Lan Li, District 205 Board Candidate

ELMHURST, IL — Lan Li is one of nine candidates for four seats on the Elmhurst School District 205 board. Here are his responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Name:

Lan Li

Town of residence:

Elmhurst

Age:

46

Campaign contact email:

lanli4d205@gmail.com

Campaign website:

www.lanli4d205.com

Family:

Married with a child

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education:

Master Accounting from NIU, Master Computer Science from NIU

Occupation:

CPA

Previous or current elected or appointed office:

N/A

The single most pressing issue facing our city is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The single most pressing issue facing the school board is academics, and this is what I intend to do about it.

While Academics is not the sole reason parents send their children to school, it is one of the most important reasons, and the dropping academic achievement level in Elmhurst Schools is the single most pressing issue facing the school and parents.

I intend to learn from school districts that are doing well academically. Learn from the best practices from the other school districts. Although many school districts had issues during the pandemic, there are school districts that have improved student performance, including school districts with 75% of the students in free/subsidized lunch programs. Could we implement processes/policies from these school districts, hire people from these school districts if possible.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
Independence. I am not bonded to any political parties, ideologies or groups. I welcome all ideas that would improve Elmhurst D205 Schools. The board of education is the representative of Elmhurst residents in the schools. The responsibility of the board is not to the school administration, it is to the children and residents in Elmhurst.

My work as a computer programmer and as a compliance officer was inherently analytical. When I approach any problems I need to solve, it is all about logic, facts, rules and regulations, my personal emotions, opinions, or feelings do not come into play. When elected as a board member whatever I personally feel is irrelevant compared to the betterment of schools in this district.

My experience as a first generation immigrant gives a unique and fresh perspective to education. Without social group support, without financial support, the only way immigrants can achieve the American dream is through education and ourwork people around us. The sacrifices my parents made to ensure my brother and I received a good education forever imprinted in my mind that with good education, anything is achievable.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

Moving to a different country as a teenager with a different language, a completely different culture, navigating through high school, earning two master’s degrees and raising a family.

What can the school do to counteract dropping standardized test scores?

I do not have an education PhD and I am not a school administrator. What I do know is that the standardized tests are the very few objective measures we have left to assess the education progress of our children and the scores have been dropping in many schools, however, that should not be used as an excuse. There are schools in the country that have raised their standardized test scores during the pandemic. There are many things we can learn from these schools. For example, have we considered increasing instruction time? Currently, the school is running a surplus. Could we use the surplus to hire in-class tutors? Could we partner with local education businesses to conduct immediate intensive interventions? Have we considered leveraging PTA for volunteers for in-school/after school tutoring? Lastly, some people don’t want to say it for political expediency, there is a small percentage of students either don’t want to learn or don’t care about learning, we need to empower the teachers and schools.

Do you generally support the work of the school district's administration? Why or why not?

The results speak for themselves. When 80% of Conrad 5th graders can't do math at a grade level. 32% of the churchville 8th graders can't do math or read at a grade level, Sandberg middles school dropped from a national blue ribbon school to less than 45% of the 8th graders can't do math or read at a grade level, and the school administration is boasting so called exemplary and commendable schools, while fail to mention how low the proficiency rate for illinois schools as a whole. It is hard to say the district administration is doing a good job.

Do you support the district's recent decision to raise the property tax levy by 5 percent, the maximum allowed under state law?

No. Unlike a business, a school district’s revenue (i.e. property tax) is guaranteed. Elmhurst residents have proven their generosity by approving the bond offering to rebuild three schools. Currently, the school has over $45 million rainy day funds. Further, based on the finances of the district, we are currently running a surplus, that means the school district is taking in more than it can spend. We don’t need to increase the tax burden when it is not necessary. Raising property tax levy when it is needed is a more prudent approach.

What is your view of critical race theory? Is it being taught in the local schools? If so, what evidence do you have of that?

According to the Illinois Federation of Teachers, The basic tenet of CRT is that racism is more than individual prejudices and biases; it is embedded within all our systems and institutions. Therefore, the racial inequities that we see in every system (i.e., healthcare, education, criminal justice, economic, political) are not abnormalities, but the results of the normal, everyday workings of racism.

I simply can not agree with this. Based on CRT, since Elmhurst D205 is a majority white community, since racism is embedded within all our systems and institutions, and since humans make the institutions, that must mean most of the people in Elmhurst are racists because the institutions are racist. I simply do not believe that, I do not believe the good people of Elmhurst are racist. I have seen and met too many good people during my visit and in my daily life throughout the neighborhoods.

Are the books or papers by the founders of CRT such as Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw, or Patricia J. Williams, taught in local schools? Probably not. However, the tenets of CRT have certainly been taught by some individual activists. There are school districts that mandated teachers be trained that “our education is based on a foundation of whiteness” and that Americans “are spiritually murdering” students. Teachers are being taught that if you are not an “antiracist” you are a racist, even if you believe “you are treating people with respect.”

Furthermore, I do not oppose teaching CRT in high school social science classes, however, it should be taught with the works of other black scholars such as Thomas Sowell, Walter Willams or Shelby Steele, as we all like to say, “teach the kids how to think, not what to think”. Parents should be alerted if controversial topics are being taught according to board policy and should have a balance of thought no matter what political view you come from.

What is your view of sex education in local schools? Should an LGBT component be included? Why or why not?

First of all, there should be no federal or state mandate on how sex education is taught in local schools.

Elmhurst is a diverse community, there are many families with different cultural backgrounds that view sex education differently. As a welcoming community, we should respect these cultural differences. Kids develop differently, mature at a different pace, and learn things differently. One size fits all does not work.

What is great about the United States is the freedom of personal choices and the responsibilities that come with that freedom, especially when it comes to controversial topics. We can all agree that there is no controversy with math, literature, physics, chemistry etc. However, sex education including LGBTQA2S+ components is a controversial topic that should be discussed in partnership with parents.

Will you take questions from the media if you are elected?

Yes.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family?

No.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

There is an old Chinese saying 三人行，必有我师焉 roughly translate to “When three are walking together, I am sure to find teachers among them.” When I am elected, when people want to work with me on improving our schools, I won’t care what political party this person belongs to, I will listen and learn from everyone instead of dismissing anyone with a different view as evil. The reason I am running for school board is to help improve the education of all our children. Our children do not have giant R's or D's floating above their heads at school.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I am a first generation immigrant. My parents were both college professors in China, however, due to language difficulties, could not teach in the United States. Both my parents, especially my mother, worked in various jobs such as nurse’s aid, security guard etc, so they could provide a better life for me and my brother. We were poor. However, they taught us that through a good education and hardwork, we can have a good life here. Now, my brother is a radiologist and I am a CPA. We owe our lives to the understanding of the value education that our parents instilled in us.

Forteen years ago when I moved to Elmhurst, the schools were on par with the schools of some of the most expensive suburbs in illinois. Now, half of the York graduates are not proficient in reading or math. The only middle school that has more than half of the students read or do math at grade level is Bryan at 54% according to IAR.

I have a son and he is going through D205. I don’t want him to be part of the 50% unable to read or do math at grade level when he graduates from York. I want the schools in Elmhurst to be so good that the next generation of parents want to fight over the chance to have their children be educated here.