Jennifer Ciok: 2021 candidate for Mount Prospect District 57 school board
Six candidates for four, four-year seats
Bio
City: Mount Prospect
Age: 42
Occupation: Middle Grades Network coach for the University of Chicago's To & Through Project
Civic involvement: Member of the Mount Prospect Community Engagement Committee; member of the Educator Advisory Committee for the Illinois Holocaust Museum (2017-present); board member for A Better Life for Kids (2011-present); board member of the Education Pioneers Alumni Chapter (2019-present); Equity Team lead at Umoja (2018-2020) and the University of Chicago's To & Through Project (2020-present)
Q&A
Q: Why are you running for this office, whether for reelection or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?
A: My decision to run for the District 57 school board is grounded in wanting to build an equitable environment where all students thrive. As the only candidate with 20 years of experience implementing effective, systemic change in education, while also being an active parent in the district, I bring to the board a professional outside perspective that will be needed to navigate these unsettling times. My motivation to run is not rooted in one specific issue, but instead a knowledge and understanding that our district has to support students after over a year of learning in the midst of a pandemic. And just as importantly, the societal challenges of the past few years over questions of racial and gender justice, economic inequality and conflicting sources of information, have caused students and families to feel an economic, social and emotional strain. With this in mind, many issues require our attention: Academic and social emotional equity for all students, rebuilding trust in our community, implementing new curriculum requirements, and making sure our students are learning in environments that fuel their success. I am committed to finding creative and collective ways to do this.
Q: How would you grade the current school board on its response to the pandemic? Why?
A: I would like to first acknowledge the intense amount of pressure that has been put on our board over the past year. This was not something that anyone had planned for, nor was there a playbook or guidance on how to do it right. With this in mind, I do believe that the board has tried to balance the needs of all stakeholders with the ever-changing conditions of the virus and a lack of guidance from the government. There are places where I believe we could have been more proactive though. I often feel the board is reacting in the moment versus anticipating the needs that will arise and being creative about using the resources in our community to meet those needs. I know students with IEPs and our students in the ELL program often felt unsupported and that their needs were not addressed. We need to be planning for the fall now by gathering both qualitative and quantitative data from our community, being transparent about what is possible and why, and thinking creatively about how to meet the needs of all students. Working collaboratively with other board members, the community and school staff will be the key to success.
Q: How do you view your role in confronting the pandemic: provide leadership even if unpopular, give a voice to constituents - even ones with whom you disagree, or defer to state authorities?
A: As a board, our role is to serve the community by giving voice to students, parents and community members, weighing all internal and external variables, and providing leadership with a forward-thinking sense of urgency. This means listening to all voices, including those who are currently marginalized for a variety of reasons. The board needs to be guided by experts from agencies like IDPH and ISBE, in order to inform our actions and make decisions. They also need to push for creative solutions to meet the safety, academic and social emotional needs of our students. And the board needs to hold the superintendent accountable when these plans are made so that the ultimate goal of ensuring student safety, learning and success is met. My actions will not be based on if I agree or disagree with the community, but instead informed by what I hear. The actions of the board should balance the community's feedback, weighing guidance from experts, alignment with our school's strategic plan, risk reduction and educating families to make the best decision for their current reality.
Q: Did your district continue to adequately serve students during the disruptions caused by the pandemic? If so, please cite an example of how it successfully adjusted to continue providing services. If not, please cite a specific example of what could have been done better.
A: The district has had a mix of successes and areas for growth over the past year. Last spring was tough for everyone as we navigated the pandemic without guidance or understanding of what was next. This school year also started with confusion over what type of model would be implemented and what metrics would be used to make decisions, and that confusion has continued with multiple changes in models, schedules and teachers; disrupting the relationships between teachers and students that is essential for learning. One success our district did have is having dedicated hybrid and remote teachers to better support all learners. And throughout all of this, the teachers have been incredible. They have navigated various schedules and teaching models with grace and commitment to our children. My biggest concern is that we won't use this opportunity to re-imagine education. I've heard from those that struggled in remote and those that struggled in hybrid. I've also heard from those that have found success in those same models in ways they haven't before. It would be a tragedy not to listen and learn from these experiences in a race to return to a normal that wasn't working for everyone.
Q: Do you have a plan on how to safely and effectively conduct classes in the spring? What have you learned from the fall semester that you would change in the spring?
A: The spring model for learning is going to be determined prior to the new board taking office, especially as District 57 prepares to open buildings five full days a week on April 12. With that in mind, we need to focus on the fall, while continuing to monitor what is happening and holding the district accountable to the decisions that have been made. Thinking proactively about fall, I will do everything in my power to make sure that we have a safe and effective five day a week model for learning, while supporting a robust learning model for those who may still need a remote option in the fall. This means thinking creatively about spaces for learning, both inside and outside the building, and employing layered mitigation strategies at a systems level in order to reduce risk as much as possible. It also means assessing where students are social-emotionally and academically in order to support those furthest from an equitable education. Finally, we need to hear from all stakeholders and continue to work collaboratively to reopen buildings with less confusion and more trust and transparency.
Q: What is your position on allowing high school sports to continue during the pandemic? Be specific.
A: As a board member for a PK-8 school board, the question about allowing for high school sports is outside of my sphere of influence. Similarly to reopening school buildings though, there needs to be a risk assessment done that balances the guidance from experts at IDPH and IHSA, the mitigation strategies that have been employed, and what students need to be successful. Families need to be educated about the risks and opportunities. And, most importantly, the community must come together to support the opportunities and activities that we value for our students by following protocols, supporting one another, and showing grace and understanding for viewpoints that may be different from our own.