Budget Transparency
Teacher Advocacy
Academic Focus
Candidate for School Board
Hi, my name is Christopher DeNardo and I am running for District 65 school board. I believe that public schools should serve the public good. That means it doesn’t matter if you are a current student, parent/caregiver of a current student or resident without children in the schools, you are a member of the public and are impacted by the way the public schools are run and you are invested in them being run well.
District 65 is a community of uniqueness and diversity. Our children come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, languages, cultures, and socioeconomic statuses. Though our children are unique, their needs are universal. Every child needs to be safe, cared for and given the opportunity to learn to read, organize their thoughts into writing, understand the world through numbers and to navigate socially within their community. In an increasingly online, fragmented world, I believe that public schools represent an opportunity to rebuild our sense of community.
Our district faces challenges, just like many others. I believe we have the resources, tools and talent to face those challenges but we must face them together. Our schools, like our children, deserve community investment. Thank you for taking the time to visit my campaign site and for your consideration in the April 1 election. Please reach out to me at denardoford65@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Why a Sandwich?
Why is there a sandwich in my yard sign? There’s a story behind it. At a recent campaign event, candidates were asked how we would like to be remembered by future generations, in other words: what will be our legacy? During this campaign I have met wonderful people involved in community work. I have deepened my understanding of issues facing public education in general and the specific challenges in district 65. I have not thought about my personal legacy, so the question caught me off-guard. My fellow candidates all gave excellent, humble responses and I ended up being the last to speak. In an attempt to put a memorable button on the evening and stand out from the crowd I began my response with a joke, claiming that I want to be remembered by having my name posted on every building in the school district. I didn’t stop there. I said I wanted my name on honorary street signs and even, yes, deli sandwiches at local restaurants named after me. The joke went over well, thank goodness. I concluded my response by saying that I simply want to play my part in stabilizing the district after a long period of instability and uncertainty. I plan to accomplish that by making the best decisions that I can with the information available to me in the moment. As for my legacy, I am happy to let history make its own judgments (a partial quote from the movie Star Trek: First Contact).
But still……a deli sandwich named after me would be nice.