Meet The Cherry Hill School Board Candidate: Ilana Yares

CHERRY HILL, NJ — Ilana Yares is one of seven candidates running for three open seats on the Cherry Hill Public School District Board of Education.

Patch sent questions to all candidates in the race, and is running profiles for each candidate that returned a response. Responses run exactly as they were submitted, with minor edits for grammatical errors.

Read below to learn more about Ilana Yares and her platform for the upcoming election, which takes place Nov. 2:

Name: Ilana Yares

Town of residence: Cherry Hill

Position sought: Board of Education

Party Affiliation: Unaffiliated

Family: Husband, 5 children, our dog, and our aquarium fish

Does anyone in your family work or attend school in the district?: 4 out of 5 children are currently enrolled within the district

Education: Joint Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and Psychology from Rutgers University

Occupation: Executive Director of a Non-Profit in Education

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office: None

Why are you seeking elective office?

I have five children who I am deeply invested in their education and, I am running for the board of education so that the education they receive from the school district is something that I am proud of for them, and the future of the Cherry Hill schools. I am not the type of person to sit idly by and wait for a problem to then react to it. I consider myself proactive and always want to be ahead of the curve, and by being on the board of education while my children are still young, I can affect change in the way they and future generations will be educated.

The single most pressing issue facing our board is the passage of a bond, and this is what I intend to do about it.

The last several years have been spent improving the quality of teachers that are hired, as well as ensuring the administration is fully staffed so that our large district is not dependent on one administrator leading the charge, but rather a conglomerate of administrators with specific portfolios to avoid burnout and create success in the district. Now, we need to improve the buildings students are learning in. Buildings erected in the 60s and 70s are not suitable for 21st Century learning. A bond referendum is ideal so that the school budget can be focused on classrooms and for student’s education.

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

I have worked in education for almost 20 years. I started as a tutor, then an educational aide for autistic children, became a teacher, and was an administrator for a school. Having worked in all parts of education, I understand the importance of each person in their job and how they help the larger educational community. Having served in all parts of education, I bring a unique perspective to be able to speak on behalf of all constituents for the schools and help in creating the best that can be for the school district.

Experience: I have served on two school PTA boards. I have also attended many meetings throughout the district to better understand the educational offerings at all levels within the district. As the current PTA President at Barclay, I also serve as a liaison on the Zone PTA board. When the bond referendum for the school district failed in 2018, I served on the Ad Hoc committee to help create a better bond with focus groups and ideas to share with the district and board. I regularly read the district policies and speak at public comment as well as email changes that I believe need to be made based on the bigger picture. Through this initiative, I was able to successfully change the kindergarten bus policy for the district, as well as how public comment is conducted at meetings for the public.

Equality in education: As the parent of a special needs student as well as a gifted and talented student, I understand the importance of equality in education. I also believe in differentiated instruction. It is important to meet all students where they are at and push them just enough so that they succeed in school and become successful in life. When creating new classes in the district, such as the new African American studies course, it is important for the district to think of all students and not just the typically developing ones. In the initial stages of any planning, all students and their educational backgrounds should be considered. It should not take complaints from parents in the district for change to happen. Administration and the board need to be proactive and remember to have in-class resources, educational assistants, honors, and AP classes for all students when new curriculum and classes are piloted and created. This will help to achieve equality in education.

School funding: The latest formula for apportioning state aid for schools is a step in the right direction for our district to receive the funds that we so desperately need. However, Cherry Hill was underfunded for so long by the state while surrounding districts were overfunded. We should receive compensation for those years of underfunding. We should be inundating the NJ DOE with requests for additional funding at all turns. The school district should be doing everything in its power to increase our funding. When beginning of the year forms are distributed to be filled out, the free and reduced lunch application should be a required form so that Cherry Hill can receive the funding it deserves for all low-income students and families. If the district can get a bond passed by residents, then some of our taxpayer money can be freed up to invest more into our schools. Funding from the state is key, and a bond is a way to get us that funding that Cherry Hill so desperately needs.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job? Having started at my current job as the Office Administrator, I was soon thrust into the role of Chief Fundraiser. Since that time, I have also been Database Manager and Special Projects and Events Coordinator. I am now the Executive Director and need to use all previous skills learned in this job to help the organization succeed. I understand needing a balanced budget that is very tight on money. I am constantly small talking with constituents to get them to support the non-profit I work for and understand the important work it is doing in the community. The same would be true about the school district. I would need to be able to relate to constituents and understand what their needs are to have the best interest of constituents in mind while also supporting the district in its work.

The best advice ever shared with me was: Do not sit idly by and let life pass you by. Life is not a movie to be watched, but rather a game to play in. It is important to participate actively and not stand by watching everything pass you by.

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

I do not believe in sitting idly by and letting others make decisions for me. I base my decisions on doing research and becoming informed about questions I have. Just as Abraham Lincoln did NOT say, “Everything I have learned, I learned from the internet,” I do not take everyone at their word when an answer can be found. I believe the experts need to do their job and inform others, but in order to become an expert yourself, your own research needs to be done. I will ask tough questions to get the answers that are important, and I will try to represent all constituents equally and fairly. We may not all agree, but I hope that when I make a decision, we can come to an understanding that this is what is best for the majority of students.