Glenview District 34 candidates talk construction, finances
Four of five candidates running for the Glenview District 34 school board addressed issues including construction, finance and mental health during a recent interview with the Daily Herald.
Current board President Scott Nelson and first-time candidates Alex Kamilewicz, Julie Moon, Vasilios Soupos and Jennifer Patel are vying for four, 4-year terms on April 4.
All candidates except Patel participated in the Daily Herald Editorial Board interview held virtually and responded to questionnaires. Patel did not respond to requests for comment.
District 34 educates students in preschool through eighth grade at eight schools: Henking, Lyon and Westbrook (K-2 grades); Glen Grove, Hoffman and Pleasant Ridge (3-5 grades); and Attea and Springman (6-8 grades).
Finishing construction work on building improvements, facilitated by $119 million approved by voters in 2020, as well as making the district financially stable, were shared goals for Kamilewicz, Moon and Nelson.
"If elected to the board I'd definitely take part in ensuring that reaches a conclusion successfully and very valuably for the overall district. I feel it's gone well so far and it's just about making sure we get across the finish line effectively and set up well for the future," Kamilewicz said.
He added, another important focus is starting to work on the district's long-term financial health.
At a recent District 34 school board meeting, officials discussed transferring $12 million from the operations and maintenance fund to the capital fund to pay for construction costs. It is pending approval at the March board meeting.
In January, Kamilewicz, a member of the Citizens Finance Advisory Committee, briefed the board on its five-year projections. He said District 34's capital contributions for construction are predicted to drop operating fund balance slightly below the recommended 30% of annual operating expenses by 2028.
Nelson, seeking a second term on the board, said finances have been skewed since Attea Middle School was built in 2003.
"They didn't have an operating referendum passed so we've been operating eight buildings with the revenue that we had before with seven buildings," he said.
All four candidates stressed the importance of supporting the mental health of teachers and students, an issue brought out by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kamilewicz said the challenge will be "defining what normality looks like."
Moon, who followed Nelson as chair of the Glenview Education Foundation on whose executive committee Kamilewicz also sits, supports weekly social-emotional learning programming in District 34 schools to deal with problems such as "cyberbullying."
Enhancing equity, diversity and inclusion within the student population was among Moon's top three priorities.
Soupos, a compliance engineer with children in District 34 kindergarten and second-grade classes, said time will provide a "natural rebound" in student performance affected by the pandemic.
"Now that things are back to normal it's just a matter of enough time needs to elapse to allow the students to catch up to where they were before," he said.
Nelson said he sought an increase in performance in algebra, specifically, but noted the district has made gains since the pandemic, in accordance with a five-year strategic plan implemented in 2019. It includes strengthened communication, social-emotional learning, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
His fellow candidates are on board.
"We all come from a different way, but we try to get to the same spot, and that's what I want this district do to, is to move forward together," Nelson said.