Pamela Voorhees: 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: Maple ParkWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Kaneland Unit District 302 School Board Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: 22+ year resident of district. Two grown sons that attended Kaneland CUSD 302Occupation: Certified Chief School Business OfficialEducation: MBA, North Central College BS, Elmhurst College AAS, College of DuPage CPA, CMA(Certified Management Accountant), CSBO, CCE (Cert.Credit Exec.), Nasdaq licenses series 6, 26,66Civic involvement: Relegious Ed instructor 10+ years, Institute of Management Accountants - on their regional and local boards of directors for 20+ years, Career development presentations to various high schools and colleges. Intergovernmental and Illinois school policy committee involvement.Elected offices held: Various volunteer board of director posts within the Institute of Management Accountants, Finance advisory trustee for APICS (american production and inventory control society)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?Proper plans and guidance are mandatory for the district to function in unison to facilitate nurturing, challenging and growing the students toward their careers, community and college paths. Kaneland's board has been striving to attain that level of academic potential. With the right team on the school board, this will happen.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.Students learn best in safe, secure and well rounded environments. All education is meaningful. Yes, cost containment includes selective cost cutting; however, before cutting any programs, consideration of the resources (revenue, people, grants, equipment) consumption is needed. Spending efficiently and effectively may solve many budget shortfalls. We should be looking at expanding not removing courses. If deficits are anticipated, possibly charging more for certain non-curricular courses would be prudent. Based on the available facts and assumptions at the time a decision is needed, the best outcome for students's benefit will be made.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 a recent recipient of the CSBO (Chief School Business Official) certification and conducted my one year internship at SD308. I have attended board meetings at most of the Fox Valley school districts and belong to the Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO). I do not have any family employed or on the boards of any school district.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?Any employer regardless of industry needs to be aware of their strategic plans, market conditions and fiscal responsibilities. Understanding the issues on both sides of negotiations table and communicating open and honestly, with integrity and trust will reduce misunderstandings and bring consensus sooner.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?Good leadership can leapfrog an organization exponentially. Performance incentives make sense, when the milestones are met. We don't want to limit our students and community with a mediocre leader and role model. Investing wisely in the future of the district may cost a little more today and yield huge rewards for the all stakeholders.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?1. Becoming a cohesive, goal oriented team consisting of the board, administration, staff, faculty, the committees and parent organizations. Where everyone embraces the students' objectives. 2. Educational funding, with Illinois ranked 50th in the nation for state support of their public school, the property owners have been asked again and again to dig deeper to support education. This is a sad reflection on the state, considering the top notch higher education at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. Kaneland must continue to partner with other districts to get the message out and changed at the state level. 3.Student performance - continue exploring best practices for our students to achieve their greatest potentials.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Candidate did not respond.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Candidate did not respond.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Candidate did not respond.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Candidate did not respond.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Candidate did not respond.