Activist Toolkit

[Joann Kulis-Kearns Valeriano has not submitted answers to the Activist Toolkit questionnaire.]

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1. What motivates you to seek this office? What skills, experiences, and perspectives would you bring to the Board, and why would those contributions be valuable to District 98?

2. What do you think makes an effective School Board Member?

3. When in your experience have you had to balance competing interests? What process did you use? What did you learn?

4. What does transparency in government mean to you? How would you put it into practice?

5. In what ways have you sought to better know and understand the concerns and needs of residents outside your demographic group (specifically the demographic groups of race, religion, ability, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status)?

6. Some have advocated for a shift from policing and surveillance in schools toward restorative justice, mental health, and supportive services in schools. Do you believe in these approaches? If so, how would you move this work forward?

7. As more of our local discourse happens in social media, what is your view on how local elected officials should communicate with and respond to constituents? How will you engage with the breadth of the community, and not just the voices that are loudest or easiest to find?

8. As District 98 begins the process of searching for a new superintendent, what special skills do you bring to the search process? How would you evaluate candidates for this critical position?

9. How should the District assess its policies and progress with respect to special needs and the achievement gap? As a Board Member, what metrics will you use to determine whether the District is succeeding?

10. How will you support budgetary decisions that better account for differences in student and neighborhood needs and resources? Will you prioritize reinvestment within our schools that primarily service Latin and African American students?

11. Would you support funding to ensure that each D98 school has a trained librarian, a nurse, adequate social workers & counselors, and support staff?

12. How do you strive to decolonize education? What work have you done personally and professionally to support this process?

13. What have been your most useful sources of information about pre-secondary education? Have you found any research to be particularly informative?

14. What is your vision for early childhood education in Berwyn? Do you support the right for every child regardless of immigration status to receive a public education as specified in Illinois law? How can you educate and support these families’ involvement in the school?

15. Please list the three largest donors to your campaign by dollar amount contributed.