avik das
new trier high school Board
candidate video
responses to voter guide questions
Introduction:
Please tell us about yourself, your qualifications, and what prompted you to run for School Board?
Both my wife and I grew up in Glenview, and we are proud to have returned to our hometown to raise our two daughters in Avoca District 37. Our older child graduated last year from New Trier, and our younger one is a rising Trevian ninth grader. Since April 2021, it has been my honor to serve as a member of New Trier High School’s Board of Education, and I hope to continue to do so for a second term, if given the opportunity. I am eager to remain on the board and continue to serve in a manner that remains consistent with the school’s strategic plan and its legacy of excellence; reflects fiscal responsibility and transparency; and ultimately promotes the success of every student.
Questions:
What do you see as the main priorities and challenges for the incoming school board?
What are your financial goals and concerns for D203 and how would you work to address them?
Having served on the board now for a period inclusive of over more than 4 school fiscal cycles, my insights regarding the financial health and trajectory of the school district can be summarized as follows:
New Trier High School is founded upon a reliably robust property tax base that allows our community to proudly maintain a high-performing, public school system that includes a comprehensive array of superb academic and extracurricular programs, delivered by faculty and staff that are among the most gifted, dedicated, and talented people working in any high school in the country today. Therefore, my financial goal and concern remain one and the same: responsibly invest in the best programs and the best people every year to keep our public school system a wellspring of opportunity and springboard of excellence for generations of students to come.
What, if any, specific educational goals do you have for D203 and how would you work to achieve them?
The administration continues to operationalize its “Characteristics of a New Trier Graduate.” I consider this a framework through which I am better able to analyze school initiatives and proposals, beyond traditional metrics of academic and athletic achievement. In my capacity as a board member, therefore, I would continue to hold the work of our board and administration accountable to both the strategic plan, and the extent to which any investment or initiative reasonably advances the “Characteristics of a New Trier Graduate.”
How would you improve the board’s transparency and community engagement?
I believe the connection between board members and constituents can benefit from more structured times/methods to connect with students, staff, and community members that perhaps center or showcase topics that are being presented, discussed, or celebrated in front of the board. Whether it is a podcast with students or a short video or “pop-up” events in the community, I would be interested to see how the newsletters or “Board Briefs” that summarize board business for the community could be highlighted in more targeted settings and produced videos or audio clips. Such pieces may include getting to know a board member better as they are interviewed by students, or showcasing some of our parent-volunteer groups or teachers in videos that connect to active or recently-discussed board topics.
Please tell us about yourself, your qualifications, and what prompted you to run for School Board?
Both my wife and I grew up in Glenview, and we are proud to have returned to our hometown to raise our two daughters in Avoca District 37. Our older child graduated last year from New Trier, and our younger one is a rising Trevian ninth grader. Since April 2021, it has been my honor to serve as a member of New Trier High School’s Board of Education, and I hope to continue to do so for a second term, if given the opportunity. I am eager to remain on the board and continue to serve in a manner that remains consistent with the school’s strategic plan and its legacy of excellence; reflects fiscal responsibility and transparency; and ultimately promotes the success of every student.
Questions:
What do you see as the main priorities and challenges for the incoming school board?
- Support the incoming superintendent, the administration, and the school community through leadership transitions and turnover in the workforce.
- Maintain momentum and progress made pursuant to New Trier’s strategic plan while preparing for its update as 2030 approaches.
- Promoting a culture of belonging through dignity for students and staff.
- Fostering the ongoing evolution of the student education experience to reflect best practices and innovation in K-12 education, while remaining firmly rooted in New Trier High School’s legacy of excellence.
- Nurture the continued success and development of the high school’s Graduating Class Teams and Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS).
What are your financial goals and concerns for D203 and how would you work to address them?
Having served on the board now for a period inclusive of over more than 4 school fiscal cycles, my insights regarding the financial health and trajectory of the school district can be summarized as follows:
New Trier High School is founded upon a reliably robust property tax base that allows our community to proudly maintain a high-performing, public school system that includes a comprehensive array of superb academic and extracurricular programs, delivered by faculty and staff that are among the most gifted, dedicated, and talented people working in any high school in the country today. Therefore, my financial goal and concern remain one and the same: responsibly invest in the best programs and the best people every year to keep our public school system a wellspring of opportunity and springboard of excellence for generations of students to come.
What, if any, specific educational goals do you have for D203 and how would you work to achieve them?
The administration continues to operationalize its “Characteristics of a New Trier Graduate.” I consider this a framework through which I am better able to analyze school initiatives and proposals, beyond traditional metrics of academic and athletic achievement. In my capacity as a board member, therefore, I would continue to hold the work of our board and administration accountable to both the strategic plan, and the extent to which any investment or initiative reasonably advances the “Characteristics of a New Trier Graduate.”
How would you improve the board’s transparency and community engagement?
I believe the connection between board members and constituents can benefit from more structured times/methods to connect with students, staff, and community members that perhaps center or showcase topics that are being presented, discussed, or celebrated in front of the board. Whether it is a podcast with students or a short video or “pop-up” events in the community, I would be interested to see how the newsletters or “Board Briefs” that summarize board business for the community could be highlighted in more targeted settings and produced videos or audio clips. Such pieces may include getting to know a board member better as they are interviewed by students, or showcasing some of our parent-volunteer groups or teachers in videos that connect to active or recently-discussed board topics.