperation — we have too many fiefdoms and siloes that not only end up costing more but make it harder for residents to find the right services and for the services to be as effective as they can be.

12. What approach should D200 take towards intermunicipal cooperation with neighboring communities? Are there specific initiatives that you would like to implement or expand upon?

Exploring shared facilities, services, or professional development could be beneficial.

13. Public schools have been faced with deciding whether or not to remove books from their shelves if a parent or group of parents deem the content to be inappropriate, too controversial or objectionable. How would you handle this issue and how should District 200 handle this question?

I believe in the importance of diverse literature that reflects various perspectives, and trust our educators to preserve academic freedom and intellectual diversity.

14. Do you see a role for the D200 Board in ensuring that the climate at OPRFHS is welcoming to students in minority populations, whether racial, religious identity, LGBTQ, etc.? What specific actions or policies would you propose?

Absolutely. The D200 Board should actively promote a welcoming environment for all students. Specific actions include implementing policies that support inclusivity, providing professional development for staff on cultural competency and ensuring representation in the curriculum and teacher corps.

15. A new report issued by the Centers of Disease and Control found that in 2021, very large numbers of students experienced poor mental health. Twenty-two percent of students seriously considered attempting suicide and ten percent attempted suicide. These feelings were found to be more common among LGBQ+ students, female students, and students across racial and ethnic groups. What can D200 do to address this trend?

D200 should support mental health providing resources, staff training, and a safe space for students to access help. Collaboration with local mental health organizations and building a strong support network are also essential.

16. The School Board’s primary responsibility is oversight of the Superintendent. District 200 recently hired a new superintendent, Greg Johnson, who was promoted to the position of superintendent in 2021. What criteria will you use to evaluate the success of Mr. Johnson’s tenure?

I'll evaluate Supt. Johnson's success based on student achievement growth, growth in equity, communication/relationship with the community and effective management of resources. His ability to foster a positive, inclusive environment and address the needs of all students will also be critical.