Orland D135 Board Candidate Iwona Piwowarczyk: 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: Iwona Piwowarczyk

Age as of Election Day: 39

Town/city of residence: Orland Park

School district: Orland District 135

Family: Married with three children. Nicholas 6, Gabriel 12, and Olivia 14.

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? Huband works for Public Works in a different city.

Education: Master of Business Administration

Occupation: 15 + years in business development

Campaign website: 135united.com

Previous or current elected or appointed office: No

The most pressing issues facing our (board, district, etc.) are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them. First priority is to ensure that our students are well educated. The district test results have been declining for the past several years. In the past several years the district has attempted to eliminate the honors and band program which takes the district in the wrong direction. To be a top performing school district we must focus on providing an education to all students including high performers and on providing robust extra-curricular opportunities. As part of this, we also must eliminate standards-based grading which has been a complete failure.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? I have been actively involved at both school board and committee meetings. I have expressed my concerns about a wide range of issues and have observed that our community is not engaged prior to the board making unpopular decisions that they later reverse. I want to make sure that we engage the community prior to making these decisions.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district? I believe we need more transparency. The current streaming is not user friendly. We should either go back to YouTube or provide it as an alternative. The current board meeting minutes and agenda have limited information and should be more detailed. All videos should remain available online for residents to view.

The current officeholder running for re-election is the biggest advocate for standards-based grading. This has been a failure and is a big reason for the decline in performance. Under her leadership, Christmas was cancelled in the district (until the community expressed their outrage). She is also against school resource officers and tried to eliminate the honors and band programs. I don’t think her values fit the community.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform. Our children deserve the best education and need to put that first by providing a quality education that prepares students for the future. We also need to be transparent by welcoming and encouraging parents to participate in school activities, engage in student success planning and be a voice for policy improvements. Lastly, we need to empower our community with a bottom-up approach to policy improvements. We believe in creating a partnership with our local residents to improve schools, resulting in lower taxes and rising property values.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? My current work experience is in managing contracts and daily needs of customers for a global Fortune 500 logistics company. This forces me to critically listen, assess, and work collaboratively towards a resolution. I also believe education is very important as I finished my Master of Business Administration while working full time and pregnant with my second child.

Why should voters trust you? I am a mother of three children currently attending D135. I will be a passionate advocate for your children as I am for my own and make sure that your issues are addressed. My decision making will be based on facts and community involvement and input.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success? School performance increasing across the board in both District 135 and later in high school. This is the most important goal of our schools. Secondarily I want to see an increase in the number of children participating in extra-curriculars as those programs enhance softer skills like leadership, team building and self-discipline.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking? We need to treat and pay our teacher’s fairly while being mindful of our taxpayers. Remaining fiscally responsible while always keeping the eye on the prize – educating our children to the best of our ability. We can also work with other elected officials to pressure the state to meet its financial obligations, which they currently do not.

What are your thoughts on how the district has handled the COVID-19 pandemic? I believe the board handled the pandemic poorly. Our schools were closed when others surround us were open and our district was the most restrictive in the area. I spoke out about that at the time. Additionally, COVID positive and other none COVID related sick children were mandated to be excluded for 10 days and did not receive the same amount of education time as the in-person students. Moreover, students who did not get COVID tested were not provided any learning options. The bottom line is the district failed our students throughout the pandemic.

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 the parents handled themselves like adults during the meeting. There were times the board members and superintendent did not. The board sets the tone by acting professionally. They could improve relations with parents by being more transparent and publishing an agenda that is more detailed, so parents are more informed.

How do you feel about sex education being taught in school? Should an LGBTQ component be included, and why or why not? Currently, sex education in Illinois is optional and should remain that way. Parents can also opt their student out of instruction. Any sex education and body development education should be age appropriate. I will fight to ensure that we make those decisions at the local level so that our curriculum reflects our community’s values and input. Under no circumstances should the state or federal government mandate curriculum on this or any other topic.

What are your views on critical race theory and whether it should be taught in the district? Critical race theory should not be taught in schools. Pushing racial division is not how we strengthen our students.

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

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? I encourage more extra-curricular participation as it helps develops social skills, leadership skills and teamwork. I would like to see these programs expanded to provide academic interventions to help students who are struggling in certain areas.

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 ____________. Learn from every failure and never be afraid to speak up.