What types of transportation do you and your family use during an average week, and how has this shaped your view of transportation policy for schools?

We walk, bike, and take Metra/CTA to go to/from school and work. We use our car for groceries and visiting relatives outside the city. As a principal I promoted and supported international bike or walk to school day each year and would bike from my home in Hyde Park to my school in North Park.

These experiences have shown me how much work we have to do to make public transportation frequent enough, fast enough, and go to the places people wish to go.

What are some of the transportation challenges that families and students face in your district?

We have a significant lack of access, speed, and cleanliness. At the same time the cost is prohibitive for many families. We also suffer from the lack of integration of the public options. My kid will sometimes take the train one stop when it is raining or snowing and it costs $3.00 for a two minute ride.

Additionally we have issues of car safety as kids go to school. Too many folks speed by our school buildings and ignore stop signs.

School pick up/drop off can be chaotic and at times unsafe. What are ways you think this could be improved?

Carpooling and multi-family pick up can help. It is also helpful to have before and afterschool programming so that we spread out when kids are arriving and leaving. There are schools with dedicated pick up/drop off lanes that are not on city streets (like Harte) and this is much safer.

Studies show that childhood independence is critical for individual development. How can Chicago Public Schools better empower families to allow their children to be able to navigate independently – and most importantly, safely – to and from school?

We can teach kids from an early age. My children started taking the bus with their daycare and our family at two years of age. We worked with them to plan routes and practice how you interact with people. After walking them to school, my children began practice biking and walking independently. The schools can help teach students these skills in social studies classes and through the planning of field trips.

Most CPS students are offered driver's education when the time comes, but few are given the opportunity to learn about alternatives. What kind of educational opportunities around transportation do you think students should have?

I think public transportation should be free to all CPS students and their families and we should encourage use. This will help make our city more vibrant and increase routes.

Increasingly, a lack of busing has become a serious burden for many families’ day-to-day lives as services continue to be cut. What are some short-term and long-term solutions that you think would address this?

CPS Parents for Bussing seem to have the most innovative and equity-minded solutions that include paying drivers more, prioritizing routes for low income families, and offering more integrated bus services.

Long term the solution should be faster and more convenient public transportation options.

For many years now, Chicago Public Schools has failed to meet federally mandated requirements for accessible transportation for students with disabilities. How do you envision ensuring that students with disabilities’ transportation needs are met?

As a former special education teacher and family member and parent of folks with disabilities addressing this neglect is very important to me. We need to make the required investments in bus services and provide education options closer to families so that we need fewer buses. If neighborhood schools were more inclusive and more students with disabilities could attend them successfully, we would have the resources to address this challenge.