Proviso 209 United slate only candidates who show at election forum
The four candidates in the Proviso 209 United slate were the only participants in a March 18 Virtual Candidate Forum for the Proviso Township School Board 209 Election, hosted by the League of Women Voters of Oak Park/River Forest.
The participants were newcomers Rolandra Morris, William Fisher, Nicole “Molly Bee” Molinaro and Ebony “Nicki” Smith, all of whom are running on the Proviso 209 United slate.
Candidates Zihualpilli Hernandez, Jerry Jenkins, Candice Ross and incumbent Arbdella “Della” Patterson, 209 Students First slate, were not in attendance.
The forum was held virtually in partnership with the Forest Park Public Library.
“All candidates were invited to the forum,” said Peggy Kell, who served as moderator for the league. “Four of them did not respond to two letters sent to them. The candidates participating tonight are the only ones that responded and accepted the invite.”
It was a move Kell called “disappointing.”
Forest Park Review reached out to Patterson about not attending the debate but did not receive a response. Additionally, Forest Park Review has not been able to contact the three other candidates on the slate.
The participating candidates took turns answering questions involving different concerns in the district.
The first question of the evening was regarding the current truancy rate at Proviso high schools, which according to the Illinois Report Card, is 54%. Candidates answered what they believe the district should be doing to decrease those rates.
Morris gave the first answer of the night, saying there needs to be community and parent engagement with the district, adding it “plays a big part.” Additionally, Morris said she appreciated Superintendent Krish Mohip’s new “BAG” report which allows parents to know where their child stands on tardiness and absences.
“I think we need to continue to give him the support he needs to keep implementing proven practices and then we need to evaluate those and make sure they are being effective,” Morris said.
Molinaro agreed in continuing support for these new practices, saying it comes down to accountability but also stressed connection with students to figure out the “why” behind the absences.
Fisher echoed those sentiments of support and implementation of those policies across all three schools. He asked for evaluations so that those policies can be altered or changed if needed, moving away from a “one-size-fits-all” approach from the district.
“Further, evaluate the strategies over time to see what worked, what didn’t and how we can improve for next school year,” he said.
Smith said early prevention is “key.”
“We can’t wait until day 30 to figure out what is going on with students,” Smith said. “Once you start to see an extensive pattern of kids not coming to school you have to communicate with student’s families and figure out what is going on and how we can help.”
With district spending and funds long being called into question, candidates answered their second question: How will you ensure that the district’s budget is used effectively to benefit students and teachers?
For Molinaro, the solution could lie with identifying the needs and gaps to find appropriate solutions. Additionally, taking another look at administrative salaries can be beneficial.
In terms of the budget, Fisher said with the current federal plan to cut education funds nationwide the district might face challenges in the upcoming year in addition to COVID funds running out.
As the district re-evaluates its allocation of funds, Fisher said it will be important to try to fill those inevitable gaps using state and other philanthropic grants.
Smith called for a re-evaluation of the budget to see “what we actually have.”
“We need to review all the contracts, we need to review positions, we need to review policies,” she said. “Sometimes you can renegotiate contracts so you can eliminate wasteful spending and then sometimes we have to look at these programs.”
Smith added the district “continuously” rolls out programs without knowing if it is working for students and teachers, adding the district needs to eliminate “wasteful spending.”
Morris agreed. The district needs to continue to do a “deep dive,” she said.
“Each and every program needs to be looked at, if it is not every six months but at least every year,” she said. “We need to make sure, with the things happening in [the] federal government, we have to be prepared for whatever is coming our way.”
Candidates were also asked what “specific actions” they would support to collaborate with local primary schools to ensure students are prepared before coming to Proviso, as many students are coming in below grade level.
Smith answered first, saying Mohip has stressed the importance of working alongside the superintendents of feeder schools to strengthen curriculum and communication.
“A lot of issues we face in high school could be resolved in elementary school if administrators, if the community, if the parents would just work together and that is something he is strongly committed to,” Smith said. “This is a great step in the right direction.”
Morris, whose child attends a feeder school, said communication between the schools would help Proviso know where students stand and also avoid replicating instruction.
Molinaro, who spoke from personal experience, said she knows the importance of the foundational education from feeder schools for Proviso.
“It is important to connect with those schools,” she said. “It is important to engage in more peer mentoring, support services, identifying IEPs early and ensuring that we are meeting each student where they are and finding out what their needs are in an early intervention period.”
Fisher said Mohip’s communication and collaboration with the feeder schools will be helpful in making it a smooth transition for students when they come into Proviso. Additionally, Fisher said data should be analyzed to adjust lesson plans for younger grades so primary school teachers can start tackling those areas of struggle.
The candidates continued the forum answering additional questions on various topics including student mental health and how they would work alongside other board members before reiterating their commitment to Proviso students and the community during their closing statements.
A recording of the full forum will be available on the League of Women Voters of Oak Park/River Forest’s website as well as on the Forest Park Public Library’s website.
Early voting for the April Consolidation Election is already underway. Tuesday, April 1 is Election Day.
