James "Jay" Irvin: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: AddisonWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Dupage High School District 88 School Board (4-year TermsAge: 60Family: Married, 3 children, 4 grandchildrenOccupation: Candidate did not respond.Education: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Intergovermental member Mayor's Unity Task ForceElected offices held: DuPage H.S. Dist88 Board of Education 2005-Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: Candidate did not respond.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Board StabilityKey Issue 2 Candidate did not respond.Key Issue 3 Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers What do you think about the shift to the common core standards? How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?I think the shift is needed. Our role as a Board is to provide the means for our experts, our Administration, to set and implement any changes needed to our curriculum.How satisfied are you that your district is preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?I am proud of the direction we are traveling, but this is a continuous evolving process that we constantly monitor and modify when necessary.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax increases?Reduced revenues, labor negotiations, pension reform as well as healthcare costs will continue to be the main drivers.It's too early to determine what has to be done. Hopefully we can continue in our current direction.As contract talks come up with various school employee groups, do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?All of the above. We are in these situation together and we will need to handle them together.Changes are not options,changes are inevitable. We cannot continue to do business as it has been done in the past and survive.I am confident that we as a D88 team will be a model for continued success in the future.If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?NO.