Julie Shroka: 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: GrayslakeWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Twitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: www.facebook.com/julieshroka2017Office sought: College Of Lake County School Board Age: 57Family: Widow, no children.Occupation: RetiredEducation: BS Drake UniversityMA - Webster UniversityCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: NoneQuestions 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?In President Obama's farewell speech on January 10, he encouraged all Americans to step up as proud citizens, and consider running for office. And I thought, why not me? I retired from CLC after 30 years of service, however, my love for the college and passion to help students has not retired. The most impactful way I can continue to help students and the community is to serve on the Board of Trustees, and be an advocate for the college.In tough economic times, many students (and working professionals) turn to a community college for its educational value. How do you ensure that a person's financial sacrifice results in an educational benefit?Trustees are provided with information and reports on college performance. It is the responsibility of a trustee to analyze the information and ask pertinent questions to ensure that the students are reaching their educational goals. The leadership of the college needs to ensure educational excellence to all students, and policy decisions made by the trustees have a huge impact on the quality of education.From the college's point of view, 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?Over the last two years, CLC has had to use their reserve funds to make up for the lack of state funding. The Board of Trustees has work hard to deliver a balanced budget, while keeping up with the services and quality education that the residents of Lake County rely on. There are limited sources of revenue and a tax increase may be necessary, but that would be a last resort. Rather, I would look at raising private funds. In my capacity as the director of alumni relations and specialist events, I worked with staff and the Foundation Board to raise over $2M in donations for student scholarships. The college is in the midst of a large building phase. This is a prime opportunity for naming rights. It is a great way for Lake County businesses to get their name out in the community in perpetuity and for the college to raise revenue. The college could also ask businesses to support educational programs; especially programs that will help provide them with a trained workforce. This is not a new idea; it just needs to be expanded. Grainger has a long history of supporting CLC students. Now they are planning to support a new Transportation, Distribution and Logistics (TDL) degree. The college will partner with Grainger to develop the curriculum. As a trustee with fund raising experience I would be willing to assist the Foundation and/or president in approaching Lake County businesses and other private foundations for these types of donations/endowments.Community colleges provide many services to a diverse population. Is there a service your college should be providing that it is not, or reaching a segment of the population that it is not?CLC is doing an excellent job reaching out to all segments of the community. Economic and demographic changes are dramatically increasing the need for adult education, literacy, and ESL programs. These students, 1,800 enrolled in Adult Education Fall 2016, are the most vulnerable. Without the availability of Adult Education programs it will be difficult for these students to obtain the literacy skills they need to obtain good jobs and to function well in society. The program is funded by the state and federal government. The state has not provided their portion of funding. CLC has used its own funds in order to continue the program. Further, President Weber, along with the university and community college presidents, signed a statement in support of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). CLC has supported many programs to assist special segments of the college's student body. As one example, CLC supports the Men of Vision program, it is a national organization created by SAAB (Student African-American Brotherhood), providing support and guidance to increase male academic success on campus. There are several clubs and organizations supporting diverse populations such as the Latino Alliance, Sister to Sister, Pride Alliance, and International Club. In addition, CLC has been named by G.I. Jobs magazine as a Military Friendly School. Support of these organizations, clubs and programs show the commitment of CLC to meet the needs of our diverse population. As a trustee of the college, I would support all efforts in serving our diverse population.If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the community college board? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.As mentioned above, I love the college and I am passionate about helping students. This is not a springboard for another public office; this is what I want to do. I am a uniquely qualified candidate based on the 30 years I devoted to serving the college and to greater extent CLC students. I appreciated the opportunity the college offered me as an employee and would like the opportunity to give back to the college.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?In terms of quality education, I am concerned about the ratio of full time faculty vs adjunct faculty (part time). In these difficult economic times for Illinois public institutions, I understand the need for budget reductions. One strategy for cutting costs is to eliminate vacant positions. Community colleges are labor intensive and almost 75% of CLC's budget goes towards employee salary and benefits. I'm concerned when this strategy is used with full-time faculty. As full-time faculty retire/leave, the college is replacing some of those positions with adjunct faculty. While I understand that belt tightening is necessary, it shouldn't be done at the expense of a quality education. The other issue that I am concerned about is the increasing cost of textbooks. This has been a problem for decades and it really needs to be addressed. Faculty and administration need to come together and look at other options such as OER (open educational resources) or including a book fee in tuition or looking at new tools out there such as Verba giving students affordable access to textbooks. When I worked in Student Recruitment, I saw students struggling to pay for tuition so they would not be dropped from classes, and then they would not have any money left to purchase textbooks. Students need their books starting day one of classes or they will get behind in their studies.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Pope FrancisWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?To be respectful, kind and charitable.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Begin my college education at a community college.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Writing helps me to communicate clearly. It was an essential skill in school and in my career. Literature opened a world of knowledge and adventure.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Read everything you can.