Elizabeth Kim: Candidate For West Northfield School District 31

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

Five candidates, including an official write-in candidate, are vying for three seats on the West Northfield School District 31 Board of Education on Election Day. Current board members Daphne Frank and Melissa Choo Valentinas are not running for reelection when their terms ends next month. The candidates that will be on the ballot are:

• Maria Vasilopoulos, current member (terms ends in 2023)
• Noah Frank
• Elizabeth Kim (write-in candidate)
• Meghan McMillin
• Nick Parfitt

Patch is publishing all responses submitted by candidates verbatim.

Elizabeth Kim

Age (as of election day)

37

Town/city of residence

Northbrook

School district

West Northfield School District 31

Family

My family includes my husband Tom (39). We have three children: my daughter Scottie (7) and my boys Max (4) and Chase (4).

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

BFA Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design

Occupation

Stay-at-home parent

Campaign website

D31bettertogether.com writeinelizabethkim.com

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.

The most pressing issue facing our district is addressing the individual learning needs of our incredibly diverse student population. While this variety is a gift, it does however, require a more nuanced approach to meeting student needs than say a more homogenous student body would. If elected, I intend to work cooperatively and respectfully with fellow board members and other key stakeholders to better understand individual student needs, teacher pain points and other roadblocks as outlined in the Strategic Plan. I would also like to encourage more community engagement and parent involvement, especially from underrepresented groups. Everyone’s voice counts and it’s important to listen.

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

I am Korean American. My Korean heritage is reflective of many in this community and my experience as a child of immigrants is one that I share with many of our students. I understand the challenges that come with living in two different worlds at a young age. This lived experience provides a unique and relevant point of view in our district.

My education and career as a designer also set me apart. I am skilled at making complexity simple and accessible. I understand the importance of considering how one change affects the whole. In my experience, the best way to produce meaningful and useful results is to procure feedback from the end user. The procuring and incorporation of feedback is key to buy-in and improvement. It allows people to feel heard and see themselves in the end result which is what defines the success of any project I work on.

I am also the only write-in candidate. For more information on why, please read my open letter at writeinelizabethkim.com/openletter

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

I am not a challenger and have been pleased with my experience in the district so far.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I am a strong advocate for our teachers. I believe supporting them best supports our students and in turn, our entire district. When my daughter was learning remotely, I glimpsed the Herculean challenges they face in the classroom day in and day out. In this day and age when teacher burnout is at an all time high, we must do everything we can to retain the amazing teachers we have and be proactive in recruiting more.

My campaign also calls for increased community input immediately and long term, especially from underrepresented groups. Our board has done a wonderful job but it is only appropriate that our district has a board that better reflects the student body. Lived experiences are the missing ingredient.

As a designer, I have always been successful at creating communication pieces that resonate with the client, no matter how foreign or familiar an industry might be. I do this by asking good questions, listening to what is said, noting what is unsaid and conducting and/or referencing research—whatever way, shape or form that may take. The process always informs the final outcome; I never have preconceived notions about what the answer should be because each client is unique in their offerings and position. This is an important lens I bring to the table because the task at hand is to meet the needs of individual students.

I have extensive experience working collaboratively in teams with leadership, colleagues, clients and production vendors to ensure excellent outcomes for all. I have developed solid organizational and communication skills to ensure all parties are on the same page. I worked for two years as a freelance designer and that time cultivated an appreciation for all the parts that need to work together to run a small business.

I work hard and I come prepared. I consider myself a good teammate. If elected, I will be one of seven board members. I believe good relationships are key to the success of any endeavor.

I cannot ask voters to trust me if they don’t know me. The best I can do is inspire a sense of confidence in me as a candidate based on my responses in this profile, my appearance on the League of Women Voters candidate forum, through the messaging on my site and by requesting to speak with me personally, which I am happy to do. I also encourage my fellow community members to speak with anyone who has observed or interacted with me, however brief or extended.

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

In the short term, increased and regular engagement between the board and many different members of our community—the more varied, the better.

In the long term, seeing a truly diverse slate of candidates in future elections. I want to see a board that reflects the various pie charts of our school demographics in every way: by race, gender, geography, socio-economic status and learning ability. I would love to see individuals who do not have children in the school system—if my neighbors are an indicator of the types of people in this district, we need to hear from them. By doing this, we eliminate blind spots. Diversity in leadership engenders empathy and truly equitable decision making for the community as a whole.

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

It’s important to keep the students and their well being first when it comes to financial decision making: their success is a win for all members of the community. Transparency and accountability are paramount in spending taxpayer dollars, especially in a district where close to 15% of students have IEPs, almost 20% are low income and almost 200 individuals are participating in EL programs. We have to be judicious and fair minded when making decisions about how to allocate limited resources in a way that allows each and every student—regardless of background or ability—to truly thrive.

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

The district handled the pandemic phenomenally. It was an unimaginably trying time and I felt that the board, administration and especially teaching staff really made an otherwise awful time, amazing.

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?

In my observation, the meetings during the 2020–2021 school year were tense and emotional but civil. As for how meetings are run, I don’t think anything needs to be changed. We were in uncharted waters and it was necessary for the board to take the time they needed to discuss until a satisfactory resolution was reached. They listened to every single public comment and took into account the myriad perspectives represented. The board offering choice was the result of taking the time to discuss with one another and listen to the community—as painstaking, time consuming and stressful as that was. I have incredible respect for the fact that they set aside their own comfort during those meetings to reach a resolution for the community. We need to continue to allow airtime for discussions.

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

Sex education is an important part of school curriculum. Ideally it should supplement whatever conversations are being had at home but as a parent (and human being in general), it can be a challenging topic to broach for any number of reasons. My parents and I have a language and cultural barrier so school—and for better or for worse, friends—were my two sources of information in a pre-Internet era.

Education in general has always evolved to include new information as we learn more about the world around us. Education should continue to be responsive and adaptive in order to prepare our students to be informed and contributing members of society one day, but also for the safety and mental health of all. Our classrooms should be safe spaces. That being said, it is absolutely key to roll out changes in a curriculum as sensitive and important as this in a way that affirms a family’s role as a partner in their child’s education.

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

Growing up as a minority in this country with immigrant parents, I understand the significance of historically disenfranchised and underrepresented groups being able to tell their story in a way they feel does it justice. These stories are a part of our history as a nation. As for its pertinence in our district, it is important to consider the fact that both Winkelman and Field student bodies are majority non-white and close to 20% are low income.

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 am proud to say that we have an extremely conscientious board and community in this regard. As is true in all aspects of life, there is always room to continue to improve and I know we will.

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?

Our teachers are masterful at what they do and are the reason why our schools are so highly ranked. I am not sure how many of us have borne witness to the wizardry that is teaching, but when done well (as it is in our district), it is nothing short of a miracle. Given the diversity of the student population and the variety of challenges that it presents, it is all the more imperative to support our teachers. We must focus on retaining the high quality teachers we have by fostering a culture of support and open communication, providing opportunities for professional development and offering competitive pay and benefits. We also need to take a hard look at an effective way to recruit and retain new teachers, providing opportunities for growth and mentorship. Talent retention is the number one way to avoid long term financial loss.

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

As much as I would like to say no, I would have to consider stepping down if there was an ethical breach. As a public servant, I could not take part in something that is morally compromising.

The best advice ever shared with me was ____________

“Sometimes you have to stand up for yourself and that can be scary.” A neighbor shared this with me when I was about to head off to college and it really struck me. I want to be honest with everyone: this whole write-in campaign thing is terrifying. I have never done anything like this in my entire life. When I got kicked off the ballot, I had a choice to make: give up or press on. When I say I love this district and am so proud to be a part of it, I mean it whole-heartedly. I thought about this community and the vast needs within it. I considered the potential motivation and symbolism behind the actions taken against me. I weighed what it would mean to give up, what it would cost me to continue on. In the end, I felt compelled to run—win or lose—to empower future candidates and pave the way for a board that one day in the future may better reflect our wonderfully diverse district. It is the way we win as a community. If I can do this, anyone can. Thank you for reading and for your consideration.