NT_032119

6 | March 21, 2019 | The Northbrook tower Election 2019
northbrooktower.com
Northbrook/Glenview D30 Board of Education (4-Year term, vote for 4)
Name: Zivit Blonder
Age: 44
Residence:
Northbrook
Occupation:
Travel Consultant
Past local government/relative
experience:
I served as president of the
Wescott PTO for two years.
In connection with the successful
referendum and community
efforts to build a new
Maple school, I served on the
Maple Task Force and the
campaign leadership committee.
More recently, I served
as a member of the district
task force created to assess
food service in the district.
Name: Nancy
A. Artz
Age: Editor’s
Note: Ms. Artz
did not disclose
her age
Residence:
Northbrook
Occupation: Marketing Consultant
Past local government/relative
experience:
I have served as a school
board member for Northbrook/Glenview
School District
30 for the past 4 years
(elected in 2015). During my
first term on the Board of Education,
I have been actively
What do you think is the
biggest issue facing your
coverage area and how do
you plan to approach it to
improve your constituents’
quality of life?
From my vantage point,
the biggest issues confronting
District 30 relate to space
and diversity. The school
population in District 30 has
been growing significantly in
recent years as a result of demographic
trends which are
likely to continue.
At Maple, the issue is being
addressed with the building
of a new school. The next
challenge will be ensuring a
smooth transition as we move
into the new building. Meanwhile,
Wescott is bursting at
the seams, and Willowbrook
presents parking and transportation
challenges. As the
number of children that we
are educating continues to
rise, these problems will only
be exacerbated.
But the situation presents
challenges, as well as opportunities.
The schools must
engage the entire community
in addressing solutions
to these issues in a fiscallyresponsible
manner. Because
of the tremendous diversity
within District 30, we need
to build bridges to all groups
within the community, as everyone
should have a voice.
We need to come together as
a community, which is something
in which I strongly believe.
The bridges need to
be built across demographic
lines, as well as geographic
and school boundaries.
It is important for us to
consider the fate of our
schools in a thoughtful way.
Our schools are reflective of
our community, and vice versa.
Who we are is reflected
in our schools, and the ideas
taught in our schools and the
standards to which we hold
our schools are reflective of
involved in many key issues,
most notably the decision to
finance and build the new
Maple School. I have served
on the board’s policy committee,
food service management
committee, and the D30 family
dinner committee. I was
appointed as the District’s
representative to the Northern
Suburban Special Education
District (NSSED) Leadership
Council in 2017. I earned the
Master Board Member recognition
from the Illinois Association
of School Boards
(IASB) in 2018. In addition
to my experience as a D30
School Board member, I
our communal values. As we
address our space needs, we
also need to expand the connections
between our three
schools so that our children
can truly engage with one
another, whether they are
students at Willowbrook,
Wescott or Maple. By talking
with one another and listening
to each other, we can
accomplish this; as a district,
we can focus on meeting each
student where he or she is at
to further foster individual
learning.
What makes you the best/a
top candidate for this
position?
For the past nine years, I
have been a constant presence
in all of District 30’s schools,
volunteering at every opportunity.
In 2015, I was elected
president of the Wescott PTO,
a position that I held for two
years. In that role, I spearheaded
the inclusion of social
responsibility and volunteer
opportunities into all PTO
programs, led the outreach
efforts to make the PTO accessible
to all families, and
developed events to build a
stronger sense of community.
Since then, I have remained an
active leader in the PTO Helping
Hands program and community
outreach activities.
serve as a board member of a
foundation that awards grants
to deserving non-profit organizations.
I also have served
as president and board member
for professional marketing
associations.
I have served on multiple
district-wide task forces. In
connection with the efforts
to build a new Maple School,
I served on the Maple Task
Force and the campaign
leadership committee. More
recently, I have served as a
member of the district task
force created to assess food
service in the district. These
roles underscored the importance
of having high quality
facilities in District 30 and the
unique partnership that exists
between the school administration,
teachers, parents, and
the community at large. As a
school board member, I will
be a good teammate, able to
work with all of these constituencies
to propel the district
forward. Having not grown
up in the area, I am not wedded
to historical practices,
and instead bring fresh ideas
and different insights to the
process. And in doing so, I
am fully cognizant of the role
of a board member.
My undergraduate degree
is in education and environmental
studies, and I presently
work as a travel consultant
in a family business. Our
school district is a wonderful
place. My goal is to keep it
that way, with our children receiving
a top-notch education
while learning the importance
of good character.
What do you think is the
biggest issue facing your
coverage area and how do
you plan to approach it to
improve your constituents’
quality of life?
District 30 is fortunate to
be a financially stable school
district with talented and dedicated
teachers, administrators
and staff who provide a
high-quality education to our
elementary and middle school
children. This is demonstrated
through consistently high
scores on standardized tests,
excellent staff retention rates
and surveys which indicate
parental satisfaction. One of
the biggest challenges facing
District 30 in the next few
years will be the successful
completion and opening
of the new Maple School. In
addition, our two district elementary
schools, Wescott
and Willowbrook, will receive
upgrades which will
Please see artz, 7
Name: Danielle Pollack
Age: 39
Residence: Glenview
Occupation: Legal Assistant
Past local government/relative
experience:
I have been active in the
Willowbrook PTO since my oldest child
started Kindergarten in 2013. I served for 2
years on the PTO Board as co-Vice President
of Membership and I continue to be
co-chair of various committees including
Ice Cream Wednesday and Box Tops for
Education. In addition, I have assisted as a
Room Parent, Lunch Volunteer, and Book
Fair Volunteer. I enjoy and regularly attend
events at our school, and district-wide, that
celebrate and support our students. I was
also involved in advocating for full-day
kindergarten, speaking often with the previous
Superintendent and attending board
meetings to advance the issue. Last year
my husband and I led the push for more
transparency in the math differentiation
process, communicating with school and
district administration regarding the issue,
which resulted in a published matrix.
What do you think is the biggest issue
facing your coverage area and how do
you plan to approach it to improve your
constituents’ quality of life?
As enrollment in District 30 increases,
we must make sure we provide high-quality,
student-focused education in a safe environment,
while also ensuring the District
has the financial resources to meet those
needs. With the upcoming completion of
the new Maple School, we will need to
shift our focus to making sure Wescott
and Willowbrook can accommodate their
growing enrollment. The Board will need
to be diligent in preparing for this growth
with prudent financial foresight.
What makes you the best/a top candidate
for this position?
I have a vested interest in the success of
District 30 as both a parent of a 5th and
2nd grader, and as a resident. I am passionate
about our schools and I believe parents
should feel they have a voice in their district.
I am an accessible, INDEPENDENT
candidate, open to considering issues our
district faces from multiple angles. I am
committed to finding creative and sound
solutions with input from the families that
I want to represent. As an independent candidate,
I do not have a predetermined agenda.
It is my goal to serve the District 30
community and be the community’s voice
on the Board.