Marijo G. Bustos: 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: Des PlainesWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Maine Township H.S. D207Age: 47Family: Married and just celebrated 25th anniversary. Two children >> son in college and daughter in high schoolOccupation: Business Analyst at APP Pharmaceuticals, LLC.Education: Bachelor of Science in Business, Indiana University, 1991Civic involvement: Maine East Fine Arts BoosterMaine South Fine Arts BoosterMaine West Fine Arts BoosterMaine West Athletic BoosterDistrict 62 VolunteerElected offices held: Maine Township District 207 School Board Member (2005-2009)Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal management and responsibility focused on a fiscally healthy district that allows for the achievement of the district's educational mission.Key Issue 2 Student educational ownership, empowerment, growth and development at all skill levels and all interest levels.Key Issue 3 Improved communications within the district and between the district and the community (parents, taxpayers, businesses, civic organizations, etc.).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?Educational focus has moved toward testing and the impact of test results on ranking of students, schools, districts, states and the nation. A greater balance is needed between the evaluation of student learning and the actual learning process.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?Issues:1. The district is dependent on property tax dollars which are heavily influenced by the U.S. economy. The economy remains weak.2. District expenses are increasing faster than district revenues.3. Federal and state educational requirements often lead to increasing expenses and do not include a method for obtaining revenue for such expenses.Creativity and flexibility are needed to address budget issues. New sources of revenue with limited or no impact to students and tax payers must be found. Cuts may be necessary and evaluations must be completed for every expense and in every program.I do not support tax referendums to increase taxes for local schools.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.Neither. Balance in education and in life is critical. Leading educational goals and programs requires an understanding of education. This can be achieved through direct experience or through interpersonal relationships. Educational leadership also requires balancing the needs and goals of all impacted groups. Teachers and the union are critical to the success in District 207. Students, parents, and tax payers are equally critical to District 207 success.I have experience as a teacher of adults in a corporate environment. I have family members and friends who have been or currently are teachers. I hope to have support from the Maine Teachers Association, Maine Township District 207 students, Maine Township District 207 parents and Maine Township District 207 taxpayers.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?I believe employees should be compensated based upon the overall needs of the district, which include but are not limited to, qualified/dedicated/talented employees, robust services to thousands of students and the condition of the district's financial health.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. Pay for all employees should be based upon job responsibilities and performance results. It would be highly unusual to support a substantial increase at the end of a career and it should only be considered for unusually high performance. A substantial increase merely to boost pension benefits is fiscally irresponsible and I do not support fiscal irresponsibility.