David Alessio: 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: AlgonquinWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Community Unit District 300 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 48Family: Married with three children in D300 schoolsOccupation: Systems EngineerEducation: Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1987 Master of Science in Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, 1996Civic involvement: school district committees, booster clubsElected offices held: Board Member, CUSD 300Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Student achievementKey Issue 2 Conservative fiscal managementKey Issue 3 Parental involvementQuestions Answers Following up on the first teacher strike in 40 years, what do you think needs to happen in future negotiating sessions? Should the board play an active role in bettering the relationship between the teachers' union and higher level administrators?Yes, all groups should listen to the others with an open mind. The board needs to lead in this area by working with all bargaining groups, administrative staff, students, parents, and the entire community.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?The board needs to set the overall direction, but cannot be experts in all facets of the curriculum. The common core should define the standard preparation for college and careers after high school. This will allow parents and students to evaluate how well their district is meeting these common standards.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?m confident our district provides the opportunities students need to be successful. Programs which introduce families to these opportunities and guide student preparation for college have been successful and should be expanded at some grade levels.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?We need to continue operating with a balanced budget approach to spend the allocated money on classroom education and avoid tax increases.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, the focus of the board needs to be on supporting classroom education and making sure resources are directed to that end. I believe that past practice in the state will be restricted by future pension rules.