Edward Pieklo: Candidate Profile

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:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: MundeleinWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Fremont Elementary D79Age: 44Family: Cindi (For 20 wonderful years) Children - Taylor (17) and Caitlin (12).Occupation: Senior Director of IT Education:Education/Degrees: B.S. Finance, Northeastern Illinois UniversityCivic involvement: Candidate did not respond. Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: Candidate did not respond. Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 We need to not only maintain the level of the education being provided to our children but working to insure that we continue to strive for higher standards and better results. Key Issue 2 We need to do a better job of making sure that parents and residents of the community are involved in the decision-making process, as well as, the input of the students.Key Issue 3 We need to provide transparency to the teachers, students, and community, and involve them in the decision-making processQuestions Answers How satisfied are you that your district is preparing students for the next stage in their lives, whether it be from elementary into high school or high school into college or full-time employment? What changes, if any, do you think need to be made?I think the district has done a very good job preparing students for the next stage in their lives. I believe that we need to continue to look for ways to make improvements to insure that we continue on this course and not rest on past accomplishments.What budget issues will the district have to confront? What measures do you support to address them? If cuts are needed, be specific about programs and expenses that should be reduced or eliminated. Do you support any tax increases for local schools? I am sure that there will be several budget issues that will need to be confronted. I will take them on a case by case basis, and do what is in the best interest of the children, current and most imporantly, future.Is experience as a teacher or support from a union valuable because it suggests educational insights or detrimental because it creates pro-teacher bias? Please clarify whether you have such experience or would accept union support.I believe that experience as a teacher or support from a union can be valuable becuase it does give a much needed perspective. The more insight that one can gain, the better decisions that can be made. While I do not have first hand experience, my mother was a school board president for quite a few years, so I have a solid sounding board if needed. As contract talks come up with various employee groups, what posture should the board take? Do you believe the district should ask for concessions, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?It is impossible to say what posture the board should take without having the specifics and doing some due diligence. Once they have all the information, they can make an informed decision. As far as concessions are concerned, the key to any good negiotiations is compromise, and the goal is to reach a win win situation for both parties. If your district had a superintendent or other administrator nearing retirement, would you support a substantial increase in his or her pay to help boost pension benefits? Why or why not?If it was necessary to secure the right person for the job, and there were no alternative choices, I would support it.