Meet Shane Wilson: School District 146 Candidate

OAK FOREST, IL — Meet Shane Wilson, Community Consolidated School District 146 school board candidate. The Consolidated Elections are April 6.

Wilson recently filled out the Patch candidate survey, and his answers can be seen below.

If you are a candidate for the April election, and would like to answer our Patch candidate questionnaire, please email yasmeen.sheikah@patch.com.

Shane Wilson

Age (as of election)

50

Town/city of residence

Orland Park

School District

Community Consolidated School District 146

Family

My wife, my son (13), and one noisy cockatiel.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

None

Education

Bachelors’ degree from the University of Texas, ’88

Occupation

I have been communications manager at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago for 4 1⁄2 years, where I help spread the message that science is accessible to everyone and that science education for all children is fundamental to human progress.

Campaign website

ShaneWilsonD146.org

Previous or current elected or appointed office

I have never served in public office.

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

The single most pressing issue facing our Board and all of District 146 is overcoming the debilitating effects of the pandemic. The coronavirus has disrupted the education of our children in unprecedented ways. Our students have experienced five different forms of education in the past 12 months. This has been challenging on multiple levels — academically, financially, psychologically — all while trying to achieve physical safety.

I support an education model that is kind and responsive, providing fair and equal access for all students. Currently, that requires offering a balance of in-person and remote instruction that does not favor one group over another, and is predicated on giving teachers the same consideration we give parents — the ability to choose what is safest for them and their families. Ignoring the realities of the worldwide health crisis is not working. We need an approach grounded in science and compassion for everyone in our community, especially the vulnerable.

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

I am a new voice. I care about honoring and representing all families and staff, unlike the current board, which has ignored the recommendations of the talented staff and administration and used their influence to lobby for a model that favors some families while greatly disadvantaging others. I am not affiliated with any of the other candidates — I am not a fellow incumbent; I am not a member of a slate; and I am not an employee of another candidate.

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

The current board has pitted parents against teachers as well as parents against other parents, using divisive tactics in the hopes it will distract people from their plan, which puts real lives at risk. We need a board that isn’t petty. We need leadership that brings our community together — not divides it.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Once we can move on from concerns about the coronavirus and providing equal education during a pandemic, the Board must confront some serious concerns going forward:
- We will need to address our teacher shortage and restore confidence in our District as an employer. The pandemic has stretched our resources to their limits, and we should not expect that to bounce back once we safely reopen our doors, especially as the emotional reactions linger.
- I want to help our administration pursue goals that will make District 146 competitive academically with nearby districts. We aren’t the wealthiest in suburban Cook County, but our teachers and staff are exemplary, and we should strive to see regular improvements against our benchmarks.
- I also want to see a more open and inclusive form of governance on the Board. At present, there is little-to-no public explanation for the Board’s decisions about the issues
facing our District. The Board does invite public comment, but declines to offer opportunities for dialogue or any other interaction that would indicate they are listening to those comments. During the pandemic, they limited comment to those attending live, specifically closing off the voices of those most heavily impacted by the issues they were discussing. They have even ignored the experts they themselves hired, teachers and administrators with years of experience and advanced degrees. Elected officials owe the public their judgment, but they also owe that public an understanding of how that judgment was reached.

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

In my current job, I work with multiple stakeholders to support the financial health of the institution, including helping to bring in the largest single gift in the museum's history. I have also served as a board member for a condominium association, where I argued for fiscal responsibility and worked to keep assessments down

Why should voters trust you?

I work for an institution that advocates for a rich, public education for all children and champions science as a means of seek truth and understand our world. I am also a parent of a student in the district, so the needs of children are foremost in my mind.

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

Our current board has gone to extreme lengths to ram through a full-time, in-person model that isn’t justified by academic need or scientific recommendation, that offers an inferior education to a third of our students, and is not supported by 84% of teachers and staff. I want to help bring about an education plan that allows every student to receive the best possible education, regardless of whether they are at home or in the building. I will be most proud when we can open our doors safely, without the risk of infection from COVID-19.

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

The pandemic has forced us to allocate funds in ways that we have never anticipated. Remote teaching technology, building safety measures, and teacher recruitment in a shortage have all forced us to rethink budget priorities. I think we should continue a policy of responsible budgeting and tax abatement wherever possible, especially to ensure that our residents don’t feel compelled by economics to move out of the District. However, we must factor in the reality that we will be dealing with the changes forced upon us by the pandemic for several years.

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?

We can’t deny that our society is calling for change. For me personally, the best way to be an ally for positive social change – especially for Black lives – has been through my work at the Museum of Science and Industry on initiatives that promote Black creativity and shine a light on inspirational figures who were previously hidden or ignored. My work also helps the institution raise funds dedicated to giving kids in our community greater access to STEAM pathways. If elected, I would bring the same dedication to education and spirit of inclusion serving and representing the District’s diverse interests and needs.

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

Our schools can be a powerful force for good in teaching the principles of racial equality and the history of inequity in our country. It has been said that we fear what we don’t know. Exposure to a wide range of history and culture helps to tell the human story and helps curious children become thoughtful and compassionate adults. Our Board should seek out ways to include those stories in our curricula.

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?

Teachers and administrators have made superhuman efforts to try and maintain a steady and meaningful educational system under difficult circumstances, and they have attempted to ensure safety despite demands for unsafe conditions. Unfortunately, the Board has consistently prioritized a rapid return to previous conditions over an equitable and safe program, culminating in the decision made in just the past few days to institute a return to full-time in-person learning, over the objections of the administration and teachers and against the recommendations of health agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.
No one is more eager than I am for my son to return to school, but safety must be the first requirement. Some families require remote learning for health reasons. Other families need the hybrid option because of financial or socio-emotional demands. The situation demands an approach that allows all families to get what they need, and the hybrid/remote mix that was implemented in November has equitably distributed finite resources. It’s a shame that the Board has pushed our administration to abandon this approach right when we have the chance to eradicate COVID-19 completely. The result has been conflict and harmful rhetoric that was easily avoided.
As long as there is a risk of infection of a deadly virus, then masks and testing are appropriate measures. We should not abandon any approach that can help to stop this disease in its tracks.

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

The vaccines currently available have been permitted by the FDA under an Emergency Use Authorization. This means they have been rigorously reviewed, but also that they will continue to be evaluated in anticipation of final FDA approval. I strongly encourage everyone to get the vaccine when it becomes available, as it is the centerpiece of our strategy to end the pandemic, and I am especially eager to see the introduction of a pediatric vaccine for students. However, I would reserve making them mandatory until they receive final approval, and then only if the state deems it to be on the level of other mandatory immunizations, such as rubella and varicella.

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

I am running to serve a full four-year term as a member of the District 146 Board of Education, and I plan to complete my term of office if elected.

The best advice ever shared with me was ____________

It’s never too late to make a difference.