Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series of candidate profiles for the District 65 board election.
Patricia S. Anderson is one of 12 candidates running for four open seats on the Evanston/Skokie School District 65 Board of Education.
The 9th Ward resident spent more than 30 years working in District 65, an experience she said will inform her decisions should she be elected to the board. Anderson also highlighted the importance of equity and building strong relationships within the board.
“The first priority is developing the new board,” Anderson said. “The 12 candidates all have good qualifications, but only four of us are going to be elected. So, the four that will be elected will have to develop a working relationship with the three remaining members and the superintendent.”
Anderson is a licensed physical therapist and highlights her completion of multiple equity-based training programs, including National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity).
The Daily sat down with Anderson to discuss her vision for the district if elected.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
The Daily: What went into your decision to run for school board?
Anderson: I worked for District 65 for 30 years as a pediatric physical therapist. I was itinerant, so I traveled to every school. During that tenure, I saw how the district functions from the inside out. And my granddaughter goes to (Dr.) Bessie Rhodes (School of Global Studies). That’s been a very challenging experience for her and all the other kids. … I mean, children were crying. It was devastating to that community.
Before that, I had started watching and attending more board meetings. And that’s when some questions in my mind started to occur. That was when the discussions about the financial situation of the district were beginning to be discussed, and then the truth of the matter unfolded over several more meetings.
The Daily: What qualifications do you bring to the table?
Anderson: In my position in the district, I worked with students receiving special education, so among the candidates, I’m the only one that has that depth of experience and knowledge in terms of what happens for students in the district who receive special education services.
Because of my training as a physical therapist, I serviced children (from age) 0 to 3, followed them into the school district, and then followed them to eighth grade and went through transitions with them to Evanston Township High School. So I’ve seen the full breadth of that experience for students.
Another qualification I have is that I’m nationally trained as an equity facilitator. … Based on the national environment we live in now, that’s gonna be something that we need to continue. We’re gonna have to navigate that.
The Daily: Out of everything you would want to accomplish as a board member, what is your first and foremost goal for your term?
Anderson: The financial picture of the district is really something that has to be addressed immediately. … So, building the board into a good working relationship and addressing the reduction plans. Then another thing that kind of is a thread through all is really regaining the trust of the community because things haven’t always been transparent or welcoming.
The Daily: Phase 3 of the district’s Structural Deficit Reduction Plan includes school consolidations. As a board member, what are your priorities when it comes to navigating these consolidations and Phase 3 as a whole?
Anderson: As a board member, it’s not going to be just my decision. I’m going to be working with six other people to figure that out. But because I’ve been in every building, I know the physical condition of every building. And because of the kids I work with, I know how that influences their access to education.
One of the considerations will probably be the physical condition of the buildings because of the capital improvements plan, and the exorbitant amount of money that includes will have to be another consideration.
There are a lot of different factors that will come in. You have to talk to the community, and parents have to give some input. It’s going to be a tough decision.
The Daily: One thing several community members have spoken about, especially regarding the closing of Bessie Rhodes, is a lack of communication and transparency from the board. How do you plan to address this gap?
Anderson: Part of the school board’s responsibility, and this is on the District 65 website, is each school board member is assigned to be a liaison to a school or several schools. But when I asked several schools about their liaison, they didn’t really have a strong relationship. There are a lot of things in place that, if they were instituted, would improve things immediately.
A lot of the district communication is online and digital, and that’s not always helpful. So that’s one of the things that’s come out of this first debt reduction plan: There’s been a lot of in-person community-based meetings, and I think that’s gonna have to continue.
Email: hannahwebster2027@u.northwestern.edu
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
