Medina, Kubricht hope to shake up D209 board majority

Proviso Excels candidates call for accountability for Board of Education

By AMARIS E. RODRIGUEZ Staff Reporter

It is gearing up to be a fierce campaign for the three open seats on the Proviso Township High School District 209 school board in the April 4 election. Following a year of controversy, the Proviso Excels slate hopes to reach voters with the promises of open communication and reinstatement of accountability, something both candidates say currently lacks on the school board.

Claudia Medina, an incumbent, is seeking reelection during this year’s election. Medina, who owns Bilingual Montessori Lab Academy in Forest Park, has dedicated her life to education, with a Masters in Elementary Education as well as serving as a professor for Montessori teacher training. Serving on the Proviso board since 2015, Medina had a hand in the financial restructuring of D209 under for mer Superintendent Dr Jesse Rodriguez and has served on various committees

Currently, Medina hopes for another ter m to continue to advocate for the Proviso community amidst what has been a polarizing few years. Despite the lack of unity on the current board, Medina believes the district holds a special place for many.

“Proviso is a family, it is not an institution and once you become part of Proviso, everybody knows each other and it is a tight knit and war m community,” Medina said, adding that Proviso is a district with very dedicated staff which is trying to survive with the resources given.

Medina is a vocal advocate for teachers, standing by them during the teacher strike in 2022. Under the current board majority, Medina said teachers have seen their working conditions worsen, causing a shortage of teachers at the schools.

“The teachers are struggling, and we are hemorrhaging teachers right now,” Medina said, adding that the district does not have enough teachers to cover all classes, leaving many students without options besides remedial classes Additionally, Medina said remaining teachers have seen their class sizes increased to an unmanageable number, 35 students per teacher

Medina, who was the first Latina elected to the board, said it is important to have leaders who care, are involved, and advocate proactively for families and students to not only feel safe at school but also in the community, adding she has worked to make Proviso a safe environment for all immigrant and refugee communities. swering questions and quite frankly that includes board members. If you are not part of his ‘Henderson Five,’ he has five board members he communicates to and two he does not.”

To move the district forward, Medina would support a current equity study for the district to know the needs of the community and how to better serve families. Two programs which have fallen out of compliance and need attention are ESL and the Special Education program, said Medina, who calls for an increase in translation services to better serve the 30 percent of parents in the district who don’t speak English.

“Leadership with integrity,” is what Medina hopes will be in the future of the board after this election as she believes the current board majority is not welcoming to teachers or community input.

As part of her campaign, Medina is running on the promise of requiring an annual superintendent evaluation, fair teacher, support and staff contracts, as well as resolving the district, also believes that it directly affects Proviso Township taxpayers as well.

“All the communities in Proviso township, the quality of the high school education directly affects their property values. The better quality of education we are able to give means people are going to stay here longer,” Kubricht said. “Education makes people want to stay here, makes people want to buy here, which then in tur n gives us a stronger and solid tax base to continue to fund education and everything else within our district.”

Not impressed with the way the current board operates, Kubricht is a vocal critic of the current board majority and Supt. Henderson, who he believes has created a situation of chaos with cuts in staff, programs, and the mismanagement of finances and spending.

On top of a lack of communication, the current administration structure leaves more to be desired, said Medina.

“Our administrative structure needs to be changed as well,” Medina said. “Dr [James] Henderson has a tendency of switching jobs around so much, nobody knows who to go to and when. We don’t have a good communication system. We have had issues with phones Parents don’t know where to go, who to go to, who addresses this or the other.”

The removal of deans, counselors, and mental health services is weighing strongly on the Proviso community, said Medina, who believes the current board is functioning as a “dictatorial” regime that does not allow for open conversation.

“When people come to talk to the board there is a lot of hostility, a lot of shut down, people don’t listen, there is a lot of denying that things are happening” Medina said. “When people come to us it’s because they are desperate, and they want answers The superintendent has a tendency of not an-

. Additionally, a big issue facing the district is the lack of financial transparency, said Medina, adding the district currently does not have a finance committee, making it hard to have accountability on spending.

Jon Kubricht, who first was going to serve as Medina’s campaign manager, is now her slate mate, hoping to bring his strong finance background to the school board. A resident of Forest Park, Kubricht said he noticed after analyzing the candidates that the district was in need of strong financial guidance.

“I feel like I would be a good balance to educators, to parents,” Kubricht said. “You need to round up the board with a lot of different skill sets and I think my skill set is missing.”

For Kubricht, the biggest concer n facing the district at the moment is the low amount of money currently being spent per student. Not only is this directly affecting students’ quality of education as programs and departments have been defunded or completely cut, but Kubricht, who does not have children in

“The current superintendent tries to create a situation where chaos happens on a daily basis and nobody knows what to do, how to correct it, who to talk to, and chaos rules,” Kubricht said. “I think he does that intentionally, so nobody knows what is going on.”

Open lines of communication with other board members, students, staff, and parents are beneficial to all, said Kubricht, saying that if elected he will use those moments as a lear ning opportunity for him as well. Additionally, Kubricht takes a strong position in knowing the value of the teachers at Proviso.

“Teachers need to be respected and appreciated by the board,” Kubricht said, adding they should have received a fair contract from Henderson from the beginning. “Fair contract, appreciativeness, and responsiveness from the administration is what is needed to give teachers the adequate support they deserve, and our students deserve that as well.”

By addressing the needs of faculty and students, Kubricht is convinced Proviso

See D209 CAMPAIGN on pa ge 9

Forest Park has so much potential to grow and develop. I want to continue being a part of the leadership team that makes it happen! Expanding opportunities for everyone in our village, allows us to keep strengthening our community. We are quickly approaching election day and I need your support for RE-ELECTION, to continue to serve. As a team player, and self-starter I believe I have the experience and skills to move Forest Park forward. Please Vote NERO April 4.