Election 2025: Kirby District 140 Board Candidate Luciana Shalash

TINLEY PARK, IL — The consolidated election is set for April 1, and several spots on the Kirby District 140 Board of Education are up for grabs.

Six candidates are vying for four seats on the board. Incumbents Aileen Mullee, Tom Martelli, Carol DeMichael, and Luciana Shalash are running on the All-4-KSD140 slate. Also seeking seats are challengers Katlin Davis and Melissa Bessler.

Based in Tinley Park, Kirby District 140 is a seven-school, preschool-8th grade district—two middle schools and five elementary—serving more than 3,500 students from Tinley Park, Orland Hills, and Orland Park, Illinois. District 140 employs approximately 600 full and part-time individuals.

Patch provided a questionnaire to all candidates. We'll be sharing their responses in candidate profiles.

Early voting begins March 17.

Candidate:

Luciana (Lucy) Shalash

Campaign website:

All-4-KSD140 Facebook

Age (as of election day):

52

Town/city of residence:

Tinley Park

School district:

Kirby District 140

Family. (Names, ages and any pertinent details you wish to share.)

I have lived happily in Tinley Park for almost 31 years with my husband Ali Shalash and our 5 children who are all 140 graduates, Janine (28), Nowal (25), Leann (22), Sara (19) and Atala (15).

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? This includes any relatives who work in the government you're running for.

No.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from St. Xavier University and a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Concordia

Occupation. Please include years of experience.

Teacher Orland School District 135 - 28 years

Previous or current elected or appointed office*

Secretary of the Kirby 140 School Board

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

Safety. As parents, no one wants to get the phone call nor text message saying there has been an incident at their child's school. But, the reality is that people all over our nation are now dealing with this. Luckily, as the years of experience have sadly shown us, Superintendents, Boards and local Police Departments have come up with ways to help prevent tragic happenings. Nonetheless, the fear doesn't go away. Ideas have been planted in our vision that are hard to erase. Therefore, having these conversations answering questions like: What is in place? What will we do? How far will we go? Are our children safe? are paramount to making sure everyone is on the same page. What I appreciate from Kirby 140 is that this topic, as pressing as it is, is not served to our community as lip service. The terminology is not simply thrown out because they are the hot topics in education today. Rather, they are taken seriously and action follows. I am so honored to say that our district truly gets the job done. In regards to my intent, I fully intend to support our Superintendent with any strides he makes to create a safe climate....always.

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

Actually, it's easier to speak of the similarities. They are educators, as am I. They are moms, as am I. They are seeking goodness for our school district, as am I. I suppose the major difference would be EXPERIENCE. Prior to being voted into my position 4 years ago, I would frequent the board meetings monthly. I was a regular in the back row. My dear friend and I, and if she's reading this, she knows who she is....would make it our girlfriend night out. We would grab our coffees and go to the board meeting! I know, I know, crazy nights...but that is where I find joy. I love anything that has to deal with education. I like to think people seeing this position have their hearts, and heads, in the right place. But, I will be honest, I don't know them well enough to speak on their similarities anymore, much less their differences with me. I wish them the best.

Should cell phones be banned during school? Why or why not?

As parents who worked daily and were not home when our children arrived home from school, my husband and I equipped our kids with cellphones at young ages. The worry and anxiety was real. Are they in the house safely? What if something happened on the bus? Do they need me for this or that? I know many people may say we weren't raised that way, but let's be honest...parenting isn't the same as it was a generation ago. Immediate gratification is sadly our norm. Therefore, sending them to school with cellphones bought my husband and me peace of mind. With that being said, however, do I believe cellphones have a spot in a classroom? No. What does a ban entail? Not allowed in the building? Well, I believe as a society we are way past that. So, how do we tackle this daunting problem? By enforcing school policies of how they are handled when out within the classroom. Parents sign technology agreement waivers at the beginning of every school year in every school in every school district. I believe it makes sense to ask for a signature furthering "technology misconduct", and under that umbrella, explain using (and misusing) phones in the classroom. Many schools have an "off and away" policy. Kirby 140 does a nice job of informing their students of the phone policy, as well as holding high expectations of them. I am continuously proud of our district and the standards it upholds for our kids.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district?

N/A

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Our slate is one of many things. As individuals, we are different in every sense of the word. However, when we come together, the cohesive bond between us in that board room is like one you may have never seen. As a group, our friendship is strong and our values align. We work together to see eye to eye, but as many can probably guess, that doesn't always happen. If the group disagrees on an issue, then we have respectful conversation to see one another's perspective. All in all, our individuality is what brings us together as a well tuned machine. We work hard, we get the job done, and everyone goes home resting assured that they did their best.

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

I am not one to dote on my accomplishments. I truly believe we all try our best at what we do in life. I have a lot of people that I rely on to get my jobs done. I wear many hats in my life. Therefore, when I am successful at something, I can almost always say I owe something to someone. While wearing my mom hat, I raised 5 amazing kids. Nonetheless, I have Kirby 140 to thank for helping me do that. What's the evidence of this tied to how I can handle this job? I know first hand what to look for while sitting on the board after 20 years on the other side of that table. While wearing my educator hat, 28 years of experience is plenty of evidence in my opinion, but if you want more, I am the proud recipient of multiple parent nominated awards in my district, and most recently earning the Those That Excel recognition from the Illinois State Board of Education. Where's the evidence in that? Well, I can confidently say I have a strong understanding of curriculum and work well with our leaders within the curriculum department and District Office. Finally, while wearing my board member hat, my past 2 years as Secretary has allowed me to take a lead role in maintaining organization within our meetings and being in charge of the logistic paperwork involved, learning what happens behind the scenes. I am so fortunate to have had this opportunity, I hope my community sees fit to allow me another 4 years.

Why should voters trust you?

This is always a question I find awkward to answer. I mean, I suppose the obvious answer is: Because I tell the truth! But, I presume you want more explanation than that. My family raised my brothers and me to be honest people. So, quite frankly, what you see is what you get. If I don't know nor understand a topic someone is speaking on, I will politely ask for clarity. I don't ever put myself across as someone who knows more that what is true. Age is simply a number, and no matter what age a person reaches...learning continues. I am not shy of that. Therefore, if people put trust in me, they should know that I will use the skills that were instilled in me since birth. Furthermore, I don't appreciate when I'm lied to, nor made to believe something isn't what it seems. So, why would I do that to someone else?

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

I find it difficult to answer this question, as we have seen so much growth in 140 attributed to us COLLECTIVELY as a board. I cannot take credit for accomplishments alone. There is so much to be proud of, but it is done as we work as a group. I suppose I just answered the question. The success would be us SUCCESSFULLY working as a team. It is often times the case with school boards, that they can be divided, or even experiencing quiet animosity within. That's not the case with Kirby 140. We work as a team. I am proud of being a part of that.

What guidance should staff be given for dealing with potential ICE enforcement at schools?

A major component to being a teacher is empathy. Teachers, by nature, are empathetic creatures. We look at students as human beings, and realize that they have feelings, and hearts that beat just like ours. Therefore, our 140 staff must continue to be guided to the path of remembering our students are people first. Politics have no place in our schools. We are not in the business of helping, nor hindering, the immigration process. It is simply not in our realm. It is solely our business to educate and help the family as a family unit. Done. Staff knows, and will continue to be lead in the direction of what is right for our students. School is a safe place. It will remain a safe haven for all.

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

I have had this discussion many times and I always sum it up to one simple answer...we are an Elementary school district. My respect lies with the families. As I said earlier, my family was raised with the help of Kirby 140. Their values and dedication to education is paramount in comparison to other districts. With that being said, remembering our age group is crucial. My family and my family values may be different than that of my neighbors. However, we live side by side harmoniously. I do not judge my fellow neighbors. Nor would I hope they judge me. When sensitive topics, like sex education arise, they are things that have to be addressed in the home first. I am more comfortable having my children learn these topics from me, rather than at school. I respect our families too much to have conversations older than the ages of our children. A high school district is different of course. I believe that within an Elementary district, one has to be very careful not to step on the toes of it's families. All things considered, if a student is struggling, or issues arise, we have to rely on the fact, as I mentioned in a question above, that schools are safe havens. Families should know they are able to reach out to teachers and social workers for guidance. Resources can be given to help in whatever situations arise. This is how we work together in a community.

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 cannot tell you how impressed I am with our Kirby 140 school. Student achievement, remember you are talking to an educator, is measured by state testing most of the time. State testing is a difficult scale to keep balanced. Fall scores differ greatly from Spring and Winter, so data is often hard to understand. Our Kirby 140 takes pride in making this puzzle of data comprehension as easy as can be for us, as well as the community. When we see that scores are faltering in comparison to Chicago and neighboring districts, then steps are taken immediately to see where the deficiencies lie. When improvements are noticed, then we rejoice and take a look at what was done in order to obtain the improvements. Staff and district collaboration play a key role in improvement. Communication is key when talking and looking for increased student achievement. I am so proud of our school district for it's constant care for reaching our goals.

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

It has been such an honor serving these last 4 years. I am so content in this position, I cannot think of any reason why I would not serve my full term. I appreciate the honesty in this question of excluding reasons of health and family. I believe that anyone reading this right now would agree that family is always first. Therefore, other than an unfortunate emergency with either, I could never see myself backing down out of my position.