District 44 candidates set priorities

Students often fall into one of several categories, demographics or subgroups.

Gifted students. Children with special needs. English language learners. Free or reduced-lunch recipients.

Three candidates for the Lombard Elementary District 44 school board say making sure the district adequately serves students in those groups and others is one of their top goals. Two other candidates say they have different priorities for improving aspects of the district’s operations.

Incumbents Richard Reese and Brooke Wozniak are facing challenges in the April 5 election from John Chivilo, Stephen Flint and Amy Weltin for three seats on the board.

Reese, director of learning technology for a Chicago company that provides online services for higher education, was appointed to his school board seat in July.

Since then, he said he’s learned adding a few more students to any of the subgroups recognized in the No Child Left Behind Act, such as groups for different races, students with special education plans and those receiving free or reduced-price meals, makes meeting test score requirements increasingly difficult.

It also makes connecting with the learning needs of students in all those groups all the more critical, he said.

“We need to take a long, hard look at making sure we are continuing to serve all of our students in terms of those demographics,” Reese said.

Wozniak, a substitute teacher, said technology can aid the district’s teachers in assisting students with special needs, helping students learn English, or giving gifted students a challenge beyond normal class material. She said the district already has made strides in reaching all students by increasing its focus on social and emotional support.

“We’ve started to implement more programs to cater to the whole child,” Wozniak said.

Weltin, who teaches pee wee gym classes and substitutes as a preschool teacher for Lombard Park District, said she’s passionate about children’s right to a good education, whether they’re kids with special needs or those in gifted programs.

Two of her four children attend the district’s schools and both are involved in some gifted programs, she said. But one child used to have seizures, so she understands parents’ concerns about their children whose health conditions may need special attention.

Flint, an architect, said he wants to make sure District 44 students are receiving the best education possible. But his focus centers more on efficient facility use and creative financial solutions.

Chivilo, an accountant, said at a late February forum hosted by the League of Women Voters his priorities are preparing students of all backgrounds for the challenges of the business world and promoting energy-saving measures.

He said work experiences have given him knowledge of school food service contracts and construction account management, knowledge he says would benefit the board.