With over a decade’s experience working as a school psychologist, District 97 elementary school board candidate Becky Perez said she has an uncommon understanding of how a school system’s policies can impact young learners.
Perez, who currently works as a psychologist at Oak Park and River Forest High School, is running for one of the open seats on the D97 board of education. A former district employee and a parent to a second grader and fourth grader at Washington Irving Elementary School, she said her professional experience, local connections and professional experience would be a major asset to the district.
“I feel I’m very qualified based on my different experiences in the school district, where I don’t feel I will be pulled by one party or the other,” she said. “I have a unique perspective.”
She holds a doctorate in school psychology and a master’s degree in educational psychology from Indiana University.
Perez said that electing an experienced school psychologist to the board would mean having someone professionally trained in evaluating how school programs help students learn and perform, helping set priorities for the district.
“I have the experience to deliver services but also to evaluate them, and I have that critical lens from the research standpoint,” she said. “I’m not afraid to ask the tough questions but I also have my bedside manner. I have been trained as a mental health professional and I have been in a lot of contentious conversations and I strongly feel that I have the ability to lead conversations that are equitable for all so everybody can feel heard while keeping in mind our priorities.”
Perez said her professional experience has earned her a deep understanding of early childhood literacy; an area she considers a key priority for the D97 board.
“I understand the principles of learning, from math to reading, to writing,” Perez said. “Oftentimes I am the person that’s helping solve how we are going to help our students achieve on an individual level and close gaps through special education. But I still understand the big systems that drive decision making when it comes to resources.”
Perez, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, sees helping build a school district that’s capable of meeting the needs of a diverse set of students as one of her top goals.
“I am a first-generation student with a doctorate, so I can honestly say that I strongly believe in public education,” she said. “I feel like my training allows me to be a really conscious problem solver in which I put students first. I know what equity looks like in a variety of settings.”
Perez said that President Donald Trump’s rhetoric against diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and funding for public education galvanized her to run for the school board, with the hope that she could be part of the local effort to shield D97 from the new administration’s influence.
“I think I bring a lot of energy to revitalizing conversations that are being silenced nationally,” she said. “A lot of my research and my training was on English learners and immigrant populations and culturally responsive practices in both special education and school discipline.”
Perez is a proud Oak Parker and has been happy to see her children grow up in D97. More than anything, her candidacy is rooted in a belief in her community’s values.
“I believe in local government, I believe that community members have something to say and that there’s a lot of pride that comes with being an Oak Parker,” she said. “I’m hoping the community can see me as someone they can really trust.”