The Riverside-Brookfield Landmark sent questionnaires to each person running for public office in 2023. The Landmark’s questions are in bold and the candidate’s responses are below.
Name: Wesley Muirheid
Age: 41
Previous Political Experience: D96 Board of Education, one term
Occupation: Senior Underwriting Director, Liberty Mutual
Education: B.A. in Management
1. Why are you running for the District 96 school board?
I am running for a second term on the District 96 Board of Education. Our work as a board was stagnated by the COVID 19 pandemic and we have some lofty goals for continuing to enhance our school environment for our students, staff, parents and the broader community. District 96 schools are a major reason families with young children move to this are and I want to continue facilitating the districts 5 year plan and complete the major facility improvements we need to continue improving our already great schools.
2. What experience and perspectives would you bring to the position and how would they be valuable as an elected official?
I now have four years of direct experience on this board. My occupation as a Director is very comparable to the governance role board members play to effectively run district operations.. You must assess all pertinent information, gather diverse feedback from stakeholders and engage experts to make the best decisions possible for the district.
3. What do you believe are some of the greatest challenges facing the District 96?
I believe the biggest challenges facing our district are education and social emotional needs. While we are seeing student growth dramatically improve as the classroom setting has normalized our data shows students are not yet fully performing at grade level. There have also been a number of challenges with social interactions with nearly two years in some state of lockdown and/or social restrictions. Getting our students “caught up” is a big challenge because every student and family was impacted by the pandemic in a different way. District 96 is in the process of evaluating and identifying student needs to ensure every student has the proper resources.
