• Evanston Community Foundation, Leadership Evanston Class XXI
• City of Evanston, Race Relations Planning Committee/Human Relations Commission
• Evanston Coalition for Latino Resources, Board of Directors
• McGaw YMCA, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Chair
• McGaw YMCA, Board of Directors

I have a Masters degree in special education and a Doctor of Education (area of specialization: Disability and Equity in Education) soon to be conferred. I have extensively studied the history of education, methods for assessment, research methodologies, and educational policies along with a minor focus of curriculum instruction and social inquiry. I believe my professional educational experiences coupled with my record for community service are criteria for a highly qualified candidate to serve the 202 Board of Education.

(CSNA Note: Elana provided a list of supporters which is also available on her campaign website:
http://elenaforeths.com/Supporters.html)

I am running for a seat on the 202 Board of Education because the future of ETHS and the Evanston community requires leaders who are visionary advocates for the promotion of positive academic youth development. I have served our community in that capacity for twenty years. I am a highly qualified candidate with extensive knowledge of educational policy and instructional best practices. I will bring diverse perspectives to the 202 decision making table which are critical factors for ensuring the democratic process is viable within the ETHS community. Voters who believe accessible and equitable educational opportunities should be afforded to all students to best prepare them for either their choice of continuing on to college or entering the workforce should vote for Elena Garcia Ansani as I will always work with others to ensure paths for success are available for all students.

I believe John Dewey’s philosophy of education provides a framework for purposeful learning in a dynamic changing world. His views on pragmatism (a practical approach for guiding action) describe the three functions of schools: 1) to prepare the child for active life in the community and world, 2) to remove features from the learning environment that had negative effects on mental processes, and 3) to provide a balanced environment for students through common subject matter. I see the program changes being implemented at ETHS as a means for providing learning opportunities that will strengthen academic development through its rigorous course offerings as exemplifying this. I am concerned about those students who are not adequately prepared to leave ETHS to either enter college or the work force with the appropriate skills they need to be successful. If elected, I would work with others to ensure viable paths for success are made available for all.

 

As a new member on the school board, I will be required to study the current evaluation criteria used by the school board to assess the performance of the superintendent annually and with respect to the superintendent’s contract. I will reference other pertinent documents such as the board’s mission, policies and district plans to assist me in evaluating the efficacy of the superintendent’s management abilities. I will regularly monitor how organizational compliance was being met by the policies set forth by the board. I would study the ETHS financial budget reports to examine how specific aspects of the organization were being maintained as they related to staff development and the evaluation or the upkeep of buildings and grounds. I will also refer to the evaluation process published by the Illinois Association of School Boards to ensure my determinations were aligned with the board’s obligation to monitor school district performance for the protection of the school district, the community and the board itself in the most collaborative and effective manner.

It does appear as if these numbers are not aligned with 202’s district median household income. However, Evanston is a unique and diverse community that has always invested in its future through educational excellence. I believe the expenditure level is appropriate with respect to the costs associated with delivering an exceptional educational experience to students at ETHS. ETHS ranks in the top 20 (#17) per US News in the state of Illinois; a strong indicator of the excellence in education factors (faculty, technological resources, professional development) influencing the success of the school for its students. I believe the current expenditure level is appropriate for maintaining the standard level of educational excellence that has been associated with the history of ETHS. To sustain this level of excellence certainly requires the continued support of external funding initiatives such as the ETHS Educational Foundation and the identification and participation of new funding.

I believe accessible and equitable educational opportunities are essential factors required to promote academic and positive youth development for all students. The current earned honors credit restructured programs (i.e., freshman English and History Humanities, and freshman Biology) are an instructional model designed for increasing advanced educational opportunities for traditionally under-performing student groups and provide new avenues for more students to take honors level courses, and ultimately Advanced Placement courses. ETHS has aligned the curriculum to AP expectations, ACT college-readiness standards, and the Common Care State Standard and I perceive this to be an extraordinary example of pragmatism at work as it is certainly intentional in its efforts to address educational disparities through rigorous learning experiences. It is also an appropriate response to address the school’s failure to meet Adequate Yearly Progress in accordance with the accountability directives outlined by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

District 202 must begin to prepare itself for the eventual cost shift of teacher pension costs. Due to the current status of the State’s finances, state policy is leaning towards a portion of pension liability being shifted to the District. We should encourage all our citizens to contact their State representatives to inform them that a cost shift in the low percentage range or a cost sharing between the District and the State will be manageable at current service levels. Constituents should be encouraged to relate that any pension costs in excess of 1-2% of teacher salaries will result in draconian cuts to staff and services. The District should not be burdened with a liability it did not create. However, it is imperative the District begin now to identify revenues and cost savings that will offset the increased costs caused by a pension shift.

• Co-taught Lincoln School Math Olympiad

• Evanston 150 The More You Know member

• PTA member, Lincoln, Dewey & Nichols schools

• AYSO soccer coach

• Team Evanston Team Parent

I am a graduate of Timber Ridge Elementary School, Chute Middle School and Evanston Township High School. ETHS was transformative for me. As the son of immigrant parents who valued education and moved to Skokie-Evanston so their children could go to ETHS, I benefitted immensely from all ETHS had to offer, and found my way to a successful life with the guidance and support of my excellent teachers. I am committed to ensuring that all Evanston children have the same opportunity for inspiration, challenge and enrichment.

After graduation from ETHS I attended Carnegie Mellon University where I obtained a BS in Electrical Engineering. I then obtained a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from IIT, and an MBA from the University of Chicago. For the last 20 years I have managed organizations in the technology, healthcare and education fields. I have been responsible for strategic planning and achievement of measurable results, including restructuring and realignment. I have seen the benefits of a transparent process, including goal setting, data evaluation and results-oriented focus.  

Because of my technology background, I am a firm believer in the importance of technological resources for ETHS. Not just for STEM (science, technology, education and math), but for its creative use in the humanities (English, history and sociology), communication (creation of pictorial, journalistic, video and audio content for digital dissemination), and the arts (theater, music and visual.

My supporters are Evanstonians who are focused on the importance of ETHS and excellence in education to this community and all of its students.  They including fellow alumni,  people I have metthrough my attendance at District 65 and 202 board meetings, fellow parents and teachers involved with the PTAs at Lincoln, Dewey and Nichols schools and community members I worked with through the  Evanston 150 The More You Know group;

(CSNA Note: Andy provided a list of supporters which is also available on his campaign website:
http://www.andybezaitis202.com/supporters/ )

I am a candidate for the District 202 Board because I believe ETHS is the most critical institution in Evanston. The quality of the ETHS educational and extracurricular experience matters immensely for our children and our community. ETHS changed my life, and I am committed to ensuring that all Evanston children have the same opportunities I did by finding teachers, counselors, coaches and mentors who will guide them to a successful future. In addition, my career in the technology industry provides me with a unique perspective and voice for the Board. To District 202 I bring: 1) passion for ETHS, my alma mater; 2) management experience (strategic planning, budget development and oversight, goal-setting and analysis of results); and 3) a deep understanding of the impact that technology can have on our children’s education and will have on their future.

We must demand that our children are engaged as individuals and not as groups. Each student walks into ETHS with his or her own set of strengths, weaknesses, interests, motivations, character, home and personal life, ambitions and awareness. Thus, academic and extracurricular guidance, programs, and rigor must be personalized for each child, so that each leaves ETHS prepared for the challenges they will face – in college, the workforce, and in the communities in which they will live. Because each child is unique, I do not believe in academic silver bullets. Academic fundamentals are important, as are electives. We need an educational system that tailors to individuals. On the District 202 Board I will work to ensure that our children have options so that they, with their parents, teachers, counselors and mentors, can craft the academic experience that fits their needs, interests and capabilities. The Career and Technical Education is a fantastic example of choice. I support choice in all facets and insist that appropriate levels of rigor be part of that choice. All of these choice possibilities must be balanced with the regulatory environment and common core standards. While I believe standards often help provide a predictable framework for students,
teachers and administrators, it reduces the possibilities for teachers to explore unique interests and also makes it difficult for teachers to work with students on the edges of the classroom performance . This is particularly compounded by teacher evaluations that are only outcome and performance based. We must work to find the proper balance in these tradeoffs. The board must work with the administration to ensure the options and effectiveness are present and effectively executed through the goals/measures function of a school board.

 

I believe the Board should annually give the superintendant clear, itemized, measurable performance objectives that are tied directly to the goals set forth in the District’s 2012-2015 strategic plan. He should then be evaluated based on his performance of those objectives. I also would support a 360- degree process of review for the superintendent, including input from the District 202 Board, subordinate administrators, teachers and students. As we move toward increased collaboration with District 65, metrics to evaluate collaboration also should be part of the performance evaluation. This partnership is a critical effort in creating a seamless transition for every student.

I believe District 65 and 202 must work together and work with other community partners to give taxpayers a better return on their investment in our schools. ETHS alone cannot fix achievement gap for children in grades 9 – 12 regardless of the amount of money it spends per student. We, as a community, must consider the impact of early/preschool, elementary and middle school education on high school performance, and work together to provide necessary support so all our children can succeed. Given the challenges our children face and the reality of escalating pension and other benefit costs, I believe the current level of expenditure for District 65 and 202 will be necessary during my term. It is my hope that by working together the two districts will be able to achieve economies through collaborative administration and planning, so that additional funds can be repurposed to costs that directly affect our children’s educational experience – teachers, counselors, coaches, mentors and technology.

I believe in data and results. I also believe that change can be iterative – an organization must learn from its experience, replicating the successful components of an idea or program and modifying those that were not successful. As a Board Member I would apply these core beliefs to the tracking issue. Tracking is premised on the proposition that teachers are most effective with a narrow band of students - they can focus their time and attention within a narrow band so the students receive tailored instruction and curriculum. ETHS “de-tracked,” hoping to resolve issues caused by tracking: bias in placement, lack of uniformity in rigor, and a disproportionate impact on minority and low-income children. These are important issues for our children and our community, and I applaud the Board and administration for devising a plan to address them although I am not supportive of the selection process and resulting methodology to address these issues. However, before continuing or expanding the plan, it is time for the Board to measure its success or lack of sucess, and also to determine whether it caused any unintended consequences. Thus, I fully support the District 202 Board’s decision to hire a consultant to independently evaluate the ETHS “de-tracking” initiative. Before extending it the Board must know, based on test scores, grades AND an independent survey of teachers, parents and students: Did detracking successfully resolve the issues it was intended to address? Did it cause had any unintended, negative consequences? Depending on the answer to these questions the Board must determine whether to continue or modify the de-tracking initiative, or abandon it in favor of another solution.

I applaud the efforts of the Districts to engage our state representatives on this issue via the Joint Task Force. We need to continue and expand our communication and lobbying efforts, including providing clear information to Evanston families and taxpayers so they understand the status of State proposals. This is the # 1 financial risk for ETHS, Evanston, and the State and requires significant engagement to manage. The range of potential exposure is significant and can have a dramatic effect on the operating budget of our High School. Fundamentally, as a state, we have a major problem with outstanding liabilities and are in dire need of pension reform – but cost shifting of school district pensions is only one piece of the comprehensive reform that is necessary to get our state back on solid financial footing. The District should be an active and engaged participant in setting pension eligibility requirements which are currently handled by the state. How can ETHS be held accountable for paying for pensions when it is not also in the position to manage these eligibility and related commitments? The pension dilemma is very serious and not the fault of our community. We must be vigilant in limiting the financial obligations created by the failure of our state leadership in this area.

• Leadership Evanston
• Evanston Youth Initiative
• ETHS Distinguished Alumni Selection Committee
• Rotary Club of Evanston
• Advisory Boards: The Delta Foundation, Senior Connections

I majored in sociology with a minor in eduction as an undergraduate. Following graduation, I taught at Haven (Middle School,) worked at the Evanston YMCA as a youth director and Camp Echo director, and in institutional planning and fundraising over a 10-year period. I then spent 20 years in business. For the past nine years as CEO of the McGaw YMCA, I have been deeply committed to youth and building relationships and collaborations in the community. I continue to learn about our community seeking opportunities to help youth succeed and strengthening our community. In addition, my work with the YMCA Board of Directors has given me an understanding of effective Board governance and insights into the role of a Board / Board members.

The list of those supporting my campaign is available on my campaign website, currently includes more than 85 names, and continues to grow. New supporters are welcome! My principal bases of support include those who know of my community strengthening work at the McGaw YMCA, community leaders, elected officials, and many individuals who have worked for many years to make Evanston the great community it is today and ETHS a terrific experience.

I am running because of my deep commitment to the youth of our community and their families and the belief that ETHS is one of the most important institutions in our community. I bring both non-profit and business leadership experience as well as an understanding of the roles and responsibilites of a board member. I will challenge myself and others to work hard to understand the various perspectives on issues, to listen to and respect others' views to be best of my ability, to engage in constructive dialogue, to employ data-driven decision-making, and support the decisions of the Board. As a Board member, I will build the level of trust and effectiveness of the Board.

1) Keeping pace with change - Our world is changing at what some feel is a mind-bending rate. It is an enormous challenge for educational institutions to be responsive, remain relevant, and to keep pace. As a Board member, part of my job will be to keep current on educational research, innovation, and advancement and assess what this means for our future.

2) The non-college bound - Too many youth who do not enter post-secondary education or training have no pathway for success. As a Board member, I will support expanding career and technical education at ETHS and engaging community partners in this effort.

3) The achievement gap - The achievement gap persists. As a Board member, I will encourage Board, administration and staff, and the community to provide the leadership, strategies, and resources to work together to begin to close the gap.

4) Financing - Financial resources will be reduced. I will be a careful steward of public resources. In addition I will advocate for the evaluation of expenditures based on their impact on district goals and objectives and the development of contingency plans preparing ETHS for a more resource-constrained future.

A) Those existing agreed-upon performance objectives for the Superintendent.

B) Progress toward the achievement of District Goals 2012 - 2015 approved by the Board October, 2012.

C) Performance measures established to assure that district assets are protected.

The current expenditure level is necessary, but increasingly a burden on many taxpayers. While ETHS financial performance has demonstrated good stewardship and fiscal responsibility, the future will bring more challenges. Contingency plans are required to assure that strategic priorities are maintained and reductions planned-for assuming lower revenues.

I support the Board's decision to implement mixed-level earned honors Freshman Humanities and Biology. The research, planning, implementation and expected outcomes presented to the Board, in my view, were and continue to be compelling. There is an expectation of improved academic performance in students who otherwise would be in regular classes and continued high achievement of those who previously would be in honors classes. The evaluation process underway is critical to assessing the realized outcomes. The data and findings of this evaluation must inform future actions. In addition, there is a need for significantly improved communication about the results experienced during implementation. Some of the widely-varying views that exist in our community today are likely the result of incorrect, incomplete, or mis-understood early outcomes. Ccommunications strategies for engaging parents and others across our community in on-going dialogue about this important change is essential.

1) Contingency planning as discussed previously.

2) Advocating for / engagement with State Legislators in policy discussions in Springfield.

• Co-president, ETHS PTSA (2008-2009)
• Co-founder, Cherry Preschool
• Member. District 65 Differentiation and Enrichment Committee
• Kingsley Elementary School: co-chair of Chess Club for 3 years; co-chair of Teacher Appreciation Week, co-chair of Books and Breakfast program

As a former co-president of the ETHS PTSA, I have developed strong relationships with many people in Evanston.  My wide network of contacts helps to inform my votes on the ETHS Board of Education.  Before I was elected to the Board of Ed, I served on the School Improvement Team and chaired a committee that focused on personalized learning.  The new Freshman Advisory Study Hall is a culmination of my efforts in this area, but I also believe that we need to provide support for sophomores, juniors, and seniors, who undergo their own stress and anxiety, especially in the current economic climate. 

I am very proud to have the support of Evanston Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl (former member, ETHS Board of Education), Margaret Lurie (another former member of the ETHS Board of Education), Neal Jay Miller (another former ETHS school board members), Boris Furman (yet another former ETHS school board member), Mary Ann Wexler (a former member of the District 65 Board of Education), the Honorable Jeffrey Schoenberg, and the Honorable Melissa Wynne (3rd Ward Alderperson). I also am very proud to have the support of a number of ETHS parents, including those whose children already are graduates of ETHS and those whose students are currently enrolled at ETHS.

My work on the ETHS Board of Education is not finished.  My experience on the ETHS Board of Education for the past 4 years has given me a good perspective on issues at ETHS, including our finances and the components of our instructional program.  As the parent of 2 ETHS graduates, and a current ETHS sophomore, I have seen changes at ETHS since the Board of Education unanimously voted to increase equity at ETHS.  I have been a proponent of differentiated instruction since I served on the District 65 Differentiation and Enrichment Committee.  I know a lot about differentiated instruction from my service on this committee, and how it can be  successfully implemented.  Differentiated instruction was promised to the Board of Education as part of the freshman restructuring plan, but it has yet to be enacted in freshman humanities classes.  I see a great need to address differentiated instruction in mixed-level classes at ETHS so that high-achieving students can be more fully  challenged, and lower-achieving students can receive more of the support they need to succeed in mixed-level classes.  The initial results of the freshman restructuring experiment are discouraging.  54% of African-American students got grades of C or below during the second semester of freshman humanities last year, 45% of Hispanic students received grades of C or below, and more than 80% of white students got As or Bs.  I am very concerned by this data and believe we need to implement differentiated instruction so that more students can improve their performance in connection with the freshman restructuring.  I am very committed to data-driven decision-making, and what the data shows me determines how I vote on the ETHS Board of Education.

At ETHS, we long have had a glaring achievement gap that separates white students from students of color.  As a member of the Board of Education at ETHS, I have voted to increae equity at ETHS, but we cannot only focus on equity.  The freshman restructuring is intended to provide more students of color with access to excellence at ETHS.   I fully support the inclusion of more students of color in AP classes; studies have shown that exposure to AP classes helps students to do better in college.   But not all of our graduates are college-bound.  I see a great need for more intensive articulation with District 65 so that a greater number of students are better prepared for challenges they'll encounter at ETHS.  I also see a need for increasing the resources we invest in our Career and Technical Education so that students who opt for work instead of college will be better suited and able to find employment.  We need to focus on both college-readiness and career-readiness.  I share Mayor Tisdahl's concerns about this, and think we need to do all we can to ensure that ETHS students are fully prepared for gainful employment, not to the exclusion of our focus on college-readiness but in addition to it.   

 The ETHS Board of Education recently adopted new goals -- including increasing the results of our students from the EXPLORE test to the PLAN test to the ACT exam; increasing the performance of students on AP tests (increasing the percentage of students who get a 3 or higher on AP exams); and ensuring enhancement of ETHS's reputation so that ETHS can become better known for being the terrific school it is. These new goals will govern our evaluation of the superintendent in years to come. I think that Dr. Witherspoon has done a good job at ETHS and is firmly committed to District 202, particularly in the area of increasing equity at ETHS.  The Board of Ed's new goals will shape my evaluation of the results that Dr. Witherspoon and his administrative team achieves.  I am concerned that we not lose sight of our focus on the excellence for which ETHS has long been renowned, and I would like to see more students of color achieve better results, in terms of grades and performance on the ACT. I know that Dr. Witherspoon is greatly invested in improving the the excellence achieved by ETHS's students of color, but we must also protect the legacy of excellence for which ETHS is renowned. We cannot ignore the impact on our highest-achieving students and to what extent they are truly challenged in mixed-level classes.  I will take all of these issues into account in connection with my evaluation of the ETHS superintendent.  The Board of Education recently extended Dr. Witherspoon's contract, a decision I endorsed.  We must work to ensure increases in equity at ETHS and also work to ensure that our reputation for excellence remains intact, not only for students who already are high-achieving but for all ETHS students, whether in the context of academics or other areas they choose to pursue.  I will hold the ETHS responsible for ETHS's successes as well as area where we have yet to achieve positive results.  I am committed to increasing equity at ETHS but not at the cost of the excellence with which an ETHS education long has been associated.

This is a fair question, and the answers are not easy.  At present, a good percentage of ETHS's Insructional Budget goes to boost the performance of lower-achieving students at ETHS.  We have A.M. support programs, after-school homework clinics, AVID, STAE, and Project Excel, all of which strive to improve the performance of low-achieving students. The ETHS Board of Education has a made a strong commitment to increasing equity at ETHS.  There may be some room for savings in our instructional budget in our spending per student, but this would mean reducing ETHS's instructional budget.  I believe that we need to do a thorough review of support programs at ETHS and determine to what  extent they are helping students to improve their performance.   I am commited to data-driven decision-making, and believe we need to do a better job of reviewing what is working and what is not.  

      

I am an ardent proponent of differentiated instruction so that high-achieving students can be appropriately, and so that lower-achieving students can obtain the support they need to succeed at ETHS.  Classes that mix students who read at the 40th percentile and students who read in the 90th percentile are a challenge for ETHS's teachers.  We must ensure that differentiated instruction is implemented in freshman humanities classes and in other mixed-level classes at ETHS.  DI was promised to the Board of Education as part of the freshman restructuring plan, but, to date, it has not been utilized, except to the extent that teachers use scaffolding to judge student strengths.

 

Part of the answer to this question involves diversifying the ways that students present what they have learned.  Students at ETHS  have varied learning styles, readiness levels, interests, and strengths.  Without differentiated instruction, too many classes at ETHS are taught to the middle.  This does a disservice to high-achieving students and prevents many lower-achieving students from being able to succeed in mixed-level classes.  With respect to the issue of honors-only classes, I initially considered voting against the freshman restructuring, but recalled that I had spent my first two years in mixed-level classes at ETHS.  I am very disappointed at the results produced so far by the freshman restructuring.  We need to make these classes work for all students in them, and data provided to the Board of Education in December shows that we are a long way from that.   According to data that the Board received in December, 54% of African-American student are getting grades of C or below in freshman humanities, and 45% of Hispanic student are getting grades of C or below. Differentiated instruction may be part of the answer, but we also may need  to consider other approaches.

 

One approach I would like to see explored is enabling students to present what they have learned in multiple ways.   With respect to tracking, I am concerned that because of the lack of differentiated instruction, high-achieving students are not always challenged to do their best.  Indeed, a student who participated last year in a mixed-level freshman humanities class recently told the ETHS Board of Ed that these classes are not as rigorous as they might seem to be.  If ETHS wants to retain its record of historically high achievement, we must make sure that our highest-achieving students are challenged to do their best, and that lower-achieving students receive the support they need in order to succeed. Part of the problem may involve the heavy emphasis on writing in the restructured freshman humanities classes because all of the earned honors assessments involve writing assignments.  The wait for differentiated instruction is not over.  Differentiated instruction is a work in progress at ETHS.  There currently are 3 professional development strands devoted to differentiated instruction at ETHS, but we have not yet seen it enacted in  classrooms.  As a participant in mixed-level classes during my first 2 years at ETHS, I recall studying Karl Marx, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Claude Levi-Strauss at the start of my sophomore year. Are ETHS students now prepared for those types of challenging assignments.  That remains an open question, which other board candidates may regard differently.  Unless we differentiated instruction in freshman humanities and other mixed-level classes, our highest achieving students may find their learning compromised, and our lower-achieving students may not develop the reading and writing skills they need to succeed in mixed- level classes.

ETHS has nationally-recognized financial management, and the ETHS Foundation is helping to fund capital improvements at ETHS that otherwise would not be possible.  The bulk of our spending per student goes to our Instructional Budget.  I think it is unfair that pensions costs are paid for the City of Chicago's public schools but not for suburban and downstate school districts.   I recently voted in favor of a joint D65/D202 resolution to oppose shifting pension costs to school districts.  If pension financing is shifted to school districts, the consequences for Illinois' educational system could be very serious.  Many school districts already are engaged in deficit funding.  Should pension-shifting to school districts occur, I believe that our schools will pay the consequences, and the quality of education in Illinois will suffer.  I believe that there has to be some way to create a system that does not discriminate against suburban and downstate districts.  Our publicly elected officials must develop an approach that will not sacrifice the interests of suburban and downstate school districts by shifting pension costs to them.  The state of Illinois has the worst pension situation in the country, but shifting pension costs to suburban and downstate school districts would, I believe, crater ETHS and other neighboring schools by saddling them with a debt that they cannot afford.  As a tax-capped district, ETHS cannot raise our taxes beyond whatever the consumer price index is.  I think our legislators need to figure out a way to ensure fairness to suburban and downstate districts, and not decimate their educational systems, which I fear will happen if pension costs are shifted to school districts.  Illinois currently allocates less to public education than any other state in the nation.  If pension costs are shifted to school districts, Illinois schools, including ETHS, will pay for it -- and pay big.  For the sake of maintaining the education system in Illinois, we simply can't afford to have pension costs shifted to suburban/downstate districts.  Of course, the Illinois legislature diverted pension funds to pay for other projects.  This fiscal mismanagement is flat out wrong, but suburban and downstate districts should not be forced to pay the price for the past malfeasance of our legislators.     

• Member - District 65 Ad Hoc Citizen's Budget Committee

• Founding member & volunteer: St. Vincent de Paul Society chapter, St. Joan of Arc (provides direct assistance to > 150 needy families/year)

• Peace Corps volunteer, Central African Republic - English as a Foreign Language & Biology high school teacher

I studied biology and journalism at the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. My Peace Corps training stressed skills, adaptability and cultural sensitivity, and intensive study of French and Sango. I attended Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, graduating with honors in 1989. I worked as a reporter for 15 years, including at the Chicago Tribune and Dallas Morning News. I studied Spanish in Mexico at the Instituto Cultural de Oaxaca.

My broad and diverse group of supporters tend to support evidence-based decision making based on a careful setting of goals and measurable strategies and tactics to pursue those goals. Our supporters include current and former Evanston school board members including Eileen Budde, Bob Eder, Margaret Lurie, Hecky Powell and Mary Anne Wexler; Evanston City Council members Mark Tendam and Ann Rainey; and Northwestern University professors including Seth Lichter, Therese McGuire, Lois Trautvetter. For a full list, please see holtfor202.com!

As a board member, I will put the interests of students first, and strive to consider potential risks as well as rewards for policy decisions. I'm a strong believer in transparency, and would seek to keep parents and taxpayers well apprised of issues. I will be guided by three goals: Excellence, Equity and Efficiency:
* Excellence: Our highly ranked high school is a key reason many families, including ours, choose to live in this diverse and vibrant community. Whatever we do, we must maintain high standards and excellence for all students at ETHS.
* Equity: I strongly support efforts to provide all students with resources, support and opportunities to ensure that they achieve their full potential. I support peer-reviewed, research-supported, pragmatic approaches that help students succeed.
* Efficiency: As a taxpayer and parent of three, I will seek to find ways the district can operate more efficiently.

My overriding educational philosophy is that all decisions should be made in student-centric manner to serve, first and foremost, the best interest of students, followed by those who work directly with students (teachers and parents). We need to work harder to break down silos and create a unified strategy that serves students from pre-K to 12th grade. We need to benchmark our performance against state, national and international standards. We need to focus on goals, and avoid becoming emotionally attached to “bright shiny objects”  - ie, particular tactics to achieve goals. We need to instill  a culture of constant improvement based on what works.

The current board has done good work in setting out 2012-2015 goals for District 202. It's a critically important function of the board to hold the Superintendent accountable for making progress on those goals, and agreeing on how progress will be measured.

At a time of budgetary challenges on the local, state and federal level, ETHS needs to be smarter than ever in how its resources are used. I'm concerned with the high level of taxes in Evanston, particularly since home values have declined significantly since 2008 while tax rates have continued to rise. I support zero-based budgeting: starting each budget at $0 and justifying every expense. I support seeking new ways to generate revenue other than property taxes. As a member of the District 65 Ad Hoc Budget Committee, I was proud to begin a dialogue to examine the potential benefits of a “virtual consolidation” between Districts 65 and 202. This could allow savings on functions such as IT and purchasing, while also providing more continuity for students as they move from D65 to D202. 

Every student deserves to be challenged in a positive and productive manner. When the "Earned Honors" model was introduced for freshmen in 2010, the Administration said in a Nov. 4., 2010, Q&A that the change would "increase the demand for honors and Advanced Placement classes." I agree with that goal. I am concerned that the goal seems to have changed. The "Popular Annual Financial Report" sent to taxpayers last fall, states on p. 12 that Freshman Humanities will serve as a template "throughout ETHS." To my knowledge, the Board has not voted to make Earned Honors a template throughout ETHS. I support carefully evaluating the Earned Honors model before deciding whether it should be expanded.

District 202 should continue to vigorously lobby alongside other districts to prevent Springfield from adding to its financial burdens. Evanston property tax rates are high. We need to seek to avoid adding to the District's liabilities. At the same time, given the reality of our state's finances, District 202 and 65 need to think creatively for ways to cut costs, maintain financial flexibility and continue to offer a quality education regardless of decisions made in Springfield. 

• Former Board member, Interfaith Housing Association of the Northern Suburbs (now known as Open Communities);
   
• Former Board member and Government Relations Chair, Juvenile DiabetesResearch Foundation–IL coordinating federal and state legislative efforts and grassroots advocacy;
   
• Member (current or past as Board member) of Policy Committee, Finance Committee, Audit Committee, Joint Legislative Task Force, ED-RED, PTSA, School Improvement Team, School Substance Abuse Team, City/School Liaison.

I have an undergraduate degree in English from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Loyola University, Chicago. As an attorney I worked on complex litigation that required me to work closely with clients to develop clear objectives and understand the positions of the parties. My work required a focus on research and fact-finding, and flexibility to adjust to changing circumstances. My pro bono legal work and my work as a grassroots advocate in Springfield on health issues, demanded that I work with others to achieve difficult objectives. But the experience most helpful to me, after serving on the Board for almost 4 years, is resolving sometimes divisive issues with my colleagues on the Board.

Peter Braithwaite, Alderman 2nd Ward; Coleen Burrus, Alderman 9th Ward; Jane Grover, Alderman 7th Ward; Delores Holmes, Alderman 5th Ward; Jeff Schoenberg, former State Senator 9th District; Mark Tendam, Alderman 6th Ward; Liz Tisdahl, Mayor; Don Wilson, Alderman 4th Ward; Melissa Wynne, Alderman 3rd Ward. Other supporters too numerous to mention in this space, and representing a wide cross-section of Evanston, are listed at www.LivingstonD202.com. However, voters should not defer to endorsements in deciding for whom to vote, but bring their best thinking to the issues.

I advocated for an inclusive goal setting process that resulted in a 3 year set of District goals that contain measurable objectives—a marked improvement over prior goals. Similarly, I brought in the outside experts who are working to evaluate our freshman year changes. I will see this work through to completion. Looking forward, our partnership with Northwestern, now formalized in an office in our building, will grow. I will urge improved data-sharing and articulation between D65 and D202, which has already grown during my service, and improved collaboration with business that can benefit our students who do not go to 4-year colleges, which has already been a subject of work on the city-school committee on which I serve.

Both nationally and in Evanston we see a wide disparity in the achievement level of our students, though students in Evanston beat the state and national averages in many areas. The reasons for this problem are many, and cause for ongoing debate. My role as a local school board member is not to solve the national problem, but to do what I can at the local level to raise the achievement of each student at ETHS by a focus on the individual student. I have done it by advocating for goals that focus on increasing “each student’s academic trajectory” and providing “individualized supports, programs, services, and curricula” to ensure that growth. Evaluating our progress towards these goals, using objective measures, will help us get there.

 

The contract of the ETHS Superintendent currently runs through 2015, which means that it is a multi-year contract. Under state law, multi-year contracts must be “performance based” and linked to measures of “student performance” and “academic achievement”. One of the reasons I supported a 3 year set of District goals with measurable objectives is that those objectives can help the Board evaluate the Superintendent. For example, our first goal is to “increase each student’s academic trajectory as demonstrated through multiple measures” and one of those targets (among many that can be seen on-line) is “100% of students meeting expected growth.” Progress towards this target, among others, should be relevant in the Superintendent evaluation.

About 25% of each property tax bill comes to D202. That amount has held steady for the last 5 years, and remains subject to tax caps. Property tax revenue makes up about 84% of the total budget, and most of that goes to personnel costs. In contrast, the relatively small amount of money that comes back to ETHS in the form of state aid has been cut and paid late, making our reliance on property tax revenue even more important, but not any easier from the perspective of taxpayers. Threats to state funding, including cutting all funding to districts considered property tax “rich”, continue to surface. We have made reductions in our budget, particularly on the operating side, including a newly negotiated teacher’s contract and reductions in purchased services, and have been able to maintain a balanced budget for 5 years.

ETHS has changed the curriculum for freshman humanities and biology in ways that make it more rigorous (students read more books and write more papers, for example). ETHS needs to continue to do more to improve upon the rigor of the curriculum at every level, including sophomore year, so that students are better prepared for AP courses in the junior year. At the same time, the mix of students in the freshman year has changed (all students reading at or above grade level are in the same class). We are currently evaluating that change, at my urging, to ensure that all students benefit from the changes and that no unintended negative consequences result. We must make adjustments as necessary based on the evaluation that is currently in progress. We must also support teachers in learning how to differentiate in the classroom and we must support students who need extra help to succeed.

ETHS is better prepared than most (67% of IL schools operate in a deficit mode) to absorb a shift because we have a balanced budget for the 5th straight year and a AAA bond rating for the 4th year in a row. We have already reduced the operating side of the budget by reducing administrative expenses and keeping reductions out of the classroom. However, while some urge a pension cost shift, the State has failed to resolve the larger issue of the 95 billion dollar pension liability. The State has cut education funding and delayed required state aid payments to Districts, making financial planning increasingly difficult. Our Districts recently passed a resolution urging resolution of that liability. Until the pension problem is addressed (with or without the shift) financial uncertainties will persist.

• President/Commissioner/Coach -- Evanston Baseball and Softball Association
• Coach, AYSO
• Member/President, City of Evanston Board of Ethics

In both my professional life, which includes wide experience formulating public policy in Congress,  and in my volunteer work, I have shown an ability to bridge disagreements, to build consensus and to work towards practical solutions.  I have faced difficult adversaries and dealt with contentious issues.  But whatever the outcome of a particular issue, I always tried to maintain the respect of my opponents and the ability to work together on future issues.  Bad ideas are not necessarily the result of  bad motives.  Perhaps not incidentally, I have been fortunate to work for extraordinarily smart people who reminded me regularly that I can learn a lot from others.

My objective is to ensure that each individual child, whatever his or her background, has the opportunity to approach his or her potential as a student.  As a consequence, I view my "support base" to be each individual parent, on behalf of their children.  I do not consider access to educational excellence or resources as a spoils system.  Pitting groups against each other in a competition for access to educational success seems pessimistic and unnecessarily divisive.  I do not accept the notion that there will be winners and losers, hence constituencies to be courted or marginalized.  To the extent that I would advocate on behalf of any group, it would be for those students who have been marginalized, are without any advocates, have been overlooked in the discussion of "Excellence" and who are in danger of dropping out entirely.

I am running for the 202 Board because I believe ETHS is the place where I can have maximum impact on the well-being of Evanston.  Everyone in town has a stake in the school's success.  Education is not the only answer to our challenges, but the health of ETHS is crucial to the health of the community.  Someone who votes for me can expect me to be open-minded, non-ideological and realistic.  I try to approach problems analytically, not emotionally.  I have learned that I do not have a monopoly on good ideas.  I believe in the value of rational, robust debate because (a) it forces me to listen carefully and (b) it forces me to test my own assumptions and arguments.  I'm not afraid to admit I am wrong or to change my mind.  I will try to bring the same analytical approach to every issue that confronts the board.  I am not on a crusade or mission on behalf of one single issue or any particular point , other than the notion that a public high school has a moral and legal obligation to educate every child to that child's potential.

The problem with Education in Evanston is that too many of our students fail to graduate from high school and too many of those who do lack the skills to succeed in the world.  Demonstrably and without question, ETHS does an exceptional job of educating a segment of the student population.  There is nothing wrong with the "educational system" for these students.  There are many reasons why other students fail to reach their potential; no high school can address all of these issues.  BUT…educators, especially those at a public high school, have an obligation to address matters they can control.  The Board has to encourage educators to be bold, give them the resources and support necessary to implement their plans and hold them accountable for success.  And if they fail, they must be required to try something new.

 Dr. Witherspoon's performance criteria already exist, at a minimum in the goals listed on the ETHS website.   A decision to extend his contract will depend largely on an evaluation of his success in achieving those goals.  Hiring a new superintendent would require additional criteria.  There are various aspects to a superintendent's work: personal qualities, relationships with the board, community relationships, staff and personnel relationships, educational leadership, and business and finance.  Any candidate would have to have impeccable credentials in these areas.  Furthermore, a candidate should probably have previous experience as a superintendent of a district at least as large as ETHS and with similar educational challenges.  Candidates must accept the singular role of ETHS in the community.  S/he is not just an administrator but also the inspirational leader of the school in the community.  Candidates must be committed to serving the whole population and elevating the achievement of all students.  I believe it is in the interest of ETHS to hire superintendents for multi-year terms.  With respect to specific goals on which the superintendent will be evaluated, these goals must be specific and linked to ETHS's mission, measurable, realistic, concrete (not aspirations, but outcomes) and subject to deadlines.

We are fortunate to live in a community that values and funds education.  Because of community generosity, ETHS has many of the attributes necessary to academic achievement (such as smaller class sizes, resources for tutoring and training and so forth).  ETHS is also able to address many of the extraordinary impediments to achievement, challenges many other school districts do not face.   In the current fiscal climate, however, when state and federal support are continually in question, when extraordinary threats such as the pension shift pose a danger to local budgets, it is more important than ever to impose rigorous financial controls on all spending.  Expenses cannot be allowed to rise at a rate higher than the increase in funding, and property taxes cannot continue to rise indefinitely.  All spending must be measured against the benefit it delivers to students in the classroom.  

This question deals principally with the changes in the freshman curriculum since the junior and senior curricula are organized around an ever-expanding AP curriculum.  I would first distinguish two issues:  "earned honors" and "differentiation" or "de-tracking."  I favor "earned honors" regardless of the class make-up.  The "honors" designation and attendant grade bonus should reflect actual mastery of the subject matter.  They should be a result of achievement, not participation.  I am agnostic about the merits of "de-tracking."  That is, I don't know if the new system in Freshman Humanities/Biology will produce the sought-after improvement for all students.  Though I believe the community was poorly educated about the new curriculum, I believe the changes were a product of a sincere desire to increase student performance, not a result of ideological axe-grinding.  I hope the changes are successful, because I support the goal of higher achievement for all students.  But if the curriculum does not succeed, I will not hesitate to demand a different approach.  My judgment of success will not be based on anecdote, ideology or notions of privilege.  Finally, regarding the  sophomore curriculum:  IF the goal is to prepare all students to succeed in AP courses, it makes sense to align the sophomore curriculum to  achieve that goal.  I would nevertheless prefer to defer any changes until we have evidence about the success of the changes in the freshman curriculum.

The pension obligation is not the only ticking time bomb, but it is the most visible.  Fortunately, or not, the breadth of the impact should help ensure a more equitable solution.  No one can predict what the "remedy" will look like or what the exact obligations will be.  ETHS must work with state legislators to shape that solution, to seek alternatives that do not shift the obligation in ways that affect classroom instruction.  If a shift does occur, ETHS should work to see that it has more than just a continuing financial obligation; it must seek control over its administration. Because of its overall fiscal health, ETHS is in a better position than many.  It goes without saying that cuts  should be kept as far from the classroom as possible.  But the size of the obligation in a direct shift, without any amelioration, virtually ensures that there will be no painless solution.

• Board member, Child Care Center of Evanston
• Girl Scout Co-leader
• Evanston Township High School Mixed Level Advisory Ad Hoc Committee Member
• Co-Facilitator of Community Conversations-Evanston YWCA

• Bachelor of Science in Psychology - Indiana University
• Master of Science in Educational Psychology - Indiana University
• Type 75 Educational Administration Certificate - National Lewis University

I have lived in this community for almost 34 years. I have many contacts with a variety of people including parents, educators and community members. My list of supporters continues to grow. Endorsements and donations are consistently coming in from these supporters and other Evanston High School community members.

It would be my honor and privilege to serve as your representative on the Board of Education. I have worked as an educator for 35 years with students from preschool to grade 12. I was a School Psychologist in the elementary school district of Evanston for 25 years before moving to a high school as a Special Education Coordinator. I will bring my perspective as a parent and an educator to the Board of Education. I understand how students learn and what motivates adolescents. My abilities as a listener and a problem-solver are valuable assets to the board. Teamwork is the most effective approach to address the complicated issues we face in education today.

Nelson Mandela said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education is the most powerful gift we can give to our children. I believe that every student has the right to an education that enhances individual strengths, improves weaknesses, and fosters confidence and self-esteem. Thus, my highest priority is to meet the needs of all students within our school community.

In this the 21st century, it is essential to recognize how rapidly our society has changed, thus the need for the educational preparation to change as well. Now more than ever, we need to prepare students for a global world experience. To do this, we must be intentional about teaching students to use critical thinking skills in an adaptive learning environment. Critical thinking involves the development of problem solving skills that they will be able to use in many facets of life. We want them to be effective communicators and have the ability to collaborate with others as we know that major decisions are made through team collaboration rather than independently. Thus, they need to be able to work in harmony with others who may look and be very different from themselves.

Because Dr. Witherspoon currently has a multi-year contract, the Illinois school code requires that his evaluation be “linked to student performance and academic improvement within the district.” (105 ILCS 5/10-23.8) I am aware that the current board recently approved a new set of three-year district goals. I would expect that in determining whether to extend the superintendent’s contract further would depend upon measurement of progress toward these goals. I’m sure the board has an evaluation process in place that I will participate in thoughtfully and carefully.

I know that the tax burden placed on Evanston homeowners is substantial and I would certainly not advocate for any increase in spending at this time. However, my experience as school psychologist in District 65 has made me aware of the many needs of our school children, some of which can be ameliorated with programs that cost money. I’ve recently learned, for example, that last school year D202 had over 100 identified homeless students. These students necessarily require significant resources from our district that other school districts don’t have to fund. I am really not currently in a position to comment on whether there is any excess spending in the district.

These are not really policy questions within the domain of a Board member, but I can share my personal opinion based on my experience as an educator and an ETHS parent. In the past, mixed-level classes were not well designed and the experience of students taking the courses for honors or regular credit was predominately teacher dependent. (Sometimes there was no difference in levels at all.) The freshman-level restructured Humanities classes, however, are taught at the Honors level for all students with a 9th grade reading proficiency. Furthermore, the common assessments assure consistent expectations among teachers, and the clear rubrics provide ample information to students and parents about what is required. It is my understanding, furthermore, that the assessments are designed to teach the skills necessary for success in future Honors and AP classes. I believe that all students deserve to have that foundation. I support the restructure.

The district’s CFO, Bill Stafford, has done a wonderful job of maintaining balanced budgets for the past seven years. I’m sure that if pension costs are shifted, he will make suggestions for possible cuts in spending. I would advocate strenuously to keep those cuts as far away from the classroom as possible.