Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series of candidate profiles for the District 65 board election.
Heather Vezner, who lives on the border of the two municipalities — a Skevanston resident, as she calls herself — is running for the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education.
The retired pharmaceutical quality assurance director said she wants to use her financial management expertise and experience at a school that was taken over by the state to prevent the same from happening to District 65.
“I remember there being very steep cuts to our extracurricular activities, things that help students thrive,” Vezner said. “They need to have those outlets.”
She has two stepdaughters who attended Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Literary and Fine Arts School.
Vezner spoke with The Daily about her goals if elected to the board.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
The Daily: What went into your decision to run for the school board?
Vezner: The school district that I was a part of when I was a student, they were taken over by the state because they were poorly managed. When those discussions started happening with this school district — that it’s a possibility — that made me want to be part of the school board and make sure that that does not happen in the Evanston/Skokie community.
The Daily: What would your first goal be as a board member?
Vezner: Return us to solid financial footing. That’s going to make sure that we project to our community and people that want to move here that we have good schools (and) good teachers. We need to present that we are stable.
The Daily: Phase 3 of District 65’s Structural Deficit Reduction Plan includes school consolidations. How would you approach these consolidations and Phase 3 of the plan as a whole?
Vezner: I would look to see that (the district’s consultants) use certain criteria, like school enrollments, staffing sizes, and the age and current status of the buildings.
I’ve seen disparities in student class sizes, and some schools have very low enrollments, and some schools have very high enrollment. If we can consolidate those schools and make the student-to-teacher ratios more average across the district, that would be really beneficial.
The Daily: During the discussions to close Dr. Bessie Rhodes School of Global Studies, several community members said there wasn’t a lot of communication or transparency from the board. As a board member, how would you address that gap?
Vezner: (Superintendent Angel) Turner and her team are doing a good job since Bessie Rhodes. I think they learned their lesson there.
They held listening sessions in November, took that feedback (and) presented it to the board as part of their decisions for the SDRP. Then in January, did a roadshow within the community and explained what reductions will be needed. I, as a board member, would want to carry that forward, that transparency.
The Daily: On your campaign website, you also talk about giving teachers and staff more training and tools to help their work. What do these training and tools look like, and what do you hope they help accomplish?
Vezner: With the new standards-based grading that’s been adopted, based on comments at board meetings, it looks like it’s being difficult to be adopted by the teachers. So I would want to give them more training or resources on adopting it and executing it.
Email: anaviprakash2027@u.northwestern.edu
X: @anavi_52
Related Stories:
— Q&A: D65 candidate Dan Lyonsmith talks classroom sizes, school consolidation planning
— Q&A: D65 candidate Brandon Utter shares Two-Way Immersion visions
