George Jackowiec: 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: GenevaWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Geneva Unit D304Age: 48Family: Married, three childrenOccupation: Owner - SERVPRO of Elgin / Northwest Kane County, Owner - SERVPRO of Central Schaumburg / West BloomingdaleEducation: Bachelor of Science in Finance, Illinois State University, 1984, Bachelor of Science in Accounting, University of Illinois - Chicago, 1989. Certified Public Accountant, 1991.Civic involvement: Knights of Columbus, Council 2191Elected offices held: noneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal responsibility.Key Issue 2 Working to reduce debt.Key Issue 3 Capital expansion issues.Questions 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 we have some excellent teachers who are doing a very good job of advancing kids thru the educational system. The United States is lagging many countries in advanced math and science. These skills are needed to compete and succeed in the economies of the 21st century.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?Reduced home values, foreclosures and layoffs will lead to stagnant or decreased tax revenues. We need to have a budget that will maintain excellence in the classroom, while staying fiscally responsible to our tax base. We must look long and hard at capital expansion plans, specifically upgrading Coultrap to become the new administration building. This will cost millions of dollars that we do not have, and will not improve the educational experience of the majority of our students.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.Although I am not a teacher, I greatly value and would appreciate the input of teachers in our district. We need to get back to leveraging the knowledge and insight of our teachers in a long term plan for our schools.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?Our nation, state and city are all in a difficult financial situation, with little improvement seen in the near term. If tough decisions need to be made, we must work together with our teachers to develop plans to maintain our educational system while being fiscally responsible to our tax base.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?No, I would not support an increase to boost pension benefits. I think we need to have a realistic financial plan that is fair to our taxpayers.