Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
I am the only candidate in this race who has worked as an educator, in the nonprofit sector, and in the corporate sector. My background includes leading national community engagement initiatives in the private sector and founding a nonprofit that trains low-income young adults for tech careers. I have a proven history of building relationships with diverse coalitions, ensuring all voices are heard. My experience in budget and contract management and education finance will help me make fiscally responsible decisions for our schools.
Additionally, I am the only candidate in this race who is not heavily backed by or tied to any special interests or PACs. With the spirit of the school board legislation being about independence, it is critical that we elect candidates who are not financially carried by, and hence beholden to, special interest groups.
Why are you the most qualified candidate?
One thing we struggle with, in CPS as a whole as well as District 2, is low teacher retention. This is driven by teacher burnout due to lack of support. Our educators are essential pillars of our communities and important figures in our children’s lives, and we need to value them.
To address this problem, we need to ensure competitive, fair starting pay for educators and build more mental health and emotional support for everyone within schools (including educators and school staff). Furthermore, I would advocate for the board holding feedback sessions exclusively for teachers and support staff, to ensure their concerns are heard not just by the Chicago Teachers Union, but also by the school board.
What is the biggest issue facing your specific school board district?
One thing we struggle with, in CPS as a whole as well as District 2, is low teacher retention. This is driven by teacher burnout due to lack of support. Our educators are essential pillars of our communities and important figures in our children’s lives, and we need to value them.
To address this problem, we need to ensure competitive, fair starting pay for educators and build more mental health and emotional support for everyone within schools (including educators and school staff). Furthermore, I would advocate for the board holding feedback sessions exclusively for teachers and support staff, to ensure their concerns are heard not just by the Chicago Teachers Union, but also by the school board.
How has your district been impacted by the shuttering of CPS schools?
There have been very few school closures in my district, and this underscores the problem with school closures as they are happening: most, if not all, school closures have taken place in low-income communities of color on the South and West sides. While these closures have not had any major direct impact on District 2, they overall weaken the district’s performance, which weakens public schools all across the city. We need to restore trust within CPS, and that will happen when every student has access to a high-performing neighborhood school, regardless of their zip code.
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?
We are grateful that thousands of children and their families who recently arrived in the U.S. have found their homes in District 2.
With the influx of new arrivals and the finding that roughly 20% of Chicago’s English Language Learner students are not reaching English language proficiency, it’s clear that the resources for providing support are not sufficient and are not being distributed equitably. I will advocate for greater investment in TBE and Dual Language programs, as well as for providing proper staffing and teacher training to schools with large and growing populations of English language learners. We can work with teachers, parents, and community members to make sure that new arrivals and existing ESL/bilingual students are not falling behind, and that really begins with ensuring that educators are trained, certified, and prepared to provide the instruction that these students need.
How do you believe the school board should handle the looming fiscal crisis at Chicago Public Schools?
CPS is facing a budget shortfall of nearly $500 million. We must build relationships within the General Assembly and maximize the funding from the State within its available resources, as we cannot afford to take out any high-interest loans. These relationships must be collaborative, rather than adversarial. That means doing a better job not only of communicating CPS’ needs, but also that the new Board of Education will be an effective steward of public funds and manager of the largest school system in the State so we improve achievement for ALL students.
A moratorium on closing CPS schools is set to expire in January. Should CPS consolidate more schools?
I agree with the recent extension of this moratorium. School closures disproportionately harm low-income students of color, and can have a devastating impact on students’ ability to safely get to school. I would only support the intentional and equity-focused consolidation of schools if it were a community-driven process and allowed students to have a nearby neighborhood school that they could easily and safely access and attend, with stronger educational outcomes due to the pooled funding.
What is your position on closing selective enrollment schools?
Selective-enrollment and magnet schools are vital to the fabric of CPS, offering high-quality options for students who excel in specialized areas. Many of them are consistently ranked among the top schools not just in Illinois, but in the nation. For some students, particularly those with academic or artistic capabilities greatly exceeding those of their peers, these schools are essential to ensure that all students, including those with abilities beyond those of their cohort, are properly served by the public school system. These schools have a proven track record of preparing students for success, and they should be celebrated and fully funded, not closed. However, we must ensure that access to these programs is equitable and that the student body reflects the diversity of CPS.
What is your position on charter schools?
When evaluating the future of charter schools, we need to take a student-centered approach. I oppose expanding charter schools. As we fully fund neighborhood public schools, and families have an easier choice in sending their student(s) to a well-resourced neighborhood school, the demand for charter schools will lessen. However, we need to consider the short-term impact of closing charter schools in large numbers. Some charter schools are very high-performing, and those should stay open. This will help to bring us closer to equity for low-income students of color without bringing back discriminatory programs like Invest in Kids.
Poorly performing charter schools, on the other hand, drain resources without providing any benefit in the short- or long-term and should be held accountable for their performance; if they do not improve they should close. High performing charter schools may eventually phase out as demand for them declines when neighborhood schools across the City are equitably funded and performing at a higher level than today.
Is your campaign being supported by the Chicago Teachers Union?
No
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?
The effects of climate change are significant and impact our youth; for instance, unhealthy air leads to harms to physical and mental health, and lead in water can impact behavior and ability to learn. I believe we need to take steps to improve the sustainability of our schools. That being said, all decisions must be balanced in relation to the rest of the budget, to make sure that we do not compromise the quality of the education and that we do not increase the deficit. Ideally, we would work to get funding specifically allocated to improving the sustainability of our schools, potentially from the state or federal government.
What is your biggest priority and what do you hope to accomplish on the Chicago Board of Education?
My top priority is closing the achievement gap. To do this, we must close the opportunity gap; this is particularly evident in third-grade reading scores when students transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”. This milestone is an indicator of future success, and right now, most students are not meeting it, nor are they at grade level proficiency in math. Furthermore, the disparities in proficiency by zip code and race are staggering, and show that there is a massive opportunity gap within CPS.
Improving achievement for ALL students requires directing funding equitably to ensure learners who need extra support receive it. Students with disabilities must receive their full service minutes and the education they need to thrive. We must strive to be a district that can confidently say we are doing right by ALL our students, especially those furthest from opportunity.