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Janice Gatbunton: Candidate Profile

Lake Park High School District 108 School Board

Back to Lake Park High School District 108 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: ItascaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Lake Park High School District 108 School Board Age: 46Family: Married 17 years with two daughters, a freshman a sophomore at Lake Park High SchoolOccupation: AttorneyEducation: Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Bachelor of Science (BS) Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;Marquette University Law School, Juris Doctor (JD) Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;Licensed to Practice Law in Illinois and Wisconsin Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;Licensed Illinois Real Estate Broker and RealtorÃ#130;circ;®Civic involvement: Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;DuPage County Bar Association --> Committees: School Law, Local Government Law, Real Estate, Bankruptcy, Estate Planning Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;Illinois Association of School Boards Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;National Association of RealtorsÃ#130;circ;® Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;Illinois Association of RealtorsÃ#130;circ;® Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;Mainstreet Organization of RealtorsÃ#130;circ;® Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;Harvest Bible ChapelElected offices held: Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;Lake Park High School District 108 Board of Education, Member (2016-present) Ãpound;Æ'circ;raquo;Itasca School District 10 Board of Education, Member (2011-2015)Questions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?It would be an honor to continue serving my community as a school board member of Lake Park High School District 108. It is my hope and expectation that my prior experience as a Board of Education member of Itasca School District 10 and my current position as a Board of Education member of Lake Park High School District 108, in addition to my background as an attorney, my involvement as a member of the School Law Local Government Law Committees of my local bar association, my role as a parent of two high school students, and my passion for quality public education, will continue to serve as an asset to this district.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?Our district employs various methods for measuring student success, including college and career readiness measurements, as well as health and wellness measurements. Most assessments are state mandated. Our district leaders have been strong proponents of eliminating unnecessary/duplicate testing which takes away from valuable learning time. I support our district's endeavors to minimize and streamline assessments in order to make time for more instruction, learning, collaboration and creativity in the classrooms.How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?One of the main roles of the Board of Education is to employ a superintendent who would be held accountable for managing the school district effectively and in accordance with state law, school board policies, and the district's educational goals. As a school board, it is our duty to engage our community, parents, teachers and administrators in determining what our district's mission, vision and educational goals are for our children and in deciding how to best achieve those goals within the parameters of state mandates, community values and available resources. It would then follow that the curriculum set for the students would be born out of the district's mission, vision and educational goals and it would be the board's responsibility to approve the curriculum that would best meet those goals.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax or fee increases?Lake Park High School's Board of Education has successfully maintained a balanced budget for the past several years. I do not believe any programming cuts nor any tax increases are necessary at this time in order to balance the budget.What role can and should school choice play in your district? If Congress or the state approves a voucher system or other means giving students broader choices among public and private schools, how will that affect your district? What is the appropriate response for the board of education of a public school system?I strongly believe that a high-quality public education is extremely valuable to the success of our children and the vitality of our community. Public schools heavily rely on local and state funding in order to operate effectively. If the state were to approve some type of voucher system of education, I believe a strong board of education should respond by striving even more vigorously to ensure that our administrators, teachers and staff are (1) fully equipped with the tools and resources they need to teach our students effectively, (2) professionally empowered to achieve the highest educational goals and standards, and (3) continuously encouraged to pursue excellence in teaching and education so that our district could continue to compete and continue to thrive and succeed for the best interest of the children and pursuant to the values of our community.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?My candidacy stems, not from any specific issue at hand, but only from my sincere desire to use my background and experience to serve all Lake Park students and our community effectively and responsibly.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Candidate did not respond.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Growing up in my closely-knit family taught me to value my faith, family, education and hard work.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend my "do-over" savoring every single moment of my children's childhood, as they truly do grow up so quickly!What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Journalism was my favorite class in high school. Although I was initially a Biology/Pre-Med major in college, I eventually graduated with a BS in Journalism.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Get off your phone. :) (j/k)