Brad Paulsen: 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: WheatonWebsite: www.bradpaulsencusd200.comTwitter: @BradleyPaulsenFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BradPaulsenCUSD200/Office sought: Wheaton Warrenville District 200 School Board Age: 50Family: Wife and two children in CUSD 200Occupation: Senior Vice President - Strategy Development; Licensed ArchitectEducation: University of Illinois at "â#128;sup1;Urbana -Champaign:Bachelor of Science in ArchitectureMaster of Architecture (Management)Master of Science in Finance (Real Estate and Urban Economics)Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Previously served as Board of Education Secretary 2013-2015; currently serve as Board of Education Vice PresidentQuestions Answers How will you address the success of failure of your building referendum? How will you continue to inform the community about your commitment to funding capital projects regardless of the outcome?With my professional background in school design and construction I am uniquely positioned to successfully navigate the result of the building referendum. Key steps are already being planned for should the ballot question receive support of the community. If successful, I anticipate regular reporting and progress updates to our community as we have implemented the last several years using, for example, direct mail and social media. If the ballot question does not gain voter approval, I believe there are very tough challenges ahead. This will be an issue that will shape our conversations and decisions for the next decade. The Board will have to establish facility priorities and develop a new approach to implement parts of the plan that can be effectively balanced with potential adjustments to programs and services to students. How we engage with, and communicate to, our parents and community will be essential.What do you think about the process for measuring student success in your district? Is it adequate? What changes, if any, do you propose?This issue is undergoing a transformation throughout public education. There is a growing frustration with the amount of testing and sole reliance on test scores to measure achievement and success. I believe standardized testing is a necessary ingredient and is not something that the Board has complete control over. However, we are certainly over-burdened with the amount of testing. I have a strong belief that student success and achievement cannot solely be measured with a test score. I believe our Vision 2018 Dashboard is a much broader lens from which we can view student achievement. When I think of student success, I think of the whole child. I also believe that other key indicators could include: social-emotional learning measures, involvement in community service projects, workplace learning experiences such as job shadowing, and involvement in co-curricular activities.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?I think we need to respect and value the opinions of the educators. I would place emphasis on innovative programs, the cost impact on the budget, and the likelihood of impacting the largest number of students. In terms of changes to the current curriculum, I am very concerned about the pressures our high school students may feel to take high level classes, score well on college entrance exams, be involved in co-curricular activities and get into great schools. I am concerned about the anxiety and stress that our students are experiencing. I want our teachers and our District to become a model in creating, and advancing, innovative Social "â#128;œ Emotional Learning strategies for students. Second, I am very interested in the Illinois Arts Learning Standards that are on track for roll out for the 2018-19 school year. These new standards are focused on inquiry and integrated learning. While the standards will be a guide, curriculum and assessment will be developed locally. I also am interested in additional foreign language offerings for our middle school students.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?First, I am very proud of key accomplishments we have been able to achieve and/or sustain during my first four years on the Board: 1) passing a balanced operating budget for 7 consecutive years; 2) ending 5 of the last 6 years with a positive annual operating budget; and 3) limiting increases in operational spending to an average of 0.71% per year over the last 5 years. I believe these are all indications of good financial stewardship, financial planning and accountability of our taxpayers. We have also been able to save taxpayers $3.5 million through a debt refinancing program. Looking forward, I recognize that with the master facility plan, and with potential changes/challenges coming from the state, we have rocky waters ahead. It is not going to be easy. I believe that we must protect our programs and services for students as a high priority. The future of our students, the reputation of our school district and the strength of our community relies upon it. It has been 30 years since District 200 requested a tax rate increase to fund educational programs and daily operations. At this time, I would not support a tax increase for operational spending. I think as our state government continues to wrestle with the possibilities of a property tax freeze, pension cost shift and school funding reform we will have to keep all our options open and be flexible in responding to those challenges.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?If a voucher or other school choice system was unveiled, I do not believe it would have much of an impact within our school district, but could have an impact if students from outside our district elected to attend our schools. Certainly, there could be significant operational, fiscal and school capacity challenges depending on the details of the program. There would likely be a lot of legislative details to be worked through. I believe our response would be aligned with the resulting direct impact on our students and our taxpayers. If changes are made, we will use whatever efforts would be needed to preserve the strength of our school system and the values of our community.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I have seven core areas of interest the next several years:1. Continued stewardship and accountability of taxpayer dollars 2. Raising student achievement while being mindful of the multiple ways to measure success3. Relentless efforts to close the achievement gap4. Evaluating the relevancy of student final exam testing5. Placing heightened emphasis on Social "â#128;œ Emotional Learning strategies6. Continued implementation of our FIT learning guidelines7. Continuing to invest in our school facilities and technology to enhance student learningPlease name one current leader who most inspires you.John Huston's (johnhuston.com) lessons from his first American unsupported expedition to the North Pole is inspiring. Provides great lessons in commitment, preparation, belief, adaptation, teamwork.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?You can overcome all challenges - big or small. Hard work matters!If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?After playing soccer, then basketball as a high school freshman, I opted not to play baseball. It remains my favorite sport and a big regret.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?7th grade industrial drafting class is where I was inspired to become an architect. It set the course of my life.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Have fun, learn something and make good choices...everyday. It may not have impact now, but it will grow in meaning as they experience life.