He is running for reelection in Waukegan School District 60.
By PF Staff
info@purofutbolonline.com
Waukegan, IL. – Edgar Castellanos has been a resident of Waukegan for over 20 years and is a current Waukegan School District 60 Board Member. Edgar and his family were born in Mexico and immigrated to Waukegan in the 90s for more opportunities, and it all started with District 60. Edgar graduated from DePaul University and works at Zion District 6 as the Director of Communications and is currently pursuing his Master in Business Administration from Western Illinois University.
Edgar brings a unique lens to the Waukegan BOE with years of experience working at a public school district. Mr. Castellanos is passionate about public education. His involvement in Oakdale’s PTO inspired him to take a more active role in education and in closing the achievement gap. Mr. Castellanos has a fifth grader at Oakdale Elementary. Edgar is helping strengthen his community’s character and generate social capital by being an advisor to Bravo Waukegan!
Why are you running?
I’ve been a member of the Waukegan School District 60 Board of Education since April of 2020. I am running for a full term because I am concerned about the achievement of our 15,000+ students, one of those students is my son, Jayden, a fifth-grader at Oakdale Elementary. I believe our wonderful and hardworking teachers deserve support in and out of the classroom. The school board must help provide a positive working and professional environment to help our teachers perform at the highest level.
My family and I immigrated to Waukegan from La Luz, Michoacán in the 90s. As an illegal immigrant, I always found myself thinking of ways to get to a better position in life, one in which we didn’t (my family) live in fear, a position in which we can give back to the communities in Waukegan that took us in.
One of those communities was Waukegan Public Schools. My family trusted my district to provide me an excellent education. While many kids in our district receive a world-class education, too many aren’t able to access those opportunities. I believe in the power of education to transform lives. I experienced that.
Education transformed my life, my family’s life, and I am committed to making sure all children have the opportunity to succeed.
Our schools are among the most diverse in the country! We need to close the achievement gap and show everyone around how it’s done. I will help lead this school district into the future. We need a change. That is why my campaign slogan is, The Choice for Change. New ideas, new energy, young minds, and new perspectives. That is what this district needs.
Why are you qualified to serve as a WPS60 School Board member?
As a former school board member, I know how WPS60 operates and understand the proper role of the board. The board needs to listen to staff, students and parents to make the best decision for student success.
The board needs to provide direction to the district. And the board needs to hold the district accountable. The current board has delegated these responsibilities to the superintendent. I understand the expectations of the Illinois State Board of Education and the National School Board Association.
As a parent, PTO member, current school district employee, I understand the importance of holding the district accountable. I am a candidate that has a good mix of all skill sets, I focus on long-term planning and accurately identify problems and pursue innovative solutions.
What do you believe is the single most important issue facing the Waukegan School District? How would you address it if elected?
Right now, I think we have got to focus first and foremost on the massive loss of learning that has happened as a result of this pandemic. We need to start by providing increased tailored supports to catch kids up to where they need to be.
This includes exploring new opportunities for expanded learning time (e.g., extended school-days/school year, structured after-school programs, weekend school, summer school, high-intensity, small group tutoring, etc.). We should start by targeting students who are at the highest risk for long-term learning loss.
Additionally, we should balance the dual needs of meeting students where they are while continuing to expose them to grade-level content through scaffolded supports that keep high expectations for and a high belief in all kids.
Is Waukegan School District currently doing a good job of retaining quality teachers? What steps, if any, should the school board take to improve teacher retention?
To support teacher retention, the administration needs to improve its communication with teachers and seek buy-in and feedback. This also needs to involve Principals and Assistant Principals District-wide. In SPED, where burnout leads to very high turnover rates, proper staffing ratios and contractual implementation of teacher preparation time would aid in teacher retention.
Additional time and support for professional development and collaboration would also improve retention. The recruitment of talented teachers is related, and the board needs to focus on increasing the number of highly qualified teachers of color. These teachers benefit all students, but have a particular bearing on the academic performance, graduation rates and college attendance among students of color.
Is there anything you would like to say to voters?
I am very fortunate and grateful to live in the Waukegan community and be a voice for our families, students and staff in our School District. We have something really special here in Waukegan.
We have exceptional teachers and staff who are truly invested in helping all of our students succeed. We have a community that supports our district’s efforts to improve and flourish, and we have visionary leadership that has put us on a pathway toward continued success.
I’m excited to do my part to help guide our district into the future. I look forward to continuing to serve the honorable Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 for the next 4 years.