erin stone
district 39 wilmette school board
responses to voter guide questions
1. Why are you running for school board and what are your qualifications?
I am running for re-election to the D39 school board because I am passionate about working with and on behalf of children. It has been an immense honor, joy, and privilege to serve the children of D39 as a school board member over the past four years, during which time I have had the specific roles of being the current Vice President, a member of the District Strategic Advisory Team during the 2021-2022 school year, and a member of the Re-Opening Task Force during the summer of 2020. Professionally, I am presently completing a career change from law to education and will graduate with a Masters of Arts in Teaching at the end of this semester. Right now, I am student teaching full-time in a fifth grade language arts and social studies classroom in Winnetka. Prior to that, I worked as a special education associate in Winnetka, and during that time, I served as a representative on both the D36 strategic planning committee and its writing subcommittee. I currently enjoy volunteering in a leadership role in my church’s children’s organization, and prior to my school board service, I volunteered in D39 in many capacities, including as a member and president of the Community Review Committee (CRC) and as the Communications Chair of the Village-Wide PTO.
2. What are your top priorities for D39 and what do you hope to accomplish as a board member?
When I ran for the school board four years ago, I responded to one of the LWV questions then by stating that, “people who know me would say that I am an earnest, calm, level-headed, hard-working, diligent person who welcomes diversity of thought, values kindness and empathy, and is committed to serving and building others up in a positive way.” I further stated that, “I believe that schools should be a safe place where exemplary teaching fosters the growth of the whole child” and that as a board member, I hoped “to accomplish the realization of this belief through dedicated service that consistently brings to the table the personal attributes mentioned above.” When I wrote those words four years ago, obviously neither I nor anyone else had any idea that a global pandemic would force our schools to close and that re-opening them and keeping them open would require herculean efforts by D39 administrators and staff and thoughtful, prudent decision-making by the board. I do not know precisely what the next four years will bring, but I am fully committed to spending the entirety of that time exhibiting those same personal qualities mentioned above while exercising the principles of good governance of our school district and of always having the very best interests of our children in my mind and at the center of my heart.
3. How should D39 address the different needs of all students?
The use of dedicated differentiation support teachers; classroom teachers who are skilled at differentiating instruction; and a robust student services program that relies on a skilled team of administrators, teachers, and providers to serve the children who qualify for special support all combine to address the varying needs of all students in D39. I am proud of the fact that our district recently employed the use of an outside consultant to examine areas for growth in our student services program and of the district’s response to those findings. That undertaking is part of a broader growth mindset that I believe permeates D39. In that same vein, I am thrilled that this year’s Community Review Committee (CRC) has undertaken as its topic "A Culture of Connectedness: An Empathic and Inclusive Community for Neurodivergent Students" and am very much looking forward to the presentation of that report in the spring.
4. What are your views on D39’s curriculum?
D39 is very fortunate to have in its employ experts in the field of curriculum who, among other things, lead the district in cycles of review that take into account current best practices and also provide ongoing professional development to support our highly trained teachers. The tireless work of and process utilized by these individuals to meet the learning needs of our students has my full support.
5. What do you feel the community’s role is in public K-8 education?
Parents who currently have students in D39 schools are obviously involved in myriad ways that include supporting their own children and volunteering their time and talent to serve the classrooms, schools, and district that their children attend. However, non-parents have also been involved in recent years as well, and in particular, I am extraordinarily grateful for the part they played in providing input during the formation of the current D39 strategic plan. In addition, I can also think of community members whose children were not then in D39 schools who have participated in the Community Review Committee (CRC) which has provided invaluable direction to our district and would welcome that type of involvement in the future. Finally, I am a strong believer that an informed and engaged electorate serves as a foundation of a healthy democracy. To that end, I am glad that opportunities exist for community members to watch our board meetings and express their views in writing or during the public comments portions of our meetings.
I am running for re-election to the D39 school board because I am passionate about working with and on behalf of children. It has been an immense honor, joy, and privilege to serve the children of D39 as a school board member over the past four years, during which time I have had the specific roles of being the current Vice President, a member of the District Strategic Advisory Team during the 2021-2022 school year, and a member of the Re-Opening Task Force during the summer of 2020. Professionally, I am presently completing a career change from law to education and will graduate with a Masters of Arts in Teaching at the end of this semester. Right now, I am student teaching full-time in a fifth grade language arts and social studies classroom in Winnetka. Prior to that, I worked as a special education associate in Winnetka, and during that time, I served as a representative on both the D36 strategic planning committee and its writing subcommittee. I currently enjoy volunteering in a leadership role in my church’s children’s organization, and prior to my school board service, I volunteered in D39 in many capacities, including as a member and president of the Community Review Committee (CRC) and as the Communications Chair of the Village-Wide PTO.
2. What are your top priorities for D39 and what do you hope to accomplish as a board member?
When I ran for the school board four years ago, I responded to one of the LWV questions then by stating that, “people who know me would say that I am an earnest, calm, level-headed, hard-working, diligent person who welcomes diversity of thought, values kindness and empathy, and is committed to serving and building others up in a positive way.” I further stated that, “I believe that schools should be a safe place where exemplary teaching fosters the growth of the whole child” and that as a board member, I hoped “to accomplish the realization of this belief through dedicated service that consistently brings to the table the personal attributes mentioned above.” When I wrote those words four years ago, obviously neither I nor anyone else had any idea that a global pandemic would force our schools to close and that re-opening them and keeping them open would require herculean efforts by D39 administrators and staff and thoughtful, prudent decision-making by the board. I do not know precisely what the next four years will bring, but I am fully committed to spending the entirety of that time exhibiting those same personal qualities mentioned above while exercising the principles of good governance of our school district and of always having the very best interests of our children in my mind and at the center of my heart.
3. How should D39 address the different needs of all students?
The use of dedicated differentiation support teachers; classroom teachers who are skilled at differentiating instruction; and a robust student services program that relies on a skilled team of administrators, teachers, and providers to serve the children who qualify for special support all combine to address the varying needs of all students in D39. I am proud of the fact that our district recently employed the use of an outside consultant to examine areas for growth in our student services program and of the district’s response to those findings. That undertaking is part of a broader growth mindset that I believe permeates D39. In that same vein, I am thrilled that this year’s Community Review Committee (CRC) has undertaken as its topic "A Culture of Connectedness: An Empathic and Inclusive Community for Neurodivergent Students" and am very much looking forward to the presentation of that report in the spring.
4. What are your views on D39’s curriculum?
D39 is very fortunate to have in its employ experts in the field of curriculum who, among other things, lead the district in cycles of review that take into account current best practices and also provide ongoing professional development to support our highly trained teachers. The tireless work of and process utilized by these individuals to meet the learning needs of our students has my full support.
5. What do you feel the community’s role is in public K-8 education?
Parents who currently have students in D39 schools are obviously involved in myriad ways that include supporting their own children and volunteering their time and talent to serve the classrooms, schools, and district that their children attend. However, non-parents have also been involved in recent years as well, and in particular, I am extraordinarily grateful for the part they played in providing input during the formation of the current D39 strategic plan. In addition, I can also think of community members whose children were not then in D39 schools who have participated in the Community Review Committee (CRC) which has provided invaluable direction to our district and would welcome that type of involvement in the future. Finally, I am a strong believer that an informed and engaged electorate serves as a foundation of a healthy democracy. To that end, I am glad that opportunities exist for community members to watch our board meetings and express their views in writing or during the public comments portions of our meetings.