Valarie Hays: Candidate For Deerfield School District 109

DEERFIELD, IL — Ahead of the April 6 consolidated municipal elections, Deerfield Patch provided questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot.

Eight candidates are vying for four seats on the Deerfield School District 109 Board of Education on Election Day. They include two incumbents (Andrew Morrison and Sari Montgomery) and six challengers (Dana Blumberg, James D’Angelo, Valarie Hays, Kelly Jakymiw, Jonathan Silver and Maureen G. Wener). Current trustees Kate Bittner and Scott Kluge are not running for reelection.

Deerfield Patch is publishing all responses submitted by candidates verbatim.

Valarie Hays

Age (as of election day)

45

Town/city of residence

Deerfield

School district

DPS 109/113

Family

I am married and have two children, both of whom went to South Park Elementary School and are currently at Caruso Middle School.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

Yes, my husband is a judge in Lake County.

Education

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (BA-1997) (summa cum laude/Bronze Tablet); Harvard Law School (JD-2000)

Occupation

Attorney

Campaign website

www.abcdeerfield.com

Previous or current elected or appointed office

N/A

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The most pressing issue currently facing District 109 is assessing the extent of our students’ learning loss and socio-emotional issues caused by the pandemic and taking prompt action to address the deficits. As a first step, a comprehensive analysis needs to be conducted to fully assess the losses, including parent and teacher surveys, analysis of test scores, and consideration of academic and social development deficiencies and motivational challenges that cannot be captured by standardized tests. The next step is to develop a detailed and thoughtful short and long-term plan of action. In developing the plan, there should be consideration of options such as forming community partnerships with local organizations to help our staff and students, after-school programs, summer school, tutoring through interventionists, and providing teachers with professional development opportunities focused on strategies for helping students overcome learning loss, among other options.

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

I think what sets me apart is my leadership and communication skills that have been developed through my career as an attorney over the last 20 years. As an attorney, I advocate on behalf of my corporate and individual clients on a regular basis, negotiate effective resolutions, and work collaboratively with stakeholders who hold diverse perspectives. For example, I have represented schools and colleges in several highly sensitive and controversial matters. These matters entailed meeting with numerous stakeholders to gain a better understanding of their perspectives and using that information to develop recommendations for changes to the schools’ and colleges’ policies and procedures, specifically, changes that take into account all stakeholders’ interests, ensure their safety and well-being, and promote their academic and career success. As a result of my professional experience, I know how to effectively anticipate and respond to my clients’ needs, communicate in a consistent and transparent manner, and articulate well-reasoned and supported explanations for why certain decisions are being made. If elected, I will apply that same level of client service to the stakeholders in this community.

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

The Board has failed the District with respect to the gifted program for grade school and middle school students. The elimination of the TAP/advanced English Language Arts curriculum for both the grade schools and middle schools and the elimination of the TAP/advanced math curriculum for third and fourth graders in 2018 was based on inadequate justifications, and the promised substitutes for the TAP program have either not come to fruition or otherwise pale in comparison to the quality and rigor of the TAP program.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I am committed to ensuring that our schools provide the highest quality of education to the students. We pay high property taxes in this District, and as a result, we have the resources to provide all students with the educational support they need to maximize their potential and develop their unique talents and interests. Indeed, that is a primary reason why many residents choose to live here and pay the high taxes. Whatever issues arise, if elected, my decisions will be guided by that overarching priority to provide top-notch education. To that end, I also will work with the administration to assess whether the elimination of the foreign language program in the grade schools was an overall net gain or loss to our District (i.e., how much value has been added by the new classes that replaced the foreign language option), whether students with 504 plans are receiving the accommodations they need in the classroom, why Caruso has dropped to a 7 in school ratings, and how we are ensuring that students are meeting academic standards that are not captured by standardized tests yet will be needed to succeed in high school and college (e.g., essay/writing skills).

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

As a part-owner and founding partner of a successful law firm that employs over 130 individuals, I have demonstrated management and leadership skills, along with good judgment. I also have substantial experience in working with my partners to build consensus on decisions regarding the operation and management of the firm. To build consensus, there must be a willingness to compromise. I have learned that compromise is easier when I listen to understand rather than to respond and when I consider how my partners’ personal situations have shaped their perspectives.

Why should voters trust you?

Voters should trust me because of my demonstrated commitment to public service over the years, including through my tenure as a federal prosecutor and my more recent service on various boards of directors and through my pro bono legal work. Parents should trust me because I have had kids in the District 109 schools for the last eight years, and there is value in having that historical perspective. I also have personal experience with a range of educational issues of interest to many parents, including the gifted program and the implementation of 504 plans. With respect to earning the trust of teachers, I taught Trial Advocacy at Northwestern University for a couple years, and in that capacity, I gained further appreciation for the amount of work it takes teachers to prepare for classes and the power they have to inspire students and serve as role models. Finally, I currently serve on my law firm’s Recruiting and Associate Development Committee, where I strategize on ways to ensure that the younger attorneys at our firm receive the education, training, mentor support, and inclusion they need to develop as attorneys.

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

I would consider my term in office to be a success if new families move to District 109 because of the quality of the schools, we retain our great teachers, and new first-rate teachers with many job options choose to teach in our community.

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

The majority of our tax dollars is directed to educating the students in this District, as it should be. However, the Board still needs to be fiscally responsible with how our community’s tax dollars are spent. Expenditures of thousands of dollars on guest speakers, for example, is of limited value, and the justifications for making these types of expenditures should be fully explored and transparent. On the flip side, making cuts to valuable academic programs for the purpose of saving money only can be justified if the costs of the program outweigh the benefits. It is critically important that the Board consider the pros and cons of changes to the curriculum in a thoughtful way before making these types of decisions, and that includes taking into account the viewpoints of teachers, who are the curriculum experts, parents, and students.

Do you support Black Lives Matter and what are your thoughts on the demonstrations held since the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake?

Yes, I strongly support peaceful demonstrations focused on promoting racial equity.

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

The formation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee is an excellent, much-needed development. It is important that this Committee consists of members who represent a diversity of viewpoints and that the Committee members gather information from all stakeholders regarding perceived gaps in the curriculum. The Committee should meet frequently, have a defined plan of action, and keep the community informed about its finding and progress. This will help the Board assess what further actions need to be taken.

What are your thoughts on the district’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic? Are you in favor of remote learning, in-person learning or a hybrid of the two? Do you support a mask mandate for students and school staff, or mandatory coronavirus testing for both students and staff?

I fully support the District’s decision to return the students to full-time in-person learning on March 8th.

With respect to the District’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, I recognize the challenges the District faced in balancing the interests and conflicting positions of parents, students and school staff with respect to the remote/in-person/hybrid decisions. Although I think many other school districts’ decisions resulted in a better balance of interests (and a better middle school hybrid plan), my biggest concern was with the Board’s communication on these issues. For example, in the late summer and early fall, I believe there should have been more communication with the teachers about their concerns and positions regarding in-person learning. There also should have been more Board member participation in questioning the rationales behind the Re-Entry Task Force’s recommendations during Board meetings so parents could understand the bases for the decisions, including the proposed re-entry timeline. There also should have been more decisiveness and less vacillation in Board decisions. The community’s perception should not be that the loudest voices will sway the Board’s decisions. There also should have been more opportunities for the parents to communicate with the Board in a live setting. Board meetings that entail listening to two or three hours of recorded phone messages from members of the community and then moving on to the next agenda item with no responses or answers provided is not helpful to anyone. Relatedly, more consideration could be shown to the members of the community with respect to giving timely notice of Board agendas and changes to school schedules. The Board meeting agenda items also should be organized in a thoughtful way that results in the agenda items that are driving high attendance being placed at the beginning rather than the end of the agenda. This would send a message that the Board recognizes its constituents’ time is limited and valuable, especially when the constituents are juggling the additional burdens and stresses caused by a pandemic. Finally, from a leadership perspective, I would have liked to see the Board do more to try to reduce the divisiveness in the community. Transparency and empathy would have gone a long way in achieving this goal, including clear and forthright explanations for why certain decisions were being made (especially during times when our neighboring districts were offering at least some live instruction), a sincerely expressed recognition of the drawbacks to remote instruction, and relentless efforts to mitigate the downsides of remote instruction through socio-emotional support resources for students, more consideration for the challenges of households with two working parents, and closer monitoring and support for the students who were prone to struggle the most academically in a remote learning environment.

With respect to a mask mandate for students and school staff, yes, at this point in time, I fully support the mandate (with exceptions, of course, when medically necessary). I also support mandatory coronavirus testing for students and staff at this point in time, but I understand that mandatory testing for staff is precluded by the union contract.

When the vaccine is available to them, do you support mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for students and staff?

I do not support mandatory vaccinations at this time for students or staff.

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 told me two things growing up: “Keep life simple,” and as he dropped me off for school, he frequently would say, “Be a sponge.” As the years pass, the first one makes more sense, and I wish I would have listened to him more on the second one.