Future Focused
Preparing our students and schools for tomorrow's opportunities.
Columbia Community Unit School District 4
Re-Elect Naureen Stack-Frierdich
Columbia CUSD 4 School Board
Focused on the future for our students, for our schools, for our community.
Why I’m running again
Why Another Four Years?
Four years ago, I ran because I cared deeply about our schools and believed I could contribute something meaningful.
Today, I am running with something I did not have then: four years of experience, perspective, lessons learned, difficult conversations, hard decisions, and an even greater appreciation for the responsibility that comes with serving.
I believe there is more work to do, and I am asking the community for the opportunity to continue serving with focus, humility, and a steady commitment to our students, our schools, and our community.
Focused on the Future
For our students. For our schools. For our community.
School board service requires looking beyond the decision directly in front of us and considering where those decisions take our students, schools, and community in the years ahead.
A steady approach
FOCUS
A simple word for a serious responsibility: keeping every conversation, every question, and every decision connected to the future of Columbia CUSD 4.
Open Communication
Creating transparency, listening to families and educators, and keeping our community informed while maintaining confidentiality.
Community
Working together with students, parents, teachers, staff, and community members.
Understanding
Taking the time to listen, ask questions, and understand different perspectives before making decisions.
Student Centered
Keeping the success, safety, growth, and well-being of our students at the heart of every decision.
Board service
Four Years of Listening, Learning, Serving
Four years of school board service has given me a deeper understanding of both the opportunities and challenges facing our district.
Good governance is not about having all of the answers. It is about doing the homework, asking good questions, listening to different perspectives, and making difficult decisions when necessary.
I have also learned that serving on a school board is not always easy. The decisions we make affect people personally, and with that comes questions, concerns, criticism, and disagreement. I have learned to be OK with that. Good leadership is not about making the most popular decision or ensuring everyone agrees with you. It is about listening, asking questions, considering different perspectives, and being willing to make difficult decisions when you believe they are in the best interest of our students, schools, and community.
I am proud to serve alongside a board that can disagree, challenge one another, and still work together respectfully with a shared commitment to doing what we believe is best for Columbia CUSD 4.
Listen
Good governance starts with listening to families, educators, staff, students, and community members who see the district from different angles.
Learn
Experience has taught me that even seemingly simple decisions can involve competing needs, limited resources, long-term consequences, and perspectives I may not have initially considered.
Lead
Leadership means doing the homework, asking good questions, and being willing to make difficult decisions when necessary.
“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you got to put up with the rain.”Dolly Parton
Progress and the work ahead
Progress I’ve Been Proud to Support
Progress does not mean we always agree. In fact, some of the most important decisions require thoughtful questions, different perspectives, and honest discussion.
I am proud to serve on a board that can disagree respectfully, listen to one another, and ultimately work together with the best interests of our students, schools, and community at the center.
I am especially proud of the work that has gone into providing our students with a new school. It is an investment that required planning, careful financial stewardship, and collaboration. Our students deserve an environment that supports their education while providing the highest level of safety we can reasonably provide, and being part of the work to make that possible is something I am incredibly proud of.
I am also proud of the standard of excellence our schools continue to pursue. That excellence is reflected every day in the dedication of our educators and staff, the leadership of our administration, the efforts of our students, and the support of families throughout our district. It is a standard worth protecting and continuing to build upon.
There will always be more work to do, but I am proud of the progress we have made together, and I remain focused on where we go from here.
“The future depends on what you do today.”
Showing up
Rooted in Our Community
My connection to Columbia schools did not begin when I joined the school board, and it does not end when a board meeting adjourns. Columbia has been my home for more than 20 years, and both of my children have attended our schools since pre-K.
I have experienced this district not only as a board member, but as a parent sitting in the stands, attending activities, supporting teachers, and watching my own children grow up here.
Outside of board service, I have tried to find meaningful ways to give back to the community I call home, from bringing back the Athlete of the Month program and hosting teacher appreciation events to attending sports and extracurricular activities, supporting local businesses, and through my work in real estate, helping families put down roots in the communities I serve.
For me, serving Columbia has never been limited to a seat at the board table. It is about showing up, supporting others, and remaining invested in the community my family and I are proud to call home.
Thank you
Grateful for the Opportunity to Serve
I am grateful for the trust this community placed in me four years ago. Serving our students, schools, and community has been an honor, and I do not take that responsibility lightly.
These four years have included meaningful conversations, important decisions, challenges, lessons, and countless reminders of how special Columbia is. I am thankful for everyone who has shared ideas, concerns, encouragement, and perspective along the way.
That gratitude strengthens my commitment to remain focused on the future: for our students, for our schools, and for our community.
The person behind the campaign
A Little About Me
I’m a proud mom of two Columbia High School students, and family is at the center of so much of my life. Columbia has been home for more than 20 years, and today, much of my family calls this community home as well. I’m proud to be an Eagle and grateful to be part of a community that has given so much to my family.
I grew up in Highland, Illinois, graduated from Marquette Catholic High School, and earned my bachelor’s degree in Communication from McKendree College in 2005. Professionally, I’m a real estate broker licensed in Illinois and Missouri, helping individuals and families navigate the buying and selling process through some of life’s biggest decisions.
My children were a big part of what first led me to school board service. I wanted to better understand how our district worked—not simply have opinions from the outside, but be willing to learn, ask questions, get involved, and contribute where I could.
I’ve always believed, “Don’t just be part of the problem. Be part of the solution.” Serving on the school board became one way for me to put that belief into practice.
Open communication
Questions? Let’s Talk.
Respectful questions, conversations, and different perspectives are welcome, even when we do not agree. Open communication is part of how a community stays connected to its schools.
Election information
Make a Plan to Vote
Election details can change, so voters should confirm registration, early voting, polling place, vote-by-mail, and Election Day information with the Monroe County Clerk or the Illinois State Board of Elections.
Election dateApril 6, 2027
DistrictColumbia Community Unit School District 4
Local election officeMonroe County Clerk
Campaign information
- This campaign is independent and is not sponsored by Columbia CUSD 4.