Candidate Q&A
Why are you running?
As a Humboldt Park native, CPS graduate, current CPS parent, and community organizer, I am deeply invested in our district’s success and the future of our schools and city. We have amazing schools, teachers, students, and staff who, despite the constant cuts and closures, show us that success is possible. I am running because we owe it to ourselves to correct the bad policies that got us here, and fight for the investments we need to ensure every neighborhood school has the resources it deserves. Neighbors, educators, and parents make up my campaign because they want a board member who listens, shows up, and fights alongside them.
Are you in support of the most recent CPS budget that relies on uncommitted state funding?
Yes, though not an easy call to make, this move is not without precedent. Our District is faced with a funding crisis that can only be solved through either additional revenue and smart spending or additional cuts to an already underfunded system. My neighbors are not ok with further cuts to school staff, afterschool programs, and essential services.
I refuse to accept cuts or regressive property tax hikes as the status quo when the State’s investment in CPS hasn’t even kept up with inflation let alone its own funding formula. If we were just going to rubber stamp the budgets put forth by the district, why bother with elected representation on the school board? Board members have a responsibility to fight for the funding owed to our students and can use their position to organize communities, build coalitions with elected officials across all levels of government, and push the state to pass progressive revenue that will make the ultra-wealthy pay their fair share in this upcoming veto session.
How will you work with CPS officials and staff to balance the district’s budget?
We need to grow the size of the pie while making sure we are getting the most out of every dollar we already have. As a nonprofit leader who manages a multimillion-dollar budget, I know responsible budgeting means looking closely at contracts, procurement, staffing, and administrative costs without treating cuts as the only answer.
As a board member, I would work with CPS leadership, labor partners, elected officials, and community organizations to secure more state and local revenue, particularly progressive revenue that asks those with the greatest ability to pay to contribute more. I would also push for greater transparency around major contracts and spending decisions and make sure families, educators, and LSCs have meaningful input before major budget decisions are made.
Other than the budget, what is the single biggest issue facing Chicago Public Schools?
The biggest issue is the uneven quality and opportunity across our neighborhood schools and that affects attendance, instruction, and achievement. We have schools that are thriving and schools just a couple miles away that have experienced generations of disinvestment. I want to change that by making sure resources follow student needs, strengthening neighborhood schools, and giving families a real option to attend a high-quality school close to home. Every neighborhood deserves a school that families can trust.
Students should receive the supports they need to succeed, especially students with disabilities and students who could thrive with additional academic, language, and social-emotional support. We cannot talk about student outcomes without talking about whether schools have the teachers, SECAs, case managers, counselors, and other staff needed to meet students’ needs. I would focus on strengthening the conditions for learning while using data and student and family feedback to identify where gaps are greatest.
What is a top issue for students, schools and families in your specific school board voting district?
A top concern for schools in my majority immigrant community is protection from ICE and DHS. Students are already facing instability due to cuts year after year. In some cases, our students come to school hungry and in need. Now add in the fear of abduction, harm and tear-gas on school grounds. Attendance rates have plummeted and learning is affected. I’ve marched, I’ve canvassed neighbors to inform them of their rights, and I’ve been a part of a rapid response network, but more is needed. From school sanctuary teams to legislative efforts like the Safe Schools Act, we must continue to do whatever we can for students and their families to make sure every child can come to school without fear, regardless of their immigration status.
If you accept campaign contributions from special interest groups, how will you maintain independence from those donors?
This campaign is powered by the grassroots support of teachers, parents and community members who share my commitment to fully fund our neighborhood schools–not by billionaires or corporate interests. I am accountable to the people in my district, not to any one interest group or donor. I plan on creating feedback systems like public meetings, student surveys, regular office hours, and other forms of community outreach to ensure continued public input. As a board member, I will always make decisions based on the greatest needs of students, listen to the people affected by those decisions, and be transparent about my decision making.
How can current board policies and procedures be improved?
I would strengthen the connection between the Board, LSCs, students, parents, and educators. My experience on an LSC has shown me that communities often receive important information way too late to meaningfully shape decisions. We should build a culture where community input is part of the decision-making process, not something that happens after decisions are already made.
How should CPS and the board work to address declining enrollment?
Declining enrollment is not just about schools, it’s about housing affordability, displacement, population changes, and whether families believe their neighborhood schools can provide a high-quality education.
Underenrollment is a symptom of a problem we must address through investments, not closures. We need to understand why families are leaving or choosing other schools, invest in high-quality neighborhood schools, and work across all levels of government to address housing and cost-of-living pressures that are pushing families out.
Do you foresee a need to close some district schools?
I do not believe school closure should be treated as the default response to declining enrollment. Research has shown the devastating impact school closures have on the individual students, their families, and the surrounding communities.
An under-enrolled school is still a school serving Chicago youth and families who rely on it for resources and stability. CPS needs to work with students, families, educators and community organizations to understand the underlying causes of declining enrollment, create a plan to address it, and make the investments needed for it to thrive. We need to start evaluating schools and what they need through a transparent, community-led process rather than a top-down efficiency exercise.
Should CPS implement AI in its classrooms? What, if any, guardrails should be put in place?
AI can be a useful tool for students and educators, but it should support teaching and learning, not replace the relationships and critical thinking that make schools unique. We need serious guardrails around student privacy, data security, bias, academic integrity, and the use of AI for high-stakes decisions about students.
I want educators and students at the table as CPS develops its approach. AI should not become another way to increase screen time or replace reading, writing, creativity, and human connection.
I signed the Chicago Families for Public Schools Pledge to Protect Human-Centered Education because I believe CPS should slow down before putting generative AI in front of students. I understand how integrated AI has become but my community wants to see a thoughtful, student-centered approach to this technology.
The board currently includes one Honorary Student Member. As the board has recently tripled in size, should that number be expanded?
Yes. If we are serious about student voice, we should expand the number of students who have meaningful opportunities to participate in Board decision-making. It is a heavy burden to expect one student to represent the experiences of hundreds of thousands of CPS students across different grades, neighborhoods, school types, and backgrounds.
I would support expanding student representation while also creating additional structures for students to participate directly through student voice committees, forums, surveys, and regular engagement with Board members.
How will you be responsive to student-led issues?
I marched alongside the students of Acero as they fought to keep their schools open. I joined the fight for care and resourcing led by students at ChiArts. Responsiveness starts with taking up their fights as though they are your own.
I would create regular opportunities for students to bring issues directly to me and to the Board as stated above. I would close the feedback loop. If students raise an issue, they should know what happened with their concerns and why a decision was made. Students should not just be consulted, they should be treated as partners in shaping the schools they attend.
Did you attend Chicago Public Schools? When/Where?
I attended CPS schools from K-12 (1993-2006) including Horace Greeley Elementary, Newberry Math and Science, and Lane Tech.
Have you sent your children to Chicago Public Schools?
Both my sons attend Moos Elementary School.
Have you ever served on a Local School Council? When/Where?
I am in my 4th term on the Moos Elementary LSC.
Have you ever worked for Chicago Public Schools?
After teaching high school on the West Side, I was a middle school ELA teacher at Talman Elementary in 2013. I ran summer programming at Chavez Elementary, Pablo Casals, and then Piccolo from 2013 to 2018, and I supported novice teacher development at dozens of schools like McNair, Southshore, and Hamline. In 2022 and 2023, I conducted Adult Learning Facilitation training for CPS central office staff.
What neighborhood do you live in?
Humboldt Park