DISTRICT 65 BARGAINING UNITS SCHOOL BOARD FORUM

What is your plan to address budget shortfalls while minimizing the impact on students, staff and the community?

Budget cuts and expenditures will be approached through an equity lens with a focus on minimizing the impact on classroom instruction. I will ask important questions when making decisions regarding resources: who benefits from this decision/who does not, who gets to answer those questions (teachers and the impacted communities) and how do these concerns intersect? I will prioritize what happens in the classroom while considering those factors. I commit to keeping the community involved in the ongoing decisions regarding D65 resources, including the buildings, administrators, teachers, and staff. This means being honest about the decisions that have to be made, getting feedback from impacted communities, and following up on the decisions to ensure the intended impact.

What strategies would you suggest to fellow board members to engage families, educators, and students in shaping curricular decisions?

This can be attained by elevating the board members’ focus on the execution and evaluation of the D65 Strategic Plan, Strategic Goal 3. It states: Curriculum Access to high-quality and culturally relevant curriculum materials that is/are challenging, relevant and academically rigorous to support student success. This can be implemented by making sure there is educator, parent, and student, when applicable, involvement in the discussions regarding the D65 curriculum. When curriculum purchases/changes are being considered, teachers and parents need a voice at the table to talk about the relevance of the content, their concerns with implementing the change, and how the change will be evaluated. Students complete a major part of their learning at home and parents can provide important feedback regarding home-based curricular activities. D65 board members are assigned to be liaisons to specific schools and should faithfully perform this duty. This is another channel for soliciting feedback regarding the curriculum.

What matrix would you suggest to fellow members to determine the impact of initiatives to address the academic achievement gap within the district?

The gap in educational opportunities results in some students having an experience in D65 that differs from their counterparts. This results in different outcomes. I advocate for a recentering of listening and implementing the feedback of teachers and parents, especially regarding classroom strategies. I recommend an inventory and audit of the interventions currently being provided to promote students’ success, to ensure they are going to the students they are intended for, and being carried out with fidelity.

How do you view the importance of before and after school childcare programs, and what steps would you take to ensure their accessibility and quality for families in the district?

Before and after school childcare programs are a principal component of D65 public education. School child care is an integral part of creating a safe school environment and is a critical avenue for school/home communication. It contributes to a student’s preparation before the school day and supports continued learning through homework assistance when the school day has ended. School childcare also promotes the development of a student’s social-emotional learning through a variety of engaging group activities completed with a range of peers. As a D65 employee, I utilized and depended on school child care for both of my children. I felt the child care staff was always there for my kids and were a part of their educational success. Knowing that my kids were being well cared for before and after school allowed me to give my best effort as a D65 service provider. Ensuring continued quality can be achieved by allowing the program to function with school-based control and active support of the staff. Accessibility may be improved by evaluating the fee schedule for adjustment.

What framework would you recommend for the board to assess the district's accountability for student behavior while promoting a supportive rather than punitive approach?

I recommend an increased focus on the use of the restorative justice framework. While I was a D65 employee I completed private training in this area and participated in many staff and student restorative justice actvities, in several of the 18 schools I serviced. I also recommend using the school improvement half-day for students, especially middle-school, as an opportunity to provide instruction on the approach and its application. As a SEED facilitator for D65 (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity), I helped design and present half-day workshops to the middle-school students at King Arts on Equity and Diversity. The activities included many components on community building which relate to restorative justice. It was a challenging learning experience for the students but the feedback was positive. Another outcome of student training is the ability to increase peer participation in the process.

How would you ensure that the district’s mission and vision remain aligned with the needs of students, staff, and the broader community?

All board members should be reminded that they take an oath: “I shall foster with the board extensive participation of the community, formulate goals, define outcomes, and set the course for Evanston Skokie School D65. The district’s mission and vision statements should be reviewed on a biennial basis, with input from the community, students and staff. The process would start with as assessment of the district’s fidelity to the mission and vision to determine the validity of its implementation, to identify areas of strengths/weaknesses and appropriate action steps.

What are the key values that should guide district decision-making?

The values I think are key, based on the current environment in D65, are: fiscal accountability, administrative accountability, transparency, and collaboration. As a board member fiscal accountability means making responsible decisions based on a thorough knowledge of the D65 financial duties and reports. This includes knowing when the component reports are scheduled/due and requesting them in a timely manner for full review. Board members and the Superintendent must communicate and enforce compliance with budget guidelines. Establishing and assessing job performance is the main tool of administrative accountability. This means having specific, measurable, performance goals for the Superintendent, Board and Administrators. The D65 administrators should be held to accountability, in the same manner as educators, using a research-based evaluation tool. Transparency means communicating truthfully with the D65 communities without fear of being open to public scrutiny. This means communicating, through multiple modes, with parents, educators and staff on a regularly established basis about the issues affecting the outcomes of the D65 vision and goals. Collaboration means eliminating the barriers that result in the various silos of operation within the D65 and between D65 and the community. The budget crisis and national politics will necessitate securing more partners and resources to provide a quality education for our students.

What strategies would you bring to the board to ensure educators and staff voices are heard?

A strategy that is currently in place should be executed with commitment by all board members. According to the D65 website information, “School board members are encouraged to become familiar with the entire District 65 school community”. The word encouraged should be edited to required. “Additionally, in order to establish and maintain connections and communication links with parents, individual school board members are assigned certain schools where they can serve as a liaison”. The words can serve should be edited to will serve. Board members could also meet with the D65 bargaining units for regular updates regarding the school climate.

What strategies would you bring to fellow board members to ensure concerns are addressed between the board, administrators, and the community?

The 4 board members elected on April 1, 2025 will have experienced a rigorous election process that the 3 current members may have not. This current election cycle has been marked by heightened community participation, a demand for board member knowledge regarding D65 issues and a need for accountability. To build community and change the dysfunction of current operations, within the new board, directed training will be required. There is an on-boarding process for new members but this can be supplemented by additional training. The Illinois Association of School Boards has several resources I think will be valuable in building the new board including: a Board Evaluation Instrument, a Board Governance Review and Myers-Briggs ® Team Workshop. These trainings can guide assessment of current functioning and identify steps for improvement.

What measures would you take to improve transparency in board decisions and district operations?

I would continue to strengthen the process that was started with phase one of the Debt Reduction Plan. Be truthful when notifying the community of an issue and the decisions that have to be made. Engage the community through multiple modes of communication with a focus on in-person community-based opportunities weeks before the final decision is made. Check-in with the community after the decision is made at regularly scheduled intervals to assess the impact of the decision. Identify if the intended outcomes reached, what unanticipated outcomes occurred, were parts of the community disproportionately affected and decide the next steps together. Bulletin of the summary of the most recent Board meeting regarding updates on achievements and challenges.

SCREENSENSE - TECHNOLOGY USE IN D65 FORUM

Technology is playing an increasingly prominent role in students’ school experience. As a school board candidate, what is your position on 1) technology used for curricular-based activities in the classroom (i.e. educational applications such as iReady) and 2) technology use unrelated to curricular-based activities in schools (i.e. “brain breaks,” Friday Free Time, Indoor Recess, and general iPad use outside of educational purposes)? Do you believe guidance should be given to teachers specifying how much time students should spend on their iPads each day?

I agree with the use of educational applications for curricular-based activities in the classroom, if they are proven to be safe and effective. I think technology use unrelated to curricular-based activities should be minimized, and a menu of grade-level appropriate options for engagement should be developed and provided in the classroom. A toolbox of alternative, accessible activities for students with special needs should be included. Students that use their iPads for augmented communication should not have restrictions. Guidance for classroom teachers regarding iPad use for homework activities should be a joint parent-teacher discussion.

Is there an opportunity for a district-wide technology audit to determine what the benefits are to students and teachers? Do you believe that the district is providing enough research-backed data around the advantages of tech in the classroom over analog counterparts and alternatives?

A district-wide technology audit should be the first consideration for future curricular and budget planning. The research-backed data per technology tool should include the benefits and drawbacks of its use. As a community member and caregiver for a District 65 student, I would welcome more of this information. Communication from D65 in recent months has not included this.

Do you believe that there are enough safety measures and controls on school iPads? There was an example recently at a middle school where students were able to access open zoom meetings that were age-inappropriate. How would you tackle increasing the regulation around internet safety on school-issued devices? Whose responsibility is it to tackle online safety for district-supplied devices?

Safety measures and controls on school iPads are not adequate if middle school students are able to access age-inappropriate content. Evaluation of classroom technology safety and regulation development should be completed by a cybersecurity professional to ensure compliance with industry standards and the privacy practices of District 65. Internet safety for students and their parents would be an excellent topic for a community-wide discussion that could be a collaboration of a variety of Evanston/Skokie organizations.

With the recent change in D202 around personal device use during school-hours, what do you believe should be the D65 position on personal devices during school time?

The recent adoption of the D202 student cell phone policy was a missed collaboration opportunity by the D65 School Board. It should have been a joint policy adoption effort. I think the cell phone policy adopted by ETHS is a simple solution that could be easily adopted by D65. Student cell phone use should not be allowed during instructional time.

How do you foresee the future of technology in D65 as it relates to budget constraints and the current deficit? Do we have information about how much these technology initiatives cost the district on an annual basis and is there an opportunity to re-evaluate based on the financial challenges the district is facing?

The D65 budget for technology expenditures should be driven by an audit of current tools, including an evaluation of their specific impact on learning and cost/tool. The D65 Curriculum Department should participate in the evaluation. Costs may be reduced by identifying tools that overlap in scope or instruction that can be provided through other methods. The District, in partnership with the community, should prioritize technology budget reductions and be aware that specific student populations may have different technology needs. Educational media services and costs are not detailed in the FY25-D65 Final Budget.

DISTRICT 65 PTA COUNCIL SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FORUM

What motivated you to run for the school board, and what do you see as the board's primary role in shaping district policies?

My initial motivation came from the closure process at Bessie Rhodes School where my granddaughter attends second grade. The information I was receiving from daughter and from attending the D65 Committee of the Whole and Regular Board meetings broadened my concerns.

A school board’s primary role in shaping district policies is connected to its fiscal and administrative accountability. Primary roles of a school board member are to serve in trust for the community and participate responsibly. Board members take an oath to respect taxpayers’ interests and to faithfully protect the district’s assets. The fact that a board member could comment on a superintendent’s ability to “sweep the current financial challenges under the rug” made me question their ethics. The Board’s difficulty holding the administration accountable has contributed to a decline in D65s ISBE Financial Profile and led to an initial 13.3-million-dollar Debt Reduction Plan. The board employs the superintendent. A lack of accountability is evident in the superintendent’s ill-defined contract goals and indicators. Board members should stay centered on what happens in the classroom. They should stay focused on the district’s values, mission, vision, and goals. In summary, they should ask the right questions, find the right solutions and focus on the right issues.

How has your past volunteer experience, both within schools and the broader community, prepared you to serve on the school board? Please share specific examples of how your volunteer work has shaped your perspective on key issues facing the district and how it informs your approach to leadership.

I have participated in a variety of volunteer programs. As a member of the first D65 Black Girl Magic Book Club at Walker School, I recognized the ability of students to form a positive community while rising to a high level of academic rigor. As a member of the Physical Therapy Assistant Program Advisory Board: Malcolm X City College and an iMAP (Illinois Physical Therapy Association) mentor with students at the University of Illinois, Chicago, I sought to address the shortage of school-based providers for students receiving school-based physical therapy services. I have been a member of the Evanston North Shore Alumnae (ENSA) Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., for over 25 years, with specific participation in the youth service programs. Some of my regularly scheduled community events include the MLK Day of Service at the Evanston Public Library and the My Black is Beautiful Conference. I was a mentor for several years with the Girls Reaffirming Ambition Character and Education (GRACE) at Family Focus Evanston, which transitioned into the ENSA Delta Academy program. The My Black is Beautiful conference, GRACE and the Delta Academy are focused on providing enrichment for elementary and middle-school girls. ENSA benefits have enabled the chapter to distribute more than $290,000 in scholarships to deserving students in the area.

Given the district’s financial challenges, how would you balance cost-cutting measures while ensuring students receive high-quality education and support?

My approach to this issue will be to view budget cuts and expenditures through an equity lens and examine how they directly impact classroom instruction. I will ask important questions when making decisions regarding resources: who benefits from this decision/who does not, who gets to answer those questions – teachers and the impacted communities and how do these concerns intersect? I will prioritize what happens in the classroom while considering those factors. I commit to keeping the community involved in the ongoing decisions regarding D65 resources, including the buildings, administrators, teachers and staff. This means being honest about the decisions that have to be made, getting feedback from impacted communities, and following up after the decisions to ensure the intended impact.

How will you advocate for and protect marginalized student communities, including LGBTQ students, students of color, multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and students experiencing economic insecurity, to ensure an inclusive and supportive learning environment for all?

District 65 currently has policies in place that ensure positive learning environments for all of these communities: Equal Educational Opportunities, Procedures for Student Gender Support, Racial and Educational Equity and Inclusion Policy. There are also: Assistant Superintendent of School Safety, Climate & Athletics, School Climate and School Gender Support Teams. The efficacy of these resources can be monitored through the School Board Liaisons. “In order to establish and maintain connections and communication links with parents, individual school board members are assigned certain schools where they can serve as a liaison. In their role they are encouraged to become familiar with their assigned District 65 school community and keep Board Members and the Superintendent informed of concerns or issues that may develop at the school over the course of the year”. The current national political agenda and resultant environment is going to require close monitoring.

How do you evaluate the effectiveness and security of technology in the classroom, and would you support re-evaluating current digital tools and curricula?

The effectiveness of the technology in the classroom should be assessed by the goals the D65 Curriculum Department has established to determine its impact on learning. The security of technology in the classroom should be evaluated by a professional in this area to ensure it is in compliance with security standards and privacy practices District 65 has established. Before re-evaluating current digital tools and curricula I would complete an update on the full menu of tools currently in place and the school/home connection.

What steps would you take to rebuild trust between families and D65, and how do you plan to keep the community engaged in decision-making?

I would continue and strengthen the process that was started with phase one of the Debt Reduction Plan. Be truthful when notifying the community of an issue and the decisions that have to be made. Communicate with D65 families through more than digital sources. Engage the community through multiple modes of communication, including in-person community-based opportunities weeks before the final decision is made. Check-in with the community after the decision is made at regularly scheduled intervals to assess the impact of the decision. Identify if the intended outcomes reached, what unanticipated outcomes occurred, were parts of the community disproportionately affected and decide the next steps together.

THE EVANSTON ROUND TABLE - PLATFORM & POLICY FORUM

What do you think went wrong to cause the current budget crisis, and if elected, what steps do you want the new board to take to fix it? Do you think the current plan and timeline for making cuts is realistic? Are you open to closing and selling school buildings to save money?

The current D65 budget crisis has developed over several years, with many contributors. Information regarding the District’s Annual Financial Report and the School District Financial Profile may not have been accurate, thoroughly examined, and/or tracked by the Board. An August 2024 report from the D65 financial consultant, Illuminate, Inc., notes concerns regarding prior financial information provided to the Board and community. Administrative positions and costs have ballooned, especially at the cabinet level. The Board recently voted to hire the principal for the new Foster School a year before its opening. D65 enrollment has declined for several years, but the trends weren’t recognized. The Master Facilities Plan expenditures continue to increase due to the average D65 school building being 77 years old.  Staff recruitment and retention are stagnant with the cost of outside services escalating. There has been an increase in private placement for students requiring specialized services, and there may be litigation costs related to these placements. The D65 budget may be seriously impacted by federal funding. The presidential tariffs may impact the construction costs for the new Foster School. The phases of the current Debt Reduction Plan seem realizable to me but are not really by choice. The Debt Reduction Plan is a requirement to avoid receivership by the Illinois State Board of Education.

What do you think of the Board’s decision to close Bessie Rhodes? If you agree, please elaborate why you support the decision. If not, would you advocate for keeping it open and reversing the closure decision? How would you pay for that?

I agree with the Board’s decision to close Bessie Rhodes School but not with the process that has unfolded. The whole procedure has been fraught with misinformation and a lack of communication. This has resulted in a lack of trust from the school and the wider Evanston community. The Bessie Rhodes community negotiated in good faith with the Board to close the school as a stipulation to build the new Foster School. Since the original discussions with the Bessie Rhodes community occurred, the building plan has been significantly altered, with many of the original pledges to the school community changed. Despite the increasing awareness regarding the District’s poor financial health, the Board declined the financial consultant's advice to halt the Foster School's construction. A short time after that the Bessie Rhodes community received an email from the D65 administration about closing the 8th grade classes within a month, causing further trauma. Communication from the Superintendent and Board regarding the changes and schedule for closing the school has been inadequate. The current budget deficit, along with continued construction> does not make keeping Bessie Rhodes open an option.

Despite the district devoting significant time and resources over the last decade to addressing a gap in educational opportunities and outcomes by race, income and ability status, the district has made little progress in narrowing that gap. What programs or strategies do you think would work most effectively in both improving achievement for all students and narrowing the gap?

The gap in educational opportunities results in those students having an experience in D65 that differs from their counterparts. This results in different outcomes. The School Board needs to ensure compliance with the current D65 Strategic Plan - Strategic Goal 3: Students should have access to high-quality and culturally relevant curriculum materials that are challenging, relevant and academically rigorous to support student success. When curriculum changes are being considered, teachers and parents need a voice at the table to talk about the relevance of the content, their concerns with implementing the change and be informed on how the change will be evaluated. Also, in my experience as a D65 educator, the top-down approach is contributing to the problem. I advocate for a recentering of listening and implementing the feedback of teachers and parents, especially regarding classroom strategies. I recommend an analysis of the interventions currently being provided to promote student’s success, to ensure they are getting to the students they are intended for and being carried out with fidelity. D65 should investigate and collaborate with other school districts who have successfully addressed this opportunity gap.

How do you conceive of the role of the school board? What do you think of the job the current board has done in holding the administration accountable?

The role of a school board member is something I seriously studied before making a decision to become a candidate. I didn’t feel this was faithfully being demonstrated by many of the current members. The primary roles of a school board member are to serve in trust for the community and participate responsibly. Board members take an oath to respect taxpayers’ interests and to faithfully protect the district’s assets. The fact that a board member could comment on a superintendent’s ability to “sweep the current financial challenges under the rug”, made me question their ethics. The Board’s diffculty holding the administration> accountable has contributed to a decline in D65s ISBE Financial Profile and led to an initial 13.3-million-dollar Debt Reduction Plan. The board employs the superintendent. An additional lack of accountability is evident in the superintendent’s ill-defined contract goals and indicators. Board members should stay centered on what happens in the classroom. They should stay focused on the district’s values, mission, vision, and goals. In summary, they should ask the right questions, find the right solutions> and focus on the right issues. My retirement allows me to make a full time commitment to this role.

Last year, ETHS overhauled the process for how it places ninth graders into math classes because 10 out of 14 algebra 1 classes scored into a sixth-grade math level. Two sections scored at a fifth-grade level, and the other two matched a seventh-grade level. How would you assess the current state of the transition between District 65 and ETHS? How would you try to make that smoother, especially for math courses?

The current state of transition between District 65 and ETHS is problematic for students who receive special services and those who do not. I think D65 should have specific criteria to define the D65 graduate profile that was developed during the 2021-2022 school year. A total of six competencies were identified that make up the D65 Portrait of a Graduate. The D65 website notes “more information will be coming soon”. It’s time for that to happen. Extensive collaboration will be needed between D65 and ETHS to determine the specifics of the D65 graduate profile, to communicate with parents/caregivers, to provide documentation and to supply training. This could begin with the subject of math, since it has been identified as a major concern. District 65 students and their parents want/need to know what the academic expectations are of a student entering 9th grade in the core subjects. This tool could also help guide a student’s transition from 5th grade to middle school to begin to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses. This could allow for targeted intervenioon(s) as needed.

DISTRICT 65 SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE FORUM

The achievement gap between Black students and their counterparts has continued to grow in terms of percentage performing math and reading at their appropriate grade level. What is your specific plan to close that gap?

This important question deserves an entire D65 Board Meeting. I perceive the issue as an education gap in District 65’s service to students, not as an achievement gap on the part of students.  Black students are having an educational experience that differs from their counterparts, and that results in different outcomes. This informs how I would address this problem. Based on my D65 experience as an educator, the top-down approach in D65 is making the problem worse. I advocate for a recentering of listening and implementing the feedback of teachers and parents, especially regarding classroom strategies. I would request an analysis of the interventions currently being provided to promote students’ success to ensure they are getting to the students they are intended for and being carried out with fidelity. I would promote the use of the D65 School Improvement days to target this issue by asking for collaborations with school districts that have been successful in 2addressing this and presenting topics directly related to goals of improving student achievement. The Superintendent’s contract needs to be amended to include specific student performance goals.

How would you maintain an emphasis on equity in district decision-making in the face of our current fiscal challenges and potential cuts in federal funding assistance?

My 7 years of experience as an equity participant and facilitator for D65 communities have taught me to ask three very important questions, to maintain a focus on equity, when making decisions regarding resources: who benefits from this decision/who does not, who gets to answer those questions—teachers and the impacted communities, and how do these concerns intersect?

I will prioritize what happens in the classroom while considering those factors. I commit to keeping the community, including the buildings, administrators, teachers, and staff, involved in the ongoing decisions needed to right-size D65. I recommend updating the D65 Equity Statement with specific, measurable goals related to funding. My goal is to turn practice into policy.

Historically, there has been a disproportionate representation of Black children, especially boys, being placed in special education. How would you ensure that the IEP isn't a life sentence for these students? What measures would you take to ensure that students are moving back into and have access to regular education classes?

As a physical therapist in the D65 Special Services department for 35 years, this is my area of extensive knowledge and experience. A student’s IEP is a yearly plan that, at minimum, should be reviewed each trimester grading period. It can also be reviewed at parent request, with anyone on the team. That could mean a note, a call, or a meeting. Communication is key. I view the IEP as a joint agreement between the educators and the parents. By law, it should be implemented in the least restrictive environment. Parents need to be aware of what the continuum of services and placement options are. As stated in D65 Strategic Goal 1: Equity: Objective 1.2 - Inventory, document and align education program options that empower students and parents to choose an education program that meets their needs. This means D65 should have a documented continuum of services with clear entrance/exit criteria for each class/program. The District needs to not hide behind technicalities and should help to ensure parents have the information and support on how to advocate for their students during IEP meetings. This is an issue because D65 fails to address the nuances and specific needs of each student as required by law. An IEP should be seen as a support for our students who need it, not a life sentence.

Student Achievement and Equity: How should D65 incentivize Black educators to go into teaching? Is equity at the forefront of the recruiting process?

The main priority of the D65 recruiting process is restoring trust and accountability in the system, to make it an attractive place for ANY teacher to work. Another priority is for the D65 Human Resources (HR) department to develop and implement a structured recruiting program, with equitable incentives and specific employment targets for the D65 teaching staff. This includes developing educational affiliations with collegiate programs and groups with high enrollments of black students. The HR department, in collaboration with DEC, could develop a professional cohort of D65 Black Educators to help orient and provide professional guidance to promote the retention of Black teachers. D65 should reinstate the Create Program, which provided assistance to D65 staff seeking to become educators.

In what ways have you contributed to and been involved with racial and social justice work in Evanston?

As a D65 employee, I participated in the first cohort of SEED (Seeking Education Equity and Diversity) during the 2016/2017 school year. I recognized the importance of this work and applied to become a trainer to offer this learning to a wider population of teachers, staff and parents/caregivers in D65. I completed training through the National SEED organization in July 2017. SEED is a ten-month seminar that meets monthly for three hours. Participants explore and build capacity to promote institutional change by examining their own education in relation to identities such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, and how these factors currently impact their school, classrooms, community, or workplace. I’ve held in-person and virtual seminars for over 10 cohorts of teachers, staff and parents in D65 and neighboring communities. I was a supporter and participant in the Black Girl Magic Book Club during its initial years and am proud of the impact and expansion of the program. In 2021, I completed the Confronting White Nationalism in Schools toolkit trainer through the Western States Center and provided this training virtually to D65 educators. My social justice work in the Evanston community continues through my active membership in the Evanston North Shore Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

What is your understanding of the historic educational system/experience in Evanston?

I have 3 generations of lived experience with the D65 educational system as a student, parent and grandparent. I lived in the Fifth Ward until my kindergarten year. I moved to the Second Ward, which allowed me to attend Dewey School. When I was in 4th grade my younger siblings became the first class to attend Timber Ridge School, which required door-to-door bus service due to the racist threats my family received. Jim Crow segregation flourished in Evanston while I was a student in D65. Redlining and housing segregation influenced school boundaries and assignment. The Foster School I knew was attended by 99% Black students and was kept so, through frequent and creative redistricting. Despite the Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954, School District 65 did not voluntarily desegregate all of its schools until 1967. I was in 8th grade at Skiles Jr. High at the time. D65 then accomplished desegregation on the backs of black students by closing Foster School and busing them to schools all across Evanston. Foster re-opened as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Laboratory School in 1967, then closed in 1979 and moved to the Skiles building. The 5th Ward has been without a neighborhood school since that time. My daughter went to Washington School, but due to constant boundary line changes, I sent my son to Bessie Rhodes Magnet School. My granddaughter now attends Bessie Rhodes. That school is currently being dismantled as one of the components to building the ‘new’ Foster School.

What is the role of a school board member?

This is something I seriously studied before making a decision to become a D65 School Board candidate because I didn’t feel this was being demonstrated by many of the current Board members. There is specific guidance from the Illinois Association of School Boards regarding this. The primary roles of a school board member are to serve in trust for the community and participate responsibly. Members should come to meetings informed on the topics for deliberation and be willing to listen to multiple perspectives. Members should listen as much as the speak. Sometimes the work is to listen, agree and disagree as a member’s values dictate, and accept that the group decision is legitimate even if it’s not your personal choice. A school board member's role is to be responsible for group behavior and productivity. If a member has special expertise, they should use it to educate their peers. Members should stay centered on what happens in the classroom. Finally, a school board member should stay focused on the district’s values, mission, vision, and goals. In summary, ask the right questions, find the right solutions and focus on the right issues.

What informs your decision-making process?

My decision-making process is informed by my identity as a Black woman, my equity training, my experience as a physical therapist and D65 educator and my concern for the good of my community. I do extensive research to inform myself about the issue: being intentional about what resources I’m using for information while asking the right questions. I make sure I’m using accurate information and ask who benefits/who doesn’t from what is presented. I make sure multiple perspectives are being represented. I view my information through an equity lens: who contributes to the decisions being/not being made. I seriously consider the costs: people, time and dollars. Evaluating the outcome goals related to the decision is the final component.

How should the board and district administrators be held accountable for priorities facing the district?

The Superintendent, School Board, and administrators should be held accountable in the same way teachers are, with an annual evaluation using a research-based, detailed rubric. This means having established, specific performance goals for the Superintendent, Board and Administrators. The performance goals should have a reporting timeline to determine progress. If insufficient progress is not being made, an action plan should be required to correct that. If the action plan is not successful, this should affect continued employment.

A current board member recently stated during a meeting that the current superintendent was to be commended for not “sweeping the current financial challenges under the rug, which she could have done, but facing them head on". What is your view of the oversight role that the board has regarding the district leadership team?

I am deeply troubled by that comment and question the board member’s expectations regarding ethical behavior and accountability from a Superintendent. The Superintendent should have been fully transparent about the financial condition of D65. I think this attitude contributed to the Board not being aware of the financial challenges of D65 from previous administrators. I don’t think the current board has fulfilled their responsibility of oversight regarding the District leadership team. They have allowed the administrative organizational chart to explode in the number of positions and salary levels. They approved the current Superintendent’s contract without the specific performance benchmarks. They have not demonstrated the ability to ask the right questions, find the right solutions or focus on the right issues.

What is your position on the potential merger of D65 and D202?

I have attended a majority of the D65 Committee of the Whole and Regular Board meetings this school year. A potential merger has not been discussed nor a resolution to initiate a study for consolidation been made by either School Board. To merge the two districts, D65 salaries would have to rise to D202 levels costing about 20 million dollars which would not be covered by administrative cost savings. I don’t think a merger of D65 and D202 is a realistic expectation and should not be a priority right now. I think the financial status of D65 needs full attention.

Do you believe that Northwestern University should play a role in addressing the academic achievement gap in D65? If not, why not? If so, how so?

Northwestern University currently plays a role in addressing the education gap for students of color in D65 through the Northwestern-District 65 Partnership Office, established in 2016. A central focus of NU’s strategic plan is strengthening engagement with local communities through partnerships that promote bidirectional learning and broader community impact. This focus includes an emphasis on K-12 education and the educators, administrators, caregivers, ect. Programs include The Northwestern-Evanston Education Research Alliance - NEERA, Project Excite and EvanSTEM. This partnership could be expanded to a scale similar to that which ETHS receives. Northwestern has 38 substantial partnerships with Evanston Township High School.

What is your position on the residency requirement for D65 senior cabinet leaders? Beyond a residency requirement, what is your expectation for senior cabinet leaders to demonstrate Evanston community involvement?

The D65 superintendent should be required to have the same residency requirement as that of the D65 Board Members. The salaries offered to recent and current superintendents make this easily feasible. School Board members are assigned to be liaisons to specific D65 schools and should actively fulfill that role. The Evanston community has multiple opportunities for further engagement by the senior cabinet members, many which can be found on the City of Evanston Community Resources website.

What is your position on the Foster School construction project?

I was not in favor of moving forward with construction of the school based on several factors. The plan changed dramatically from a K-8 to K-5 building due to faulty cost estimates. Signs of gentrification have increased in the 5th ward which will influence the diversity of the student body. Building the new Foster School is contingent on the closing of Bessie Rhodes School, the only full-grade, TWI school in D65. The Superintendent and School Board were advised by the Luminate consultant they hired to pause the construction. They did not follow this advice. I am concerned that the student body the school is intended to serve will not receive the benefits.

There are currently no graduation requirements or minimum attendance requirements in D65. What is your position on graduation requirements?

I think D65 should have specific graduation requirements to define the D65 graduate profile that was developed during the 2021-2022 school year. A total of six competencies were identified to make up the D65 Portrait of a Graduate. The D65 website notes “more information will be coming soon”. It’s time for that to happen. Collaboration is needed with ETHS to determine these requirements and answer the question, “What are the academic expectations of an entering 9th grader in the core subjects?”.

What is the District’s responsibility to provide and implement research-based effective early intervention to our most vulnerable learners? (reading, math, writing, language)

District 65 currently provides an Early Head Start Program, Preschool for All and Head Start at the JEH Building. During my employment in D65, I spent the majority of my time working in the Pre-K and Head Start classrooms, so I know them well. These programs provide an age-appropriate curriculum and learning experiences in reading, writing, language and math. Incoming students requiring specialized learning services also attend these programs and benefit significantly from this early intervention. The majority of the classes are half-day, morning or afternoon. There is a demonstrated need for more full-day classes. I also completed special training, through the State of IL Department of Human Services, to receive an Early Intervention Specialist Certification in Physical Therapy. This allowed me to provide services to the students in the Early Head Start Programs, aged 0-3 years old. Both of these programs excel at family engagement and lay a strong foundation for a positive academic experience for all students, especially those of color. The model of family engagement in the D65 early intervention programs could benefit students throughout the district.

How can we ensure that families, teachers, and students have a voice in selecting culturally relevant curriculum?

We can ensure this by following the current D65 Strategic Plan. Strategic Goal 3 states: Curriculum Access to high-quality and culturally relevant curriculum materials that is/are challenging, relevant and academically rigorous to support student success. This goal can be implemented by making sure there is parent involvement in the activities of the D65 curriculum department. When curriculum changes are being considered, teachers and parents need a voice at the table to talk about the relevance of the content, their concerns with implementing the change, and to be informed on how the change will be evaluated.

What is your position on the current balance in D65 between SEL and the district's expectations for student academic achievement?

I understand the importance of and value the expectation that students will learn social-emotional skills along with academic skills. The students’ school and classrooms are communities where they have the chance to observe, learn, and practice social-emotional skills. The student report cards measure many of these skills in the learning habits. The D65 graduate profile includes goals of being: a global citizen, an inclusive collaborator and a socially aware leader. SEL directly supports this. I believe it’s not an ‘either/or’ but a ‘both/and’ expectation. SEL is the process through which students acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. Academic achievement cannot occur without strong social-emotional skills.