Liz Mitha, Hinsdale D86 Candidate

HINSDALE, IL – Liz Mitha is one of six candidates for four seats on the Hinsdale High School District 86 board.

Here are her responses to the Patch questionnaire:

Name:

Liz Mitha

Town of residence:

Darien

Age:

43

Campaign contact email:

unitedistrict86@gmail.com (www.unite86.com)

Family:

husband, a law firm partner; son and daughter attending Cass District 63 schools

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education:

• Masters of Public Policy, UCLA
• Bachelors of Arts in Interdisciplinary Honors, The University of Texas
• Illinois Professional Educator Certification, PreK-12, English as a Second Language

Occupation:

Education Recruitment Consultant

Previous or current elected or appointed office:

Current Cass District 63 Board of Education member, School Association for Special Education in DuPage County (SASED) Governing Board member

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

The single most pressing issue facing the school board is maximizing academic growth and opportunities for all students. Ensuring that students have access to rigorous courses and opportunities sets them up for success in their lives beyond high school.

To maximize student academic growth and opportunities, we need clear, measurable goals to guide the superintendent’s efforts and provide metrics for the Board of Education to measure progress and proactively identify and address challenges in meeting said goals. The superintendent can then identify key initiatives and efforts to maximize achievement and ensure that the board invests further in them.

As a member of the District 86 Board of Education, I would collaborate with my colleagues to establish a new strategic plan with measurable targets that drive accountability and focus attention on the district’s key priorities, particularly on student achievement growth, financial stability, and school safety.

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

There are three critical differences:

1. School Board Experience: I serve on the Board of Education for Cass District 63, and I know what a high-functioning board of education looks like. I know how to collaborate with other board members and our superintendent to set and accomplish ambitious goals. I understand how to abide by the laws that govern public schools and boards of education, and I know firsthand how successful school boards and districts operate to utilize tax dollars efficiently and maximize student achievement.

2. Experience in Education: As an education recruiter, I have served on teams with district leaders and regional superintendents to staff school-based roles, where I negotiated employment contracts and provided feedback on how to improve schools. I can analyze school data to identify challenges and create in-depth strategies to strengthen achievement. My master in public policy helps me understand how policies impact our schools.

Because I have served in teacher, academic support, and board member roles, I understand how critical it is for everyone to work together through trust, understanding, knowledge, and compromise.

3. Hinsdale South Family: I am the only candidate who lives in the Hinsdale South attendance area. I know that board members should advocate for all District 86 students; at the same time, the BOE is stronger when it includes qualified representation from both Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central.

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

• Board Member Accomplishments: As a Cass D63 Board of Education member, I have served on the finance and facilities committees, as well as the governing board of SASED, our special education cooperative in DuPage County. During my time at Cass, student test scores and attendance have increased, and the district’s financial rating improved to AA+. We developed and passed a major referendum in 2022 to successfully complete a major construction project in our buildings. I was also part of a complete budget overhaul for SASED. As an experienced board member, I have leaned into my leadership and social skills to work alongside others to cultivate a professional, collegial, and focused school board.

• Education Accomplishments: As an education recruiter, I have filled hundreds of hard-to-staff school-based roles, often with short turnaround times.These situations were often high-pressure and required me to defuse stressful situations and quickly generate creative, thoughtful solutions to pressing staffing challenges, important skills for a school board member.

• Team Leadership: I managed a recruitment team across multiple states and ensured that every school was fully staffed with high-quality candidates months ahead of goal, giving principals additional time to train new hires and prepare for a stronger academic year. This leadership experience will be helpful on the D86 school board as we navigate future challenges and successes as a team.

• Thought Leadership: I have also conducted sessions on maximizing efficiency at educator conferences in New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Denver, Kansas City, and Hartford. I would lean into these experiences to continue driving for efficient, cohesive board and district collaboration and leadership.

How would you rate the performance of the current school board majority? Explain.

Relationships among school board members and with school leadership set the tone for the entire school district. It is challenging to focus on building relationships at times of such large turnover in district leadership. I appreciate the board for their efforts to collaborate together and the time they’ve invested during a tumultuous period in our district. I support the board’s efforts to provide rigorous course opportunities to all students at Central and South and their investment in activities like flag football, girls wrestling, and boys gymnastics.

However, I’m concerned about the decrease in accountability (eg, the superintendent does not have measurable goals), the decrease in transparency (eg, attorneys hired behind closed doors), and turnover of district staff that may be linked to an erosion in trust between the board and administration over the past few years.

Do you support keeping Catherine Greenspon as the school board president? Why or why not?

Since our newest board members have not been elected yet and it is unclear who would like to serve as board president, I cannot say who I would support at this time.

Why do you think the district experienced a surge in administrative turnover last year?

The superintendent instability resulted in the board serving as the de facto superintendent, and the board has neither the experience nor the expertise to serve as CEO of a high-performing district. This leadership void resulted in a surge in administrative turnover, because there was no focus or continuity to the work they were trying to accomplish within the schools.

Are the district's property taxes too high, too low or just about right? Explain.

Our property taxes are “about right” for the current district budget, but could potentially be reduced. After the D86 Board of Education sets clear priorities and goals for the district, they should collaborate with our excellent CFO, Josh Stephenson, to conduct an in-depth audit of all aspects of the budget to ensure that we are lean and focused on efficiently funding our top strategic plan priorities.

After this comprehensive audit, the board can make necessary adjustments to property tax percentages to collect the appropriate level of taxes needed to support district priorities in a lean, highly efficient budget.

What is your view of students' performance on standardized tests? What can be done to improve scores?

Standardized tests are only one measure of student performance and they are only a snapshot in time. We should balance the importance of standardized tests with other measures, like student growth metrics. Teachers and administrators in all buildings already utilize a range of metrics to determine opportunities for interventions for students at all performance levels.

That said, standardized tests provide an important data point, and these results should be a focus in our strategic plan. Dr. Lach should work with our principals and staff to create building-level plans to help students meet academic growth goals.

Increasing student performance requires a systemic, long-term approach that includes academic instruction, curriculum, interventions, increasing attendance, retaining our talented teachers, and family involvement.

How can the district narrow the gap in performance between low- and high-income students?

Please see my answer to the last question.

What should the district do to close the disparity between Central and South, in which South has a smaller selection of courses?

Central and South students all deserve access to the district’s rigorous courses and opportunities. I support the board’s decision to establish a special committee investigating ways to provide more course options to Hinsdale South students.

I hope the committee returns to the board by late summer with findings on potential solutions, associated costs, and recommended actions. The board can then evaluate options and direct Dr. Lach to implement changes in the coming academic year.

Would you adjust the attendance boundary between Central and South? Why or why not?

I would not adjust the attendance boundary between Central and South. Families chose to live in specific attendance areas, knowing which school their children will attend. Moving the boundaries will cause significant disruption in the community and for our local families.

Should the board consider the possibility of dropping property values when changing the boundary between Central and South? Why or why not?

I do not support changing the boundaries between Central and South; please see the response above.

What is your view of the skyrocketing legal bills over much of the last year?

The soaring legal expenses over the past year are concerning. These costs come directly from the Education Fund—the largest portion of any school district budget— which is meant to support teachers, books, extracurricular activities, and other essential student resources. As a result, our district now has hundreds of thousands of dollars less to invest in students due to these excessive fees.

Should the district have removed nine years' worth of public records requests from its website? Why or why not?

Communication is a very important part of transparency and establishing trust with the community. When the board was considering making changes to how FOIA responses are shared, it should have a) communicated thoroughly and proactively prior to any records removal or archival, and b) given an easy way for community members to search for and retrieve archived FOIAs.

Is the district teaching critical race theory, Marxism or any other ideologies? If so, what should be done about it?

I have not seen evidence that the district is teaching critical race theory, Marxism, or any other ideologies.

Do you support the school board majority or the teachers union in the battle over the social studies curriculum?

This isn’t a zero sum issue; the school board and the teachers should collaborate effectively to find optimal solutions for our students. Both the board and teachers should work together to find a way forward.

The process for changing the social studies curriculum lacked a common, mutual goal and the process ultimately harmed relationships. There has been no progress forward on social studies in the meantime. In this case, nobody won, and the students lost.

Was the attorney general right to find the school board in violation of the Open Meetings Act when members originally decided behind closed doors to suspend the superintendent? Why or why not?

The board violated the Open Meetings Act when they decided to suspend the superintendent behind closed doors. Although it is appropriate to have confidential discussions about an employee’s performance in closed session, a vote to take action on an employee must take place in public.

How is the district doing in getting good and bad news to the community?

The district has made strides in improving communication and should continue to share positive news broadly to celebrate the achievements of our students and staff, with weekly emails communicating important news and celebrations to families and the Parent Square app. I appreciate that crisis-related communications must carefully balance parents’ need for timely updates with the priority of student safety and factual accuracy. I look forward to seeing the district continue to enhance its communication efforts.

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

No

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

My goal is to serve on the D86 Board of Education and collaborate with other board members and our new superintendent to rebuild trust, provide stability, and ensure progress for all of our students. I am very optimistic that the board can address the challenges facing the district and build stronger community connections.

I believe that the D86 Board of Education should ensure access to rigorous courses and opportunities for all students.

I am a dedicated volunteer and have served as a Big Brother Big Sisters mentor, Cub Scouts Den leader, ESL teacher for Afghan refugees, math and ELA tutor, Posse foundation resume coach, and on the Community Action Team at Hinsdale South, among other things.

My candidacy is supported by current and former board of education members from across District 86. Having served on the Cass 63 Board of Education, I will lean into that experience to hit the ground running and work with my colleagues on the D86 Board of Education.

I look forward to continuing to meet District 86 stakeholders, listening to feedback from all areas of our district, and learning from members of our community.