Meet Felix Ponce, candidate for the Chicago school board’s 8th District

Academics

About 31% of Chicago Public Schools elementary students are meeting state standards in reading, and 19% are meeting math standards. How would you approach growing reading and math achievement?^*
I remember trying to teach students the basic elements of rhythm, how to play a certain note, or how to use their ear to tune their instrument. Students tended to be more successful with this when their basic needs were met. The students who struggled the most were dealing with the psychological trauma of being homeless, witnessing a shooting of their loved ones, or not eating because they had no food at their house. Anyone living their experiences would have a hard time coping, especially with how they have a lack of support. We can help students be successful by providing academic and social emotional support and investing in neighborhoods to reduce violence and ensure no student comes to school hungry.

Do you support standardized testing more than once a year?
No. Standardized tests are not the only metrics at the disposal of schools to gauge the success and growth of a child. Teachers are invested in student learning and collect data about student learning every day. In addition, we know that frequent testing interrupts instructional time, stresses students out and stifles creativity. The money we spend on tests is better used by investing in resources that address the whole child. A test doesn’t provide IEP [Individualized Education Program] services, a test doesn’t provide counseling, and a test doesn’t teach them how to utilize a library.

Do you support requiring all schools to select from a certain curriculum authorized by the board of education?
No. I support standards based education and grading policies because they are better indicators of growth. Limiting teachers to one curriculum prevents teachers and students from co-creating curriculum, responding to current events, or connecting with neighborhood histories. Stakeholders in CPS deserve academic freedom and the flexibility to respond to their community.

Chicago Public Schools has consistently fallen short when it comes to serving students with disabilities. What would you do to improve special education?
I will push to hire a full-time case manager at every school and other support personnel that ensure a student with an IEP [Individualized Education Program] and 504 [a plan for students with disabilities] is supported and receives their minutes. As a teacher, I have had aides who supported students with IEPs pulled from my classroom because another teacher had more students with IEPs. I was happy that this aide could help more students, but this meant that my students would not be receiving the support they needed. No teacher or student should have to experience this disservice. To improve special education, we need to make sure schools are fully staffed.

CPS finances

In recent years, Chicago’s Board of Education has consistently raised the property tax levy to the maximum allowed by state law every year. Should the board continue to raise the levy to the maximum?
No. The Illinois State Board of Education’s own evidence-based funding model indicates that Illinois is underfunding CPS by $1.2 billion. The state needs to support Chicago’s students and provide the funding it needs.

Do you think CPS needs more funding, or do you think the school district’s budget is bloated? How would you balance the CPS budget?^*
According to the state’s own evidence-based funding formula, the current allocation only meets about 79% of the district’s needs. We need to push the state to provide the $1.2 billion in funding that we say we are owed. I experienced this as a music educator who was asked to start a band program without any funding. Our students deserve the very best and 79% funded is not good enough.

School choice

Do you support the current board of education’s decision to prioritize neighborhood schools and shift away from the current system of school choice with selective enrollment, magnet and charter schools?
Yes. Every school needs to be fully funded and I will support practices that ensure every school receives the funding that it needs. Parents should have the freedom to send their child to whatever school they want to, but they need to have true choice. Whether it is a neighborhood, selective enrollment, magnet or charter school, all schools need to be given the resources to support every single student.

Given the board of education’s decision to prioritize neighborhood schools, how would you balance supporting those schools without undermining the city’s selective enrollment schools and other specialized programs?^*
There is no reason that neighborhood schools should have less funding than selective enrollment schools and specialized programs. No matter where a student goes to school in the city, their school should be fully funded.

The first charter school opened in Chicago in 1997 and these privately run, publicly funded schools grew in number throughout the 2000s. Today, 54,000 Chicago Public Schools students, or about 17%, attend charters and contract schools. Do you support having charter schools in CPS as an option for students?
Yes. I am against privatization efforts that continue to take money away from public schools and lead to the inequities that our communities suffer with. Funding schools that have resources to be spaces for the community to thrive is vital to ensuring every child in CPS has the ability to be successful and pursue their dreams. Charter schools were brought into the neighborhoods where schools’ budgets were cut or where they were closed for “low enrollment.” However, they are now part of the community and many teachers and students in charter schools love their programs and we shouldn’t take that away from them.

Independence

If elected, how will you maintain your independence from the mayor’s office, the Chicago Teachers Union or other powerful forces shaping the school system?^*
I am making my decisions based on my experiences as a music teacher, the needs of my district and my desire to be a good father.

Police in schools

Do you support having sworn Chicago Police Department officers stationed in schools?
No. We need more teachers, nurses, case managers, counselors and other staff who can support a child’s mental health. We need libraries, art, music and vocational programs that create safe spaces for children to be successful. Investing in our students and their communities will lead to safe schools and provide solutions to root causes of problems rather than just using a Band-Aid.

Busing and facilities

Last year, in an effort to prioritize transportation for students with disabilities as required by state and federal law, CPS canceled busing for general education students who attend selective enrollment and magnet schools and hasn’t found a solution to reinstate that service. Do you support busing for general education students?
No. We need to stand behind our students with disabilities and ensure that their families don’t have to worry about getting their child to school. We must prioritize fulfilling our obligations as required by state and federal laws. However, we also need to ask why maintaining a reliable bus service is a challenge. Why are there staffing shortages? How can we address the root cause of the problem to support diverse learners and general education students?

About one-third of Chicago public school buildings have space for at least double the students they’re currently enrolling. Chicago officials have previously viewed under-enrolled schools as an inefficient use of limited resources — and a decade ago the city closed a record 50 schools. Do you support closing schools for low enrollment?
No. Ten years ago, CPS told community members that schools were “underutilized” if classrooms had fewer than 36 students in them. They closed 50 schools in primarily Black and brown neighborhoods because they chose not to invest in them. CPS and the city of Chicago have facilitated low enrollment by disinvesting in schools AND neighborhoods. Until recently, schools have been trapped in a cycle of underfunding and low enrollment, pushing families away. We need to stop closing schools and invest in our communities rather than taking away from them.

Bilingual education

CPS has long struggled to comply with state and federal laws requiring bilingual programs at schools that enroll 20 or more students who speak a different language. The recent influx of migrant families has exacerbated the problem. What policies do you support to ensure the district is supporting bilingual students and in compliance with state and federal laws?
We need to create pathways to develop new teachers and support current teachers in earning their ESL [English as a Second Language] or bilingual endorsement so they have the tools to support these communities. There also needs to be a push to hire and retain teachers of color, particularly Latine teachers. As a male Mexican American music teacher, this is a topic that hits close to home because we are such a small percentage of teachers in CPS. This percentage does not align with the demographics of the district and I will work to change that. There is more we can do to support all our students and community members to maintaining bilingualism in an increasingly global society.

Top local issue

Please share one issue that’s a top concern for your community or your larger elected school board voting district.
School safety