EDWARDSVILLE - Terri Dalla Riva, a school board candidate in the upcoming Edwardsville School District 7 race in April 2021, holds a special place in her heart for her family, the school system and her real estate business.
Dalla Riva is involved in the Edwardsville-Glen Carbon communities in numerous ways and also outside the board often assists outside charities/civic causes.
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Terri made the decision to run for another school board term because she said she feels there is much still to be accomplished as a school board member.
A new superintendent will be selected for the 2021-2022 school year and she also wants to be a part of working with the new person as they set the direction for the district.
Terri’s children went through the Edwardsville District 7 system, so she knows it well. She also understands the COVID-19 Pandemic has not been easy for the students, faculty or administration in the school district. Edwardsville has spent considerable time in remote learning since the COVID-19 Pandemic hit the area in mid-March of last year.
“Our educators and staff members are a very conscientious group,” she said. “We feel we have the best in education in our district. It is a very challenging time right now because of COVID-19 and the technology department has really stepped up to those needs and how we make them available to the students and educators." Terri stressed that the superintendent and school board have made the technology part a big focus in recent months. The board has wanted to make sure students and instructors had what they needed for the online curriculum.
Terri said she is most impressed by the extracurricular activities in the Edwardsville School system. She said she feels the school's athletic program is second to none. She also said the band, orchestra, chorus and drama programs at EHS and the middle school range are also exceptional.
Terri’s daughters: Gina, Stephanie, Hannah and Mia, are all products of the Edwardsville School District, which gave the school board member an incredible look into the system before she became part of the team.
“My daughters did band and my daughter, Stephanie, did cross country and track. All were involved in extracurricular activities."
Terri's students were some of the highest achievers academically in the system during their tenure.
The school board member mentioned the EHS journalism department also won several major awards in the past couple of years and is phenomenal.
"The amount of talent that we have with the teachers and staff cultivates the student talent at the school," she said.
Terri has been a Coldwell Banker Realtor since 2016. Again, her work in real estate gives her a unique perspective of the community and she is in constant contact with many of the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon/Holiday Shores/Worden area residents.
“When I got started in the real estate business, I was originally rehabbing homes, but then I thought I would get a real estate license and I have been selling homes for my clients ever since,” she said. “I really love being in the real estate business and I still have some rental properties. I get to work with a lot of different people and that is icing on the cake.”
She is very proud of the collaboration between school board members and the administration.
“I am very proud of my work with my other board members,” she said. “I am chair of policy and finance committees. I try to promote good stewardship and fiscal responsibility. We are also making sure our policies are very up-to-date. We have reviewed all the policy for the district, the past several months under the advisement of Dr. (Jason) Henderson.
"We are also looking closely at our programs. We have been able to keep a very close eye on district finances. The board has changed a lot over the years. This is a board that functions independently from the superintendent, but also in a collaborate sense.
Superintendent Dr. Jason Henderson has announced he is leaving at the end of the school year.
“We are getting ready to interview for a new superintendent,” she said, “We have been fortunate to have a very good superintendent and will be looking for another one. Presently, we have talked a lot and about diversity and inclusion and providing equity in education. I was a member of the equity task force. It was a great learning experience for me as well as see what changes we make and continue to improve. Some things were asked for such as banning the Confederate flag and hate symbols at school. This was brought to the full school board and is now part of our school policy. We work together as a group to institute these changes.”
Terri said previous Superintendent Dr. Lynda Andre had a strong finance background and that has continued with Dr. Henderson. She views the monitoring of the finances as one of the most important roles of a school board member and is a strong suit for Terri in her present role.
Terri ran for school board in 2015 and has always been a firm believer in providing a wonderful education in Edwardsville. She also always wants to continue improvement in the system.
“As a board member, we are constantly connecting with members of the community. It is a very important aspect. We are the voice of the community and we need to listen to the community to bring that to you.”
