Jodi Krause: Candidate Profile

Back to Benjamin District 25 School Board 4-year term

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:BioQA Bio City: Carol StreamWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Benjamin District 25 School Board 4-year term Age: 37Family: I have been married to Joe for 14 years and have 2 daughters Allyson, 5th grade, and Emily, 3rd grade.Occupation: Recreation Supervisor, Barrington Park DistrictEducation: Bachelors degree in Human ServicesCivic involvement: Benjamin District 25 School Board, 2 years Benjamin Education Foundation, 3 years. Carol Steam Park District committee to determine the need for park improvements and community center via a referendum.Elected offices held: Benjamin District 25 School BoardQuestions Answers How satisfied are you that your school district is adequately 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?Benjamin School District 25 is doing an outstanding job at preparing our kids for the next stage in their academic career, high school, and into the future. This is proven with high school test scores, A/P class involvement, participation in extra curricular activities, and the percentage of students enrolling in community or four year universities.What budgetary issues will your district have to confront during the next four years and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, be specific about programs and expenses that should be considered for reduction or elimination. On the income side, do you support any tax increases for local schools? Again, be specific.District 25 is currently financially stable and is projected to be in the future as well. At this point cuts are not necessary for fiscal sustainability, however, that means continually examining expenditures, grant opportunities, partnerships and other cost saving measures. Because of our fiscal responsibility as a board, it is not necessary to increase our local taxes in order to maintain a balanced budget.Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family - spouse, child or child-in-law - employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?No I am not currently employed by a school district although, in the past I was employed by District 33 as a teachers assistant. My husband is an elementary teacher in another local community.As contract talks come up with various school employee groups -- teachers, support staff, etc. -- what posture should the school board take? 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?During contract negotiations I believe it is important for a board representative to be present during negotiations to hear the discussions between administration and certified staff and to report back to the full board. However, I do think that if those groups can accomplish the goal and come to a bargaining agreement that the School Board, Administration and teachers can agree on they should be given that opportunity as the professionals in the field. If a contract can not be reached then the board representative will need to have a more active role.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. While I fully support our superintendent and would wish him the best in retirement, we are stewards of a tight budget. I believe that large pay bumps near retirement would be unfair to our district and the state as a whole because of the way ending salary determines pension amount. As we know the state is in a pension crisis, and over-inflating ending salaries is one of many causes.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Even though Benjamin students as a whole test well, the federally and state mandated standardized tests are taking valuable time away from educating our Benjamin District 25 students. Non-educators are making education decisions on behalf of our students. The overreach of Federal Government into education has already damaged students through No Child Left Behind. It is time we as local tax payers stand up for our schools and put education back in local hands where it was intended.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Candidate did not respond.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Accountability. In order to grow and learn for the choices you make, you need to acknowledge your decisions and the impact those choices had.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Every life experience has helped me become the person I am. Though not always easy I would not change the past.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?As a professional who deals with people on a daily basis, psychology has been integral in my career.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be the best you can be through hard work, being true to yourself and your beliefs.