jean hahn
district 203 NTHS school district
candidate video
responses to voter guide questions
1. Why are you running for school board and what are your qualifications?
New Trier is unquestionably one of our community’s most precious assets and its well-deserved reputation as an exceptional public school is the reason many of us choose to live in the Township. Since 2019, I have had the distinct honor of serving on the New Trier Board of Education. I hope to continue my service to the community in support of New Trier’s on-going efforts to provide the exceptional educational experience and responsible financial stewardship that our students, parents, and taxpayers expect and deserve. During the 18 years my family has lived in Glencoe, I have volunteered thousands of hours to our community’s public schools, including two terms on the Glencoe District 35 Board of Education, from 2011 to 2019.
In my twelve years of school board experience, I have served in several roles and on nearly every committee. Currently, I serve as the Board Vice President as well as the Chair of the Finance Committee, a member of the Policy Committee, the liaison to the New Trier Educational Foundation, and as a member of the negotiation team in the collective bargaining process with our teachers. Previously, I served on the Community Engagement Committee, the Environmental Committee, the Reopening Advisory Board, the negotiation team with the support staff, and as the liaison to the Booster Club. During my tenure in the Glencoe schools, we oversaw the selection and transition of a new superintendent, the negotiation of a five-year collective bargaining agreement, the introduction of all-day kindergarten, and the installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system.
In addition to my extensive board experience, the strong and productive working relationships I have developed with my board colleagues, the Administration, and other community members will allow the next Board to govern with continuity and stability in the coming years. My legal training and experience, including my current immigration law practice with the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, have helped me to hone my skills for effective collaboration, navigating complex issues and balancing competing interests. I take pride in my ability to listen to, empathize with, and extend grace to everyone – endeavoring to see all sides of an issue.
2. What are your top priorities for D203 and what do you hope to accomplish as a board member?
A top priority for the Board will be to continue its partnership with the Administration to advance the goals and objectives set forth in the District’s strategic plan, New Trier 2030. Adopted by the Board in 2019 with extensive input from the community, New Trier 2030 represents a dynamic and flexible approach to defining and assessing progress toward our annual as well as long-range priorities. Specifically, over the next four years, I am committed to supporting the increasingly complex needs of our students through several exciting initiatives including the transition to a new organizational and leadership model for providing comprehensive student services, the continued cultivation of a culture of belonging, and the ongoing effort to provide a safe and secure learning environment for our students and staff.
3. How should D203 address the different needs of all students?
Despite its large size, New Trier has earned a reputation for providing an individualized educational experience for all students. New Trier strives to support the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of every student through a combination of our extensive program of studies, one of a kind adviser system, robust extracurricular offerings, and the evidence-based multi-tiered systems of support framework that aims to meet every student where they are. As a parent as well as a board member, I recognize that every student’s path is different, and that New Trier’s job is to partner with our students and families so that we can support each student on their unique journey through New Trier.
4. What are your views on New Trier High School’s curriculum?
The Board’s primary responsibility is to prudently invest the community’s tax dollars to provide an educational environment that prepares our students for their future. To that end, we adopt policies that guide our highly qualified, professional, and dedicated faculty as they develop a rich and rigorous curriculum aimed at teaching our students how to think, not what to think. Within the parameters delineated by the Board in the strategic plan, New Trier 2030, our professional faculty are afforded the academic freedom to design and implement curriculum and instruction that not only exposes our students to a broad array of content but equips them with the skills and dispositions they need to navigate an increasingly complex world. The process of curriculum and instruction development is subject to Board oversight and is conducted in close collaboration with department leadership and administrators. While we generally believe that students benefit from exposure to diverse concepts and challenging content, the Board provides fair procedures through which students, parents/guardians, and community members may raise concerns regarding specific curriculum.
5. What do you feel the community’s role should be in public high school education?
I believe in the power of our public schools to forge strong, healthy communities by providing a space where every member, regardless of their race, religion, tax bracket, or political opinion, is invited to contribute their voice to the common goal of preparing our children for the future. Understanding that our committed and engaged community is one of New Trier’s greatest strengths and respecting that this engagement sets New Trier apart from other schools informs all my work as a Board member. During my 12 years of board service, I have worked hard to foster relationships with stakeholders both within the school as well as in the wider community. These relationships, built on trust and mutual respect, empower New Trier not only to expand opportunities for students but to enrich the lives of all our residents. As one of the few institutions that serve all the residents of our township, New Trier is uniquely situated to foster the connections that are central to the vibrance and vitality of the place we all call home.
New Trier is unquestionably one of our community’s most precious assets and its well-deserved reputation as an exceptional public school is the reason many of us choose to live in the Township. Since 2019, I have had the distinct honor of serving on the New Trier Board of Education. I hope to continue my service to the community in support of New Trier’s on-going efforts to provide the exceptional educational experience and responsible financial stewardship that our students, parents, and taxpayers expect and deserve. During the 18 years my family has lived in Glencoe, I have volunteered thousands of hours to our community’s public schools, including two terms on the Glencoe District 35 Board of Education, from 2011 to 2019.
In my twelve years of school board experience, I have served in several roles and on nearly every committee. Currently, I serve as the Board Vice President as well as the Chair of the Finance Committee, a member of the Policy Committee, the liaison to the New Trier Educational Foundation, and as a member of the negotiation team in the collective bargaining process with our teachers. Previously, I served on the Community Engagement Committee, the Environmental Committee, the Reopening Advisory Board, the negotiation team with the support staff, and as the liaison to the Booster Club. During my tenure in the Glencoe schools, we oversaw the selection and transition of a new superintendent, the negotiation of a five-year collective bargaining agreement, the introduction of all-day kindergarten, and the installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system.
In addition to my extensive board experience, the strong and productive working relationships I have developed with my board colleagues, the Administration, and other community members will allow the next Board to govern with continuity and stability in the coming years. My legal training and experience, including my current immigration law practice with the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic, have helped me to hone my skills for effective collaboration, navigating complex issues and balancing competing interests. I take pride in my ability to listen to, empathize with, and extend grace to everyone – endeavoring to see all sides of an issue.
2. What are your top priorities for D203 and what do you hope to accomplish as a board member?
A top priority for the Board will be to continue its partnership with the Administration to advance the goals and objectives set forth in the District’s strategic plan, New Trier 2030. Adopted by the Board in 2019 with extensive input from the community, New Trier 2030 represents a dynamic and flexible approach to defining and assessing progress toward our annual as well as long-range priorities. Specifically, over the next four years, I am committed to supporting the increasingly complex needs of our students through several exciting initiatives including the transition to a new organizational and leadership model for providing comprehensive student services, the continued cultivation of a culture of belonging, and the ongoing effort to provide a safe and secure learning environment for our students and staff.
3. How should D203 address the different needs of all students?
Despite its large size, New Trier has earned a reputation for providing an individualized educational experience for all students. New Trier strives to support the academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs of every student through a combination of our extensive program of studies, one of a kind adviser system, robust extracurricular offerings, and the evidence-based multi-tiered systems of support framework that aims to meet every student where they are. As a parent as well as a board member, I recognize that every student’s path is different, and that New Trier’s job is to partner with our students and families so that we can support each student on their unique journey through New Trier.
4. What are your views on New Trier High School’s curriculum?
The Board’s primary responsibility is to prudently invest the community’s tax dollars to provide an educational environment that prepares our students for their future. To that end, we adopt policies that guide our highly qualified, professional, and dedicated faculty as they develop a rich and rigorous curriculum aimed at teaching our students how to think, not what to think. Within the parameters delineated by the Board in the strategic plan, New Trier 2030, our professional faculty are afforded the academic freedom to design and implement curriculum and instruction that not only exposes our students to a broad array of content but equips them with the skills and dispositions they need to navigate an increasingly complex world. The process of curriculum and instruction development is subject to Board oversight and is conducted in close collaboration with department leadership and administrators. While we generally believe that students benefit from exposure to diverse concepts and challenging content, the Board provides fair procedures through which students, parents/guardians, and community members may raise concerns regarding specific curriculum.
5. What do you feel the community’s role should be in public high school education?
I believe in the power of our public schools to forge strong, healthy communities by providing a space where every member, regardless of their race, religion, tax bracket, or political opinion, is invited to contribute their voice to the common goal of preparing our children for the future. Understanding that our committed and engaged community is one of New Trier’s greatest strengths and respecting that this engagement sets New Trier apart from other schools informs all my work as a Board member. During my 12 years of board service, I have worked hard to foster relationships with stakeholders both within the school as well as in the wider community. These relationships, built on trust and mutual respect, empower New Trier not only to expand opportunities for students but to enrich the lives of all our residents. As one of the few institutions that serve all the residents of our township, New Trier is uniquely situated to foster the connections that are central to the vibrance and vitality of the place we all call home.