Yoav Sharon
Avoca District 37 School Board
candidate video
responses to voter guide questions
My name is Yoav Sharon. I moved into this district with my wife and two kids mainly because of the quality of the school. Both my kids now go to Avoca West, and we feel very fortunate with the education that they are getting. In my profession I am an engineering manager, where I often need to come up with simple solutions to complex problems; brainstorm ideas in a group setting; compare options based on agreed metrics; and set measurable goals for myself and my team. I have been on the board for slightly less than a year now, filling a seat that became vacant after the referendum in 2024 was turned down by the voters. I chose to join the board then, and to run for a full term now, because I felt the current board did not represent the will of community in that referendum, did not consider how higher taxes would affect our diverse community, and did not offer the most cost-effective solution. I want to make sure the school continues to retain and attract excellent teachers and support stuff, that it can get the facilities it really needs, while minimizing the tax burden on our community.
(Question #1) I have high faith in our administration, led by Dr. Arreguin, and I trust their judgement when it comes to educational decisions. The top priority for the school board, in my opinion, should be to work with the administration to ensure the safety of our students and staff. I know this is top of mind for Dr. Arreguin, and the board needs to support her effort in achieving this goal. Next on the list of priorities is to provide our schools what they need, whether it is adequate facilities or competitive compensation for our wonderful staff. That said, to achieve these things we need to have a balanced budget. So, when it comes to expenses like facility maintenance or renovation, we need to consider multiple options and choose the most cost-effective solution. It also means negotiating a competitive, but reasonable contract with the Teacher’s Union. Doing so will help maintain and grow the diversity of our district by keeping it affordable.
(Question #3) Another major priority and challenge for the incoming board involves engaging the community. As a recent communication survey showed, the district is unable to engage most residents who don’t send their kids to our schools. The implication is that it is hard for the district to know what the community wants, and if necessary, get support for district initiatives. But it also means missing out on opportunities for members of the community, parents and non-parents alike, to contribute their time and skills to district. We can do better by reaching out and informing our residents on topics that are of interest to them. But engagement isn’t just about informing. It’s also about seeking out feedback from the community and acting on it, even if the board or the administration feels differently or has other priorities. On decisions that affect the community, the district should involve the community early in the decision process, instead of trying to “sell” the decision after it has been made. I am also concerned that some of the issues that are dividing our nation may affect our students and staff. As board members, we have a role to play in trying to bridge these divides, understand the differing points of view of people from either ends of the political spectrum, and support solutions that both sides can agree on.
(Question #2) The main educational goal I have for D37 is that we remain in the top 5% of schools in Illinois. That said, testing and test scores should only supplement the learning, never be the objective. Students should enjoy coming to school, seeing it as a safe place to explore and develop their social skills. The district has been putting a lot of consideration into the social and emotional aspects of learning, something I plan to support vigorously. Our schools also have a strong science program, which together with the coaching volunteered by parents, result in high rankings at the Science Olympiad. I would have liked to add technology and engineering so we can offer a complete STEM program, and I plan to work with the administration while engaging the community, to see if this is of interest to the broader community and whether we can afford it. Finally, we live in times when we are bombarded with information, and not all of it true, unfortunately. The advent of AI, while holding many promises for increased productivity, can also contribute to the spread of misinformation. We need to provide our students the tools to corroborate any information given to them, and apply scientific thinking, based on past evidence, to match the right solutions to the problem they may face.
(Question #4) As mentioned earlier, I opposed the referendum. I understand our buildings, particularly Avoca West, are not new and they require maintenance and upgrades. However, the solution is not tearing it down to build a whole new building for a student population that may never materialize. Right now, our student population is 575, when in 2019 it was almost 750. I find it difficult to believe we cannot provide an adequate learning space with our current facilities. Nor is the solution to sell the beautiful and secluded Avoca West grounds and then squeeze all grades PK through 8 in one, limited space. My priority is to keep the current school buildings running for years to come. This means having enough money to do emergency repairs on equipment that can fail prematurely and for replacing any equipment reaching its end-of-life. As a current board member, I have already asked the administration to prepare a facility master plan. The outgoing board, together with the administration, should be credited for maintaining an operating budget with a surplus. This has created healthy reserves for the district. We should be looking to invest some of these reserves to improving our learning environment, including the possibility of adding A/C to Avoca West for example. A percentage of our community did support the referendum and wanted to build a new facility. I understand the reasons for this and the value that people believed this would bring to our district. That said, I believe there is a middle ground in which we can eventually add more learning spaces if we see that our student population starts to recover, and other features that will enrich our current facilities. However, we first need to demonstrate to the community that we are financial responsible by operating the school and maintai
(Question #1) I have high faith in our administration, led by Dr. Arreguin, and I trust their judgement when it comes to educational decisions. The top priority for the school board, in my opinion, should be to work with the administration to ensure the safety of our students and staff. I know this is top of mind for Dr. Arreguin, and the board needs to support her effort in achieving this goal. Next on the list of priorities is to provide our schools what they need, whether it is adequate facilities or competitive compensation for our wonderful staff. That said, to achieve these things we need to have a balanced budget. So, when it comes to expenses like facility maintenance or renovation, we need to consider multiple options and choose the most cost-effective solution. It also means negotiating a competitive, but reasonable contract with the Teacher’s Union. Doing so will help maintain and grow the diversity of our district by keeping it affordable.
(Question #3) Another major priority and challenge for the incoming board involves engaging the community. As a recent communication survey showed, the district is unable to engage most residents who don’t send their kids to our schools. The implication is that it is hard for the district to know what the community wants, and if necessary, get support for district initiatives. But it also means missing out on opportunities for members of the community, parents and non-parents alike, to contribute their time and skills to district. We can do better by reaching out and informing our residents on topics that are of interest to them. But engagement isn’t just about informing. It’s also about seeking out feedback from the community and acting on it, even if the board or the administration feels differently or has other priorities. On decisions that affect the community, the district should involve the community early in the decision process, instead of trying to “sell” the decision after it has been made. I am also concerned that some of the issues that are dividing our nation may affect our students and staff. As board members, we have a role to play in trying to bridge these divides, understand the differing points of view of people from either ends of the political spectrum, and support solutions that both sides can agree on.
(Question #2) The main educational goal I have for D37 is that we remain in the top 5% of schools in Illinois. That said, testing and test scores should only supplement the learning, never be the objective. Students should enjoy coming to school, seeing it as a safe place to explore and develop their social skills. The district has been putting a lot of consideration into the social and emotional aspects of learning, something I plan to support vigorously. Our schools also have a strong science program, which together with the coaching volunteered by parents, result in high rankings at the Science Olympiad. I would have liked to add technology and engineering so we can offer a complete STEM program, and I plan to work with the administration while engaging the community, to see if this is of interest to the broader community and whether we can afford it. Finally, we live in times when we are bombarded with information, and not all of it true, unfortunately. The advent of AI, while holding many promises for increased productivity, can also contribute to the spread of misinformation. We need to provide our students the tools to corroborate any information given to them, and apply scientific thinking, based on past evidence, to match the right solutions to the problem they may face.
(Question #4) As mentioned earlier, I opposed the referendum. I understand our buildings, particularly Avoca West, are not new and they require maintenance and upgrades. However, the solution is not tearing it down to build a whole new building for a student population that may never materialize. Right now, our student population is 575, when in 2019 it was almost 750. I find it difficult to believe we cannot provide an adequate learning space with our current facilities. Nor is the solution to sell the beautiful and secluded Avoca West grounds and then squeeze all grades PK through 8 in one, limited space. My priority is to keep the current school buildings running for years to come. This means having enough money to do emergency repairs on equipment that can fail prematurely and for replacing any equipment reaching its end-of-life. As a current board member, I have already asked the administration to prepare a facility master plan. The outgoing board, together with the administration, should be credited for maintaining an operating budget with a surplus. This has created healthy reserves for the district. We should be looking to invest some of these reserves to improving our learning environment, including the possibility of adding A/C to Avoca West for example. A percentage of our community did support the referendum and wanted to build a new facility. I understand the reasons for this and the value that people believed this would bring to our district. That said, I believe there is a middle ground in which we can eventually add more learning spaces if we see that our student population starts to recover, and other features that will enrich our current facilities. However, we first need to demonstrate to the community that we are financial responsible by operating the school and maintai