James A. Vroman: 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: WheatonWebsite: www.citizensforjimvroman.comOffice sought: Wheaton-Warrenville Unit D200Age: 62Family: Married for 38 years to Susan; Dan, Mike, Tom, and Julie, all of whom attended CUSD 200 schools from K through 12Occupation: Retired on January 1, 2011, after 33 years of practicing lawEducation: Juris Doctorate, magnum cum laude, University of Illinois College of Law, 1977;Bachelor of Science, University of Illinois, 1970 (1971-1974 Lieutenant, United States Marine Corps)Civic involvement: Hope Presbyterian Church, Wheaton, Illinois; Elder; Finance Chair; Capital Fund Campaign Chair; Sunday School teacherScoutmaster, Boy Scout Troop 303 and Cubmaster, Cub Scout Pack 365, Wheaton, IllinoisSoftball Coach; Baseball Coach; Wheaton Park DistrictCo-chair WWSHS Lacrosse Parents CommitteePeople's Resource Center volunteerFaith in Place, Board of DirectorsFriends of the Schools; New Hubble CampaignHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Board members must continue to support and encourage the development of programs and standards that will enhance the education and development of our children so that they are career and/or college-ready when they graduate from our high schools. Key Issue 2 Board members must ensure that the Board and the CUSD 200 administration are exercising the financial and budgetary discipline, as well as the required diligence, that will demonstrate to the CUSD 200 residents and taxpayers that we are good stewards of the funds the District receives from property taxes and other public resources. Key Issue 3 Board members should encourage and promote dialogue and communications among all stakeholders (parents, students, taxpayers, teachers and staff) so that issues and concerns can be addressed and resolved promptly. In promoting dialogue and communications, the Board should encourage transparency and practice full disclosure when possible, within the limits of existing privacy laws.Questions Answers How would you like to see the former Hubble Middle School property in downtown Wheaton redeveloped?Location, location, location is what drives real estate value, and there is no better location than the corner of Roosevelt Road in an upscale community like Wheaton! Putting the property back on the tax rolls in a way that creates a gateway to maximize downtown development would be the ideal. Something that brings people downtown and that keeps the green space for both active and passive recreation is my personal vision. However, whoever buys the property will ultimately have to get development approval from the City of Wheaton.What are you thoughts about some wanting the Hubble property to become a Wheaton Park District facility?In addressing the future disposition of the Hubble property, we must remember that the CUSD 200 community includes not only the residents and taxpayers who live in Wheaton, but also the residents and taxpayers who live Warrenville, the residents and taxpayers of a section of Winfield and of a section of Carol Stream and those who live in unincorporated Wheaton, which is outside the boundaries of the Wheaton Park District. The Board represents all of these constituents and is obligated to act on behalf of the entire District 200 community. The best result for the District 200 community would be to sell the entire Hubble property to a private developer so that all of the parcel could be returned to the tax rolls, which would generate additional funding for our schools. Substantial portions of the District 200 community will receive no benefit, if the Hubble property becomes a Wheaton Park District facility.Having said this, I realize that there is some value in promoting good relations between the Wheaton Park District and District 200, for their mutual benefit. Accordingly, I would be open to considering a sale of a portion of the Hubble property to a private developer and a portion to the Wheaton Park District, as long as the price was at, or very close to, the property's fair market value.What is your view of the federal No Child Left Behind standards?The original goals of NCLB were wonderful in concept. The NCLB program was designed to raise the math and reading skills of all children in a school to their grade level while making the schools accountable for their students' progress towards this goal. The drafters of the NCLB recognized that certain racial and low income-level students were not receiving the attention and the education assistance they needed to achieve grade-level math and reading skills. Accordingly, if one of the identified subgroups failed to meet the State's Minimum Achievement Standard (SMAS), as measured by standardized tests, a school, and its school district, could fail to meet the SMAS and achieve the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) required by NCLB, even though the vast majority of the school's students exceeded the SMAS. Unless such a school and its school district met one of the safe harbor provisions of NCLB, they risked the loss of federal funding. As a result, school districts began to devote more of their resources to the identified subgroups of students attending their schools.I am convinced that District 200 has made a sincere and good faith effort to comply with NCLB. However, despite these efforts to comply, District 200 is not achieving AYP. Some of the identified subgroups of students within the District have not achieved AYP with the SMAS even though the District's overall performance substantially exceeds the SMAS. As a result, the District is at risk of losing federal funds. District 200 is not alone. A number of well-regarded school districts are in the same position. School districts with a large student population that includes a number of the at-risk subgroups are at a disadvantage when compared to smaller school districts that have a fairly homogenous student population.As a result, I believe that NCLB should be amended to recognize the difficulties of school districts that have a diverse student population and which are striving to comply with NCLB. Perhaps the safe harbor provisions of NCLB can be modified to address this issue. Also, I believe that NCLB emphasizes math and reading skills to the detriment of other learning disciplines such social studies, science, fine and applied arts and writing. Finally, I am concerned that NCLB places emphasis on school and teacher #8220;accountability,#8221; while providing little in the way of identified standards to determine if students are becoming career and/or college ready as they progress through the school system. If elected to the school board, how would you address District 200's ongoing budgetary issues?At the January 26, 2011, Board meeting, Superintendent Harris and Assistant Superintendent Farley presented the projected budget for the 2011-2012 school year. The projected budget forecasts revenue of approximately $145 million and expenses of approximately $146 million, for a shortfall of $1 million. Dr. Harris anticipated that the District would eliminate the shortfall in the final budget proposal with operating efficiencies, which he did not specifically identify at this meeting. In short, Dr. Harris represented that the administration would present a balanced budget in May of this year. Although the administration predicts that it will present a balanced budget to the Board in the spring, the District's finances continue to face challenges. These challenges include, in no particular order of priority: (1) improving the working cash fund balance to avoid the need for short term borrowing to meet payroll; (2) restoring valued programs and staff levels that were reduced, or eliminated, over the last several years; (3) investing in an upgrade of the District's technology capabilities; and (4) financing improvements to the Jefferson School facility. This is not an exhaustive list of the challenges. The District is facing these challenges as our country recovers from a recession, as our state's finances remain in disarray, and as the District struggles to comply with the mandates of NCLB.To meet these challenges, I would work to insure that the Board and the CUSD 200 administration exercise the financial and budgetary discipline, as well as the required diligence, that will demonstrate to the CUSD 200 residents and taxpayers that we are good stewards of the funds the District receives from property taxes and other public resources. This discipline includes identifying all operating efficiencies that can be implemented without adversely impacting the education and developmental progress of our children to become career and/or college ready. The diligence we must exercise includes identifying all sources of funds available to the District, such as grants, and, if necessary, fees, to supplement the tax generated funds devoted to the District's operations. Finally, this discipline and diligence means prioritizing the above listed challenges, as well as others, in an order that is consistent with the District 200 community's values. This requires the Board to promote and engage in an on-going dialogue with residents, taxpayers, parents, teachers and staff.Considering the problems that the state has had providing funding for school districts, should District 200 consider asking local voters to approve a property tax increase to raise additional money for the education fund?While I believe that this decision to consider such a proposal should not be made until all other funding alternatives have been thoroughly evaluated and exhausted, I also believe a responsible Board member cannot eliminate any funding alternatives for consideration. However, when a School Board considers asking local voters for a property tax increase the following questions must be considered and answered affirmatively: (1) Has the Board and the administration exercised sufficient financial and budgetary discipline and diligence to demonstrate to the residents and taxpayers of the District that a property tax increase is necessary to maintain the level of educational performance the community values and expects? (2) Has the Board effectively communicated to the residents and taxpayers the basis for any proposed tax increase and listened and responded to the concerns of the community so that the proposed referendum has a reasonable prospect of passage? (3) Has the Board clearly identified and explained to the community the need for the capital and operational programs that would be funded by a referendum?The Board must consider these questions thoroughly and rigorously before proposing a referendum. The property values of all residents can be adversely impacted if the Board proposes a referendum and it fails to pass. Families who are relocating may be reluctant to move to District 200 if they perceive that its residents are not supporting our schools. Alternatively, the Board must meet its responsibilities and consider a referendum if all the available funding sources and operating efficiencies are not sufficient to maintain the level of educational performance the District 200 community expects and values. Such a failure to act can also adversely impact the property values of all residents.