Forest Ridge D142 Board Candidate Nichole Lies: Election '23

Patch is providing candidate profiles for several races in the area. If you are a candidate seeking an opportunity to complete our profile form, please email lauren.traut@patch.com. Please note your position sought.

Name: Nichole Lies

Age as of Election Day: 39

Town/city of residence: Oak Forest

School district: 142

Family: James Lies (husband 39), Connor Lies (Son 9), Jaxon Lies (Son 7), Adalyn Lies (Daughter 2)

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Education: Some college

Occupation: Realtor (1 yr), Stay at home Mom (10 yrs)

Campaign website: New Voices for Change

Previous or current elected or appointed office: None

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them. The two most pressing issues in D142 are student achievement and student discipline/safety concerns.

Several social media posts have brought to light the physical aggression that is happening at Jack Hille Middle School. There are reports of frequent flights, general disrespect, and out of control hallway behavior. A few suggestions to improve this situation: increase the consequences to include after school detentions or Saturday detentions, increase the presence of adults in the hallways during passing periods/ lunch, and implement a parent compact. In order for our students to be successful, parents need to be included in their childs’ education and it should be clearly laid out at the start of the year what the expectations are.

In regards to student achievement I plan to work with the board and district to see where we stand in regards to comparable districts in our area and what types of programs we can implement to drive up student achievement at all levels. Every child deserves to learn something new each day and feel good that they are making academic growth.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? My children have been in the district for 7 years, with my youngest still having 10 more years in D142. During that time, I have volunteered in many capacities. I have volunteered for the PTA, at school events and I participated in a task force that met weekly for many months. I have formed strong relationships with many families in the district, which has helped me develop an understanding for their concerns and needs in regards to their children's education. I am a solution oriented person, so when I identify a problem, I like to participate in the solution. I would like to see some changes within the district, so I decided to run for the BOE in order to be part of that change!

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district? I have been to many D142 BOE meetings in my years as a parent. Unfortunately, I don’t see very much consistency. I don't know much about the individual running against me for the 2 yr board position but I haven't seen a lot of specific pushes for change or driving of programs that work towards the improvement of our schools. I don't have any intention on running for a benefit to myself, as some people tend to sign on to these positions for.

Student achievement has been trending at a downward spiral (long before covid). The programs we offer our students are not best practice or up to date. We have some really amazing teachers and staff that would love to implement some differentiated learning to challenge kids at all levels, if they were given the opportunity. There are districts in communities that pay far less in taxes that have better programs.

Why should voters trust you? I have a genuine interest in making D142 a better place! I have at least 10 years before my youngest graduates 8th grade so I have every drive to make this the best district possible. I care about our students and taxpayers.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success? I participated in the Student Achievement Taskforce in 2021. In that Task Force, we did quality research about how to improve ALL students’ achievement. I would consider it a success if some of those strategies were implemented and worked towards making our schools award winning again!

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking? Currently, the district is fiscally responsible and operating within budget for the last several years. ESSER Funds due to the pandemic have allowed the district some financial flexibility over the last couple of years. However, those funds are gone and it will be important to spend future dollars appropriately.

What are your thoughts on how the district has handled the COVID-19 pandemic? I felt that our district did a good job with balancing in person vs virtual during the pandemic. We had the most in person time in the area from the start and they were clear on steps they were taking to open up more time. We also didn't have long periods of time where the entire schools were out for weeks at a time to quarantine like other districts often did.

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? Open discussions are important. Parents and community members need the opportunity to communicate with the BOE. I am not comfortable making any changes to the current policy, as I feel the community needs their voice.

How do you feel about sex education being taught in school? Should an LGBTQ component be included, and why or why not? A degree of education is necessary, as students grow and mature. It needs to be age appropriate as they currently do a good job of in our district. However, I feel many of the new agendas are taking away parental choice. It is my right and responsibility as a parent to educate my child on different matters, and it is your right as a parent to disagree.

What are your views on critical race theory and whether it should be taught in the district? No answer.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support racial equality, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so? While I am unaware of any specific issues in regards to this topic, I would like to see more screening to capture a better picture of our high achievers in areas of children that are ELL(not having English as their primary language) as well as children who may not have the most out of school resources. We need to ensure these children are not slipping through the cracks and are getting the best possible education .

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? A few changes have been made in recent years. A new math curriculum was purchased and will be implemented in grades k-8. I think this was a great move to maintain consistency within the curriculum. However, none of the research based best practices (from the SA Task Force) were implemented. Currently our high achieving students are not being challenged and the teachers have such a wide range of needs in each classroom. Every student deserves to come to school and learn something new!

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 ____________: You don't know what you don't know. I certainly do not have all of the answers or knowledge in regards to how to best support the school district. I plan to ask all of the questions possible and listen to the parents, community and teachers/staff in our district to help guide us to building on our already great foundation and make it even better. We have a strong community and a lot of parents that want the best for their kids. If we can all work together we can really do extraordinary things for our schools!