To help inform voters on who’s running for Chicago’s elected school board, the Chicago Tribune education team posed a series of questions to the candidates in each district. These questions ranged from basic information on their background and campaign platform to their stance on several issues facing Chicago Public Schools.
See the answers from Eva A. Villalobos, candidate for elected school board in the 7th District , below.
About the Candidate
Name: Eva A. Villalobos
Age: 40
Neighborhood: Brighton Park
School District: 7
Education: Bachelor of Business Administration and Associate of Applied Science, Robert Morris University
Current Job: Stay-at-home mom
Previous Political Experience: None.
Questions and Answers
In the interest of transparency, the candidate’s responses shown here are published as written and have not been edited by the Tribune.
Did you attend Chicago Public Schools or is anyone in your immediate family a CPS student? Yes.
Have you worked at Chicago Public Schools or another school? What is your background in education?
I have not worked at any CPS school but I am active in my children’s school through; volunteering, fundraising, part of the hiring committee, substituting when needed and serving a teacher’s classroom support for new teachers.
Why are you running for a seat on the Chicago Board of Education?
I am running for school board because as a frustrated mother, I am done complaining and waiting for someone else to clean this up. And instead, I am more than ready to be a part of the solution. I am a mother of four students, one of whom has an IEP. I have experienced firsthand the long waiting periods and frustrations that parents face while seeking evaluations and support. Although I consider myself informed and involved in my children’s education, I’ve had to navigate unjust and confusing obstacles that I know many Chicago families struggle with everyday.
Through my professional career, I have a strong background in finance and accounting and, like many other parents, I have had to make the tough decision to put my career on hold to focus on the wellbeing of my children. During this time, I’m extending myself to serve our city and all our children because there is a real need.
As an alumnus of Chicago Public Schools, a devoted mother with lived experience in education, a professional with a strong understanding of finances, and a public servant with an unwavering commitment to our students, I know I can help move our schools in the right direction.
How would you describe your district?
A resilient and thriving district with a beautiful blend of some of the best Latino and Asian neighborhoods that our city has to offer
How would you describe your campaign platform?
My focus has been and will continue to be to prioritize ALL of our children and listen to them, regardless of the school that they attend, making sure that there is more parent involvement in our schools, incrementing Social Emotional Learning programs for ALL kids and staff, and, equitable funding to ALL of our schools to make my other main ideas possible.
What is the single most important issue facing CPS students?
A couple months ago I would have said mismanagement and misappropriation of funds, but with the current events I have to add, our unstable mayor who is refusing to listen to residents and only wanting to please a one sided agenda
Provide three to four key points you want voters to know about your campaign.
I’m a mom fighting for ALL of our kids, not just a group. I’m looking for fair and equitable funding for ALL of our schools and I want to be inclusive and transparent with our parents and students.
Given this year’s budgetary problems and disagreements on how to solve them, what do you propose for the district’s funding in future years? Would you support the district in taking on any loans in future years to fund the annual budget?
I oppose loans but I am open to using existing TIF funds. I’m looking for remedies that don’t have to always involve our taxpayer pockets.
I’m looking to put more pressure on our legislators, demanding more support from the government, partnering with nonprofits and colleges/universities, to help increase the support and resources while lessening the blow in costs.
The Chicago Board of Education recently adopted a new 5-year Strategic Plan. Which aspects do you support and which would you change, if any?
At first glance it sounds like a great plan but we need to be realistic with the goals and make sure that it’s inclusive to ALL of our students, regardless of the school that they attend. We are currently facing a $500 million deficit that is only going to grow before the end of the 2024-25 school year. So we need to start working on a logistic plan that is going to get us there.
As thousands of migrant families settle in Chicago, how should the District handle the influx of English learners? What more should be done to ensure consistent bilingual education is provided and funded?
I believe that by partnering with neighborhood councils, non-profit organizations, and colleges/universities, we can facilitate aspiring educators with hands-on experience. We can also look at our local residents who were educators in their native lands. We can create certification programs to have culture inclined personal support of our kids.
Do you believe the district has historically underinvested in South and West side schools? Yes.
If yes, what solutions would you propose to address inequities and opportunity gaps in the school system?
I believe that with the focus of my campaign we will be able to start tackling true and unique problems that our South and West sides are experiencing. Promoting parent empowerment through mentorship and volunteering and having transparency, our parents can highlight issues and potential solutions. With the promotion of Social Emotional Learning we can better support our students to know how to face difficult situations without further declining their mental and emotional state. A better supported and emotionally stable person will thrive academically. We can empower and motivate our students to aspire to bigger and better things. And last but not least, with equitable funding that will be based on accountability and results we can start putting money where it will yield a better return for our students. With this, I’m also looking forward to having mandated forensic audits for all of our schools and entities with whom we do business to eliminate mismanagement and misappropriation of funds.
Since his election, Mayor Johnson has indicated a desire to move away from school choice and bolster neighborhood schools. This was recently reinforced by in the District’s 5-year Strategic Plan. Do you share this position? Why or why not?
No, I don’t have this position as the plan is not inclusive of ALL of our kids. There are various factors to acknowledge why parents and caretakers opted for a school of choice. Doing this is undermining our families. I don’t believe in forcing the hand of our parents to choose a school over another. We need to win them by results. Limiting our families options is like ignoring their plights and not respecting what they believe is best for their own children.
What solutions do you propose to provide busing for students at selective enrollment and magnet schools?
If we are truly committed to serving all students, then we need to acknowledge that some families don’t have best-fit options in their neighborhood. I trust that students and families are seeking the opportunities that best serve them, and they should not be punished based on their geographic location. For this issue, I’m looking to partner with government, legislators, insurance and financial institutions, along with busing companies to boost hiring, incentivize retention, promote benefits, as many of our drivers do not have this and pressure legislators to pass better employee support laws for our bus drivers.
Please share your thoughts on how the District and the Chicago Teachers Union can settle on a new 4-year contract.
Compromising is always part of bargaining during contracts. During these negotiations, we need to remember that the focus should always be on the students and not their bottom line. School leaders, government and the Chicago Teachers Union should also consider the current critical state of the city and other contributing factors that are out of the control of the district and union.
I feel that it is unethical and immorally correct to payout large bonuses when we are facing deficits. Also, accountability and transparency should be exercised in the groups involved.
In 2024, Chicago Public Schools’ average literacy proficiency rate is 31%, an increase from pre-pandemic years. These rates, however, were lower for students from low-income families, English learners and students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs). How should the district seek to improve literacy rates going forward?
Aside from bringing more academic support with language barrier, SEL and integration of other activities and programs that all kids can feel motivated to participate in, we need to look at other ways of learning where the students are at, without always depending on testing alone. We can look at assessments, evaluations, overall participation and work portfolios. With this we can have a better understanding of the child’s strengths and areas where s/he would need additional support.
We also need to have better guides and programs so that parents know how to better support a struggling child.
What is your position on expanded funding and renewal terms for charter schools?
Funding, not just for charter schools, needs to be result driven. We need to compare notes with other schools and see what implementations and approaches are working efficiently and apply in other schools.
There is a record of some schools spending less per child and yet are yielding better results than the other schools receiving much more. So for this, I would like to set long term contracts the need to meet requirements and we can reassess/amend every
Please provide your thoughts on how to keep Chicago Public Schools as safe havens for students to learn and flourish fear of violence. How do you propose the district approach this?
I believe in the phrase: It takes a village, and with that, I believe that being inclusive with our parents involvement and including their input during decision making, we can elevate the participation and therefore help decrease violence and fear. We need to make our schools community hubs where we have everyone involved. With this, we can also partner with nonprofits to help us have mentor parents and bring more programs and activities into our schools for before, during and after school.
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