Sandra Bickley: 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: Hawthorn WoodsWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Fremont Elementary D79Age: 54Family: Married, three childrenOccupation: Quality Advisor/ManagerEducation: General Electric Six Sigma Quality CertifiedAssociate Degree in Business AdministrationBachelors Degree in ManagementCivic involvement: Lake Zurich VFWElected offices held: Fremont District 79 Board. Served as member, secretary and currently its Board President.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Fiscal responsibility. The district has received the highest status offered by the Illinois State Board of Education of financial recognition for the past seven years and I am proud to be a part of the team that has consistently worked hard to achieve this goal (I have been on the board for eight years). We have worked collaboratively to ensure that the taxpayer's dollars are spent appropriately with much thought and planning. We have maintained a balanced budget through difficult times without raising taxes.Key Issue 2 Open and honest communication. As the Fremont Board President, I have made myself available to any parent, teacher and/or community member to contact me about any issue that is of concern. I have proven myself to be a positive leader with a solid reputation for an open door policy and for providing accurate and timely information. The district itself has a variety of venues for the community to obtain any information it requires in a format that they are comfortable with. Our website is kept up to date, email updates are appropriately sent, newsletters are mailed to the community periodically and articles of interest submitted to local newspapers.Key Issue 3 Oversight and accountability. Currently the three senior administrative positions for the district are filled with individuals who are extremely qualified, but who have been here as employees for less than one year. That being the case, it is important that the board remain as intact as possible. With my quality education and background, as well as my eight years of service to the district, it is important that the strategic planning and design remain ongoing. As an example, we have been working on a ten-year facility (life safety) plan, a five-year technology plan and continued focus on academic achievement.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 am very satisfied that the District has, and will continue to have, the best interests in serving and preparing our students for their future. Personally I have had three children who attended and graduated from Fremont and am able to state that the education they received had a positive effect on their future ability as a student in both high school and college. Fremont has recently received the Academic Excellence Award (2010 Illinois Honor Roll) from the Illinois State Board of Education. This is a direct result of the fine leadership, excellent instruction and collaborative work of the administrators, teachers, parents and community involvement that ensures that every child is given every opportunity to learn and grow in all areas of their lives.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?Currently the Fremont School District budget is in balance and will remain so for the foreseeable future. The district operates, to as much extent as possible, within a five year budgetary plan. At this point there is no plan to cut any programs and we have continued to operate within budget, maintaining fiscal responsibility while not raising instructional fees paid by the parents, sensitive to the economic times. We have continued to apply for grants to subsidize needs (i.e., to help support mandated building and safety needs) and in addition seek opportunities to reduce waste as well as increase opportunities for energy efficient savings.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.By including from all stakeholders input, points of view, examining all sides, and working collaboratively to come up with best practices and solutions for the district as a whole this in turn then enables us to move ahead with its mission in a cooperative and efficient manner.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 have been on the last two board teams that have successfully negotiated the contracts with the Fremont Education Association (FEA). The last negotiation in particular went extremely well and was completed in a short amount of time largely due to the fact that we used the modified interest based style, which was very well received by both parties. This style builds on mutual cooperation and communication and addresses interests that are ultimately beneficial to all 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?No. That is not a fiscally responsible decision.