District 67 school board candidate Emily Bernahl hopes to focus on instructional loss and capital improvements to better the district if elected.
Bernahl said this position, she felt, was a way she could give back and looks forward to the opportunity to find a new superintendent.
"Certainly, we're going to be in a transition period between our interim and permanent superintendent," Bernahl said during the League of Woman Voters candidates forum. "We need to make sure that transition is smooth."
Bernahl, a mother of two children in the district in fourth and sixth grades, said summer school was something that needed to be considered for the instructional loss.
"And with fiscal responsibility, if you can actually go back and look at our capital Improvement projects and see where we kind of lie," Bernahl said. "The pandemic made us pivot quite a bit."
Bernahl said she has two very different learners at home and her children's success looks very different even as siblings.
"To be honest with you, students and their parents really should define their educational roadmap," Bernahl said. "The district should continue to provide support and guidance options and resources to help shape the specific classes or course offerings."
Bernahl said providing support for students is also important, especially as schools are reopening.
"Kids by nature are very social creatures and I think taking away that interaction with children is very difficult for them to understand and process," Bernahl said.
Bernahl said students have struggled for the last year. She said in the short-term, the school board needs to address and accommodate the many pivots that occurred during the pandemic.
"I think we're going to have to have some very careful oversight financially to go forward," Bernahl said.
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