League of Women Voters Candidate Forum set for March 30, 2023. 

The Mexico- Audrain County League of Women Voters will host a Candidate Forum for City Council and School Board Candidates Thursday, March 30 at the Mexico YMCA beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Forum will be held in the pickleball court area. 

The League of Women Voters of Mexico-Audrain County is a nonpartisan political organization and cannot endorse or oppose any candidate for office. However, a basic purpose of the League is to promote informed voting. The League makes every effort to assist candidates in presenting their opinion(s) to the voters. 

Each candidate was contacted by the League and asked two questions pertaining to the election. Their responses to these questions as well as their answers to questions submitted by the audience attending the Forum will make up the program. The Forum is open to the public and all are encouraged to attend.

Candidates were asked two questions, with a 200-word answer limit for each.

Here are the questions asked:

1. What are your qualifications for a position on the Mexico School Board?

2. What do you see as the 2 major issues confronting the Mexico School Board during the upcoming term? How would you recommend these issues be addressed?

1. I served three terms (6 years) as a Local School Council (LSC) member at

Bell School, the neighborhood public school in Chicago my children attended.

While serving, I co-chaired the principal selection committee to replace the retiring

principal. I served on the LSC Enrollment and Space Utilization as well as the

Strategic Planning committee. With fundraising, I served 5 years on Friends of

Bell and as chair for 3 years. My classroom experience at Bell was as an art room

volunteer and 3rd grade reading fluency tutor. I was a substitute teacher in various

neighborhood high schools and elementary schools in the Chicago Public School

District.

Growing up in Mexico, I observed the joys and challenges my mother had as

an educator. I have seen public education from the perspective of an educator,

parent and student. Making a positive impact in our community is a goal that I

strive for. I serve as vice chair on Audrain County Crisis Intervention Services’

(ACCIS) board and as chair of Audrain County Health Department’s (ACHD)

board. I understand that as a board member we must consider each side of an issue

and we are here to serve all the students and families, not just a few.

2. I have talked with current and former teachers, students and families,

listened to their concerns and issues that they view need to be addressed. From

those discussions, the top two concerns are teacher retention and how behavioral

issues are handled. I believe we must think outside the box and tailor our solutions

to the needs we have in Mexico.

To have a great community, we must have a thriving and strong school

system. We should listen to the needs and ideas our teachers. Working together to

provide a safe and caring learning environment benefits teachers, students and

families. Enabling our students to embrace knowledge and making them lifelong

learners, not only serves our students well but can have encouraging results in our

community.

To address behavioral issues, there must be accountability. I believe it takes

a team to help guide our students when poor decisions are made. There is a student

handbook for each level of education. Reviewing and discussing these policies to

make sure issues are being addressed is a start. We need to make sure students,

parents and teachers are all aware of the policies and that when rules are broken,

there are consequences for poor decisions.