Zeba Sward: 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: Buffalo GroveWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Aptakisic-Tripp District 102 School Board (4-year Terms)Age: 40Family: Married, 3 childrenOccupation: TeacherEducation: BA Communications, University of Texas MA Teaching, National Louis University MEd, Educational Policy and LeadershipCivic involvement: Girl Scouts Boy Scouts US Veterans Association Chicago CaresElected 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 Ensuring high quality education for all students which exceed state standards.Key Issue 2 Providing strong physical (building) and emotional (anti-bullying) safety measures for all students, teachers, staff, parents and anyone associated with D102.Key Issue 3 Effective and efficient use of tax dollars to promote educational excellence.Questions Answers What do you think about the shift to the common core standards? How big a role do you think the board of education should play in setting the curriculum for students and what ideas do you have for changes to the current curriculum?Common core standards are essential building blocks of learning (comprehension, communication, application), along with providing clear assessment guidelines. The board of education must set the tone for the district by examining and modifying curriculum to embrace common core standards and exceed state requirements.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?D102 demonstrates excellence in academics. However, like any organization, there is always room for improvement.What budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax increases?All budget issues must be addressed by making sound decisions on what expenditures are necessary, for example, increasing technology based learning so students are prepared as globally competitive learners.As contract talks come up with various school employee groups, do you believe the district should ask for concessions from its employees, expect employee costs to stay about the same as they are now or provide increases in pay or benefits?It is unrealistic to expect no fiscal changes, but the board should carefully scrutinize any increase in pay and benefits based on current financial 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?The district offers generous pensions for retiring employees, so any increase in pay to boost pension benefits must be addressed on a case by case basis.