I'm running for the school board because I believe strong schools build stronger communities. As an immigrant, I understand the transformative power of education to open doors and create opportunities. I have two young children who will eventually attend Proviso schools, and I want to help ensure they, along with all current and future students, receive the highest quality education. Change takes time, which is why it's important to start now. As a former teacher and current education researcher, I bring the knowledge and experience needed to help create positive change in our schools. I'm committed to collaboration, transparency, and ensuring every decision reflects the best interest for all students, families, and the community we serve.
My vision for a thriving school community centers on a community schools model, where schools serve not only as places of learning but also as hubs for support, connection, and opportunity. This approach integrates academics with essential wraparound services like mental health care, family engagement, and community partnerships. It focuses on data-driven decisions to ensure resources are aligned with student outcomes and community needs. Strong family engagement is key to student success, and I will prioritize building partnerships that reflect and respond to the voices of families. If elected, I will advocate for funding and collaboration that strengthen schools and create a more inclusive, supportive environment for all.
Integrity means acting with honesty, transparency, and a strong sense of moral responsibility. It’s about being accountable and making decisions that prioritize the well-being of others, especially students and staff. As a school board member, I will apply integrity by ensuring decisions are made with the best interests for all students in the district, guided by data and community input. I will prioritize open communication with families and staff, ensuring they are informed and involved. By fostering transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making, I will ensure all actions reflect shared values and create a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for all.
The effectiveness of past school board decisions should be assessed using a data driven and equity focused approach. My background as a research scientist and educator has taught me the importance of combining quantitative and qualitative data to understand both outcomes and lived experiences. I would evaluate board decisions by analyzing key student indicators, and feedback from families and staff. I’d also assess whether decisions align with community needs and improve equitable access to resources and opportunities. As a board member, I would advocate for regular reviews of outcomes, transparent reporting, and community input to determine whether changes are needed and ensure our policies are responsive, ethical, and grounded in evidence
I believe the key to turning past challenges into learning opportunities is through transparency, reflection, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Mistakes should not be buried, they should be openly acknowledged, analyzed, and used as a foundation for growth. With my background in education research and evaluation, I understand how to use data to identify causes, assess impact, and develop practical solutions. I would advocate for structured reviews of past initiatives, incorporating input from students, staff, and families to understand what worked, what didn’t, and why. By fostering a culture of collaboration instead of blame, we can build trust, learn from the past, and move forward.
Building strong relationships with fellow board members, especially those with differing viewpoints,starts with respect, active listening, and a shared commitment to students and families. I believe in creating space for healthy dialogue, even when we disagree, and focusing on common goals rather than personal differences. My background in education research has taught me the value of collaboration across perspectives to reach more thoughtful, data-informed decisions. I would work to foster a culture where decisions are guided by evidence, equity, and student outcomes, not politics or agendas. By leading with integrity, empathy, and a solutions-focused mindset, I believe we can collaborate to serve the best interests of the district.
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I am running for school board for my son and all of our children to have access to curriculum that meets their needs for success post-high school. As a current first-generation student at Triton graduating in May, it is important to provide a diversity of options that include careers, trades and community college. My personal experiences changing districts in grade school and feeling like a four-year college was my only option after high school is what drives me.
My vision is to be inclusive of all adults in the community capitalizing on their skills and gifts. I would work to achieve this by being available at activities and events outside of the schools and inviting them to get involved in our district in whatever capacity they can. Additionally, a thriving school community educates on civic duty and democracy. School board seats are nonpartisan for a reason, and it is our responsibility to be examples and mentor the next generation to want to stay connected to the community they grew up in.
Integrity is staying true to the beliefs that brought you to run for school board in the first place. To always maintain your ethics, values and morals. Applying integrity means listening to all stakeholders and bringing these ideas to the board as a whole, not working in a silo. Each member of the school board has a responsibility to work as a team towards common goals. Proper communication and explanation of decisions are needed during open session. In executive session we should challenge respectfully and hear our peers when a concern is raised.
Recently, post the 2023 election, school board decisions have been better. I got involved in attending school board meetings when the decision occurred to stop the live-stream and recordings. This was not a good decision. Having been a part of an appointed municipal commission, I am very aware of the Open Meetings Act and will adhere to these expectations. Every effective board must follow the policies in place without exception. Some past decisions specific to curriculum haven’t included teachers and their voice. It is critical that we engage our teachers and hear their voice before making purchasing decisions. It is important to work together for what is in the best interest of our students in the district as a collective.
We need to evaluate prior decisions and understand the impact to students and teachers. If it’s not working, then we need to address it. Gathering the data needed to justify any changes. We may not always agree, but as a unified board we should be focused on consensus, not invoking conflict that provides negative results.
With nearly 20 years in commercial insurance underwriting, I learned to work with many with differing viewpoints. We were taught to “gather all ideas into the pool,” and have thoughtful conversations around these ideas. We each have a voice and seat at the table, and I promise to hear to other perspectives. We learn and grow through a diversity of thought. Relationship building is imperative to a successful board. We are the examples for our students, teachers and staff, exhibiting these good behaviors will lead to a healthy school district culture.
My name is Rolandra Morris, and I am truly excited about the possibility of serving our school community as a member of the District 209 School Board. I am motivated by the students of the district. The possibilities of who they can become with the proper supports and leadership in place, motivates me and the rest of the Proviso 209 United Slate.
As a school board member, I will not engage in rhetoric or public antics that would divide our school community or anything that takes the focus off of doing the work needed to help our schools and students' progress.
As a board member, I plan to work collaboratively and professionally with sitting board members. I plan to bring to the 209 board the same energy and focus that I bring to anything
I am involved in; especially when students and community are involved.
Part of the reason I am running with Nicole Molinaro, Will Fisher and Ebony Smith is because we want to work with current board members that have removed the chaos of the board and moved the focus back to servicing and supporting our schools.
In its simplest form, integrity means just being honest and acting in ways that are ethically and morally right. The word gets thrown around a lot, especially in political circles, because everyone wants voters and the community to trust them and their intentions. I don’t take it lightly.
The board has a duty to make sure that decisions made are made in the best interests of our schools and students. We have to hold everyone accountable, from the top to the bottom. We have to be willing to listen to other ideas, educate ourselves on current educational laws, practices and procedures, encourage a climate that is inclusive of everyone and be open to admitting when something is not working so that it can be addressed.
One step in assessing effectiveness of past board decisions is to read, research, ask, and use sound judgement before making changes. My background in mortgage and finance, always leads me to making sure that everything that is put before me is checked and verified. I would take that same scrutiny and look at current policies, procedures, budgets, programs, staffing, etc. and working with board members and educational leadership to determine their effectiveness. I don’t just want to rely on words, I want to see the data (school report cards, testing info, staff/program evaluations, etc.) to determine if what we have in place is academically and financially sound and sustainable. From there, we have to decide what needs to be altered.
We want students in District 209 to progress and be successful, and as a board we should want the same for ourselves. Part of coming in new is acknowledging how some of the current board members have been instrumental in bringing about stability to key educational and management areas of the district. It is also important that they realize we are there to help continue the work and learn from past mistakes and help to correct them. There is still much work to do. The beauty of being on a board is everyone brings their individual sets of skills and experiences to the table, much like the students we serve. We have to be able to look at what needs to be fixed, focus less on negative criticism, and work to build our board and our schools.
Opinions can differ but the agenda has to be the same, our students and schools are priority. I plan to make sure that anything I attend that is board related (conferences, events, professional development, classroom, etc.) and a learning opportunity; I plan to encourage my fellow board members to do the same. I also think it is important to understand that we don’t have to like one another but we do have to be respectful and model proper behavior and decorum for our students and community.
At the end of the day, we cannot all be right, but we can work together to make the right decisions for our high schools. We have to hold ourselves accountable and commit to evaluating our progress in supporting the vision and needs of the district.
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My name is Ebony” Nicki” Smith and I have been a Bellwood resident for over 40 years. I have a B. A in Political Science and an M.A. in Public Policy. Professionally, I am a grants and contracts administrator with over 20 years of experience in negotiating contracts.
I am the proud parent of a future West Panther. I am motivated to be a member of the District 209 School Board because I feel as though our schools have not been appropriately prioritized by many in our community and by some past and present board members. Many of the same issues we struggle with now (truancy, poor academics, lack of community/parent engagement, school culture, and safety) are the same issues from ten to twenty years ago. I am determined to make a change.
My vision for a thriving school community includes:
• Meaningful academic and career paths in ALL schools with the proper supports and resources in place
• Mental health resources for our students and their families
• Shared responsibility, accountability and leadership amongst all stakeholders
• Practices and procedures that are supported by best practices and are data driven
• Community engagement and support
• Equity and Inclusiveness in decision making and spending
• Retainment and recruitment of quality and invested staff
• Etc.
I will work to achieve this vision by making sure that I remain focused on what matters most, students.
Integrity is being transparent, honest and accountable for what you say and do. As a board member I will ensure that board meetings decisions, communications, etc. are being delivered to our stakeholders, families, staff and students in a variety of transparent ways. As a school board, it is imperative that we are open and honest with our communities to avoid disengagement and misinformation. We also have to make sure that communications are accessible to everyone. Allowing these groups to have up to date, data driven/research-based information about their schools, policies, events, etc. allows trust and relationships to be developed.
I will assess the effectiveness of past board decisions by using existing school data, student and staff feedback to determine if what is in place has been effective in advancing the outcomes of our students. As a board, we have to work together to understand why past board members made those decisions and determine if they align with current board objectives, local and federal school laws, etc. As a new board member, I would work to evaluate, adjust, or overhaul anything that is out of date or proven (through school data) not effective.
The board must continue to make sure that the effectiveness of past and present school board decisions is monitored, evaluated, and adjusted on a continuous and transparent basis.
We have to be critical of past decisions but also look at why they were made, be open in our discussion of them and create a criterion to analyze current and future decision making.
• How did the past decision affect student achievement?
• Does the past decision align to current operating, strategic, and educational/school improvement plans/goals?
• Does the past decision promote equity and inclusiveness in the buildings?
• Is the past decision fiscally responsible and sustainable?
• Does the past decision support student and staff safety?
We have to work together to fix the past and, learn from the mistakes, and build a better board for our students.
We have to remember that we can disagree, but we have to operate in a very professional and respectful manner. My plan to build relationships is to engage in meaningful and transparent conversations with my colleagues and assist in building a strong and cohesive school board that can help support our superintendent and our schools. I plan to work hard to behalf of those that elect me and my slate mates to act in the best interests of our District 209 students.
