ALTON - Christina Milien stays busy.
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Milien, one of six candidates for the Alton Community Unit School District #11 Board of Education, shared more about who she is and what she stands for. She has served on the board for the last four years, and she is excited for the chance to give back to the community for another four-year term.
“I stay very busy pretty much all the time. I wouldn't have it any other way,” she said. “I get as much as I give, if not more, when I’m of service. I think that's what all of us are supposed to do. I think it’s the highest calling that any of us have, to figure out how we can help people just for the sake of being of service.”
Outside of the school board, Milien is the mother of two boys in ACUSD11. She works remotely as a managing attorney with a firm in Chicago, and she appears in court at least three days a week in Missouri. She is licensed to practice law in Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, so she oversees many cases at the firm and regularly works over 50 hours a week.
She also volunteers with the Be a Bridge Foundation, a nonprofit in Alton that promotes mentorship in the Alton School District. Her sons join her three or four times a year at the Jayson Tatum Foundation for events like backpack and turkey giveaways.
Since joining the school board in 2021, Milien said she has “really enjoyed” her experience so far. She noted that it can be “challenging” at times because the board makes important decisions for students and teachers, but she is “fascinated” with the district. She calls herself a “secret nerd” who loves to learn everything she can about the district.
“I feel like a perpetual student when it comes to being on the school board because I’m always learning more and more in-depth about what people do every day to make it all work. There’s just so much that goes on behind the scenes,” she explained. “I’ve enjoyed it so much. I’ve learned so much. I’m still learning. As long as I’m on the board, I don’t foresee a day where I won’t learn something new. It’s been a great experience.”
Milien believes the achievement gap — a gap between how students of color perform on standardized tests versus white students — is a major concern in the district right now, as is teacher retention, disparities in discipline, the teacher shortage, and attendance.
But she pointed out that these issues are not unique to Alton. She added that she “very firmly and strongly” believes in Superintendent Elaine Kane, who she considers to be an “extraordinarily intelligent, thoughtful, collaborative” person, as well as the rest of the administrative staff in ACUSD11.
Milien feels that Alton is “in a really good spot right now,” and she hopes for another chance to be a part of the district’s success. She encourages people to consider voting for her during the consolidated election on April 1, 2025.
“I believe that I will carefully and thoughtfully be a voice for students and teachers and advocate for the absolute best conditions that we can create and maintain for them,” she added. “I am personally vested because I am a taxpayer here. I am a mom here. I am a community member here. I’m involved with kids, not just mine, but with kids in the district. So I have a stake in this. I have a dog in this fight. I’m asking folks to vote for me because I can guarantee you that I will speak for and fight for the very best that we can provide for Alton students, teachers, administrators and staff.”
This is the third of a series of six articles about the Alton Community Unit School District #11 Board of Education candidates.
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