Maria Vasilopoulos: 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.

Dr. Maria Vasilopoulos

Town/city of residence

Northbrook

School district

West Northfield School District 31

Family

Husband and 2 children, ages 8 and 9.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Doctoral Degree: Loyola University, Curriculum Instruction, and Educational Psychology. Master's Degree: Northwestern University, School Administration, Bachelor's Degree: Northwestern University, Mathematics

Occupation

High School Administrator, 27 years in education

Campaign website

https://www.d31bettertogether....

Previous or current elected or appointed office

Current member, D31 Board of Education, completing 4-year term

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

Our District is always forward-moving - we focus on continued improvement for ALL. As a Board Member I took an active role in working with key stakeholders in helping to develop our recently approved D31 Strategic Plan. We will continue our focus on continual improvement in a number of areas: 1. Student Growth and Achievement 2. Supportive Learning Environments 3. Professional Practice and Shared Leadership 4. Family and Community Partnerships, and 5. Finances, Facilities, and Technology.

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

There are two main areas in which I differ from the other candidates. 1. My experience and background in having served on the D31 School Board for 4 years. This has given me a tremendous knowledge-base of our District's history and past and future needs. 2. My expertise in the field of education. I have over 25 years of experience (as a teacher and administrator) which provides me with a unique lens in which I can share, inform, and contribute to conversations.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

My campaign slogan is D31BetterTogether - because I know that working together as a community, we can achieve more and do better for ALL.

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

I'm particularly adept at navigating challenging situations and bringing people together. I think in any disagreement, one can always find common ground and this has been evidenced not only in my work on a school board but in my everyday work as well.

Why should voters trust you?

I believe trust is earned. I've worked hard these last 4 years to serve our community as part of a team of 7 Board Members. Working as a team of Board members and school leadership, I helped to navigate our District through one of the most trying times in education. The recent pandemic has challenged us all, but I hope that my support of our community and District through this pandemic and beyond, has earned the trust of our stakeholders. EVERY child is at the center of my thoughts when serving on a school board - that's the spirit of my service and what I see as essential to my role.

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

What is essential to point out, is that the work of a Board, is as good as the members of the team. If I can help my team to improve D31 for ALL, then I would consider my term in office a success.

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

Understanding finances and maintaining a balanced budget, while planning for continual needs of the district is a challenge - it's important that we keep students at the forefront and use resources creatively and conservatively to best meet the needs of all.

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

I am most proud of how D31 handled every aspect of what the pandemic dealt us. We led with flexibility and creativity and were able to pivot with the changing landscape. Most importantly, we were one of the few Districts that were able to not only retain a continuum of services, but offered both IN PERSON and REMOTE learning options for families AND staff to choose what worked best for them. Our Board was extremely supportive of school leadership and did whatever was needed to remove obstacles and provide resources where they were needed.

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?

From every challenge, there are lessons to be learned. I think every school board learned that policies and procedures needed to be reviewed with respect to open meetings, community input, and discussions. We took steps to continue welcoming our community in dialogue and even today, continue streaming our meetings, as allowing ALL members to freely access information and be engaged in the work of the district, is extremely important to our work as a community.

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

I believe sex education, when offered at developmentally appropriate levels, is completely appropriate. Many look to schools to teach about sex education and essential studies.
However, I also believe that parents have a right to opt their children out of units of study that they would prefer handling in their own way.

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

The term "critical race theory" has become very polarizing. I think it's important to first seek to understand and approach the topic by first building a common vocabulary within our community, with which we can then engage in conversations in a meaningful way. There's an essential component to education here that's often missed.

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

We recently completed an Equity Audit and included many of the recommendations as part of our Strategic Plan. We continue to examine our data to ensure that we are meeting the needs of all, and creating learning spaces that are inviting, comfortable, and safe.

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?

We are fortunate to have high-achieving and award-winning schools - but we can't rest there. We need to bring to focus what EACH child needs and focus on improvement for ALL. It's not enough to look at data as a whole to show improvement - what's more important is to dig deep and realize that consolidated data in schools, lacks meaning if not looked at as representative of individual children. With an increased focus on EACH child, we can expect to continue to our trajectory in improvement.

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 ____________

Many situations are often portrayed as black and white - but the interesting part, the part that we learn and grow from, is in the middle. It's the gray area that challenges us as humans and allows us to grow as a community - it's the gray that brings us together. Children are each unique - in a community as rich in diversity as ours, it's recognizing and owning that once size rarely fits all.