Lisa Beth Szczupaj: 2025 candidate for Palatine Township District 15 board

Bio

Office sought: Palatine Township District 15 board (Vote for 4)

City: Palatine

Age: 55

Occupation: Business Unit General Manager/Vice President

Previous offices held: Eight years serving as President of the CCSD15 Board of Education — two terms

Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?

I began my board of education career eight years ago with a pledge to ensure communication and transparency between the BOE and the community while working to bring change and improvement to our schools, educational opportunities to our students, and elevated facilities to benefit our community and taxpayers. I have fulfilled this promise over the past eight years yet feel there is more to be done. We need to ensure a solid transition to programming improvements following the investment in facilities brought through the Moving 15 Forward initiative as well as focus on improving student outcomes.

What is the role of the school board in setting and monitoring the curriculum?

The school board does not set curriculum but provides oversight. The superintendent reports directly to the board of education, while all department leads report to her. In D15, we have a Department of Teaching, Learning and Assessment staffed by professionals who have extensive experience in curriculum and instruction. These experts ensure that the Illinois Learning Standards are consistently met and maintained across all programs.

Are there any curriculum issues within the district that you feel need particular attention from the board?

Over the past few years, we have invested in updating curricular resources across several subjects. The staff had been working with an outdated curriculum that needed to be refreshed to ensure alignment with current educational standards and best practices. Professional development and coaching of the teaching staff have been critical as these resources have been rolled out. The staff is currently in the monitoring and evaluation phase of the new curriculum, identifying areas of learning that are positively impacted and those that require support and refinement.

How do you view your role in confronting policy or curriculum controversies: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents — even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state authorities?

I believe that the role of an elected official is to represent the constituents who elected her. Regardless of whether I agree or disagree with the opinions presented to me, I ensure that each person has a voice. Decisions are made by the board as a whole, not by a single member. Therefore, we consider the perspectives of our community members and make decisions collectively as a body. Often, we find ourselves making decisions that are not popular. Fortunately, popularity is not what motivated me to seek a position on our board of education.

If the Bears succeed in developing a new stadium in Chicago instead of Arlington Heights, what type of development would you want to see on the Arlington Park property? How would you see that benefiting the community?

The Arlington Park property is a significant piece of land with diverse development potential. I believe park space and recreational areas should be prioritized in the development. Housing should also play a role, given the desirable proximity to the Metra commuter rail stop. I love all that downtown Arlington Heights has to offer and feel we should invest more in the downtown Palatine and downtown Rolling Meadows areas before introducing a large number of restaurants and entertainment options that could potentially dilute volume for long-established local businesses.

Describe your experience working in a group setting to determine policy. What is your style in such a setting to reach an agreement and manage school district policy? Explain how you think that will be effective in producing effective actions and decisions for your school board.

I was actively involved in community engagement, direction, and planning of the Moving 15 Forward initiative, which commenced in 2017. Working toward this goal was the primary motivation for my first run for a seat on the CCSD15 Board of Education. My style is collaborative, with a focus on ensuring all voices and points of view are heard, and then working toward agreement on the best path forward for all stakeholders.

What is your assessment of the school district's diversity and equity efforts? Do you support the continuation or enhancement of such programs, or would you rather see them diminished. Please explain your reasoning.

We can always do better. We educate an incredibly diverse student population that speaks more than 80 languages. We have had the good fortune of having Renee Urbanski in the role of Assistant Superintendent of Multilingual Programs for more than half of the time I have served on the Board. Renee has introduced some amazing programs to District 15 to recruit educators who resemble, speak like, and inspire our student population. For instance, one of these programs involves recruiting exchange staff from Spanish speaking countries, who come to teach in District 15, filling hard-to-hire multilingual roles while enjoying the experience of a lifetime within our community. We need to continue expanding creative programs like this one to diversify our workforce. Children should have role models they can see themselves in and who can, in turn, see themselves in our students.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

I have served as President of the CCSD15 Board of Education for the past eight years. During this time, I have gained an in-depth understanding of the district and its operations. I know our strengths and recognize the areas where we can further improve. Additionally, I bring the expertise of an accomplished businessperson, with a solid understanding of budget and finance.

What’s one good idea you have to better your district that no one is talking about yet?

Boy. That is a tough question to answer when still working through the back end of eight years focused on bettering the district and rolling out all the good ideas that have come through over the years. That said, I believe that if we could get a significant number of citizens across the district to participate consistently, we could establish robust after-school engagement programs at our middle schools. These programs would focus on mentorship, being good citizens, volunteering, and making a positive impact in our neighborhoods. This initiative would not only positively affect our community but also help build confidence, self-worth, and positivity among our youth.