We asked each candidate to answer questions on topics important to the Senn High School community. Below are their answers.
Jason Menard
(pronouns: he / him )
Running for: Parent Representative
About the Candidate
In just a few sentences, please tell us about yourself.
I am the father of two children, both of whom are high school. My eldest is a junior in the Senn Arts program. For the last 20 years I have worked as public defender for Cook County. I reside in the Edgebrook neighborhood.
What is your relationship to Senn?
I am the parent of a junior in the Senn Arts program. I joined with other parents as a member of Stronger Senn to advocate for the programs preservation. Last year I was the Vice Chair of Senn's Parent Advisory Council and am currently on the administrative team for the Senn ICE Watch Patrol.
Why do you want to be on the Senn LSC?
Members of the LSC need to be advocates for not just themselves, but for all families at Senn. I have demonstrated that desire both in my professional and volunteer efforts. Being an advocate is not only providing a voice to concerns, but holding leadership accountable for their failures by asking difficult questions, demanding answers and expecting transparency to decision making.
Do you have any previous experience on a Local School Council? If so, tell us about it.
I served 4 years as a parent rep at my children's neighborhood school and 1 year as a community rep at that same school. In that time I served as the FOIA Officer, ensuring our meeting were as open and accessible. I served during a difficult period during the pandemic that required creative solutions and collaboration. During my time as a rep I also was part of two principal searches.
Where Your Candidate Stands
We asked each candidate a series of questions that important to the Senn High School community. Their answers are below.
Q1. What do you believe are the responsibilities of a Local School Council?
Candidate Answer:
Our goal is to ensure that the administration is making decisions in alignment with the CIWP, to hold the principal accountable for their actions, to ensure school money is spent prudently, and that all decisions are made transparently with meaning input from all stakeholders.
Q2. What core values do you hope to uphold as a member of the LSC?
Candidate Answer:
Advocacy, Fairness, Transparency, Collaboration.
Q3. All Parent and Community LSC members are required to complete 9 mandatory training sessions within six months of taking office.
- If you are a current or former LSC member, have you completed all your training sessions?
- If you have not served on an LSC before, do you commit to competing all 9 training sessions within six months of taking office?
(Candidates were given a matrix of preselected answers. Below are the answers they selected)
Candidate Answer:
- I have completed all trainings.
- I commit to completing all required trainings within six months of taking office.
Q4. What does effective communication for a principal entail, in your eyes? In what moments does principal communication matter most?
Candidate Answer:
Effective communication requires clarity and honesty. Communication is most important during times of change, transition or emergency.
Q5. What is your understanding of CPS's policies regarding ICE and federal agents in school buildings?
Candidate Answer:
As a member of the admin team for the Senn ICE Watch, I was invited to contribute to the plan that is currently being developed by the Sanctuary Team. Unfortunately, the guidance provided by the Central Office was inadequate for the challenges most communities were facing, epecially with regards to how they interacted with community groups. The plan being developed clarifies and solidifies a plan I believe strongly in.
Q6. What kind of leadership would you expect to see from the principal when federal agents target our neighborhood and families?
Candidate Answer:
Federal agents should not be in our school or on our grounds. Full stop. Ideally, a principal would be proactive rather than reactive to threats.
Q7. LSC members are responsible for developing and monitoring the school's improvement plan (CIWP), which includes goals around academic success. Describe your understanding of Senn's academic programs. What academic priorities will you emphasize in your role on the LSC?
Candidate Answer:
The current CIWP is expiring this year so it is important for LSC members to have an understanding what the document is and its importance. Priority 1 of our current CIWP is "Inclusive and Supportive Learning Environment" I would like to see this continue as a priority. While there has been work towards this goal, I believe there is more to be done.
Q8. One of the key responsibilities of the LSC is aligning the school's budget to the CIWP.
- If you are or have been a Senn LSC representative, provide an example or two of what you have done to ensure both ongoing and annual budgetary transparency?
- For candidates who have not served on Senn's LSC: Describe your approach to budget accountability, transparency, and oversight.
Candidate Answer:
First off, budget documents need to made available. This has not been historically provided by this administration and the LSC has not demanded it. This is one of the few required duties of the LSC. I am aghast by how little the budget is discussed during the meetings I have attended. If I am elected, I will ensure that budget documents are provided to all members and that budget discussions are made a meaningful part of the agenda.
Q9. What should the role of the LSC be if the principal attempts to quietly make changes without transparency or community input?
Candidate Answer:
Demand otherwise! No question. I understand that not every decision a principal makes is subject to LSC review or approval. But what is important is that families have trust in their leadership and that can only been done when stakeholders are brought along in the decision making process and not informed after the fact.
Q10. When families consistently learn important information from outside sources rather than school leadership, what should the LSC do?
Candidate Answer:
Hold the principal accountable and demand better.
Q11. The 5Essentials Survey (link), developed by the University of Chicago in collaboration with CPS, identifies strengths and weaknesses across five areas:
- Effective Leaders (Score: 28, Weak)
- Collaborative Teachers (Score: 47, Neutral)
- Involved Families (Score: 40, Neutral)
- Supportive Environment (Score: 50, Neutral)
- Ambitions Instruction (Not scored due to data error)
What stands out to you and what action steps would you take as an LSC representative to address the challenge areas?
Candidate Answer:
Obviously, what stands out the most is "Effective Leaders". Unfortunately, this score has not improved since I have been a parent at Senn. Year after year, this is the lowest score. Without effective leadership it is hard to improve any of the other metrics. If elected, I would demand a clear strategy from this administration it will improve.
Q12. Describe your approach to equity. How would you ensure that decisions made by the LSC support and do not proportionally harm Black, Latino, Indigenous, immigrant, or low-income students? What systems and practices would you support to make sure marginalized voices are not just heard, but actually shape outcomes?
Candidate Answer:
The minimum that we, as a school, can do is make sure that people understand what is happening at their school. The ability for non-English speaking families to take part in this discussion is difficult when there is no effort to offer accommodations. That was a driving motivator for the Parental Advisory Committee to purchase the translation devices. Once people are better aware, they can better contribute.
Q13. One of the key responsibilities of LSC members is to evaluate the school's principal. This LSC term will coincide with the contract renewal timeframe for Senn's principal. Describe how you will approach this responsibility.
What key performance indicators should be the primary focus factors when deciding whether to renew a principal's contract.
Candidate Answer:
Past performance, ability to respond to feedback in an effort to improve, communication, stake holder engagement, ability to inspire and lead staff.
Additional Candidate Materials
Candidates were offered the opportunity to provide the public with additional materials to be displayed on their profile page. Those materials are provided here.