Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I am a graduate of CPS, a former Gale teacher, a former Gale LSC member, the current president of Gale Grows Kids, and an education organizer with ONE Northside. As an education organizer, I’ve grown parent mentor programs from one school to eight. In these schools I work with principals, teachers and parents, mostly women of color, to provide voluntary service in classrooms where additional support is needed.
As an education organizer, I was also an integral part of Illinois’ Grow Your Own, a teacher recruitment program that focused on placing teachers of color in front of students of color. With GYO, I had the honor of supporting parents, adult learners and community members as they balanced busy lives all while working towards their goal of being a teacher.
In 2012, I fought alongside many others against the mass school closures. To this day, Gale School, where I was developed and taught, is still here because of education organizing and power building I helped lead. As an organizer, I believe that those most affected by the issues have the answers. I continually build power with my community and make decisions in collaboration with others.
I believe decision making in relationship with others is the precedent that needs to be set after our first elections for this board, and I believe I am the candidate that can do just that. My work and life experience have revolved around the betterment of students and families in my community, and elevating their voices and setting priorities with them.
Why are you the most qualified candidate?
I am the only candidate in this race that has been a CPS student, teacher, parent, and LSC member. I have spent my entire career working directly with students, teachers, parents, and administrators. I have had a lifelong connection to CPS.
What is the biggest issue facing your specific school board district?
District 2 has unique issues like language access. Schools that I work in across the district are in dire need of translation and ESL support. We are also losing affordable housing and many of our students are unstably housed. I believe that our district and our city want quality and high impact neighborhood public schools. Common issues in the district include challenges with providing neurodivergent children curriculum and accommodations that meet their need and ensuring our schools have high quality early childhood programming. I would represent the district the same way I've worked as an organizer: by bringing together those impacted by education issues like students, families, teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, community stakeholders, and changemakers to get the facts and the solutions we need.
How has your district been impacted by the shuttering of CPS schools?
Losing Trumbull was a significant and devastating loss, but we fought tooth and nail to keep it and the rest of our North Side schools open. Many students were bussed in for special needs services, and the loss of that programming was harmful. Of the other schools in the district on the chopping block, Gale was the only one that we were able to save.
How have your district’s schools been impacted by students who are new arrivals to the U.S. and how should CPS best accommodate those students and families?
Our city is struggling with this and of course that also shows up in our schools too. Assessments could be used ensure all English learners are receiving the right level of instruction. Often English language learners need additional social and community support. I would work with partnering agencies to bolster the other skills students need to be successful in classrooms. Being incredibly intentional to include parents and families of newcomers and existing students in the various English learning classes is one way to support this group of students.
We must work harder to include their parents and families in the education process in the same way English speakers are included in their students’ educations. Schools need to be more inclusive and responsive to families and provide language classes to the community at large.
We definitely need to find sustainable ways to develop our city’s teaching force, but in the meantime, we should expand the Parent Mentor program that works so well in many of our schools. This programming brings parents and community members, many of whom speak the languages where programming is limited, into the fold and keep our students on track for a successful future.
How do you believe the school board should handle the looming fiscal crisis at Chicago Public Schools?
This is a very serious issue that requires a real sit down with every person invested in our schools, and our city as a whole. While we have great businesses in this city that could partner with our schools, we absolutely need more from our government to fix this problem. We need to look at other sources of revenue for our schools, and get creative to find sustainable solutions - can the use of TIFs for luxury development be tied to a percentage set aside for schools?
While I may not have the answer right now, I will remain open to new solutions and work tirelessly with my fellow board members to discover one. I do believe that the recent move to evidence based funding models is a move in the right direction. We also need to consider shifting the revenue streams for education.
I think that the new funding model will reveal a lot about this, but I feel that the state has never really supported the district at the level that we deserve. A balanced budget is going to require progressive revenue, and I plan on working with city and state partners to determine the best path forward that won’t put extra pressure on the pockets of working people.
A moratorium on closing CPS schools is set to expire in January. Should CPS consolidate more schools?
No. Many of these buildings are not being utilized effectively once shut down, and if we invested in our neighborhood schools, they would be more likely to be filled. All students deserve to go to a quality school within walking distance of their home.
What is your position on closing selective enrollment schools?
I see no reason to close selective enrollment schools, and I don’t think any reasonable person would. My son graduated from a selective enrollment high school, and he had an excellent time. These are high performing schools and we should be making sure more students of color have access to them by strengthening early childhood education and expanding transportation options for students to diversify their student bodies.
What is your position on charter schools?
I do not want to destabilize students who are at charter schools and thriving, but there should remain a moratorium on new charter schools. Our priority as a board must be investing in public education.
Is your campaign being supported by the Chicago Teachers Union?
Yes
The Chicago Teachers Union wants the district to focus on retrofitting schools with equipment that will battle the effects of climate change. Is spending money that way right now a good idea with the massive deficit the district faces?
Most of Chicago’s schools are close to 100 years old, so we sorely need capital improvements to create more environmentally friendly campuses. I would support policies that allow for innovative and simple solutions - the installation of solar panels on school roof tops could generate enough energy to lower our schools’ carbon footprints. I would also support policies that create sustainable, researched and tested ways to lower school’s energy costs, like ensuring all CPS schools have switched away from incandescent bulbs to more cost effective and energy efficient LED bulbs.
What is your biggest priority and what do you hope to accomplish on the Chicago Board of Education?
I want to ensure that all of our students, regardless of where they live, can attend a quality school within walking distance of their home. As a parent, I know that the decisions made about a child’s education are incredibly personal, and I want to ensure that no parent feels that they must make the sacrifice of a long commute that can preclude a child from building relationships close to home in order for their child to learn.