Wendy Nadeau: 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: LisleWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lisle Unit District 202 School Board Age: 39Family: My husband Andrew and I live in Lisle with our two children, Dominique (age 20) who graduated from Lisle Senior High in 2012 and currently attends Webster University near St. Louis and Cameron (age 6) who just started Kindergarten in Lisle this school year.Occupation: Office Manager Event CoordinatorEducation: I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from North Central College. My major was Studio Art with a minor in Art History.Civic involvement: I currently serve on the Memorial Day Parade Committee The 4th of July Parade Committee. I take minutes at The Lisle Partners for Parks Foundation board meetings and chair their community art project. I currently serve on the Eyes to the Skies Festival committee and served as chair for the 2012 2013 festivals.Elected 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 want our district to create the best and brightest and help each child achieve personal greatness. We need to educate our students to be successful and responsible individuals and to be involved in the community. Our job as a board is to provide the tools and support for district staff to provide opportunities for each child to achieve individual success. I feel the District works hard and does a good job preparing students, however, I would like to see the test scores improve and more enrichment classes offered. As a parent of a child who went through the District, I can say the small school environment and personal attention from staff, coaches and teachers has helped her transition well.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.The Districts budget is balanced, I don't feel cuts and reductions are necessary at this time. Before I could make a decision on the subject of tax increases, I would need further information from the Board as well as Community input. I do know that I want to give the children of this District the best well rounded education and programs that our tax dollars can give 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?From 1999 to 2004, I worked in Naperville District 204 as a Teacher Aide. I worked one on one with behavior disorder and special needs children who were in a mainstreamed classroom. I helped the teacher maintain classroom control by implementing modified lesson plans and behavior charts and we had weekly meetings with staff, students and parents to chart progress. I don't have any family working in District 202.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 think the school board provides a level of guidance and direction for the school district. The board should build community support by involvement in community events, communicate effectively with the superintendent, create policies to support district initiatives, approve plans developed by the superintendent, allocate funding/budgets and align resources, monitor progress toward the achievement of district goals. As for employee costs, I think everything would remain level due to the salary increases being based on the cost of living.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?While I am not for non-merit based salary increases, I don't feel I have enough information regarding this practice to make an informed decision. My initial response would be no, as my first priority would be to maintain fiscal responsibility. If this comes up while I'm on the Board, I will make an informed decision at that time that best benefits the tax payer and the District.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I would like to see the District implement a full day kindergarten program. The elementary facilities our students are in are going to be an issue in the near future. I would like to see our current facilities plan revisited to look at the current population, needs, costs, and space. I would like to help keep the transition toward Common Core a positive one and keep parents informed on any changes to curriculum. I want to promote intergovernmental relationships and cooperation which in turn will enable the best use of tax payer dollars. I want to be on the school board because I care about the children and their parents. I care about the educators in this district and I care about the future of Lisle District 202. My desire to run for school board is an extension of my continued desire to serve the community I live in.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Don Cook, Lisle Park Board President. His approach to leadership is always positive and collaborative. He is dedicated, positive and cares greatly about his community.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To take responsibility for your actions.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have become more actively involved in my community when I was younger.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Art. I am creative and tend to think outside the box. I always try to see the big picture.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?To always be kind and respectful of others.