Elect challengers to District 25 board

Arlington Heights is extremely fortunate to have three highly qualified challengers in the race for District 25 school board, who will bring fresh perspectives to the vital work that a school board does.

We have good schools in Arlington Heights, but these candidates can guide us from good to great. One of the ways they will do that is through increased engagement with the community and increased transparency. I am aware of a number of issues in recent years that have left community members feeling like their voices could not extend past the three minutes allotted at school board meetings: the elimination of the Odyssey program; inclusive education; elimination of programs to make room for STEM; full-day kindergarten; advanced learning policies; student drop-off safety, etc.

I know individuals on both sides of the debate who feel that the current board has been unavailable and uninterested in engaging the public in discussion about the public good. In many cases, listening to community members and seeking consensus could have saved taxpayer dollars.

All three of the individuals challenging the incumbents bring a commitment to public engagement as well as backgrounds in education that will enable them to ask critical questions and guide our schools toward excellence. Anisha Patel is an experienced and certified educational leader. Chris Salituro is a celebrated educator from Stevenson High School who is involved in writing national standards for social studies. Joe Selbka is an experienced lawyer who has represented municipalities, schools, and parents in courts. As board members they will provide key voices for guiding and evaluating our district.

Julianna Cucci

Arlington Heights