Sean Story: 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:Bio Bio City: Park RidgeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Maine Township High School District 207 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 30Family: Married, two childrenOccupation: CFO COO of Chicagoland Beverage Co. (previous Northern Trust, Commercial Banking - Vice President) Education: MBA - Finance Marketing - J.L. Kellogg School of Management (2010), BA - Politics Economics - Princeton University (2004), Maine South High School (2000)Civic involvement: Recently nominated to the Board of Directors for the Associated Colleges of IllinoisMember of the Princeton Alumni Student CouncilFounder of the Princeton Entrepreneur Network of ChicagoElected offices held: None.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Investing in the Future - working with the community, school leadership and faculty to ensure that District 207 continues to uphold its reputation as an excellent educational system, as well as continues to challenge ourselves to improve and progress. Key Issue 2 Positive Leadership - As a community and a district, we need more leadership and less administration. Therefore, I intend to work closely with the community, school leadership, faculty and students to develop programs and initiatives that develops positive leaders and creates a positive culture throughout each school. Key Issue 3 Improving Communication - Communication is a key aspect in everything we do, and should be no exception when it comes to something as important as our children's education. As a board, it will be critical to enhance the lines of communication between the board, school administrators, teachers, as well as the community. Taking an open, collaborative approach to what our district is trying to accomplish will ultimately benefit everyone involved, and most importantly benefit the students.Questions Answers What, specifically, can the school board do to prevent hazing at its schools?A key initiative of the Board would be to work closely with the school's teachers, coaches and administrators to develop programs that invest the time to develop more positive, responsible leaders at both the student and teacher/ coach level. The Board can look to develop leadership initiatives for throughout athletic programs that promote positive team building (ie - ropes courses, small team outings, and assigning veteran mentors to newcomers, etc.). It must be everyone's responsibility to prevent hazing, however, the Board can work to be proactive in preventative measures through working to develop such programs and initiatives. Would you ever support deficit spending in a District 207 budget? How can the district keep its finances healthy going forward?Should the district tie teacher salary increases to CPI?A significant component of maintaining high educational standards is attracting, developing and maintaining excellent teacher's and faculty. A policy tying teacher's salaries to a specific index has its limitations from both providing upside, as well as protecting from budgetary constraints in times of financial hardship. The Board should be willing to have an open dialogue with teacher's and administrators to provide fair and competitive compensation that can be supported by the current and projected budgets.Discuss the health clinic at Maine East. Are you satisfied with how it is working? Should the idea be expanded to West or South?The health clinic has provided significant health and wellness benefits to the students of Maine East, and their families. Nevertheless, the board should look at how to ensure the clinic is financially sustainable at East before discussing expansion into West and South, if there appears to be a need at those schools.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 am supportive of initiatives that look to raise the academic standards for children. If America is to remain globally competitive, we must continue to invest in programs and initiatives that challenge our students to achieve higher levels of success in the classroom. The Board's involvement in this initiative, as well as the related curriculum, should be to work closely with educators and faculty to ensure that they have the appropriate level of classroom support and resources that help them and their students achieve these emerging standards to the best of the district's ability.