James Robinette: Candidate Profile

Back to Lombard District 44 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: LombardWebsite: NonOffice sought: Lombard District 44 School Board Age: 38Family: Wife-Lianne Daughter- Ava 9 Sons- Andrew 6 and Daniel 2Occupation: School AdministratorEducation: Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Masters Degree in Educational LeadershipCivic involvement: Former coach of daughters soccer AYSO soccer team, coach of sons Lombard Park District soccer teamElected offices held: NoneQuestions 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 very satisfied in the school district and believe that it is doing the best job they can in preparing students for the next stage in their lives. The Common Core State Standards are very rigorous and the schools seem to be working very diligently with the teachers to provide the best experience for the students. From what I have seen, the teachers are working very hard to incorporate the standards with each lesson. If done properly, teaching the Common Core State Standards should benefit the students tremendously. The teachers are also doing a wonderful job preparing their students for the new PARCC test that will begin this year. It is a very difficult assessment and the teachers are doing their best to ready the students who will be taking the assessment.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.There are always going to be budgetary issues within a district. It is hard to foresee what types of issues may arise in the next four years, but it is the board of educations job to make financially sound decisions. I am not in favor of making any cuts to programs that benefit students. Programs supporting student growth in any facet of their lives need to be available. A school board needs to be able to look at a budget and see if it is possible to make any cuts in other areas before any decision is made to cut from an area that directly effects students. If a tax increase is needed to improve the school to help our children, I would support it. Schools are about the children and any means should be taken to provide the best possible learning environment for them.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 currently the Administrative Director at Rhodes School in River Grove. None of my direct family is employed by the school district where I am seeking a board seat.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?I believe that the school board should take a careful look at all of the various options when dealing with contract talks. Each situation is different and should be handled as an independent situation. The school board needs to look at the financial aspect of the district when in discussions about benefits. The main focus should be how any type of concession will effect the students. If a concession will positively effect the students and the district can manage monetarily, then the concession should be seriously considered. Every decision should be made with what is best for the students in mind.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?I believe that the practice of substantially increasing an administrators pay to help boost pension benefits is not a fiscally responsible practice. I would not support this since it would be detrimental to the district financially in the short term and also in the long term. The money should be used to develop programs or activities that can benefit the students in the district and help lead the district in the future.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Maintaining a focus on the students, maintaining a fiscally efficient district, hiring and keeping the highest quality staff members available, on-going professional development for all aspects of the school districtPlease name one current leader who most inspires you.Bill Gates for all that he has done for education.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Always work as hard as you can. There is always somebody out there working harder than you.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would like to have begun my education career sooner.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite subject in school was social studies because of the teacher I had. I patterned my teaching style after that teacher.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Never give up on your goals. Goals are not meant to be accomplished over night so there will be ups and downs.