James Bednar: 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: Prospect HeightsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Prospect Heights Elementary D23Age: 45Family: Married with three children ages 8,9,11 who attend District 23 schools.Occupation: Sr. Director of Technical Services I work for a large social service agency.Education: BS Computer Science Engineering Ohio State University 1988MBA Loyal University Chicago 1996Civic involvement: Executive Member of Big Waters FederationsMember of Men In Pink (Men supporting the Avon Foundation)Managed /coached softball and baseball teams for PHWYBSElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 The short-term and long-term financial stability for the school district.Key Issue 2 Open and honest communication to the tax payers of District 23Key Issue 3 Maintaining a diverse and highly regarded curriculumQuestions 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 feel the teachers do an excellent job of educating our children and preparing them for high school. We need to keep the curriculum as diverse as possible within our means to motivate and challenge our children.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?The school district is facing growing costs and stagnate revenue or diminishing revenue. The board faces both short-term and long-term financial issues. The board needs to evaluate all measures available to them. Cuts or reductions to the curriculum and teachers without cuts and reductions to administrative expenses are not reasonable.At this point I am neutral on the tax increase for the school district. I would like to make sure that we've cut all expenses we could before asking the tax payers for more.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.It really all depends on the particular candidate, just because a particular group supports me or doesn't support me will not influence my decisions as a board member.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?The board should take a fiscally responsible position.Many factors play into the contract talks, the state of the economy and as well as the financial status of the district have to be considered when making those decisions. The board should consider current performance and compensation trends.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. The board should evaluate the superintendent and administrators on performance each year and compensate accordingly with consideration to financial status of the district.