Emily Shultz: 2025 candidate for Villa Park-Lombard Elementary District 45 board

Bio

Office Sought: Villa Park-Lombard Elementary District 45 board (Vote for 4)

City: Lombard

Age: 37

Occupation: Attorney

Previous offices held: District 45 school board member, first term

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

I am running for reelection so that I can continue to work with my colleagues and build upon all the great work done by our district. My biggest motivation to run is my belief in the value of public education. I want to ensure that our district is able to remain on its trajectory, despite the uncertainty of the current political climate, and has the resources to continue to provide quality education to all of our students.

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

Our district has a curriculum and Instruction team that sets and monitors our curriculum with board approval. The board is regularly updated on how the curriculum is performing. Our district does a great job using a variety of data points to monitor our performance and is always looking at ways it can improve our curriculum to ensure high academic growth for all students.

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

Our district is currently in the stages of reviewing our Advanced Academics program.

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 view my role as a board member to evaluate any issue based on what is best for all of our students, regardless of my personal opinion or whether the decision is popular or not.

Board members must evaluate an issue from all angles and listen to all constituents’ perspectives before making a decision. There are also times where the board must defer to state authorities, depending upon the issue.

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 have previous experience working in a group setting to determine policy as a board member these past four years. The biggest lesson I have learned is that a board functions at its best when its members are able to work collaboratively and speak with one voice.

No one member is able to determine any board action so the only way to be effective is to work together as a unit to reach an agreement. I have a lot of respect for my colleagues and have learned a lot from our collaborative process.

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

Our district has a strong equity policy that the board adopted during my previous term. The board evaluates each decision we make in accordance with this policy. I support our district in continuing to enhance our equity efforts in accordance with this policy.

What makes you the best candidate for the job?

My passion for the district and experience as a board member makes me a good candidate for the job. I have been able to see the great work each of our schools is doing and want to do my part to ensure this work continues despite the challenges public education is currently facing.

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

One idea I am passionate about is increasing our collaborative relationship with our constituents. I want to find a variety of ways to communicate with and engage constituents to ensure that all voices are being heard.