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 mostly travel by public transit, walking, and as well as by bike or e-bike for shorter distances. We also have one car in our household that we share with our neighbors and use a couple of times a week for errands. I rely on my e-bike to get around the community and to bring my son to and from daycare, and use it frequently on the campaign trail! My reliance on my bike has shown me the importance of having a strong transportation policy for schools, in two ways. First, it makes clear how much cars are not essential when traveling short distances; however, in addition, I do not always feel safe riding my bike on busier streets with my toddler on the back, showing how we need to improve other transportation to schools, particularly for those without cars or presently without access to busing.

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

Students in District 2 face several challenges when getting to and from school, many of which raise serious safety concerns. Traffic jams during drop-off and pick-up times are a daily occurrence, creating a chaotic environment around our schools. In addition, many drivers take cut-through streets to avoid these traffic bottlenecks, often speeding through residential areas where children are walking, which increases the danger.

Another concern is the frequent presence of delivery trucks parked near school entrances, blocking visibility for both pedestrians and drivers. This lack of visibility creates a hazardous situation, especially for children crossing the street.

On top of that, we don’t have enough protected bike lanes for students who choose to bike to school. The absence of safe biking infrastructure puts young bikers at risk, forcing them to navigate streets shared with cars and trucks without proper protection. Overall, these issues contribute to a situation where students’ safety is far from guaranteed. We must address these concerns to ensure a safer commute for all students.

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

As I mentioned in the last question, traffic jams are often an issue, leading to chaos and drivers speeding around schools to avoid the bottlenecks. We need to find creative, proactive ways to address these issues, including staggering drop-off and pick-up times, and having protected walking and bike lanes that provide safe paths away from the lines of cars during these times. Furthermore, we need to prohibit trucks from parking near schools, with exceptions at specific times for deliveries.

We should also consider advocating for changes to mapping services like Google Maps to indicate school times and reroute non-local drivers away from school pick-up and drop-off zones. This could potentially be implemented via a local ordinance since companies like Google must comply with local regulations.

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?

It is important for children to be able to navigate to and from school independently, but first, it must be safe. This includes having protected bike lanes on routes to and from schools, having crossing guards at every major intersection on these routes (especially intersections with major streets), and installing stop lights at intersections with larger streets along these routes. Furthermore, from elementary school on, students should be taught safety while walking and biking, as part of the physical education curriculum. Educational materials on this, and on how students are being taught about safe travels, should be provided to parents as well.

We also need to audit the implementation of the Traffic Injury Prevention curriculum that was adopted by the CPS Board to ensure it’s been effectively delivered in our schools.

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?

Just as they are taught how to drive safely, students should be taught safety tips with respect to biking and other popular forms of transportation like e-scooters. Though Chicago has many relatively safe and accessible bike lines, we are far from a full bike grid, and any injuries and fatalities are too many and are preventable. When teaching students to drive, more emphasis should also be placed on how to navigate shared roads between bikes and vehicles

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?

Studies have shown that student attendance is directly correlated with access to transportation to and from school. We must bring busing back for all schools, including special education and selective enrollment. This is something I am very passionate about, and I am proud to be endorsed by CPS Parents for Buses.

We must restore busing as an option for all students, and seek state or federal funding to bring that back, so everyone can get to school in the interim. As we improve other transportation infrastructure, the need for busing will hopefully decrease.

My proposed solutions to improve busing include:

• I would call for a thorough audit of CPS transportation spending including the impact of vendor caps on our ability to provide reliable transportation services.

• Prioritize our families with the greatest need by renewing the $500 per month stipend for low-income families without access to transportation services.

• Call for a routing software analysis and potentially a RFP for enhanced routing software that would allow us to identify the most seats for students in the most cost-effective manner. This could also enhance the “hub” model that has been proposed (though with few details) by CPS.

• Raise bus drivers' pay beyond just keeping pace with inflation, and increase sign-on bonuses for new bus drivers. I would also insist that the board review a monthly progress report on hiring goals and hiring activities including attendance at recruitment fairs.

In the long term, improving how CPS students get to and from school requires a multi-faceted approach that prioritizes both safety and accessibility. CPS has passed a policy to adopt a traffic injury prevention curriculum, but there is no information available on its implementation. The new board must assess whether this curriculum is being implemented effectively across all grade levels to ensure it truly benefits our students and contributes to safer commutes.

First, we can strengthen the presence of crossing guards at key intersections near schools. Well-trained crossing guards play a critical role in ensuring students cross streets safely, especially in high-traffic areas. In our most recent budget, we subtracted rather than added crossing guards, this is unacceptable.

We should also collaborate with the city to increase investment in well-marked crosswalks, bump-outs, and other built environment fixes like protected bike lanes. These changes not only slow down drivers but also provide physical separation between cars and pedestrians or bikers, reducing the risk of accidents.

Lowering speed limits around school zones to 15 MPH during the school day is another crucial measure. By reducing speeds, we decrease the likelihood of serious injuries when accidents do occur.

Alongside this, we can explore expanding learn-to-ride programs that teach kids bike safety, encouraging them to make healthy choices and take advantage of safe biking infrastructure.

For families relying on public transit or driving, improving coordination between CPS and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to ensure reliable, kid-friendly routes is key.

Ultimately, the goal is to make the school commute not just safer but also a part of a connected, healthy routine for students. By creating an environment that supports walking, biking, and public transit, we can encourage healthier habits while addressing traffic safety head-on

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?

The Board needs a task force to ensure that these needs are being met and that the voices of students with disabilities and their families are heard in policy discussions. We must restore busing to all schools, including special education schools and others that are not in the immediate vicinity of students’ residences. This transportation must be accessible for students with all types of disabilities, whether that is wheelchair accessibility, sensory adjustments for neurodivergent students, or other accommodations and adjustments.

Reiterating from above some proposals for enhancing busing services including for our special education students:

• I would call for a thorough audit of CPS transportation spending including the impact of vendor caps on our ability to provide reliable transportation services.

• Prioritize our families with the greatest need by renewing the $500 per month stipend for low-income families without access to transportation services.

• Call for a routing software analysis and potentially a RFP for enhanced routing software that would allow us to identify the most seats for students in the most cost-effective manner. This could also enhance the “hub” model that has been proposed (though with few details) by CPS.

• Raise bus drivers' pay beyond just keeping pace with inflation, and increase sign-on bonuses for new bus drivers. I would also insist that the board review a monthly progress report on hiring goals and hiring activities including attendance at recruitment fairs.