Supna C. Jain: 2021 candidate for Indian Prairie District 204 board

Challenger Supna C. Jain, one of 11 candidates running for four, 4-year terms in Indian Prairie Unit District 204, responds to the Daily Herald candidate questionnaire for the April 6, 2021, local election.

The candidates are: incumbents Laurie Donahue of Naperville and Susan Taylor-Demming of Naperville; and challengers Shannon Adcock of Naperville, Allison Fosdick of Naperville, Saba Haider of Aurora, Robert O. Harris of Naperville, Supna C. Jain of Naperville, Marina Kosak of Naperville, Yanmei May Liang of Naperville, Rajesh Narayan of Naperville, and Kader Sakkaria of Naperville.

In-person early voting with paper ballots is now available at DuPage County Fairgrounds Building 5, 2015 Manchester Road, Wheaton. In-person early voting with touch-screen voting begins March 22 at locations throughout the county. Learn more at www.dupageco.org/earlyvoting/.

For more election coverage, visit dailyherald.com.

Bio

City: Naperville

Age: 43

Occupation: Professor in the Communication Dept and Director of the Speaking Center at North Central College

Civic involvement: As a community advocate, I interact with community members on a regular basis to stay connected and understand the issues many members face. This is reflected in my work with my nonprofit. I am the founder/artistic director of a nonprofit organization, Aavegh (www.aavegh.org), which uses dance as a medium to raise awareness on social issues. Since its inception in 2005, Aavegh has donated over $20k to local, national, and international charities from the proceeds of their performances. I am also a member of PTAs and PDAC, and volunteer regularly as a room parent, mystery reader, etc. I am civic-minded and attend community events held by Naperville Neighbors United, Naper Settlement and cultural organizations to stay connected with community members. I continue to listen to city council meetings, county meetings, and local representatives to understand the issues our communities face today. At North Central College, I am a Title IX hearing officer and decision-maker and a member of teaching groups that strive to incorporate inclusive teaching practices.

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: I believe in the African proverb "it takes a village to raise a child." My village started with my parents, who were educators, and included my neighbors, teachers, and countless others. As a beneficiary of a strong village during my formative years, I hope to now pay it forward and serve district 204 in a larger capacity. I believe my role as a parent along with my background and experience in higher education, the law, and the arts, gives me a unique perspective that can add value to school board discussions and decisions. Issues that motivate me include striving for equity in education, developing social-emotional competencies in students, and preparing our students for their post graduation world.

Q: How would you grade the current school board on its response to the pandemic? Why?

A: I would give the current board a "B+" on their response to the pandemic. The school board or the district was not trained to handle educating students during a pandemic. As the fourth largest district in the state, managing education during the pandemic, presents unique challenges that are different from neighboring districts. From my observations and exchanges, the school board, responsibly relied on the guidelines set forth by subject matter experts in the field (i.e. CDC, Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the DuPage County Health Department), when making decisions. They correctly prioritized the safety of our children ahead of anything else. If there is anything I would like to see improve, it is the communication between the school board and various stakeholders in the community.

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: If elected, I believe my approach to handling the pandemic will be no different than how I approach any other issue the board is presented with. My process of educating myself by reading and listening to others will not change. I will communicate regularly with district stakeholders. I will listen carefully to the concerns of the community, teachers/staff, and students. I will be transparent during my decision making process, and make decisions within the legal and organizational framework provided by the state. I will communicate regularly with local representatives to ensure district concerns are addressed at the state level and that state policies are implemented at the district level.

Most importantly, I will do my part in creating a climate where individual community and board members respect each other, encourage voicing diverse perspectives, and collaborate with one another. If elected, I realize I am one of seven and that I can only move forward on issues by collaborating with others. The process of listening and learning is critical to the role of a school board member. It is a process I am familiar with and practice regularly as an educator.

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: I believe the district did the best they could to provide the least amount of disruptions. This is exemplified in the fact that D204 prevented shifts from in-person to remote learning (from March 2020 - Jan. 2021), which occurred in many other districts. D204, also committed to keeping students with the same teacher, which helped students maintain a routine and structure. I do believe, however there were disruptions when we moved from remote learning to hybrid. Specifically, the number of hours elementary school students were engaged throughout the day, decreased. Before the hybrid model was presented, my third-grader had a mix of synchronous and asynchronous learning throughout the day. After the hybrid model was implemented, he is able to complete his asynchronous work in 30 minutes, and is engaged online from 12:30-3:30.

Although I understand the importance of providing the option for in-person learning, this was one disruption many households experienced in their child's learning. I believe this will be resolved in time as more adults are vaccinated and arrangements are made to bring all students back to school safely.

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: I believe with more adults being vaccinated, and more testing mechanisms available, the district will have additional options on reopening schools for more hours/days a week than it did in the fall. The volunteer weekly testing of students is a program that can certainly be scaled to ensure both students and staff are safe. And of course, with more teachers/staff getting vaccinated, and possibly older high school students, more options may become available.

Q: What is your position on allowing high school sports to continue during the pandemic? Be specific.

A: I believe as outlined by Illinois High School Association, it is possible for students to participate in sports when they follow safety guidelines of wearing masks, sanitizing, and socially distancing (as outlined by the CDC, Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the DuPage County Health Department). I believe with the testing measures available in D204, athletes should be tested regularly to ensure they and others they interact with are safe.