Pablo Morales: Candidate Profile

Back to Maine Township High School District 207 School Board

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: Park RidgeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Maine Township High School District 207 School Board Age: 47Family: A wife and two sons aged 16 and 17. My mother and father in law also live with us.Occupation: Senior Manager Implementations - Products and ServicesEducation: Bachelor's Degree from North Park UniversityCivic involvement: 1. District 207 Board Member 2. Conflict Resolution Lead at South Park Church 3. Feed My Starving Children 4. Solid Rock CarpentersElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions 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?District 207 does a good job preparing students for the next phase in their lives. One example would be the innovative Career Pathways program which focuses on getting students into college and on identifying the right career paths for them. Having said that, today's hot skill set could easily be out of demand tomorrow. It's therefore up to the school district to be up to date on the ever changing demands of the job market and careers and be sufficiently nimble to adjust and prepare students and teachers to meet those demands.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.Budgetary Issues: I want District 207 to provide a world class education. This, however, requires expenditures which come at a cost to the taxpayer. It's therefore incumbent on the school board to effectively gauge the value of its investments in students, teachers, programs, facilities, and so on. This is what I do every day as a Senior Manager in my current employment and it is the lens I have used as a current school board member. Budget Cuts: District 207 has done a good job as the steward of taxpayer money and has actually returned over 2 million dollars in tax dollars to the taxpayers over the past couple of years. For a school district, this is the exception and not the norm. It is important, however, to consistently monitor needs, fund where appropriate, but also determine when budget adjustments may be necessary. Income Side: I do not support tax increases based on the current fiscal condition of District 207. In addition, tax increases should only be done as a last resort and only after all other opportunities to cut costs have been leveraged.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?I am not employed by any school district, nor do I have direct family members who are. My work on the District 207 School Board is strictly on a volunteer basis.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?The answer to this question relies on multiple factors, not the least of which is the fiscal health of the district. District 207 has recently negotiated two contracts (one in 2012 and one in 2014) that I would consider taxpayer friendly because they provided greater control over employee and insurance costs. Having said that, I am an advocate for our students receiving the best education possible, and our teachers play a major role in making this happen. Therefore, one of my core beliefs is that teachers should work in an environment where they feel respected, valued, have the tools to do their job well and are fairly compensated.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?Absolutely not. If a pay increase is to be provided, it should be as part of either a negotiated contract or annual review, but definitely not for the sole purpose of boosting someone's pension benefits.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?It's important to me that District 207 provide an excellent foundational education that prepares ALL of District 207 students for the next phase in their life and that District 207 be a good steward of taxpayer dollars.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Dave Anderson, Founder of Safe Families for Children which finds temporary homes for children in difficult situations while their parents get back on their feet.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Mom taught me no one is better than I, and I'm not better than others. So, treat others as you want to be treated.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I am a part-time drummer. If I had a do over, I would love to be a full time drummer in a band.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History is my favorite subject and has taught me to learn from the past in order to not repeat your mistakes in the future.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Enjoy your youth, appreciate all of the opportunities afforded to you and take full advantage of them.