Charles Cush: 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: NapervilleWebsite: www.cushfor203.comTwitter: @cush203Facebook: www.fb.com/cushfor203Office sought: Naperville Unit District 203 School Board Age: 46Family: Married with 3 children (1 son, 2 daughters)and 1 grandson. My 2 daughters are currently students in the district attending Naperville North High School. My son is a police officer in Washington D.C.Occupation: Healthcare Marketing ExecutiveEducation: Bachelors Degree in Economics- University of Maryland, College Park, 1991Masters of Business Administration(MBA)- University of Michigan, 1994Civic involvement: Member, Board of Education for Naperville CUSD 203 June 2016- presentVolunteer- Feed my Starving Children 2013- PresentBoard Member- Baxter International Foundation April 2015- April 2016Volunteer Teacher- Junior Achievement Lake County 2010, 2011Former Board Member- Court Appointed Special Advocates CASA New Jersey 2004Elected offices held: Member, Board of Education for Naperville CUSD 203 from June 2016- presentQuestions Answers With growing concern around mental health and addiction, what should the district do to build mentally healthy students, support the mental health of students who have mental illnesses and help students avoid addiction?Stats show that up to 1 in 5, or 20 % of students in the U.S. exhibit signs of a mental health disorder or addiction. As a district, it is critical that we work to build mentally healthy students as a part of delivering on our mission. This starts with driving awareness of the issue and providing resources to students and parents to identify the warning signs of both mental illness and addiction. Some examples include: direct communication to parents, bringing in guest speakers to highlight the issue, and proactive discussion as part of the orientation to parents as kids transition from elementary to Jr High, and from Jr High to High School, which are two timeframes where students may be vulnerable. It is important that these awareness efforts have an emphasis on removing the stigma around mental illness and addiction so that kids and parents feel comfortable getting the help that they need without fear of being shamed. Awareness is important but is not enough. We must equip our counselors and staff with adequate training and a list of available resources so they can refer students and their parents once an issue has been identified. and strategies to alleviate some of the stresses that can lead to mental illness and addiction. Building mentally healthy students takes a proactive approach by the district to build awareness and partner with parents and the community to identify these issues and ensure students have access to the help they need.Research and a local opinion survey have shown there could be benefits to starting the school day later for junior high and high school students. What changes, if any, do you think should be made to the school schedule and why? How should the district adjust class periods, teacher preparation time, busing, student activities or other factors to account for any schedule changes?Given the research on this topic, there is no question in my mind that there are significant benefits in terms of both health as well as academic performance from allowing students to get more sleep. Since the district cannot impact when students go to sleep, the only way to impact students' sleep is to make start times later. I am supportive of a later start time for high school students for sure and potentially for junior high students. The important question for me is HOW we would implement this change, and what tradeoffs would be required. A later starting time, while holding everything else constant, would lead to a later ending time, which would impact extracurricular activities. A later start time, given the same ending time, would likely mean less instructional time during the day. Both of the scenarios would have cost implications ( i.e. need for more busses given the overlap in start times at the other grade levels). I would lean toward implementing a later start time with a minimal (if any) change to end time. Before we make any moves, we need to understand how much instructional time we would lose, and must have confidence that we can increase instructional effectiveness to make up for the lost time --resulting in a positive impact on student performance. We also need to make sure that the community understands the cost implications, and clearly outline what we expect to gain in return for the increased investment in our schools.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?The board plays a critical role in setting the curriculum. While the administration develops and recommends the curriculum, the board can help shape the direction and ultimately has the responsibility to approve the curriculum that is implemented in our schools.I see an opportunity to increase our emphasis on the career part of college and career readiness. As a district, we do well on the college part, but we must equip our students with the skills they will need to succeed no matter what path they choose to pursue after their time in the district. Social emotional learning is an important component of how we will help our students be successful in the future and while we have started to implement some aspects of these principles, more work is necessary to make it part of the fabric of the district. Other components to add or build upon would be: practical communication skills (for example: how to prepare for and ace an interview) and incorporating more real-world work experiences like internships, volunteerism or work study programs that are targeted at helping our students integrate the academic knowledge they are gaining with the practical application of that knowledge. These are the life skills that will set our students apart, and differentiate them for the other students they will be competing with for opportunities in the workplace or in college. Lastly, looking to partner with trade schools to help students explore the range of opportunities that may be available to them upon graduation.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?The financial health of District 203 is very strong. Based on a recent report from the Chief Financial officer, the district expects balanced budgets over the next 5 years. One thing to keep our eye on is the uncertainty of the level of state funding or whether a tax freeze will be imposed, which would have implications for the district. The district is on track to payoff a series of bonds which will mean a permanent abatement of the taxes to service that debt and a $3.2 Million savings to our tax payers.The possibility of making changes to the structure of the school day in junior high and high school may have budget implications, depending on how that would be implemented. If that is the case, I would propose that we work to fund these changes without increasing the net tax burden to the communityWhat 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 am a big believer in public education, and as a district we provide great resources for the students. Choice is often perceived as a good thing, and generally speaking, choice leads to increased competition and more options, but that does not necessarily mean better options. If a voucher program is approved the implications would depend greatly on the structure of that program and the parameters put in place as part of the implementation. If a simplified voucher system were introduced where parents could take the resources spent on their student an apply these dollars to tuition at any school, we would likely see a net increase as students from other districts would migrate to district 203. If this were to happen, it could impact the class size, put stress on the infrastructure of our buildings, and increase overall costs.I believe that our district provides a quality education that can compete effectively with any of the private schools in the area in terms of what we offer academically. In my opinion, it is part of the role of the board of education to ensure that our public schools stay competitive so that if vouchers are introduced, the members of the community will still choose to entrust our district with their child's education.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Closing achievement gaps- As a district we do very well on average in terms of test scores and performance metrics for our students. However, there is still work to be done to make sure that we are closing achievement gaps within sub-segments of the population. I think this is a leading indicator of our effectiveness as a district, and that it warrants our attention. Finding ways to drive more parent involvement in our schools. Our schools operate best when we have involved parents across the board. Collaboration between school and home is a critical factor in determining student success. The more consistency we can drive between what our kids are learning in the classroom and having reinforced at home, the better. Early childhood education, social emotional learning, and more support for home and school associations and programs like watchdogs and other efforts that get parents engaged is going to become increasingly important.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Dr. Martin Luther King has always been a source of inspiration for me.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?The importance of education was instilled in me growing up, and also the importance of giving my best effort every day in all I do.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have invested more time in learning another languageWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I took a course in economics in high school. That class taught me the concept of making tradeoffs which frames the way I make decisions.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Pursue your passion, seek to leave the world a better place than you found it, and be your authentic self everyday.