Activist Toolkit

1. What motivates you to seek this office? What skills, experiences, and perspectives would you bring to the District, and why would those contributions be valuable in the role of School Board member?

My passion and love for our community and my life long work committed to our developing youth motivates me to once again run for the Board.

Professional experience: In addition to holding a business degree, I have been a small  business owner in the customer service industry my entire career. I have been a commercial insurance broker for decades and have expertise in construction, and design. This is especially relevant as the high school continues with its capital improvement projects because I understand all phases of the designing and construction processes.  

Volunteer experience: Decades of community service, including coaching OPRF Wrestling and Little Huskie Football. For years I have been an advocate for equity in sports and have worked with the IHSA and OPRF Administration to create a new IHSA sport of Girls Wrestling and founded a team at OPRF. Wrestling and football draw kids from every socio-economic and demographic group. Working with these athletes and their families I have learned the value of soliciting feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders. 

Civic experience: I previously served on the D200 board from 2015-2019 so I am very familiar with the current initiatives, including racial & gender equity and facility construction. I have served on multiple committees including the Imagine OPRF Work Group (prioritized capital improvements) and currently sit on the Design Committee that monitors the current construction project. I also continue to serve on the school Student Leadership Committee. My experience as a BOE member during the period of great institutional change gives me the essential historical perspective as the newly structured administration embarks on the implementation of the overarching policy revisions.  

Personal experience: I was born and raised in the community and attended OPRF. I lived  briefly outside the community but returned to the area when my daughter was entering high school because I wanted her to have the same top notch education I received. 

2. What are the three biggest challenges or opportunities you expect District 200 to face in the coming years, and how would you work with your colleagues to address these challenges or realize these opportunities?

The three biggest challenges/opportunities will be:  

1. Reimagining education in a post-Covid world - what lessons have we learned, what  practices should we retain as we return to the building (for example, offering remote learning  on snow days), and how do we guard against long-term effects of learning loss for students who have had their high school careers disrupted;  

2. Implementation of the Racial Equity Policy - what additional steps should the Board and Administration take to remove barriers for students of color, how effective are current efforts;  

3. Fiscally responsibility - how do we work to reduce the tax burden on our community while balancing the needs of our students  

School Board members must work together on shared goals. I always engage my fellow Board  members with respect and attention. Consensus around the Board table is most desirable  but there will always be differing points of view. I carefully listen to a variety of opinions and study data to make informed decisions. No one Board member can act on his or her own, so it is important to know how to build consensus for ideas. I have worked collaboratively as a  Board member and understand the role and commitment required. This will enable me to hit the ground running and not lose valuable time on the Board learning how to do the work.  

3. How will you balance competing interests, such as your own deeply-held values and opinions, input from District staff and fellow board members, and diverse views from the community? How would you describe your leadership style and your decision-making process generally? 

As a youth coach, I am very familiar with competing interests. As an OPRF wrestling coach, I have helped students learn to prioritize competing interests such as homework, social and family interests vs. wrestling practice. Working with kids has helped me learn patience and understanding which are skills that I will bring with me to the Board. Listening to everyone, whether they are colleagues, staff, students, or community members, is paramount when arriving at policy decisions. Additionally, we should be using evidence-based best practices.  This will allow us to maximize our impact on students through benchmarking and data analysis. The Administration has recently created a racial equity analysis tool that will be a  critical guide in decision-making. If we are going to truly address decades of systemic racism we must use an equity lens for all decisions. 

I listen to learn before making decisions. My goal is to find the most student-centric outcome, and then I determine how that affects the greater community to ensure that we will not increase taxes to the detriment of our community members. I try to lead the board to a consensus by being persuasive and pragmatic in my approach and strive to always work collaboratively.

4. What values would you bring to the budgeting process? What changes do you favor in the process by which the District conducts its budgeting and fiscal planning?

The budgeting process is an area that needs improvement and has been a disappointment to  me. It is the responsibility of the BOE to serve as the conscience of the community to balance  the Administration’s desires with the fiscal reality of an already heavily taxed community. Over the past 5 years much attention has been given to controlling revenue and stabilizing the tax burden. We need to focus on the expense side of the ledger to bring costs under control. We need greater transparency for our community.  

5. How will you balance the community's desire to decrease the property tax burden with the need to maintain the quality of our schools, create an equitable learning environment for all students, and address facilities issues?

I was a founder the Oak Park and River Forest High School Imagine Foundation. The  Foundation is a 501(c)(3) that fundraises for capital improvements for the high school to  reduce the tax burden for community members. The Foundation seeks to fundraise from our  alums, many of whom no longer live in the community but still have loyalty to OPRF. The Foundation uses the Imagine OPRF Work Group’s findings to determine how to prioritize  projects. The Imagine Plan was created over an 18-month period by community member and staff specifically to improve our facility. All recommendations of the Work Group were determined through an equity lens. The District has embarked on phase one of the Imagine Plan which includes a student resource center to provide a safe place for students outside of school hours, renovations of the Special Ed TEAM space, and classroom renovations, gender-neutral toilets, and a new ADA compliant elevator to improve access for students with mobility challenges. 

The Imagine Plan needs to be continuously monitored to ensure it still meets the needs of our students. Facilities needs are constantly changing as urgent issues arise and pedagogy  changes. I have the experience necessary through my career, community involvement, and  prior Board work to help the next Board continue the work.  

6. Special education is mandated by federal law. How will you set up structures to ensure ongoing concerns of families engaged with special education are addressed? What do you believe are the biggest issues facing families and children with special needs, and how will you work to see their needs are met?

I had a younger brother with special needs who attended OPRF in the early 1980’s. Currently almost 20% of OPRF students have IEPs or 504 plans. I know how much my family appreciated knowing that my brother was in a nurturing environment that helped him achieve his fullest potential. Ongoing communication with families is imperative and the  recent addition of an inclusion facilitator, which is a position I voted to create as a Board member, has helped students with special needs feel engaged and families feel informed. My record as a Board member shows that I have always voted to support our Special Education Department to ensure all students have the greatest opportunity to shine. 

One of the greatest challenges families of students with special needs face is inclusion and integration into the community. OPRF has long embraced mainstreaming special ed students whenever possible, and the inclusion facilitator has created even more opportunities for inclusion in the greater community. We need to ensure that communications remain open with families of special education students to ensure that their voices are heard.

7. How do you define equity? Have recent discussions in the larger community informed or changed your thinking? 

Educational Equity is where each student receives what they need to reach their maximum potential. We will achieve racial equity only when achievement and social/emotional growth is no longer predictable by demographic factors such as race, religion, gender, or socio economic factors. 

I am always learning. One area in which I have experienced the most personal growth is racial equity. My understanding of the barriers our students of color face has deepened over the years, both due to my work with the wrestling team and as a board member. We must identify the systemic barriers and bias then eliminate them and create a system where all students have the opportunity to achieve to their fullest potential.

8. How do you plan to solicit feedback from people who may be experiencing OPRFHS in a different way than you? What barriers do you believe may exist in this process?

I spend a great deal of time in the school building, as a prior board member, I have prided  myself on my accessibility. I am available by phone, email, or in-person and have had many conversations with people who want to express their concerns. I would like to see the Board communicate and engage with the community more directly, including hosting town halls and forums to solicit community feedback. Allowing constituents three minutes for public comment is insufficient to allow for free flow of information.  

Some of our families face more challenges than others. I would work to ensure that there are mechanisms for feedback, and that feedback is solicited, from all families. The District should consider providing childcare at Board meetings and other events so that all community members can attend, not just those with the greatest privilege. 

9. How should the District assess its policies and progress with respect to the opportunity gap? As a Board Member, how will you determine whether the District is succeeding?

I believe the policies necessary to address the opportunity gap are already in place. The Racial  Equity Policy was created by former Board member Jenn Cassell while I was on the Board and I wholeheartedly supported its passage. The issue is not one of policy but rather implementation. We need to operationalize the policy through procedures that will have the  greatest impact on student learning and are evidence-based. One problem is that the State has changed their annual assessments at least three times in recent years which makes that measure for the short-term problematic. The Board must continuously monitor implementation to determine whether the policies are being followed. The newly created dashboards are critically needed tool that can quickly allow the board, administration and community to assess progress.  

We also need to conduct regular surveys of students and families to determine whether the initiatives are having the desired effect on the climate and culture of the District. The Board needs to follow the data to determine whether initiatives are successful. Benchmarking will provide a baseline so that we can determine whether progress is statistically significant.

10. District 200 Superintendent Joylyn Pruitt is retiring in June 2021, and a search process has been initiated by the current Board. What qualities do you value most when searching for a new superintendent?

OPRFHS is at a critical juncture. Over the past five years, new policies have been adopted and  the Administration has realized almost total turnover in personnel. To ensure that the new policies are appropriately implemented, the new Superintendent must remain student focused with experience in leading change management. We are on the cusp of true progress on racial equity, but institutional change is slow. The new Superintendent and new Board need to ensure that this progress continues. Additionally, the District needs someone with a track record of success in a diverse community to ensure that we uplift the students with the most need while maintaining a rigorous curriculum. We need a Superintendent who is transparent and willing to engage the community regularly to provide information and solicit feedback, and one who will be sensitive to the property tax burden. 

11. What is your impression of D200’s Access for All detracking curriculum redesign program and of detracking efforts generally? How will you handle parent concerns that arise as implementation begins?

I was on the Board when we charged the Administration with evaluating curriculum at each grade level to ensure our students were learning the proper skills at each stage. Over a year ago the Administration presented an initial plan for restructuring curriculum. Families critiqued this initial plan and the Administration listened to community concerns to revise the plan to include an Earned-Honors-for-All component for freshman courses. This will allow all students access to a rigorous education and not just those deemed to be gifted by current processes. We must break the racially discriminatory structural barriers that exist for our students of color. We need to put supports in place for students who need them while continuing to challenge all students. “A rising tide lifts all boats”, and I believe that a restructured curriculum must allow our high-achieving students to continue to succeed at the highest levels while allowing greater access and exposure to content for students who are currently in college prep. We must support faculty in this work by ensuring they have access to high quality professional development and instructional coaching while continuing our focus on racial diversity in new faculty hires.

12. Educational and business leaders have begun to use a "cradle-to-career" framework when talking about education. Please discuss the role of District 200 within the “cradle-to-career“ framework.

Our students graduate as young adults and should be prepared for adulthood whether they go on to a two or four year college, vocational or career school. We need to develop students who are flexible thinkers to meet the rapid pace of a changing business environment and gritty enough to handle life’s challenges head-on. If elected to the Board, I would work to provide more workplace opportunities and internships for our students. The District can continue to expand partnerships with local colleges to all for more dual-credit opportunities. When I was on the Board, I helped create a “grow-our-own” dual-credit program in education. We partnered with Concordia to allow our students to take classes in their education program with the hope that we can someday hire these students as OPRF faculty. This will allow us to train and attract diverse candidates who are OPRF alums. Additionally, I have long been an advocate for a Technology Internship program similar to the one at Leyden Township to certify high school students as IT technicians.

13. What lessons learned from the implementation of remote and hybrid learning during the pandemic do you believe will be applicable going forward, even after the pandemic abates?

The past year have been very challenging and stressful for our students. When I was on the Board, we approved the Administration’s recommendation to provide Chromebooks and wifi access to every student. This proved to be prophetic once the shutdown occurred because a major barrier to online learning had already been removed. Moving forward we need to take stock of what has worked and what has not. We know some students thrived, some struggled, and some just got by. In the near term we need to assess address learning loss and the social-emotional needs of our students. However, longer term I believe some form of remote learning should remain an option. This will enfranchise students who are immunocompromised or suffer from severe social anxiety and allow teaching to continue both inside and outside the traditional classroom as necessary.

14. 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?

As a member of the Board I supported increasing the number of social workers and other mental health supports. I continue to be a fierce advocate of restorative justice and supported the recent change to the dress code. While it is difficult to assess the impact of these changes given that students were remote for almost a year, I anticipate that we will see positive results because students will feel more accepted and included. Additionally, I support the current Board’s decision to remove the school resource officer. As the Village addresses issues of police reform and accountability, I would like to see the District involved in the conversation, and special attention paid to input from students.

15. Do you see a role for the 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?

The Board has a responsibility to ensure that all students feel welcome but especially those who are in the minority. I was on the Board when we adopted the Gender Equity Policy which made great strides towards inclusivity for non-binary students. As a result of that policy’s passage, our transgender and non-binary students now have access to the rest rooms and changing facilities that reflect their gender identity. Other policies that I supported while on the Board included: the diversity statement, anti- discrimination policy, welcoming school declaration, and racial equity policy. However policies without procedures to implement those policies are merely aspirational. It is the Administration’s role to create those procedures which must be monitored by the Board to ensure fidelity to the policies.

16. District 200 Board members share responsibility for oversight of the Collaboration for Early Childhood. Do you support this example of intergovernmental cooperation? Are there other types of intergovernmental cooperation that you would support?

I have always been a strong supporter of the Collaboration for Early Childhood because I  believe one of the keys to reducing the opportunity gap is the identification and support of diverse learners before kindergarten. 

I would like to see the District work with the Township and Park District on collaboration to support students with mental health issues. Additionally I believe that we could have greater collaboration with the Village to provide opportunities for our students to participate in the policing reform process.

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[The above answers were supplied on 2/18/21.]