Jeffrey Cooper: Candidate Profile

Back to Glen Ellyn District 41 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: Glen EllynWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Glen Ellyn District 41 School Board Age: 57Family: Wife Deborah, Stepchildren Lisa, JamesOccupation: Day Spa Owner-ManagerEducation: College-Northeastern Illinois, Southern IllinoisCivic involvement: citizen-taxpayer advocateElected 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?I am reasonably satisfied that the students of District 41 are leaving the district prepared for their next educational step.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 a number of budgetary issues that are staring at us. Senate Bill 16 might possibly take almost $2 million in state funding from us, over 4 years. District 41 is currently working towards getting a referendum on the ballot for Full Day Kindergarten that may cost us $50-60 million for building a new school at Spaulding Park, with the associated costs for extra administration and building staff. If this referendum were to pass, of course your taxes would go up. As it has been currently presented, I do not support building a new school for Full Day Kindergarten and would not support this potential referendum. The administration needs to tighten it's belt on discretionary spending. Also, it's about time that we had a discussion on possibly cutting the amount spent on and the number of people in the central administration.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 on both questions.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?In all contract negotiations, we must deal fairly with the employees and also with the stakeholders. The economy, especially in Illinois, has been tough for quite a while. Unemployment and stagnant wages have kept many people struggling to just maintain their homes. Retirement salary increases and bonuses are hard pills to swallow and need to be eliminated.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 do not believe in retirement salary increases. In the past, an annual 6% salary increase for the last 4 years of the employee's tenure has been part of some District 41 contracts, including one negotiated by the only incumbent in this election. I feel that these types of increases, used to spike pensions, are not good for the taxpayers of District 41.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?How the district spends our dollars has been a source of concern for me. I have spent several years going thru the district's checkbook and Mastercard charge accounts, asking questions and making suggestions about questionable spending. While I have been able to get the superintendent to listen and alter things, I feel that my voice, on financial issues, on protecting the taxpayers of the district, would be stronger as a member of the school board. Currently, while I have been thanked for my efforts by a number of current board members, we don't have anyone on the board that looks into and questions spending as I have and continue to do.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.None at this time.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Being the oldest child of 4, learning to share with my siblings and be an example of responsibilty for them.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?US History. It has been very useful when traveling around the US, seeing places like Gettysburg Washington DC.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Candidate did not respond.