Paula Meyer Besler: Candidate Profile

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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: Voteforpaula.comOffice sought: Maine Township High School District 207 School Board Age: 50Family: Married with 4 children.Occupation: Director, Community and Health Relations, Advocate Lutheran General HospitalEducation: BS Business - University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Cum Laude) JD Law - Loyola University of Chicago LL.M. Family and ChildLaw - Loyola University of Chicago (Coursework completed; thesis to be completed) CDM (Certificate of Diversity Management in Health Care) - Georgetown University/Institute of Diversity of the American Hospital Association.Civic involvement: D64 Strategic Planning Committee Member Park Ridge Chamber of Commerce Board Member D207 Board Member Liaison to School Based Health Center Chair, Healthier Park Ridge Survey and Coalition Chair. Healthier Niles Project Chair, Healthier Des Plaines Project Chaired Community Health Needs Assessment for Advocate Lutheran General Chaired and partnered with diverse community leaders for needs assessments and programs for our diverse communities, including the Korean, Polish, South Asian and Hispanic communities Various other community organizations over the last 20+ yearsElected offices held: District 207 Board Member since May, 2014Questions 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?I am extremely satisfied that D207 is adequately preparing our students for the next stage of their lives, whether that be for college or the immediate start of their vocation. The District partners closely with the elementary districts on curriculum and instructional technology to work towards a seamless transition of students into high school. For college bound students, D207 is extremely focused on college readiness and providing purposeful curriculum planning and programs. The District also has initiated programs such as the "Career Pathways Initiative" which provides internships, apprenticeships, mentoring, work experience and job shadowing opportunities for students to explore careers. This program serves all students whether they are looking to go to a four year college, two year college or start immediate employment. With two children who have graduated from D207, and one currently still in D207 and another in D64, I have seen as a parent the thoroughness of the curriculum, counseling and successful results of the transitioning to high school and college preparedness that D207 offers. I do not believe any changes are needed at this time but that energy and resources should continue to focus on these efforts.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.As a D207 board member, I recently supported an abatement of taxes to the district residents. This was the second year in a row that D207 has given a tax abatement back to the residents. As D207 has had strong fiscal management, as evidenced by these two consecutive abatements, at this time, I do not anticipate significant budgetary issues in the next four years. The continued expense issue I do see is addressing our aging facilities which will require capital projects in the forthcoming years. For that reason, it will not be possible to do tax abatements every year. I do not see any programs or expenses that need to be eliminated in the foreseeable future, although I recognize that it is the Board's duty to make such cuts in the event they are needed to maintain the financial health of the District to ensure the strongest learning environment for our children.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?NoAs 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?I believe any contract negotiations between the Board and the teachers, staff, etc should be flexible, open-minded and proceed with the goal of resolution. As a litigator for many years, I successfully negotiated numerous high level complex settlements by keeping focus on the facts, the common ground and a clear vision of what was fair and equitable and provided both sides with a viable satisfactory outcome. It is my experience as a D207 Board Member that the MTA and the Board have a collaborative working relationship that such a civil, respectful and successful negotiation would occur.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, I would not support a substantial increase just to boost the pension benefits. I believe first and foremost that the D207 Board has to ensure that the financial health of the District is secure and equitable. Such an increase for the sole purpose of providing a larger pension would not only be fiscally inequitable but also a disservice and unfair burden on the state pension system, which is already overburdened, as well as ultimately on the taxpayers who would be impacted too.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I believe that the best education of each and every child in our schools is and should be at the forefront of the District's focus and therefore it is important to acknowledge and address the unique and vastly diverse backgrounds of our student body. As a lifelong resident of Park Ridge and a D64 and D207 alumnus, I have observed firsthand the changing demographics of our communities. It is the District and Board's duty to make sure that we incorporate those unique cultures and backgrounds into every facet of making D207 the best place for all of our students to learn. Maine East students speak over 50 languages and 75% of the students come from homes where English is not the primary language; Maine West students speak over 46 languages and 49% come from homes where English is not the primary language. Approximately 25% of Maine South's students speak another language other than English at home. As education also is a social determinant of health, it is even more imperative that we provide culturally competent education for all students. In my role as Director, Community and Health Relations at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, it has been my honor to manage our Cultural Health Initiatives for the diverse populations in our communities, including the Korean, Polish, South Asian and Hispanic populations. Just as we have worked to improve the health disparities in these populations, so too must we as D207 continue to make our education culturally competent for all our students.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pastor Alex LaChapelleWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Treat others as you would like to be treated.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend more time on enjoying my blessings and less time on being a perfectionist.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Social studies was my favorite because it raised my consciousness to the issues of the world, which lead me into a life of serving others.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Always remember the three things you can never do without: faith, family and education.