With the terms ending of all 4 of us who have served for the past 8 years, it is vital to maintain some continuity and institutional knowledge at the Board level as Dr. Schroeder takes the helm. This is my main reason for running for another 4 years.

Two of our schools won National Blue Ribbon awards for high performance and closing achievement gaps. Three schools earned Illinois’ Exemplary designations, and all others earned Commendable designations. My goal is for all our schools to achieve Blue Ribbons and Exemplary status by replicating our successes.

We have made great progress in instruction, but students tell us they want more. To continue our progress in student achievement, we must increase rigor in the curriculum, improve differentiation to meet kids where they are at, and increase student choice. I will make this a major goal for our new Superintendent.

I am a big supporter of our Dual Language Program and expect it to remain a permanent part of our District. However, declining enrollment of English Language Learners limits the program’s size due to our 50/50 model. We are evaluating the feasibility of operating at two buildings. An expert in Dual Language has been hired to evaluate the program and make recommendations to the Board. If elected, I will listen to the advice of experts and seriously consider any changes to the program that maintain its integrity for all our students.

For the past 8 years, I have overseen our building renovations as a member of the Facilities Committee and for the last 2 years Chair of that committee. 4 buildings have been completed 2 are underway and 3 more to go. I would like to finish the job!