Lincoln-Way District 210 School Board Candidate Nathan Sandoval

Name: Nathan Sandoval

Age (At the time of the election): 40

Town or city of residence: Mokena

Position sought: Board seat for Lincoln-Way School District 210

Family: Husband and father of three children, not yet in high school.

Do you have any relatives in office: No relatives in politics or government, my aunt Gena Sambo is also running for a seat on the Lincoln-Way School Board 210 Board

Education: J.D. from John Marshall Law School, Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois Champaign – Urbana

Occupation: Attorney 14 years

Campaign website: www.SandovalSambo210.com

Previous elected or appointed office: None

What are the most pressing issues facing the board and what do you intend to do about them? The function of the school system is to educate our children in the subjects that are necessary to produce capable, independent thinkers. Until the District successfully does that for the overwhelming majority of our students, our focus should be on nothing else.

We need an education model that emphasizes reading and writing to teach how to think, articulate ideas and formulate arguments; explains the logic of math and science to equip students with problem-solving skills; and puts the present into context by teaching history and the human experience.

Versions of this model have served our country for generations to create the most productive and egalitarian society humanity has ever enjoyed, and we must reinstate it by exercising local authority over curriculum.

It is almost a certainty that our property taxes will continue to increase. Government spending at the state and local level coupled with inflation will drive this burden up. If we do not take proactive steps, this unreasonable tax burden will drive our neighbors from our community.

Inflation, the state’s pension obligations, and servicing the debt under increasing interest rates will consume more of our budget every year.

We are going to be faced with tough decisions that require an honest and sober assessment of the situation. We might not be able to afford everything that we want, and we must prioritize the most important functions our of the district, the education of our children in the core subjects.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? I am motivated to change the way our children are educated and what we prioritize as a district. We have local authority, and we need to fully exercise it to shape our curriculum and policy.

The standards and priorities coming from Springfield politicians are shaped by powerful groups motivated to control the curriculum and budget to serve their interests with little regard for the unique goals and challenges of our district’s parents, students, and teachers.

We cannot create an environment that produces the educated, capable leaders our children need to become while continuing to follow the directives from a central authority with a one size fits all approach to public education.

I am willing to say no and push back against proposals that do not align with the goal of producing independent critical thinkers. The sign of a functioning school board is not unanimous consent but a robust debate to find the best methods to serve the unique needs of our students in line with the standards and principles of our community.

I don’t have all the answers, in fact, what I don’t know is more important than what I do know. But I recognize that fact, while too few leaders and so-called experts do not. We need to re-introduce common sense into leadership and stop being run by people with letters after their names and politically motivated theories.

If we do not take responsibility for the education of our children it will be left to others who, as a function of their positions and responsibilities, must consider factors other than what is best for our children.

The ideas of personal responsibility and common sense that I hear from the parents of our community are not being advocated at the district level, I have an obligation to present those ideas for consideration.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district? 50 percent of our students lack reading and writing proficiency, 45 percent are lacking in math, and 34 percent in science. I am not sure we can lay the blame on the board, but a board seat is the best mechanism available to me to take responsibility for the education of the children in my life and in my community.

The state uses standardized testing as the rubric to judge a district, by that measure, we are failing and so are the students.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform: We need to reaffirm parental authority and protect the parent-child relationship. The actions of Illinois and the district indicate a growing sentiment among some that your child is the property of the state.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? I started and now operate a law practice built on communication and negotiations. My day is comprised of working with people to resolve competing interests and protecting my clients. I read and interpret contracts, participate in negotiations, and communicate ideas. I am well suited for a seat on a public board.

Why should voters trust you? I am not asking the voters to trust me; I am asking the parents in our community to take as much responsibility for their children’s education as possible. I do not want the authority; I trust the parents to make the best decisions for their children, and to that end, I will aim to shrink the scope of the district’s authority and vest authority in the parents.

I am transparent and open about what I believe and how I think the school board should be run. I am not telling parents what I think they want to hear, nor playing both sides of an issue.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success? Successful school board policy prioritizes the production of critical thinkers and independent problem solvers. To the extent I can shape policy in that direction, my term would be productive.

I am under no delusion, nor should the people who vote for me believe that the issues facing our children will be addressed in one term. But we must also recognize that there is no help coming, and it’s our responsibility to educate our children.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending, and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking? Government does not create wealth; it takes it from its citizens under the threat of violence and steals it through inflation.

All budget decisions must start from the premise that our obligation is to the taxpayer and students to efficiently spend their money and not waste their time.

The economic reality is that district expenses account for 90 percent of our property tax bill. To protect the families in our district, we must examine the budget to eliminate waste and reduce spending.

What are your thoughts on how the district has handled the COVID-19 pandemic? During the initial shock and confusion of the pandemic, I understand why our board of volunteers, perhaps under the advice of counsel, would agree to shut down the school. I don’t agree with it, but I understand why at the time it seemed reasonable.

My critique is of the continuation of policies and mandates in the face of mounting evidence of ineffectiveness and damage. The response was more damaging than the virus.

Our state government failed us, and by extension so did the district. Our representatives were guided by politics, fear, and a false sense of safety long after there was sufficient evidence to support a policy of in-person learning and removing mask mandates. We rejected the wisdom of our predecessors by sacrificing freedom for security and we lost a great deal of both.

Our students have been significantly set back emotionally, socially, and academically. Our teachers and students will be attempting to dig out of this hole for years to come.

I have more confidence in the parents of this community to do what is in the best interest of the health of their children than I do in the politicians in Springfield. Our district did not advocate personal responsibility and medical freedom, and we need to reembrace both ideals.

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? Top-down authoritarian mandates on previously free people tend to result in heated disagreements, and I am surprised they were not livelier. Two-minute monologues to expressionless board members and administrators are not conducive to meaningful dialogue. We should include a question-and-answer session in the meetings.

How do you feel about sex education being taught in school? Should an LGBTQ component be included, and why or why not? A basic education in health class about reproduction is a useful component of public education. Sexuality is not a necessary component of public school sex education. Discussion of sexuality is not the domain of the school district, and prioritizing sexuality instruction is negligent in a district where half of our children are not proficient readers.

Opinion-based instruction regarding sexuality and relationships, intended to influence students and not educate them, must be excluded from the curriculum.

What are your views on critical race theory and whether it should be taught in the district? Unequivocally, no. Any theory that assigns value to person a based on the color of their skin is racist regardless of the stated reason. Assigning guilt to a race is dangerous, regressive, and hateful.

Our curriculum should be shaped around a foundational tenant of our culture; the individual free to pursue his life, liberty, and property is the best mechanism for societal advancement.

Our students should be taught to have a healthy skepticism of any “expert” who claims to be acting for the good of the people by segregating them by race.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so? These last three questions are the type of questions that make people suspicious about the motivation of policy and decision-makers within the education system. Social engineering, regardless of motivation, is not the function of public education. The function of public education is to provide a robust education in the core subjects.

These ill-defined terms and generalizations like “racial equality” and “LGBTQ component” are the tools of social constructionists to pour their agenda into the curriculum.

If what you mean by “racial equality” is treating people differently based on the color of their skin, I reject that racist theory. If what you mean by racial equality is that all people are created equal, and we should strive to provide the greatest amount of opportunity to the greatest number of people regardless of skin color, I support it fully and recognize it as the bedrock of a prosperous community.

Our children must be taught to reject racism, sexism, and any other “-ism” that purports to make students equal by treating them unequally.

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? According to the District report card available at LW210.org, 50 percent of the district 210 students lack proficiency in reading and writing, 45 percent are lacking in math, and 34 percent in science.

To the greatest extent possible, the school board should generate a policy that incentivizes teachers to pursue what they believe to be the best course of action and create many laboratories of education, identifying the best methods through innovation and autonomy.

We must reject the top-down policy from the State school board and allow our teachers to innovate as much as possible.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family? No, I will serve the full term of office.

What is the best advice that was ever shared with you? Tell the truth. Or at least don’t lie.