Below are candidate-submitted answers to a survey Wednesday Journal sent out to all candidates running in this year’s elections.

Age: 42

Profession:

  • Development Coordinator, Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry
  •  Extended Leave Tutor, York Community High School

Years lived in Oak Park: 10

Spouse, if applicable: Todd Kahn

Do you have children in D97 schools? How many and what ages?

  • Alex is 8
  • Joey is 7.
  • Both children attend elementary school in District 97.

 

Have you ever run for or served in a local political office before? If so, when and which office?

No, I have not.

 

If you are not currently on the school board, how many school board meetings have you attended in the last year? 3

 

Why are you running for this office?

As a parent, I am deeply committed to the quality of the educational experience delivered by District 97. I seek to positively influence the strategic direction of our schools by working collaboratively with other board members and applying my experience in education, community service and human resources.  

 

What do you think are the three biggest challenges facing the district in the next four years?

One important area of opportunity is the development of a more integrated curriculum across grade levels and schools within D97.  The Common Core Standards have created consistency around requirements at a macro level. Increasing school and district wide collaboration on curriculum will further enable students to fulfill their academic potential.   A second challenge is to sustain and expand efforts to enrich the D97 middle schools.  The International Baccalaureate Program enhances student learning by focusing on problem solving, student discourse and teamwork; further improvement can be realized by investigating and addressing the root causes of cultural issues that can impede student engagement and success.  As a board member, I would support continued focus on academic improvement and intensified efforts on addressing cultural issues; the goal being that all D97 middle school students feel supported, challenged and confident in their transition to high school.  Finally, in all efforts to create world-class schools, classroom teachers are the key players and we need to enable them to focus on what matters most to student success.

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What skills/talents do you have that would enable you to deal with those challenges?

 I currently serve as Development Coordinator at Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry where I have strengthened the return on fundraising efforts and donor relationship management through segmentation analysis and targeted communication development.  In this role, I have also had the opportunity to work with local school fundraising efforts and impart lessons of getting involved and giving back. As an extended leave tutor at York Community High School, I work one-on-one with students who are unable to attend regular classes.  I work collaboratively with parents, teachers and students to reach the best possible outcomes for students.   Prior to working in not-for-profit and education, I spent fifteen years in human resources and market research in the corporate sector at Synovate, Whirlpool Corporation and GMAC.  I have business expertise in hiring practices, performance management and incentives.  I completed a Master’s degree in Education at Dominican University in 2014 and a Master’s degree in Human Resources and Labor Relations in 1996.  I am an active volunteer at my children’s school, serving my second year as a parent representative on the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) team.

 

 If elected, what are three goals that you have for the next four years?

  1. Implement a more integrated curriculum within our district  
  2. Continue academic progress and intensify cultural improvement within our middle schools
  3. Implement targeted support measures to enhance classroom teacher success    

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