Alex Kamilewicz: Candidate For Glenview School District 34

GLENVIEW, IL — Ahead of the April 4 consolidated municipal elections, Arlington Heights Patch provided questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot.

Five candidates are vying for four seats on the Glenview Community Consolidated School District 34 Board of Education on Election Day. Current Vice President John Heggie, Secretary Michael Korman and Natalie Jachtorowycz are not running for reelection. The following candidates will be on the ballot:

• Scott Nelson, current president (term ends in 2023)
• Alex Kamilewicz
• Julie Moon
• Jennifer Patel
• Vasilios Soupos

The Glenview District 34 Caucus is endorsing the campaigns of Nelson, Kamilewicz, Moon and Soupos.

Patch is publishing all responses submitted by candidates verbatim.

Alex Kamilewicz

Age (as of election day)

49

Town/city of residence

Glenview

School district

Glenview Community Consolidated School District 34

Family

Spouse Debbie, sons Sam (9th grade at GBS) and Gabriel (6th grade in District 34)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

B.A. St. Olaf College, M.Litt Medieval History University of Oxford

Occupation

23 years of project management

Campaign website

N/A

Previous or current elected or appointed office

None

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them.

1. Successful completion of the referendum projects. The improvements brought to our schools from the work done so far have been terrific to see. For many of our schools, it's a night-and-day difference. In addition, due to good financial stewardship, the district saved millions in financing costs. Unfortunately, unforseen increases in labor and materials costs, brought on by the pandemic and supply chain issues, will force the Board to make some important decisions during the last phases of the work. I intend to lend my time and experience to the scrutiny that must happen to have a successful finish to this work.

2. Outward forecasts for the District continue to show expenses growing faster than revenues. Although District 34 has always been managed in a financially prudent manner, it continues to operate with constraints implemented by the passage of PTELL in the early 1990s which, inadvertently and ironically, penalized districts such as ours that had operated in a financially prudent manner in previous decades. I intend to advocate for and participate in a comprehensive assessment of all expense and revenue options available for the District to ensure we can have a strong and balanced budget in the future.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I am proud to have been an active supporter of and volunteer for District 34 for many years, including the last 4 years as a member of the Citizens Finance Advisory Committee, and the past 3 years as a member of the Executive Board of the Glenview Education Foundation.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district?

The District 34 Board of Education has always been a nonpartisan board of volunteers who care strongly about the quality of education delivered to the community's children. As such, although I am running for the Board for the first time, I don't consider myself a "challenger" to the current Board, more an invested parent and citizen. In addition, I am proud to be running as a slate with current Board member Scott Nelson, and newcomers Julie Moon and Vasilios Soupos.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I am interested in serving on the District 34 School Board primarily because I believe strongly in the value of a good K-8 education. It is my opinion that one of the best investments a society can make is in the education of its children, which includes not only academic learning, but social and emotional learning and finding one’s place in society. I would like to continue to be a part, in a different way than I have in the past, of helping District 34 deliver on this promise to our children and community.

My primary concern is that a decades-long increase of unfunded or minimally-funded mandates on public education places increasing strain on District staff. I worry both to what extent fulfilling these mandates requires heroic efforts from staff and also to what extent this could temper their passion for their work. I recognize, however, that there probably isn’t a lot that an individual Board of Education can do about this.

Secondarily, and related to the above, the teaching profession is clearly more difficult by the year and attrition is certainly a concern. In my opinion the Board should be identifying and utilizing all levers it can to address the root causes of attrition.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

My career has routinely involved getting large groups of people with different ideas and goals to work together to deliver on projects worth hundreds of millions to billions of dollars. As part of this work, I have been involved at the highest levels of corporate governance, often helping to chart a path that works for all stakeholders involved, despite many competing interests. This, plus an ability to understand all the details of large undertakings, will, I feel, serve me well on the District 34 Board of Education.

Why should voters trust you?

My wife & I have been part of the Glenview community since 2004 (except for a 3-year gap in another state), both of my boys have gone through District 34, and as I mentioned in another answer, I have given freely of my time to volunteer in support of the district. I am invested in this district and a big supporter of its work. I am not doing this for myself. In addition, I have always pursued a policy of transparency and am always happy to listen to others, even if I don't agree with their viewpoints. Voters can trust in my integrity of purpose and willingness to hear and consider all viewpoints.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success?

High school rankings, successful completion of the referendum projects, and a healthy budget.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

District 34 has always been managed carefully and prudently from a financial standpoint, doing a lot more with a lot less property tax revenue than many neighboring districts. I intend to build upon that and ensure that when we come out of the referendum work, we have a budget that continues to deliver on the promise of financial prudence to taxpayers while also delivering on a promise to give the best education possible to the community's students.

What are your thoughts on how the district has handled the COVID-19 pandemic?

Many, if not most, of the decisions made by governmental bodies during the pandemic were always likely to be, with hindsight, lose-lose propositions. It frustrates me now that the narrative around the District’s (and many districts’) decisions during the pandemic focus on different decisions that could have been made that are only clear now due to hindsight.

All of which is to say that I support most, if not all, of the District’s choices made during the pandemic, remembering the very complex, confused, and incomplete understanding of the science behind the virus, virtual learning, etc… that existed in 2020, 2021, and honestly 2022 as well.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some school boards saw extremely heated disagreements during public meetings. If elected, what changes, if any, need to be made to ensure meetings are run efficiently while still allowing open discussions?

The District 34 Board of Education provides ample opportunities for public comment and does so in what I feel is already an efficient manner. Having said that, there were certainly a few meetings with hundreds of requests for public comment, and should such a scenario arise in the future it may make sense to look at additional opportunities for public comment in engagements planned specifically for that purpose.

How do you feel about sex education being taught in school? Should an LGBTQ component be included, and why or why not?

As a parent of two children who participated in this curriculum that starts in the 5th grade, I am perfectly comfortable with it. Additionally, the fact that an opt out is offered is a very reasonable accomodation for families who desire to address this in other ways.

I am also perfectly comfortable with an age-appropriate LGBTQ component being included, on the basis that likely some of those children already identify as one of LGBTQ and it seems like common sense to include them.

What are your views on critical race theory and whether it should be taught in the district?

Critical Race Theory is an advanced framework for academic and legal analysis taught and employed primarily at the post-graduate level and beyond, so no, as defined, it probably doesn't have a place in K-8 curriculum.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

I applaud the current Board's efforts to support racial equality while also feeling there is always more we can do.

When it comes to student achievement, what are schools within this district doing well and what needs to be improved? How can those improvements be made?

District 34 schools provide a great education across all schools and subjects, for both advanced students and those who need extra help, and this is reflected in testing and rankings. Having said that, we should always be looking for ways to continue to improve and not rest on past accomplishments.

As for a specific improvement, I am perhaps biased by recent experience, but feel the middle schools could add some focus for 7th and 8th graders preparing for a considerably different environment in High School, particularly around skills that students must develop to be able to manage their work independently.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No

The best advice ever shared with me was ____________

My father always encouraged me to listen to and consider all viewpoints before coming to my own conclusions and this is something that guides me every day.