Vincent A. Juarez: 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: WildwoodWebsite: http://www.facebook.com/pages/vincentjuarezandalexattiahforwoodladdistrict50schoolboad/155406214511541Office sought: Woodland Elementary D50Age: 34Family: Married to Laura Juarez (CPA) with two sons Adam (5) and Ryan (3)Occupation: PGA Head Golf Professional and General Manager of Antioch Golf Club.Education: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Board of Director Lindenhurst Chamber of CommerceAntioch Chamber of CommerceWauconda Chamber of CommercePGA of AmericaIllinois Section PGAKiwanis of AntiochWildwood Presybterian Church memberElected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Financial AccountabilityWoodland District 50 currently has an approximate $4,000,000 projected budget shortfall for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2010. It is the Board's responsibility to spend the taxpayers money responsibly. Not only should the Board be accountable for its actions, the Board should also hold Administration and all District employees responsible for their spending. It is time for Woodland District 50 to balance its budget and live within its means.Key Issue 2 TransparencyI believe District 50 needs to be accessible an accountable to the taxpayers. Financial records, vendor contracts, organizational charts, and other non-financial metrics should be readily available on-line. The taxpayers should be able to easily view and undertand how the district is performing.Key Issue 3 Students FirstDistrict 50 is in the business of educating our students. I believe the students need the best possible education while working with a balanced budget.Questions Answers Do you have concerns about staffing being too high considering fewer children are in the system? Explain your answer.With the decline in attendance I do have concerns with the current staffing levels at Woodland Distrit 50. According to the Woodland District #50 Enrollment Forecast completed by Dr. Jerome Mcibben the peak enrollment from FY01-FY11 occurred in FY06 with 7104 students. The decline in enrollment is expected to continue. Staffing levels (Administration, Certified, Support) need to be evaluated to reflect the decrease in enrollment without cutting current service levels.How should the district approach the next teachers union contract talks? Would you be willing to pursue salary cuts or freezes? Explain your answer.These are tough economic times for the district. I believe the board should be open, honest and transparent with the teachers' union. I moved into the district during the polarizing 2003 teacher's strike. If elected, I pledge to negotiate the next contract in good faith for all best interests. Students need to be in the classroom.I would expect the next contract to be refective of the current economic conditions of the district: low inflation, limited growth in the district's tax base, and continued cash flow constraints. I believe the board must be fiscally responsible and taxpayer accountable when negotiating the next contract. We can provide competitive compensation while operating under the district's current revenue limitations. As a parent as well as a taxpayer, I want Woodland to be the district of choice for talented teachers both now and in the future.Woodland has been cutting its budget and coming up with ideas for more revenue in recent years. What other ideas do you have for strengthening finances?I do not believe the district's current weak financial condition is revenue related. From FY01 to FY09, revenues have increased 44.9% ($51,822,294 to $75,107,789) which is a growth rate 16% higher than the rate of inflation. These revenue numbers are provided from the Illinois District Report Card. Instead, the district needs to take a strong review of its expenses.I believe in the zero based budget approach and would challenge the board to objectively review all line items. After reviewing the district's finances as a member of the 2009 Financial Advisory Community Task Force, I believe the district could reduce some discretionary money spent on color copying, travel, meals, water delivery, and cellular phones without impacting the classroom. In these tough economic times, the district needs to hold itself accountable to the taxpayers. Many taxpayers have had to eliminate or reduce spending on these very same items, and would expect the district to do the same. I believe the following questions should be asked regarding each budget expense line item:1)How does the expense impact learning in the classroom?2)Is there a less expensive option?3)Can we eliminate or defer the cost?As a member of the 2009 Financial Advisory Community Task Force, I have identified costs to investigate for further savings. For example, I would consider creating a strategic sourcing program where District 50 can leverage its size and money spent annually to demand the best possible price. Centralizing supply orders would lower costs while also eliminating waste. Further, I would verify all third party service providers are providing quality service at the lowest rate possible. Are these services necessary? Can they be performed by employees currently on staff? A Daily Herald analysis found District 50 spent $1,800 a year on car allowances for administrative employees. Do you support continuing that expenditure? Why or why not?Considering the current $4.5m annual budget shortfall, I believe all expenses should be carefully analyzed. While eliminating $1800 from the school's annual budget would not make a material impact to its deficit, its symbolic of the challenges I make to bring the district's spending back in line and eliminate the annual deficit spending. While I recognize some business travel is necessary and required, I believe the taxpayers would be better served if Administrators were paid for business expenses in the same method as all other school employees. Administrators would need to document the business purpose for all mileage incurred before receiving reimbursement. I expect this to be a net cost savings for the district as I would be surprised if administrators are traveling more than 3600 miles/year on district business considering how close the district's facilities are located. Eliminating the auto allowance is one example of how I would move to reduce district spending.Are current class sizes too large? If so, how would you address the issue, including funding the solution?Class size is an important issue in District 50 which is projecting a further decline in enrollment. While I have concerns with the lower level class sizes (Kindergarten 1st grade) I do not believe the current class sizes (December 16, 2010 Board Presentation) are too large based on the current fiscal constraints of the district. If funding allowed, I would certainly consider further reducing class sizes allowing students to each have more individual time with their teachers. FY11 Projected Class Size (December 16th Board presentation):Kindergarten= 18 to 201st-3rd= 23 to 254th-5th= 24 to 276th-8th= 24 to 27