Activist Toolkit

1. What motivates you to seek this office? What skills, experiences, and perspectives would you bring to the School Board, and why would those contributions be valuable to District 90?

I am eager to help bring our community together to provide the best educational experiences for our children.  I fundamentally believe in teamwork and that everyone can offer valued input to create an optimal result.  I hope to use my professional and personal experience in my role as board member.

Professionally, I provide patient care as a nurse practitioner. I am a graduate of Resurrection University and the University of Georgia. I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and graduated in Psi Chi, the national honor society for psychology. I received the academic Lion’s Club, Hope, and Presidential Scholarships. I now specialize in Family Lifespan Nursing. I graduated Cum Laude and am part of the Sigma Theta Tau Honor Society for nursing. I was also adjunct faculty for undergraduate nursing students, so I think about best practices in teaching.   I also volunteer at community COVID-19 vaccination clinics.

As a parent to three children and as a nurse, I would bring patience and empathy to my role as board member.  I take pride in working with people from all different cultures, settings, and job backgrounds to problem solve and create an idyllic work and community environment.  It honestly takes a lot of listening to achieve a good balance and understand what the needs are of everyone in the community.

2. What steps will you take to improve and expand community engagement with the District and the School Board?  What is your view on how to involve stakeholders (i.e., District employees, parents, students, community members) in the District’s decision-making processes?

I would like to see more transparency and more inclusion in the work of the district and the school board. One option would be to have school board members take turns hosting perhaps a weekly meeting (maybe even a zoom meeting) that would give all of the stakeholders a chance to drop in and discuss issues of concern.  There needs to be more opportunity for community feedback and public comment at meetings and the process needs to be explained to the entire community.  It would make it easier for everyone involved.

Too often, the teachers are left out of important conversations about how we move forward when they are the ones in the best position to know what works. I would like to see them included in even more conversations and listened to when they offer suggestions.

3. Who or what is your role model for your approach to governing?

I am inspired all leaders who govern by inclusion and who seek to help everyone in the community, from the weakest to the strongest. Leaders who have an understanding of other people’s struggles and empathy towards those struggles inspire me.  I am constantly encouraged and given hope when I hear from Michelle Obama. She is the epitome of grace, brains, courage and perseverance.

4. Give an example of a time when you worked to understand a situation or view different from your own.  What helped you to move through that process?  What hindered you as you moved through the process?

I think it would be hard to look past this past year as an example of when people’s situations are different from their neighbors. The views varied from people who don’t believe in the science and aren’t concerned about covid, to those who are deathly afraid of leaving their own bubble.  I kept up on research, spoke with experts, and also friends in different areas to hear their struggles and concerns regarding life this past year. 

What helped me move through the process was actually volunteering to make things safer.  I felt helpless sitting around so I went out and volunteered for the Chicago Medical Reserve, the Oak Park Medical Reserve and the Illinois Medical Reserve.  I have tried my best to be outspoken on keeping the community safe during this trying time.  

What hindered me was seeing flagrant disregard for safety protocols in other areas of the country. It was disheartening, but I continue to focus on the positive. Here in River Forest I see a lot of great things going on to keep our community and neighbors safe.

5. What do you feel are the three biggest issues facing District 90, and how do you intend to address them? How will you prioritize among competing priorities? 

I grew up attending District 90 schools, and I have understanding of the history of education in the district as well as healthy population of the district has changed.  Currently, I see the three biggest issues as these:

    1.  Lack of equity considerations in the decision making process;

    2.  A push for test results at the cost of education for all;

    3.  Not enough regard for teachers in the decision making process.

 I would say that the three priorities should be this:

    1. Inclusion of every child in the curriculum To make sure that the instruction is reaching every child and that every child is succeeding to the best of their abilities.

    2. Taking concrete steps to address issues of racial equity and other forms of discrimination and suppression (gender, orientation, different abilities, etc.)

    3. Listening to the voices of all community members and stakeholders

6. What do you believe has been the most significant action taken by D90 in recent years, and why? Do you believe the Board acted appropriately?

Most recently, the school board took a variety of actions regarding the reopening of schools during Covid and the process would have been much better if it had been more transparent and if there had been more of an effort to listen to all voices. This process worked the best when various community concerns were taken into account and there was a consultation with medical and other health professionals as to how to proceed safely. The process worked the worst when it seemed to be a knee-jerk reaction to the loudest voices clamoring for in school no matter what (for example, the few days of in person added in December.)

The school board members represent the community and our elected officials and that is the first obligation of the school board members. To that end, they need to listen to what the community needs overall. Part of that involves considering teachers, both those who live in River Forest but also those who work in River Forest. Any decision, and especially one that involves health and safety, has to be mindful of all of these needs.

7. How would you grade the District’s progress with respect to accessibility in recent years? What more work is needed? Please address both physical structures and virtual/information processes.

The district has made some good progress in addressing accessibility but more work needs to be done. We need to make sure that all of the children and teachers and staff are able to access all of the structures. In terms of the physical structures, the buildings can be evaluated for sure that there are, for example, ramps were needed, wide enough doorways were needed, and hands-free ways to open doors. But those are just some examples. The best way to understand accessibility needs is to talk to children, parents and others who have a personal understanding of this, and see what challenges they see, and what improvements they feel are needed.

8. How can the District best assess the extent to which it is providing a quality education to the children of River Forest?

The best way to assess the quality of the education is to assess how the children are learning and whether they are thriving. I don’t believe that there should be some arbitrary benchmark or survey setting for how we measure “success”. It is less tangible than that. Obviously, there are state requirements for assessments and of course the district needs to be mindful of those. Also, it’s understandable that all the stakeholders want to see results that are quantifiable. However, talking to the teachers, to the parents, and to the children themselves and getting a better understanding of how they are learning can obtain those answers.

9. If you could create a brand new elementary public school district from scratch, what would it look like?

My dream elementary public school district would be one that has the resources to reach each child at the child’s level, and help each child learn and grow. District would offer support to teachers and provide them with the resources that they need to best educate children. This district would consider equity as a top priority and treat every stakeholder with respect.

10. How do you define racial equity? Have recent events and discussions in the larger community informed or changed your thinking? 

Racial equity to me means true access for all, and a community that is actively anti-racist.  This starts with acknowledging the reality of systemic racism and white privilege, but that is just a start: from there, we need to think about concrete steps that each person can take to be anti-racist.

Social justice is at the core of my beliefs, and I have been a lifelong supporter of, and an advocate for, equality, equity, and peace. I have marched and protested for Black Lives Matter and I have brought my kids to rallies to encourage involvement in creating positive change. Children are our future and they need to be guided into activism.

It is important to have efforts at every level to make our community anti-racist. There could be groups formed to brainstorm ways to make these concepts understandable to children at every level, and the schools can be a part of these efforts. Anti-racism work needs to start as young as possible.

11. How do you plan to solicit feedback from people who may be experiencing District 90 in a different way than you? What barriers do you believe may exist in this process?

I want to have conversations as soon as possible and I encourage everyone to go to my website and start those conversations now!  I want to understand community concerns better whether they come from a big group in the community or an individual in the community. It is important to me that all voices are heard. I plan to solicit feedback by encouraging email/phone communication, by having a comment section open on my website, and, when safe, having in person meetings with constituents. 

I am especially interested in hearing from people who are experiencing district 90 in a way different than me. It is too easy to create echo chambers, block voices, and exclude people from conversations. That does not do the community any good. We need to come together and listen to each other not just when we agree, but especially when we disagree. We can learn from each other in that way and I want to make sure that there are no barriers to communication with school board members.

12. 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?

Communication can always be better for children and families who need extra services. Some parents are unaware of what services are actually available to them. Also, I believe listening to the families and special education educators and aides is a great place to start to gain knowledge of what needs aren’t currently being met. A focus on equity to address achievement gaps is paramount in creating a district where all children thrive.  

13. What is the state of the District’s finances? What changes, if any, would you make to the District’s budget?

D90 finances are in good shape.  Moving forward I would like us to complete initiatives as that could help us achieve high levels of success measured in a variety of ways, but also reduce costs.  The biggest challenge of any district is maintaining a high level of top employees, keep needed services, but reduce unnecessary or inflated expenses.

14. The District 90 mission is “to inspire a love of learning and ensure educational excellence for every child.” How do you define educational excellence, and what should be the role of the District in accomplishing this mission? [For incumbents: What actions have you taken in office to achieve it?]

Educational excellence is not a number. It’s not a statistic and it’s not a survey results and it’s not where our school ranks in comparison to other schools. Educational excellence is a community of children who love to learn and who we have had the opportunity to learn in ways that work for them. Of course, there are essentials that need to be addressed but we need to be always mindful of equity concerns and educational gaps in how we provide those essentials. We shouldn’t try to force the teachers to adapt some curriculum that may work in the abstract but that doesn’t suit the needs of our district.

Our district hasn’t succeeded in educational excellence if there is only a top layer of students who are excelling. Our district succeeds and has succeeded in the past, when all of our students are given every opportunity to succeed.

15. What is your position on providing a full-day kindergarten option in the district? What do you see as the primary benefits and challenges to providing full-day kindergarten? 

I support full day kindergarten. It is important to move to this model for pedagogical reasons and for reasons of equity. Children are able to learn and thrive in a full day environment, and many more families than before have to working parents or a household where there is one parent raising children and that parent needs to work. Obviously, the district would need to be mindful of budgetary constraints, space issues, and availability of teachers, but those do not seem to be insurmountable burdens.

16. School districts across the US have taken steps to address inequities in their districts. Please give an example of inequity in District 90 and how you propose to address it.

D90 has a number of committees that address equity across our district.  Currently, I would like to see more minorities in high-level positions.  Representation matters!

We are already attacking inequities in many different ways in the community. An example is in the hiring of our educators. In the past 5 years we have hired more minorities than ever before. I would like to have that be at the forefront as an important goal/guideline to create more diversity in River Forest schools.

17. Are there any policy considerations you would recommend going forward as a result of the pandemic? Acknowledging the negative impact the pandemic has had, have there been any structural or cultural changes as a result of the pandemic that you think may be beneficial to the District going forward?

The pandemic has really force the issue of what we do as a community to protect public health. Each of us has a responsibility to ensure that our community is healthy. This means that every member of the community needs to follow safety guidelines without protest and without trying to carve out exceptions for themselves. Parents and teachers and other adults need to set an example for children about how to be responsible community members. Mask wearing and social distancing are great examples to set for our children.

Structurally, the district needs to be more aware of public health and that means better ventilation in the schools, better cleaning protocols, and just more awareness of the spread of any kind of viral or bacterial infection. There need to be better resources in place to allow parents to keep kids home if they are sick.  The district needs to reward that kind of behavior and not punish it. Having more lenient attendance policies, giving students access to remote learning (if that is still going on) or at least educational opportunities if a child is being kept home simply because the child might be contagious but is still able to learn – all of that would go a long way to keeping our community healthy.

18. What is your understanding of the Board’s past work on gender inclusivity? Do you support gender inclusivity? Please explain. 

As a woman, and as a mother to a daughter, I support gender inclusivity completely. But, as a mother to two sons, I know how important it is to make gender inclusivity the norm, and how to teach people of all genders to respect all genders.

There are more and more kids who are identifying as trans-gender and non-binary, and we need to have support systems in place for those kids in our schools. This could mean making everyone more aware of gender pronouns, and having bathrooms and locker rooms where everyone feels safe.  After advocacy and education work by some parent and student stakeholders, the District made a smart decision about switching the Roosevelt graduation attire from gendered attire (e.g., boys in suits) to caps and gowns for all, and this was an important step in the right direction.

19. Educational and business leaders have begun to use a "cradle-to-career" framework when talking about education. Please discuss the role of D90 within the "cradle-to-career" framework.

Our district is has joined forces with “cradle-to-career” to create a more cohesive transition to adulthood and community belonging in our student’s lives. It is a wonderful addition to our district, which fosters growth, equity and belonging.  Not every child follows the same path, but with this framework every child is valued, can contribute and thrive in our society.

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[The above answers were supplied on 2/22/21.]