Marcelo Sztainberg: Candidate For Glenbrook High School District 225

GLENVIEW, IL — Ahead of the April 4 consolidated municipal elections, Glenview Patch provided questionnaires to all candidates on the ballot.

Five candidates are running for a four-year seat on the Glenbrook High School District 225 school board, according to the Cook County Clerk's Office, with three seats up for grabs. Current members Sidney "Skip" Shein and Marco Sztainberg are running for reelection with their terms ending in April. Joel Taub is not running, leaving three seats up for grabs for the following candidates on Election Day:

• Sidney Shein, current member (term ends in 2023)
• Marcelo Sztainberg, current member (term ends in 2023)
• Jim Geldermann
• Paul Kelly
• Sandra Muhlenbeck

Patch is publishing all responses submitted by candidates verbatim.

Marcelo Sztainberg

Age (as of election day)

53

Town/city of residence

Northbrook

School district

Glenbrook High School District 225

Family

Wife Marcela, Human Resources Executive. Sons, Arie 2018 GBN graduate and Benjamin 2020 GBN graduate

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

PhD in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University; MS in Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University; BS in Computer Science and Mathematics Wayne State University

Occupation

Interim Dean, Graduate Studies, Analytics, and Research, Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU)

Campaign website

https://www.glenbrooksforstude...

Previous or current elected or appointed office

Incumbent, board member since 2017

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them.

Making our schools a safe and nurturing space for our students, teachers, staff, families and community as a whole. While the last few years have put more emphasis in our differences, I believe that we all have at hearth what is best for our district. I hope we can create more venues for communication and participation so everyone can feel listened to.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

I have 20 years of experience working in public higher education. I trust and understand the role that our teachers and staff play in developing curricular and extracurricular activities that will help our students maximize their potential. As a Latino immigrant, I can also relate to many of the challenges that our first generation ESL students and families face. I always try to ensure that everyone can feel included as we make decisions that affect the district as a whole.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

I'm running as part of a slate with Sandra Muhlenbeck and Skip Schein (incumbent). Among many issues, we believe that our schools should foster an environment of participation where ALL our students can feel included. We also believe that successful education requires collaboration among students, families, teachers and the entire community.

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

One of the proudest accomplishments of our board, as a whole, is that despite our different points of views in many issues we all share a commitment to make our district better. We have healthy debates and we strive to coalesce around our commonalities. The past few years were challenging for our community and we still managed to find ways to support our schools and professionals to make sure that we would continue educating at the same level of excellence that our students deserved.

Why should voters trust you?

I have been living in this area for 19 years. As a father of two recent graduates I can relate to some of the struggles and questions that students face as they move through the high school years. As someone that selected Northbrook as a place for my family to live, I also understand how maintaining a level of excellence in our schools is a source of pride and value for our entire community.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success?

I would love for our district to continue moving forward. We have multiple initiatives developed by our teachers and staff that are looking into educational excellence while also focusing on students mental well-being. I would also love to have more participation and dialogue with our constituents, be it at a board meeting or at other community events.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

I strongly believe in fiscal responsibility. We have a fiduciary duty to our community and need to make sure that our tax money is spent wisely. At the same time, I believe that we all need to understand that maintaining the level of curricular and extra-curricular activities that our schools offer is always a challenge in terms of "stretching" the district revenue as far as it can be. I think that our district is in good hands regarding fiscal planning and budget management as we have great professionals not only leading us but also making sure that all our information is timely shared and presented on an accurate and transparent way.

What are your thoughts on how the district has handled the COVID-19 pandemic?

I believe that our district did the best that it could given how much the information and choices changed as the pandemic was evolving. We had heated meetings and conflicting interests within the community. We tried to navigate through these conflicts with the goal of reopening schools in a safe way and at the same time making sure to give options so students, and families, could return to our schools in a manner that would not affect their well being.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some school boards saw extremely heated disagreements during public meetings. If elected, what changes, if any, need to be made to ensure meetings are run efficiently while still allowing open discussions?

I believe that people have the right to express their opinions and we have the obligation to consider all points of views. One thing I would like to remind people is that we can try to present our points of views without diminishing those that think differently. The climate that was fostered in some of our meetings looked more like a political rally than an assembly of community members whose children share the same spaces, play on the same teams and, in most cases, are developing lifelong friendships.

How do you feel about sex education being taught in school? Should an LGBTQ component be included, and why or why not?

Sex education should be taught at the appropriate age/content levels. There is enough content and guidelines developed by professionals and approved by our State regulating entities. Our schools, as the rest of the society, have valuable members that are part of the LGBTQ community and I don't see why sex education would exclude an LGBTQ component from the curriculum. I understand that for some families sex education might be a topic that they prefer to deal with in a different setting and I support the right to opt out.

What are your views on critical race theory and whether it should be taught in the district?

I believe that there is a huge gap between critical race theory, a subject that is studied and researched within some academic fields, and what some people call critical race theory in schools. I believe social sciences play a large role in stimulating our students to think critically and challenge ideas. Within that premise, our schools need to allow spaces for the students to ask questions and feel that the classroom is a safe environment to express their points of view as long as it is done in a respectful and constructive manner.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?

I think we can always do more. We had students bringing issues that they wanted to be addressed and in most of the cases we tried to find an appropriate solution. As our district demographics change and our schools become more diverse we need to make sure that all our students, regardless of race and ethnicity, feel included and appreciated.

When it comes to student achievement, what are schools within this district doing well and what needs to be improved? How can those improvements be made?

When looking at placement of our students overall, we can say that our schools are doing many things well in terms of education. At the same time I believe that we can do more regarding dual credit opportunities and presenting alternatives for those students that might not be thinking of college as their "next step."

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 ____________

I'm not sure it's the "best" piece of advice, but I like the saying that "you need to learn how to crawl before you can walk." In today's high-pace, social media, tweet-like life we should all take the time to enjoy and focus on the moment before jumping into the next step.