Academics
About 31% of Chicago Public Schools elementary students are meeting state standards in reading, and 19% are meeting math standards. How would you approach growing reading and math achievement?*
First, I need data. From schools, I need to understand what curriculum or curricular materials they are using, number of years in use, professional development teachers completed and local school decisions on reading and math policies. Next, I believe we, as a board, need to review the instructional supports CPS provides schools and determine gaps. This will also need to include a review of professional development contracts or partnerships CPS has with vendors, schools of education or other education-backed entities. Data analysts will provide us with the overarching picture that the question describes above, but when school-specific and CPS-specific details are included (data collected from my review and community-based data), a story will unfold that will inform our next steps. Implementing a culturally responsive curriculum with fidelity, ensuring a focus on practice, data review, professional development and family engagement.
Do you support standardized testing more than once a year?
Yes. I support the use of standardized testing for three reasons and with reservations. First, standardized tests students in CPS take are aligned to the Common Core state standards, thus if taken at least twice a year can provide a snapshot in a student’s progress within an academic year. Second, standardized tests can be used to highlight skill gaps. By this I mean, a teacher makes a decision grounded in multiple data pieces to support or remediate skill gaps. Third, aggregate standardized testing information can be used to investigate school-wide achievement gaps.
Do you support requiring all schools to select from a certain curriculum authorized by the board of education?
Yes. I believe no one curriculum can meet the needs of all our CPS schools. To be more effective, the board of education working with education experts at CPS and local and national education experts can devise a rubric to assess high-quality, culturally responsive and standards-based curriculum in all subject areas. This rubric, once vetted and approved by a team of education experts, would be the standard by which curriculum and/or curricular materials would be reviewed by individual schools. I reiterate that I firmly believe in local control by schools, teachers, families and communities to support their students.
Chicago Public Schools has consistently fallen short when it comes to serving students with disabilities. What would you do to improve special education?
CPS should have a universal MTSS program for student identification so data flows consistently and in real time across the board to all educators and school leaders. New teachers should be provided with a mentor (experienced teacher with a history of classroom success). General education teachers should be proactive in identifying students that show a need for growth at all age levels, but especially in the primary grades. Parents should be provided outside resource materials from clinicians so they can seek support outside of the classroom to ensure consistency and support. Classroom sizes for low-incidence programs are very large for only having one programmatic aide. Classroom size should be smaller, or the programs should receive more than one SECA. Each grade level (or grade band) should receive a special education teacher dedicated to that grade or grade band.
CPS finances
In recent years, Chicago’s Board of Education has consistently raised the property tax levy to the maximum allowed by state law every year. Should the board continue to raise the levy to the maximum?
No. The board can’t automatically fall back on increasing the tax levy to the max each year. Like any organization we need to take a hard look annually at how the money is being spent before resorting to other funding. My No. 1 goal is a budget that improves student achievement. Efficiencies can be found each year in budget allocations that should not impact students. I believe we can bring in financial experts as well to inform the board on ways to ensure we have the best use of the funds we have and prepare the budget.
Do you think CPS needs more funding, or do you think the school district’s budget is bloated? How would you balance the CPS budget?*
I am not in the position yet to definitively answer if the school district’s budget is bloated. However, I ensure that when I’m elected our budget will be tightly aligned to our district’s educational plan with the ultimate goal of improving our students’s achievements and accomplishments. We have a responsibility to the community, children and taxpayers that the money we receive is not wasted. During my career in CPS I have had experience with budgets and will continue to lean on experts. In the current environment with federal funds running out, we need creative solutions.
School choice
Do you support the current board of education’s decision to prioritize neighborhood schools and shift away from the current system of school choice with selective enrollment, magnet and charter schools?
No. Neighborhood, selective enrollment, magnet and charter schools serve all the children in Chicago. Children are individuals with unique talents, abilities and needs … they deserve to have a school or schools that will build their capacities, not restrict them! So no, I do not support prioritizing one type of school over another.
Given the board of education’s decision to prioritize neighborhood schools, how would you balance supporting those schools without undermining the city’s selective enrollment schools and other specialized programs?*
Neighborhood, selective enrollment, magnet and charter schools serve all the children in Chicago. I agree a balanced approach is necessary to support the individual unique talents, abilities and needs of all CPS students. I do believe there are invaluable benefits to supporting all types of schools and they outweigh any unintended consequence. Our students deserve to have a school or schools that will build their capacities, their curiosities, their knowledge at any given point in their pre-K-12 career … not to restrict them! To reiterate, I do not support prioritizing one type of school over another.
The first charter school opened in Chicago in 1997 and these privately run, publicly funded schools grew in number throughout the 2000s. Today, 54,000 Chicago Public Schools students, or about 17%, attend charters and contract schools. Do you support having charter schools in CPS as an option for students?
Yes. I support having charter schools as an option for students in Chicago. There are a myriad of reasons families and/or students select charter schools as their option. I, however, may have reservations with some charter rules of operations or in their curriculum. I also question the funding structure of buildings owned by charter organizations and/or tax implications for CPS or residents of Chicago. I would like to learn more and continue the open dialogue between charters and CPS.
Independence
If elected, how will you maintain your independence from the mayor’s office, the Chicago Teachers Union or other powerful forces shaping the school system?*
I am not affiliated with Mayor Johnson, the Chicago Teachers Union or any local or state elected officials. I firmly believe no good idea can come from a single source and requires a triangulated view. If elected, families, students, taxpayers will find that my views, answers or ideas will come from a combination of research, whether academic and experiential. I will lean on experts from various fields of study, families, educators, students and community leaders. I will cite my sources so that the public understands how my stances were formulated. With a focus on triangulation and seeking equitable answers, I believe it will force my independence.
Police in schools
Do you support having sworn Chicago Police Department officers stationed in schools?
Yes. I support having sworn Chicago police officers stationed at schools, if school leadership along with the local school council determine they are needed or wanted. If including police officers is what it takes to provide a safe learning environment for students, teachers and families then it’s a means to increasing equity in education. I firmly believe in local control and trust schools and communities to know what is best for their students and have immense faith in the Chicago Police Department and their support of our schools and students.
Busing and facilities
Last year, in an effort to prioritize transportation for students with disabilities as required by state and federal law, CPS canceled busing for general education students who attend selective enrollment and magnet schools and hasn’t found a solution to reinstate that service. Do you support busing for general education students?
Yes. This question is about busing for general education to attend selective enrollment and magnet schools, but I support busing for all CPS students, period. School choice should be left up to families and students and that decision should not hinge on access (whether due to cost, availability or accessibility) to transportation.
About one-third of Chicago public school buildings have space for at least double the students they’re currently enrolling. Chicago officials have previously viewed under-enrolled schools as an inefficient use of limited resources — and a decade ago the city closed a record 50 schools. Do you support closing schools for low enrollment?
No. My first concern is safety. Asking students and families to enter a neighborhood or city area that is unsafe (whether due to crime or gang affiliations) is not acceptable. Second, schools are safe places; they provide shelter, food and health resources children may need. Third, schools have free libraries and technology resources that may be in closer proximity to students and families than their local library branch. Fourth, underenrolled schools should be considered by CPS as a shared facility for CPS parent university sites, early learning centers, community college off-campus classrooms and community centers.
Bilingual education
CPS has long struggled to comply with state and federal laws requiring bilingual programs at schools that enroll 20 or more students who speak a different language. The recent influx of migrant families has exacerbated the problem. What policies do you support to ensure the district is supporting bilingual students and in compliance with state and federal laws?
State and federal laws exist because of a need and a fundamental right to protection. We have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure we are meeting the legal requirements for students; that’s more than just a legal responsibility. I understand the challenges and have witnessed the courage and compassion CPS schools and teachers have extended as they have welcomed migrant children and families into their classrooms. There will always be problems and challenges in education, but let’s have faith that the systems and laws in place are starting points for providing the fundamentals and check our biases. There is no reason for CPS to struggle with compliance, we need more creative problem solvers, open dialogue with multiple stakeholders and remain focused on our number one priority … children.
Top local issue
Please share one issue that’s a top concern for your community or your larger elected school board voting district.
I believe equity is a top concern for my community and here is why: Schools in District 4 have a crumbling infrastructure; buildings and school facilities are in need of major repairs. We need to improve outcomes for girls in math and science education. Homelessness or transiency in our student and family community needs more support. Supporting our diverse learner students and family access to receive the services they are entitled to while encouraging inclusion and co-teaching models; school leaders need more than just funding; they need professional development and training opportunities for their teachers. Student safety is also paramount, ensuring safe passages and safety in the home, community and in the virtual world. Taking safety in the virtual world one step further, we need support in student mental health. Taken as a whole, these ideas will translate into better learning outcomes for all students in District 4.