Chris Salituro: 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: Arlington HeightsWebsite: https://www.facebook.com/D25schoolboardChrisSalituro/Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/D25schoolboardChrisSalituro/Office sought: Arlington Heights District 25 School Board Age: 43Family: Wife, Sofia and 3 daughters; 12, 9, 6Occupation: TeacherEducation: BA Loyola University ChicagoMA Loyola University ChicagoCivic involvement: ABC/25 Vice President,Special Olympics Volunteer Coordinator,Coach for AHYBA and AHPD,Classroom volunteer and PTA memberVolunteer Member of District 25's Vision 2020 committee.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.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?I am motivated to run for school board because I am passionate about education. My wife and I moved to Arlington Heights because of the reputation of the schools. She is a pediatrician and I am a high school teacher. We are committed to helping kids. Now that we have a child in middle school, we see that District 25 is good, but it can be better. I have twenty years of teaching experience at one of the most lauded high schools in the nation. I have also worked tirelessly in my discipline to develop national standards and common core standards for sociology. My direct experience in the classroom, as well as my experience working with administrators and other educational leaders on state and national standards would be an asset to the school board. I hope to share my wealth of experience with the District 25 board to improve the learning for all students in the 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?I think that District 25 puts too much emphasis on standardized tests. I know from my own classroom the time needed to prepare students for the tests; these tests in District 25 take up too many school days and put too much pressure on students. Best practices in education say that individual students should be measured with multiple data points such as grades, homework, and teacher recommendation, among others. For District 25 as a whole, there should be multiple measures to examine its success, including standardized tests mandated by the state, as well as the 5 Essentials Survey and other measures by third parties such as Niche and SchoolDigger. All of these measures rate the high schools in our district better than they rank our middle schools. Our kids are moving on to attend these high performing high schools, and District 25 should be at the same level of education to fully prepare them for high school.Finally, another measure of how the district performs should be working with the high schools to measure how students perform in high school. This could be done in intervals at the end of freshman year and then again at the end of junior year. The data from high school performance should inform District 25 as to how it is doing to prepare its students for high school.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 the board should set broad goals such as improving the number of students who exceed state standards and improving the number of students who perform highly at the high school level. The board should charge the Superintendent and other administrators with empowering their teachers to help every student succeed and reach his or her potential. The board should also set a goal that all of District 25 is aligned both vertically and horizontally. Students should have similar learning goals no matter which school they attend or what teacher they have. This way parents can have confidence that their student is going to have the same learning outcomes as the student's other cohorts in the district. This will also mean that students will be prepared for the next grade no matter what their previous year's experience was. Up to and until 2017, District 25 did not have learning standards that applied across the district. I want to ensure that all students in the district have similar rigorous learning outcomes.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?District 25 has become a victim of its own success. It is a desirable district to live in. Many young families are moving to the district because they want an excellent education for their children. This has meant an increase in the enrollment in the district that requires expansion. The district needs to improve its instruction to live up to the demands of the families that have entrusted their children with the schools in the district. And, the district will have to responsibly expand schools to make room for the increase in students. These are major budget issues. The board needs to be proactive and visionary in planning for the future. This would help mitigate the difficulty of budgeting for these improvements. Additionally, the board needs to be open to diverse views and creative problem solving. Unfortunately, in a 3/24/2015 Daily Herald article, the current board President said "We aren't in the business of coming up with the right answer." He also chastised another board member for looking creatively at solutions to the building expansion. I want to be part of a board that encourages diverse viewpoints and is a leader in finding the right answers for our kids and our community.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?A school board cannot make laws or choose to not follow national or state laws. The Board's job should be to steer the district to be the best district it can be, within the laws that govern education. A high quality district will attract students whose families are already paying for the school in the form of property taxes. Additionally, high quality schools will give back to all taxpayers by increasing the value of their homes. The board's role should simply be to ensure the best possible education that it can responsibly provide for those families who choose public education.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I am interested in making the board more connected to the community and more transparent in its work. Board meetings could be recorded and made available on the web, and board members should be accessible to their constituents. The current board President said that board members are available at PTA meetings and ABC/25 meetings but there has not been a board member at a single ABC/25 meeting in the last year and there has not been a single board member at a PTA meeting at my child's school in two years! Additionally, the board President has advised the individual board members not to respond to community members and instead has said that only he will be the voice of the board. Board members should be encouraged to interact with their constituents and they should be actively seeking the input of their community members "â#128;œ all community members "â#128;œ and the board should be open to constructive dialogue.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Dr. Jo Ann Rooney, President of Loyola University Chicago.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My parents used to always tell me' "If you are going to do something, do it right."If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have chosen a different place to propose to my wife. She never lets me hear the end of it!What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?I loved the social studies. It has shaped everything about me - my job, my love to travel, my belief in community service.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Treat others the way you want to be treated and respect all creation.